Vintar, officially the Municipality of Vintar (; ), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 33,339 people.
Vintar is the largest municipality in Ilocos Norte. Its patron saint is Saint Nicholas de Tolentino. It is home to one of the biggest convents in the province where it houses the Saint Nicholas Academy. It is also where Vintar Dam is located, first dam funded by the World Bank in Southeast Asia- an important cultural property listed by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and is also the site of the Umok ni Siwawer Eco-Tourism Nature Park, the town's popular picnic resort.
Etymology
Vintar derived its name from the Ilocano word, "intar", which used to describe the formation or order taken by the subject from their ruler whenever the chief called them to attention. It is said that a visiting Spanish missionary heard the word and added the letter V, referring to the “V” formation that the missionary saw.
History
The town's earliest settlers are believed to be of Malay in origin. They first settled on a hill overlooking the Bislak. The town was founded by the Spanish missionaries who got lost in the woods while hunting between Sarrat and Piddig. Vintar became a visita of Bacarra but it was later established as a Parish of San Nicolas de Tolentino. Earlier in 1763, Vintar was reverted to a visita until it became independent in 1774.
In 1903, Vintar was annexed as a barrio of Bacarra. It gained its separation and independence in 1909.
The town is home to one of the biggest convents in Ilocos Norte. In 1931, an earthquake partially destroyed its church and convent. Five years later, it was restored. The convent which houses the Saint Nicolas Academy was restored in 1982.
Vintar was one of the Ilocos region municipalities where various human rights violations were documented during the martial law era, despite public perception that the region was supportive of the Marcos administration. Three indigenous community members in Vintar are documented to have been "salvaged" in 1984, the same year as eight farmers in Bangui also disappeared, while farmers from the towns of Vintar, Dumalneg, Solsona, Marcos and Piddig were also documented to have been tortured.
Culture
Vintar celebrates the feast of St. Nicholas every 10 September- a religious tradition inherited from the Augustinians lives that still practice the distribution of “tinapay ni San Nicolas” (unleavened bread). But the Siwawer Festival, the annual town fiesta of Vintar is held from December 26–30 of every year.
The people of Vintar engage in farming, fishing and herding. The town is generally rural but famous all over the province for its beautiful women with strongly Spanish features. Hence the town has its monicker, “The Home of Beautiful People”. Vintar is also the site of four (4) important cultural properties listed by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. These are Vintar Dam, the Old Municipal Building, San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish Church and the Gabaldon Building.
Geography
Vintar is located on a plain land surrounded by mountains. Vintar is surrounded and bordered by: Bangui, Adams, Dumalneg, Burgos and Pagudpud in the north; Laoag, Sarrat, Piddig, and Carasi in the south; Pasuquin and Bacarra in the west; Calanasan, Apayao in the east.
The town is considered as the sixth major river system in the region. Its head waters are on the western Cordillera slopes at the Kalinga and Apayao borders. It flows eastward and irrigates most of the flat lands of Ilocos Norte before making its exit into the China Sea. Vintar has the largest land area in Ilocos Norte.
Barangays
Vintar is politically subdivided into 33 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
Abkir
Alejo Malasig
Alsem
Bago
Bulbulala
Cabangaran
Cabayo
Cabisocolan
Canaam
Columbia
Dagupan
Dipilat
Esperanza
Ester
Isic Isic
Lubnac
Mabanbanag
Malampa
Manarang
Margaay
Namoroc
Parparoroc
Parut
Pedro F. Alviar
Salsalamagui
San Jose
San Nicolas
San Pedro
San Ramon
San Roque (Poblacion) Santa Maria Tamdagan Visaya
Sub-divisions
Poblacion
Poblacion is the center-most subdivision of Vintar. Poblacion is composed of 5 barangays namely: 1- San Roque 2- San Nicolas 3- San Pedro 4- Santa Maria 5- San Ramon
