Vintar Ilocos Norte Philippines

Brief history of Vintar

In 1574, a Spanish encomendero by the surname of Leano reached the pueblo. It was in the course of his missionary work that the name of the town was coined. He observed that when the village chieftain assembled his men with the command “INTAR!” which means “order” in Iloco or local dialect, the tribesmen accordingly congregated in “V”-shaped formation with precise, clicking efficiency; symbolizing the villagers’ warm welcome, sense of values, mores and traditions. This greatly impressed the Spaniard. Thereupon, wanting the occasion to be truly memorable, the missionary affixed the “V” being also nearest to the shape of the heart to the word INTAR. Since then, the people called the community VINTAR, more popularly taken to mean and understood as a fitting tribute to the Vintarinians’ hospitality, kind-heartedness and unity of purpose.

It was in 1800 that Vintar began to be administered by its first gobernadorcillo, Agustin Vinoya. In order to effect more conversion to the Catholic faith, Agustin Leano, successor of Vinoya, encouraged the construction of the Roman Catholic Church (1801) presently the San Nicolas Catholic Church.

In 1901, Daniel Agcaoili began to govern the town as Municipal President. In 1903, due to its unstable financial status, the political and administrative machinery of Vintar was merged with Bacarra, although it retained its identity as an independent municipality. On December 4, 1908, with the zealous leadership of Don Florentino Camaquin and Manuel Agcaoili, Vice-President of Bacarra-Vintar lawyers and Atty. Teotimo Duque, Dean of Vintar lawyers, the ties between the towns was finally severed. In the year 1938, Mr. Pedro Agbayani was elected the first Municipal Mayor. During the bleak war days, Lt. Roque Nagtalon administered Vintar, followed by Atty. Genaro Agbayani.

After the country gained its political independence from the United States of America, Vintar had been administered alternately by the late Messrs. Pedro F. Alviar and Elias C. Foronda, Sr. Then Rogelio T. Agbayani assumed office in 1972. Not long after, Martial Law was proclaimed by President Ferdinand Marcos on September 21, 1972. Under the Martial Law Regime, terms of the incumbent local government elective officials were extended up to 1980. The first local elections after the Martial Law had been lifted, was held last January, 1980. Mayor Georgia B. Alviar became the first mayor to enjoy a six-year term of office, when previously the incumbency of local officials was only for four years per term. After the so-called ”February-Revolution”, Atty. Andres A. Tunac, Sr. took his Oath of Office as OIC Mayor of Vintar last June 12, 1986.