Sarrat Ilocos Norte Philippines

Brief history of Sarrat

Sarrat was settled in 1721. Before this year, during the late part of the 16th Century, Minangel (Maingel) Bang’at, a civilized Malay, his wife Sarrah and more than a dozen families reached Sarrat. Bang’at was the bravest and most influential man, so he was chosen chief. There were many clumps of bamboos in the settlement; hence, they called the place Cabayugan. The people built crude houses, cleared the land and planted rice and some root crops.

The Padsan River afforded them a good fishing place. Bang’at and Sarrah had two children named Banet and Garo. When Bang’at died, Garo succeeded his father. He changed the name Cabayugan to Sarrat in honor of his mother Sarrah and the last two letters “ah” were changed to “at” which was taken from the last two letters of the name of his father Bang’at. During the early days of April 1721, the Spaniards reached Sarrat. Chief Garo ordered that he wanted to meet his men. No sooner had they gathered than the Spaniards arrived at their meeting place. They greeted each other by signs. One of the Spaniards asked the name of the place, and as he was asking he touched a carabao horn.

Banet said, “Sarra’t Nuang”, meaning carabao’s horn, and so the Spaniards wrote the name Sarrat. Three years later, Augustinians erected their parish over the place and changed Sarrat’s name to San Miguel. Coincidentally, it gained its township’s status on September 29, 1724. In 1916, in accordance with a bill filed by Senators Santiago Fonacier and Isabelo delos Reyes, the name San Miguel was changed to what is now known as SARRAT.

The town’s history is largely written in blood. Sarrateños actively participated during the wine controversy of 1807 which let to a revolt. In 1815, the town rose in arms again during the Sarrat Rebellion. This was by the nullification of the liberal Spanish Constitution of 1812 by the reactionary King Ferdinand VII. When the Filipino war of independence against the American’s broke out, 500 Sarrateño men braved the strongly fortified town of Laoag to denounce American sovereignty. This event is immortalized in a colorful Sarrat Heroes Monument erected by the Mayor Gabriel Jesus Bello Ruiz symbolizing the heroism of the Sarrateños in 1899 during their struggle against the Americans led by Capitan Jose Ver using bamboos and bolos while the enemies were using Remington rifles.