“Chotis Dingreña”, considered as the municipal dance, originated from Alabaan, Dingras, Ilocos Norte, as contained in a literature used by folk dance instructors all over the country. Today, it can be claimed as “Chotis Marcoseña” because Alabaan is now part of the new town and parish called Marcos.
The southern portion of the hometown of many priests was blooming to become the rice granary of Dingras. With the quality and quantity of harvest vis-à-vis the industry of the people, the area would become the site for a new municipality. Through a bill sponsored by then Representative Simeon M. Valdez, the town of Marcos was created by virtue of Republic Act 3753. Six big barrios (Biding, Capariaan, Alabaan, Agunit, Culao and Ragas) were carved out of Dingras to form the new town, named after Mariano Marcos in recognition of his heroism even before his son Ferdinand would ascend to the Presidency. As the town progressed, the six barrios were further subdivided into the present 13 barangays mostly named after the first names of the Marcos clan (Lydia, Imelda, Mabuti, Valdez, Daquioag, Fortuna, Pacifico, Tabucbuc, Santiago, Ferdinand, Elizabeth and Cacafean).
Sensitive to the pastoral needs of the industrious people, the first bishop of Laoag, the late Archbishop Antonio Ll. Mabutas canonically erected the parish on June 13, 1966 – the date of his birth and feast of his patron, “San Antonio de Padua” – and considered the youngest for the next 33 years. (Sta. Rosa was erected in 1999, immediately before Bishop Abaya assumed the See of Nueva Segovia.) The barangay chapel of Alabaan, being the only one in the area was converted into a parish church. Gradually, more and more parishioners learned to come for mass including the taga-daya (those coming from the barangays east of the Padsan River). The small church was becoming smaller and smaller. There was no more space to expand; to the west a cliff ends the hill were the church is suspended, to the east the busy national road often became the starting point of marching couples at weddings, to the north the houses provided the resident priest neighbors at a hearing distance, and to the south another cliff ends the portion where the rectory is built. Until the thought of constructing a larger church on a higher hill where the town’s Poblacion was built, a lot with a down sloping terrain was donated by Dr. Magdalena Leaño when Fr. Jojo Saturnino was parish priest. The open diamond-shaped church with a unique architectural design was consecrated in 1996 by Bishop Abaya when the parish hosted the Christ the King celebration under the leadership of Fr. Walde Batoon. Travelling about 4 kilometers from the new parish church to his residence, and with the support of the parishioners, Fr. Ian Rabago spearheaded the construction of a huge and well-equipped rectory, blessed on July 1, 1999. The new parish church, now at the heart of the town is a witness to the growing number of active parishioners, who found difficulty going to the southernmost barangay Fortuna.
The following priests are well-remembered by Marcoseños: Rev. Amador Foz (1966-67), Rev. Damaso Argel (1967-69), +Rev. Adriano Lagoc (1969-73), Rev. Jose Agustin (1973), Rev. Teodoro Remigio (1973-77), Rev. Mario Garaza (1977-81), Rev. Richard Antonio (1981-84), Rev. Pedro A. Acoba (1984-86), Rev. Emil Valenciano (1986-89), Rev. Jojo Saturnino (1989-92), Rev. Romualde D. Batoon (1992-97), Rev. Noel Ian G. Rabago (1997-2001), Rev. Anthony Dimagiba as Parochial Administrator (2001), Rev. Tranquilino Santos (2002-2008), and Rev. Joey Ranjo (2008-2009).
by Rev. Noel Ian G. Rabago
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