"BRIEF HISTORY OF VINTAR ILOCOS NORTE"
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.