Seal symbolism
Tunnel, represents the tangadan tunnel at the boundary of Abra and Ilocos Sur which is the gateway to the province. It shows the resident’s pride that San Quintin is the Way towards Abra’s civilization and development.
Concrete Road, represents the people’s aspiration for development for it has been the belief that the construction of an all-weather road is the key towards development.
Verdant Forest, San Quintin was once home to verdant forests denuded as a result of environmental abuse. The symbol is a reminder of San Quintin’s past and a challenge towards ecological renewal.
Mountain at the Background of Smoke, it is a reminder that San Quintin as a valley Tinguian settlement is not distinct from the rest of Abra’s mountainous terrain.
History and Government
San Quintin was known to the outside civilization for the first time in 1926 through the mission report of Fr. Juan Pareja who organized several missions in Abra. Talamay, the early name of the adjacent village Palang were earlier known to have always been in continuous warfare with the villagers of Tayong (now Tayum) and Bukaw (now Dolores). This impression change only when in 1820, French Surgeon Paul de le Genereire made a stop-over in Palang in his visit to Abra in 1820, describing the settlement as peaceful and simple.
The first record on the Christianization of Talamey was in 1827 when Fr. Bernardo Lago received pagan-converts. Talamey become a mission station and later become a pueblo in 1868 with the name San Quintin. However it was a part of Pidigan and it was only in 1884 that it was officially separated.
As a newly separated pueblo, San Quintin was ruled by the Spaniards until the appointment of Don Hilario Pira in 1887 when San Quintin was fully considered to have its own government and six barangays.
San Quintin was created a town during the American Occupation under the Provincial Law or Act of February 6, 1901. At the time, Tinguian communities were turned into towns while the Christian were turned into municipalities.
At present, San Quintin is politically subdivided into 6 barangays, namely: Labaan, Palang, Pantoc, Poblacion, Tangadan and Villa Mercedes.
