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Why visit San Juan
Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 5 parks and trails, 19 places to eat and 1 attraction in and around town.
Weather in San Juan
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About San Juan
San Juan, officially the Municipality of San Juan (Ilocano: Ili ti San Juan; Filipino: Bayan ng San Juan), formerly called as Lapog, is a municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 26,709 people.
From the Wikipedia article San Juan, Ilocos Sur (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: San Juan on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks3
Parks, trails and playgrounds5
Restaurants and cafes19
7 more on the map.
History
The town was established in 1772 as Lapog. Over the years, the name of the municipality went through a series of changes. The early settlers and occupants called it Lapo, short for Lapo-Lapo, a tall grass which grew everywhere in the area. In 1772, Don Tomas Aquino, the first local leader, initiated the organization of the scattered communities into one, calling the place "Lapog", a derivative of local vernacular Lap-Lapog which means unirrigated land.
It was stricken by all sorts of plagues and epidemics (like the smallpox epidemics of 1808 and 1918–19, locust infestation in 1903, and destruction of ricefields by worms called "arabas" in 1905). Americans destroyed the town hall in 1903. Despite these, San Juan progressed into a prosperous community.
For 189 years, Lapog remained in the records as the official name of the town until June 18, 1961, when Republic Act No. 3386 was enacted to rename the town, "San Juan". Since most of the inhabitants were of the belief that religious names bring peace, happiness, and prosperity, the town was renamed San Juan, after the name of its patron saint, Saint John the Baptist.
From the History section of San Juan, Ilocos Sur on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship10
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses
Church · Jehovahs Witness · 5.7 km
Sison Street, Cabugao
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Church · Mormon · 6.4 km
Manila North Road
Iglesia Filipina Independiente, Parish of St. Mark the Evangelist
Church · Philippine Independent · 5.8 km
Shopping5
Gas and EV charging8
Schools, colleges and libraries53
Healthcare10
Map of San Juan
114 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Laoag International Airport (LAO) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 49 km away.
- Cabugao 6 km north, about 6 min by car
- Bantay 19 km southwest, about 19 min by car
- Vigan 20 km south, about 20 min by car
- Bangued 24 km southeast, about 24 min by car
- Santa 29 km south, about 29 min by car
- Batac City 37 km north, about 37 min by car
- Santa Maria 42 km south, about 42 min by car
- San Nicolas 50 km north, about 50 min by car
- Laoag 53 km north, about 53 min by car
- Candon 61 km south, about 1 h by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- San Juan Church, Ilocos Sur, JellyGelieAce, CC BY-SA 3.0
- San Juan, Ilocos Sur church (June 2005) - Flickr, Shubert Ciencia from Nueva Ecija, Philippines, CC BY 2.0
- San Juan, Ilocos Sur church inside - Flickr, Shubert Ciencia from Nueva Ecija, Philippines, CC BY 2.0
- St. William the Hermit Church in Magsingal, Ilocos Sur, Mannie78, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Cabugao church inside - Flickr, Shubert Ciencia from Nueva Ecija, Philippines, CC BY 2.0
- Cabugao church - Flickr, Shubert Ciencia from Nueva Ecija, Philippines, CC BY 2.0
- Torn roof from a classroom in Cabugao North Central School, DepEd Cabugao District - Ilocos Sur, Public domain
Page built November 7, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.