Santa Catalina, officially the Municipality of Santa Catalina (; ), is a 5th class municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 14,493 people.
The feast of the town is celebrated every 25th day of November to celebrate the feast day of Saint Catherine of Alexandria (the town's patron saint).
Etymology
When the Augustinians were busy with the Christianization of the Ilocos Region, a group of missionaries sailed westward through the river known as "El Mestizo" to the place now called Santa Catalina. They were also looking for fresh water, since the area where he landed yielded only salty water. When they finally found a fresh water spring up north, and were busy quenching their thirst, some of them saw an image of a beautiful lady near the place where he drank, which disappeared after a few minutes. One of them recognized the image as that of Saint Catherine of Alexandria. The Augustinians returned to Villa Fernandina (Vigan) and reported this matter to their superiors. This resulted in the construction of a church in the town with Saint Catherine of Alexandria as the patron saint. It was also declared that Santa Catalina be the name of the town.
A replica of the cross once planted by Salcedo and his party—to signify that the Spanish has conquered the area—stands near the entrance to the municipality.
Geography
With an area of , it is the smallest municipality in the province and the only municipality in Ilocos Sur which has an urban status for all its barangays based on National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB).
Barangays
Santa Catalina is politically subdivided into 9 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios. Cabaroan Cabittaogan Cabuloan Pangada Paratong Poblacion Sinabaan Subec Tamorong
It has 3 sitios, namely: Calawaan in barangay Tamorong Mindanao, formerly Sabangan in barangay Paratong Punta in barangay Cabittaogan
Climate
Demographics
In the 2020 census, Santa Catalina had a population of 14,493. The population density was .
Economy
As of February 2006, Santa Catalina with a poverty incidence of 7.9 percent and Vigan City with a poverty incidence of 8.6 percent, are the top two municipalities/cities with lowest poverty incidences in Ilocos Sur, and for the entire northern Luzon. This is among the results of the Poverty Mapping Project implemented by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) with funding assistance from the World Bank ASEM Trust Fund in response to the increasing demand for local level poverty estimates.
Trade
The main source of income for the locals include farming, fishing and small-scale businesses. As with most Philippine towns, the phenomenon of migrant labor has also contributed much to the development of the town. It is evidenced by the numerous mansions and large houses that dot the area along with the vast expanse of active farms and fields. Santa Catalina is only four (4) kilometers away from Vigan City, which is the province's center of commerce and trade, and because of this; there are few establishments in the locality. Santa Catalina has yet to establish a Central Business District (CBD). Residents currently go to Vigan to sell their produce and at the same time buy their household needs and other goods and merchandise that will be retailed in the locality.
Light Industries
Santa Catalina also has manufacturing of concrete well rings-a material used as reservoir in the making of open-dug wells to irrigate farm lots. There are also service-oriented industries such as gravel and sand businesses that cater to the needs of the Housing Sector and the metal crafts that manufacture sidecars for motorized-tricycles. These industries do have limited employment. One pioneering industry in the locality is the manufacture of Cigars but this industry is already nearing its extinction because of lack of the raw materials (native tobacco) that were used in the manufacture. We do have also the Onion Dehydration Plant an industry that pulverized onion that was exported in different Asian countries. The reason why this dehydrating plant had closed was because of dollar fluctuations.