Not understanding a word of Spanish, the native
scratched his head and upon seeing that the Spaniard was
pointing to a plant, exclaimed in Ilocano: “Bigaa Apo”. Bigaa
being Alcasia Macroniza, a giant Taro plant belonging to the
Gabi family which used to thrive at the bank of the Mestizo
River. From the name of the plant – Bigaa, whence Vigan
derived its name