Geographical Location and Land Area

Tagudin is the gateway of the Province of Ilocos Sur from the south. It has a total land area of 4,496 hectares unevenly divided in 43 barangays. This is only less than 10% of the total land area of Ilocos Sur. It lies within 16’ 56” latitude and 120’ 32” longitude. It is bounded by the Majestic Cordillera Mountain Ranges on the east; on the west by the South China Sea, on the south by the mighty Amburayan River and the towns of Sudipen and Bangar, La Uniion; and on the north by the town of Sta. Cruz. It is 90 kilometers away from Vigan, the capital town (now a city) of Ilocos Sur; 45 kilometers away from San Fernando City, La Union, the region’s center of government agencies; and 317 kilometers away from Manila. Tagudin serves as a trading and commercial hub for its neighboring towns of Suyo, Cervantes, Sugpon and Alilem, Ilocos Sur.

Climate

Tagudin, just like any other Ilocos town, has two major seasons: rainy and dry. The rainy season usually comes during the second week of May and continues until November while the dry season is prevalent during the rest of the year. Being part of the Ilocos Region, it is one of the driest in the Philippines. Average rainfall in the entire province of Ilocos Sur is 212.70 mm, the highest among the Ilocos Provinces. With its eastern mountain ranges, Tagudin is protected from the Pacific Trade winds. However, due to its proximity to the open South China Sea, it is very vulnerable to typhoons originating from the west.

Topography and Land Features

The municipality of Tagudin is situated on a relatively flat terrain on its western part and slowly rises to its hilly and mountainous areas in the east. The Poblacion area is flat with grid-type streets.

Rock Formation

The stratified rocks that are common in the area are alluviums. These are composed of detrital deposits, mostly sands and gravel that are located along the western coastal areas, river valleys and flat areas. This rock formation provides economic activities for the people in the form of hollow block making and other concrete products.

Faultlines

The region is traversed by numerous faultlines with the major ones running through northwest and northeast trends. The nearest faultline to the municipality is located in Alilem, Ilocos Sur where a river dam is now constructed. This makes Tagudin also prone to earthquakes.

Water Resources

The municipality has one of the region’s biggest river basin, namely the Amburayan River, which bisects the southwestern area of the town’s river deltas located at barangays Pudoc, Sawat, Tarangotong, Pacac, Baritao, Libtong, Bimmanga and Borono. The northern side of the town is bathed by the tributaries of the Chico River originating from the upland town of Suyo and flows down to the barangays of Bitalag and Baracbac. This is being used as source of irrigation for these two barangays.

Aquatic Resources

Owing to its long coastline extending from Pudoc to Becques and the two main river basins of Amburayan and Chico, Tagudin is blessed with rich aquatic life (i.e. fish and marine plants). It is also the recipient of the seasonal catch of fish locally known as “ipon”, which is a delicacy among the Ilocanos.

Mineral Resources

The Ilocos Region has vast reserves of metallic as well as non-metallic resources. Tagudin is best known for its iron magnetite, which was mined by the defunct PHILMAG, Philippines in the early 70’s to the 80’s. This industry provided livelihood for the local residents and income for the municipal government during that time. However, due to environmental concerns that were later on politicized, the magnetic mining operation in Tagudin was discontinued.

Nowadays, the Amburayan River found abundant for its aggregates( e.g. sand, gravel, rocks) being extracted from time to time mostly used for the construction of various projects where the income derived therein is both beneficial to the people and the local government.

Flood and Erosion Areas

During the rainy seasons, the municipality experiences destructive floods caused by the overflowing of the Amburayan and Chico Rivers and the several creeks that originated from the eastern mountains. Existing drainage facilities are inadequate, the creeks and ditches are mostly narrow and shallow due to soil erosion and siltation, and hence, water easily overflows. Cases of soil erosion have constantly increased through the years due to continued denudation of the mountain and hills. The barangays that are prone to flooding include Ambalayat, Pallogan, Pudoc East and West, Pacac, Sawat, Lantag, Baritao, and Tarangotong. Wide portions of these barangays have already been eroded.