Seal Symbolism
Yellow Gold Star, represents the present administration’s glowing vision which is “Economic stability towards genuine peace and order and development”.
Rocky Mountains, symbolize the municipality’s rocky mountains suited for mining exploration and additional livelihood of the people.
Native, a typical Binongan Tribe characterized by being sturdy, patient, hardworking and peace loving.
Forest Mountains, proof of the existence of thick forest mountains teeming with natural resources reserved for the generations yet to come.
Vast Tracks of Meadows and Prairies, represent the vast tracks of meadows and prairies for grazing, but still available for farming.
Body of Water, represents the municipality’s fresh body of water which comes in abundance to provide irrigation to tracks of ricelands and for other purposes.
Rice Paddies, the usual scene of rice paddies during the months of October to December when the palay is ready for harvesting.
History and Government
The word Baay came from the phrase “awan ti paay”, which means useless in Ilocano. The phrase came about when a long time ago, a goddess of beauty named Ayo visited the place now known as Baay. Ayo in her visit left a gift to the people, a musical instrument made of bamboo called “balimbing” by the inhabitants. Because of their joy in receiving the gift, the people held a feast. During their celebration, the people sang and danced, eager to hear the sound of the balimbing. The people expected that the instrument would produce a sweet sound, as sweet as its source. When the balimbing was played, the people were disgusted because it produced a harsh and unmelodious tone far from what they expected. Hearing the balimbing’s sound, one of the disgusted guests commented “awan ti paay”.
Licuan during the early times was called “Basakal”. The word Licuan came from the name Licuanan, a woman of extraordinary size and strength who once ruled the place. Licuanan, with her extraordinary characteristics, became a legend and a heroine. She was said to be bigger than anybody else in her time and had the strength of five men combined. Because the community was frequently bothered by headhunters from neighboring tribes living in the eastern mountains, Licuanan was the perfect choice to rule the place.
Baay-Licuan has 11 barangays as follows: Licuan, Bonglo, Bulbulala, Caoayan, Domenglay, Tumalip, Lenneng, Mapisla, Mogao, Nalbuan and Subagan.
