The town of San Manuel was named after its founder Don Manuel Sequig. He is the leader of the first settlers of the town who first explored the area. The first convent was built in 1688 followed by a church a few years later. Both structures were burned down in 1720 due to the locals’ superstitions. The locals started to abandon the site of its former Poblacion called Pau (now known as Curibetbet) resulting in its fusion with the town of Asingan.
The locals moved to a place called Guiset, San Manuel’s old name that resulted in its separation from Asingan in 1860. However, due to financial constraints, San San Manuel was absorbed once again by Asingan for a brief period from 1903 to 1907.
San Manuel is part of the sixth congressional district. it has a total land area of 12,918 hectares and a population of 54,271 people according to the 2020 census.
One notable infrastructure located in San Manuel is the San Roque dam, the largest dam in the Philippines and 16th in the world. Aside from irrigation and power generation, the dam also provides protection to the low-lying areas that are prone to flooding. Tourists also visit the dam to take a glimpse of its towering concrete structure.
Aside from massive taxes collected from San Roque Multi-Purpose Power Plant that transformed San Manuel into a first-class municipality, agricultural production, livestock, and poultry is also a major contributor to its economy.
Officials
Mayor
Kenneth Marco Perez
Vice Mayor
Alain Jerico Perez
Councilors
Antonio Perez
Mario Farro
Rolando Moises
Milton Abades
Daisy Barrameda
Fernando Cauton
Ruiz Carl De Leon
Danicar Sabater
