Piddig, Ilocos Norte (Philippines)

The earliest settlers of the place were the Itnegs.
As early as 1770, they cleared the land, tilled the soil and
enjoyed bountiful harvests. Years later, the villagers from
nearby La Union and Ilocos Sur arrived at the settlement and
drove the Itnegs away. Fearing for their lives, the Itnegs
fled to the hills and mountains. They called their new
sanctuary Pidipid, an Ilocano term for a hilly place.
The town was called Pidipid for hundreds of years until
the Americans arrived and changed its name to Piddig, which
literally means a hilly place at the foot of the mountains.
















The people of Piddig are known to be religious
as well as God-fearing. Records of Augustinian monks
indicate that they had an easy time converting the people
to Christianity. In 1902, another religious sect was
organized by Monsignor Gregorio Aglipay. His was the
Philippine Independent Church with Rev. Jose Castro as
the first priest.





























Like the Itnegs before them, the people of Piddig consider
agriculture their most important industry. The farmers raise
corn, rice, sugarcane and tobacco. Basi, an Ilocano wine,
is grown in almost all barangays and is considered one of
the town's principal products.

Piddig, a small town in Ilocos Norte,
specializes in a homemade wine called basi which
is made from crushed sugar cane juice mixed
with barks and berries from local trees.
This backyard brew is a mellow,
pale red drink prized for its tonic and
restorative qualities. They are fermented
and stored in jars kept under the house
until ready to use. Connoisseurs claim
that the best basi is achieved only after
three years of aging.

In Ilocano, the term burnay also refers to a
tree (antidesma bunius) which is small to
medium in size (10 meters tall).
The same tree is called bignay in the
Tagalog-speaking region. Its flowers turn
into berries which grow in clusters on a spike.
Red, fleshy, acidic and edible when ripe,
they are said to make an excellent jam or wine.
Although they grow all over the country,
they are more abundant in certain areas.
It has been an old practice in the Philippines
to name after plants or fruits places where
these are commonly found.