La Union Province, Philippines

By James Barcelona

Tourist Attractions 

The Surfing Capital of Northern 
Philippines

La Union is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. It is subdivided into 19 municipalities and 1 city. San Fernando City is the administrative, educational, and financial center of the province and region. The province is bounded by Ilocos Sur on the north and northeast, Benguet on the east, Pangasinan on the south, and the China Sea on the west. La Union has a predominantly hilly terrain which gradually rises eastward from the shore.

La Union was carved from the 9 towns of Pangasinan, 3 of Ilocos Sur and villages of Cordilleras. It was formally created by a Royal Decree issued by Queen Isabela of Spain on April 18, 1854. The name La Union indicates the union of towns from different provinces.

Bauang, La Union Surfing

Ninety-three percent of the population of La Union is Ilocano and is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic. There are also communities of Pangasinense in the south and Igorots in the Cordillera foothills. A substantial part of Chinese-Filipinos can be found in the province’s commercial center. La Union has two pronounced seasons – dry from November to April, and wet from May to October.

The main sources of livelihood in La Union are farming and fishing. The principal products are rice, corn, tobacco, garlic, sugarcane and cassava. Grapes are also grown extensively in the province. Cottage industries include blanket-weaving, basketry, shellcraft, pottery and furniture-making. La Union is also known for its “basi”, the native wine made from fermented sugarcane juice.

Macho Temple

La Union is rising as an important surfing destination next to Siargao and thus, appropriately nicknamed “The Surfing Capital of Northern Philippines”. Stretches of white and gray-sand beaches can be seen along the towns. Among these are the Bauang Beach, the San Juan Beach, the San Francisco-Canaoay-Pagudpud Beach and the Agoo-Damortis National Seashore Park.

Aside from surfing and beautiful beaches, La Union is also known for its Botanical Gardens in San Fernando City which showcases different pavilions in its ten-hectare facility with flora and fauna that are indigenous only to the Philippines.

La Union Botanical Garden
and Science Museum

La Union also celebrates its annual festivals like the Agoo Semana Santa which depicts the Stations of the Cross thru life-sized statues that are pulled by devotees along the processional roads during the Good Friday procession. Other events in the province are the Rambak Festival, the Feast of Our Lady of Caysasay and the San Fernando Fiesta.