Santa Cruz (, officially the Municipality of Santa Cruz (; ), is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Ilocos Sur Ilocos Sur (), officially the Province of Ilocos Sur (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the capital of Vigan, while Candon is ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 41,366 people.

Etymology

The place now known as Santa Cruz was the site where Captain

Juan de Salcedo Juan de Salcedo (; 1549 – 11 March 1576) was a Spanish conquistador. He was the grandson of Spanish general Miguel López de Legazpi. Salcedo was one of the soldiers who accompanied the Spanish conquest to the Philippines in 1565. He joined th ...

landed to get provisions, especially water, on his way to pacify the north. As soon as they came ashore, his men immediately went to the top of the highest sand

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

and planted a big wooden cross to signify that the place has been conquered (like what they did later in Santa Catalina). This cross is visible to mariners passing by, often describing the place as "Santa Cruz." The cross may have vanished, but the name ''Santa Cruz'' stuck, especially with natives who became

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

Geography

The Municipality of Santa Cruz is bordered by the municipalities of Santa Lucia and Salcedo to the north, Sigay and Suyo to the east, and Tagudin to the south Santa Cruz is situated from the provincial capital

Vigan Vigan, officially the City of Vigan (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

, and from the country's capital city of

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

Barangays

Santa Cruz is politically subdivided into 49

barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

s. Each barangay consists of

purok A ''purok'' () is an informal division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a ''purok'' often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay. ''Pur ...

s and some have

sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own bar ...

. * Amarao * Babayoan * Bacsayan * Banay * Bayugao Este * Bayugao Oeste * Besalan * Bugbuga * Calaoaan * Camanggaan * Candalican * Capariaan * Casilagan * Coscosnong * Daligan * Dili * Gabor Norte * Gabor Sur * Lalong * Lantag * Las-ud * Mambog * Mantanas * Nagtengnga * Padaoil * Paratong * Pattiqui * Pidpid * Pilar * Pinipin *

Poblacion ''Poblacion'' (from Spanish '' población'', meaning "population"), sometimes abbreviated as Pob., is a term used in the Philippines to refer to the administrative center, downtown, old town, or commercial area of a city or municipality. It ...

Este * Poblacion Norte * Poblacion Sur * Poblacion Weste * Quinfermin * Quinsoriano * Sagat * San Antonio * San Jose * San Pedro * Saoat * Sevilla * Sidaoen * Suyo * Tampugo * Turod * Villa Garcia * Villa Hermosa * Villa Laurencia

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, Santa Cruz had a population of 41,366. The population density was .

Language

The predominant dialect spoken in Santa Cruz is Ilocano.

Economy

Government

Local government

Santa Cruz, belonging to the second congressional district of the province of

, is governed by a mayor designated as its local chief executive and by a municipal council as its legislative body in accordance with the Local Government Code. The mayor, vice mayor, and the councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being held every three years.

Elected officials

Education

The Sta. Cruz Schools District Office governs all educational institutions situated within the municipality.

Primary and elementary schools

* Amarao Elementary School * Babayoan Elementary School * Bacsayan Primary School * Banay Primary School * Bayugao Primary School * Besalan Elementary School * Calaoaan Elementary School * Caparia-an Elementary School * Caparia-an UMC Kiddie Center of Excellence * Daligan Primary School * Dili Elementary School * Lantag Elementary School * Linggawa Primary School * Nagtenga Elementary School * Padaoil Elementary School * Pattiqui-Gabur Sur Elementary School * Pilar Elementary School * Pinipin Elementary School * Quinsoriano Primary School * Sagat Elementary School * San Jose Elementary School * Sevilla Elementary School * Sidaoen Elementary School * Sta. Cruz Central School * Villa Hermosa Elementary School

Secondary schools

* Amarao National High School * Dili National High School * Our Lady of Guadalupe Academy (Sevilla) * Pascual Rivera Pimentel Memorial Academy * San Jose High School * Sta. Cruz Institute

References

External links

Pasyalang Ilocos SurPhilippine Standard Geographic CodePhilippine Census InformationLocal Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Municipalities of Ilocos Sur