However, it was not until 1575 when Vigan was finally "pacified" by the Castilians that effective evangelization campaign reached this part of the newly established Province of Ilocos.
During this last quarter of the 16th century, mission centers were established in Laoag, Bacarra, San Nicolas, Batac and Dingras.
The evangelization of this northern part of Ilocos province was done by the Augustinian friars, where they did their apostolate until the end of Spanish rule in 1898.
Like the other parts of the country, which were pacified and claimed for the Castilian standard, the Ilocos was soon divided into encomiendas, which were awarded to deserving colonizers.
Towards the end of the Spanish Regime, of the 460,000 hectares comprising the land area of Ilocos Norte, 33,500 were planted with tobacco, palay, sugar cane, indigo, corn and vegetables and worked by 35,000 farmers out of a population of 160,000.
In the first quarter of the 19th century three rebellions in a row erupted in a period of fifteen years, which prompted the colonial government to divide the Ilocos province in 1818.
One of these revolts in Piddig town was caused by the government's attempt to put a monopoly on the production of basi, a locally produced wine fermented from sugarcane juice.
As mentioned above, Christianity came to this northernmost frontier of the far-flung Spanish colony in 1572 as a part of the “pacification campaign” by the Spaniards led by the youthful and swashbuckling conquistador Juan de Salcedo.
The Philippine Religious Revolution at the turn of the 20th century that gave rise to the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) made Ilocos Norte as its epicenter.
This was mainly because the former guerilla priest Gregorio Aglipay, now the religious leader of the new schismatic movement, was from Batac; and both his lieutenants, Simeon Mandac and Santiago Fonacier, were from Laoag.
However, the Philippine Supreme Court's landmark decision in 1905 (Barlin vs. Ramirez) ordering the return of properties belonging to the Roman Catholic Church, which were taken over by the Independientes, saved the day for the Romanos.
It includes Luis Cortez of Badoc, Clemente Edralin of Sarrat (who was later murdered in his convent of mysterious causes), and Atanacio Albano of Bacarra.
Catholic Schools were opened (St. Anne in Piddig, St. James in Pasuquin, St. Lawrence in Bangui and St. Jude in Pagudpud) to add to those already existing at the time of the separation.
A good number of priests from La Union (6) and Ilocos Sur (6) were “trapped” in the D When the 1970s came, storm clouds were looming in the horizon for the Diocese of Laoag.
This was a difficult decade everywhere: the first and second quarters saw the storm of activism, the “hippie” generation, Martial Law and dictatorship, the changes brought about by Vatican II were now being felt.
This did not progress in the ensuing years, and it was eventually dropped to give away to the quota system, that is, each parish was assessed and the amount to be submitted to the curia was fixed.
About the same year, the Foyer de Charite in the compound of the St. Mary's Seminary was slowly rising to serve as a retreat house for the diocese.
This was a week-long gathering of clergy, religious and lay faithful of the diocese to pray, to reflect on the pastoral situation and to offer solutions and remedies.
Bishop Abaya's episcopal ministry in the Diocese of Laoag came to an end when he was installed as the Archbishop of Nueva Segovia on September 8, 1999.
Bishop Salgado steered the 40th anniversary celebration of the diocese of Laoag with "The Church as Mystery of Communion" as its theme.
Four new parishes were erected during Bishop Salgado's term: St. Francis of Assisi in Davila, which was carved out of St. James in Pasuquin; Our Lady of Fatima in Cadaratan from St. Andrew in Bacarra; Divine Mercy in Pila, comprising the 10 barrios in the northwestern portion of Laoag; and, St. John Bosco in Baresbes, covering three barrios at the eastern side of Dingras.
St. Joseph the Worker in Carasi was being prepared but events did not permit its formal erection as parish during the tenure of Bishop Salgado.
To prepare for the forthcoming reshuffle of priest's assignment and to have a firsthand knowledge of the whole diocese, Bishop Utleg immediately embarked on a pastoral visit.
He is practically making waves with the mountain climbing that he organizes to conquer the highest peaks of Ilocos Norte: Mt.
Diocesan commissions were reorganized and the parish councils are being given a new direction with a uniform constitution and by-laws to be adopted in the whole diocese.
Streamlining of the financial management of the parishes is now being prepared to adopt a uniform system thus paving the way towards a standardized remuneration of the clergy.
On June 4–5, 2011, the diocese celebrated the highlights of the Golden Jubilee Year with the inauguration of the Museo Diocesano de Laoag located at Sta.
The Vatican granted plenary indulgences to the faithful who visit the churches of Dingras, Paoay, Bangui, Sarrat, the Shrine of Our Lady, Cause of our Joy in Badoc and the Laoag Cathedral.
Under his watch, the faithful witnessed the Pontifical Coronation of La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc on May 31, 2018, by Cardinal Luís Antonio Tagle, then Archbishop of Manila.
Few months later, on February 5, 2019, in a solemn rite, the shrine of the miraculous image in Badoc was elevated into a Minor Basilica, as mandated by the Holy See.