Spanish colonization Foundation Spanish
conquistador Juan de Salcedo first arrived in Ilocos in 1571 and began setting up tribunals that soon became the seat of the municipal government then. Augustinian friars who followed in 1572 built the convent and house of worship that later became the
Iglesia Parroquial de San Agustín (St. Augustine Parish Church). The parish was recognized in 1591, while the town of Bantay was formally founded as a
pueblo that was separate from Vigan in 1593. It is one of the thirty-four (34) towns of the Province of Ilocos Sur, as cited in the
Maura Law of 1893. The law also served as the legal basis for its being constituted as a separate political subdivision during the American Regime.
Etymology Bantay got its name from the Ilocano word,
to guard, which was to guard the image of Our Lady of Charity (Apo Caridad) in her sanctuary. The early Spanish settlers made the town beautiful by building the 'tribunal' - otherwise known as the town hall - the church, bell tower, roads and streets by forced labor. In a report of the Most Reverend Bishop Domingo de Soria on August 15, 1613, the population of Bantay was 4,000 souls, while at the time, Vigan has only 2,000. This can be explained by the fact that by then, Bantay parish was very extensive as it covered the parishes of
Magsingal (separated in 1676),
Santo Domingo (separated in 1742),
San Ildefonso (separated in 1769),
San Vicente (separated in 1795),
Santa Catalina de Baba (separated in 1795), and
Santa Catalina de Alexandria as "visitas". One of the Augustinian friars, Rev. Francisco Lopez, a great Augustinian philologist, with the help of Pedro Bukaneg, the blind genius of the Ilocano tongue who was from this place and author of the epic - "Biag Ni Lam-ang", labored hard to translate the
Bellarmine Cathechism originally written by Robert Cardinal Bellarmine. The book was approved at the
Bantay Convent in 1616 printed in Malayan Script and Spanish alphabet and was first published in 1621. Here, this heroic figure resolved to kill the bishop-elect Bernardo Ustariz and all Spanish friars imprisoned by him in Bantay. The prisoners prayed fervently to Our Lady of Charity for their deliverance until a Spanish mestizo nicknamed "Miguel Vicos" treacherously killed Silang on May 28, 1763, with a pistol at his makeshift fort on a place on a hillside referred to as
Calle Encuentro (now Crisologo Street). For the Spaniards, the treacherous Vicos was their savior and to his honor a commemorative monument was erected in 1763 which became the epitome of the Town Plaza. It is replaced later by a memorial to Diego Silang towards the end of the 19th century.
Contemporary Inspired with the common vision that it will strengthen and improve the totality of local governance, Municipal buildings [Annex I (Legislative Building) and Annex II (Puericulture Building)] were blessed and inaugurated on December 23, 1999, and May 5, 2003, respectively. Considered as major breakthroughs and milestone feats in the History of Bantay, these massive structures were built to 'reinforce' the Old(Main) Building in order to meet the vast administrative demands and service requirements of the public clientele. Sourced from Provincial and Municipal funds, these expansion edifices are the lasting tributes of the municipal and administrators (1998-2001 and 2001–2004) showcasing local accomplishment and a legacy during their incumbency. ;
Dur-as Bantay Era The Municipality holds the distinction of being the first Local Government Unit in Ilocos Sur to use an Electronic Scoreboard in a sporting event (the first ever to do so in the province was the
University of Northern Philippines); the first to open hiking trails; and the first municipality in Ilocos Sur to hold a National Shootfest. ==Geography==