HISTORY OF PANGASINAN Pangasinan was among the earliest political and administrative units in the Philippines.

It was officially conquered and colonized by D. Martin de Goiti in 1571. On April 5, 1572, Pangasinan was made an encomienda by the Spanish royal crown to receive instruction on the Catholic Faith, which means that Pangasinan was organized under one leadership and has identity before the Spanish royal court. Eight years later, in 1580, Pangasinan was organized into a political unit under an alkalde mayor who at that time has authority as head of the province or provincial government with judicial function indicating that Pangasinan has become a province. To commemorate the day when Pangasinan became an encomienda and the year it became a province, Pangasinan celebrates April 5, 1580 as the official founding day of the Province of Pangasinan. At that time, its territorial jurisdiction included the Province of Zambales and parts of La Union and Tarlac. By the middle of the 19th century however, the northern towns of Agoo to Bacnotan were separated from the province and became parts of La Union. The provincial territory was further diminished in 1875 with the annexation of Paniqui and other towns south of it to Tarlac. Pangasinan, derived its name from the word panag asinan, which means where salt is made, owing to the rich and fine salt beds which were the prior source of livelihood of the provinces coastal towns. SIGNIFICANT PERIODS Pre-Spanish period Ancient Malayo-Polynesians of the Austronesian stock arrive by boat and establish settlements along the Lingayen Gulf. They are proficient in salt-making so they call their new home Pangasinan which means the place where salt is made. This refers to the coastal area only while the inner areas are collectively called Caboloan because the small bamboo species called bolo abound there. The inhabitants of Pangasinan traded with India, China and Japan as early as the 8th century A.D. 1572 Juan de Salcedo, upon the orders of his grandfather Governor General Miguel Lopez de Legazpi to explore and pacify northern Luzon, reaches Pangasinan. A Spanish priest-historian, Fray Juan Ferrando, calls Salcedo the first discoverer of Pangasinan. The province is now under the jurisdiction of Spain as an encomienda since April 5. 1574-1575 The Chinese corsair Limahong, after being repulsed by the Spaniards in his bid to found a colony in Manila, goes to Pangasinan and establishes his little kingdom within a fort in Lingayen. His party is composed of men, women and children. He forces the natives to cooperate with him by supplying him provisions and serving him and his people. Juan de Salcedo pursues him and after months of blockade Limahong and his forces escape in August 1575 through a channel that they dug out into the China sea. Many of his men with their families choose to stay behind in Lingayen. 1580 Pangasinan is organized as an alcaldia mayor , a politico-civil administrative unit or province, by Governor General Gonzalo Ronquillo de Pealosa and receives its first alcalde mayor in the person of Don Pedro Manrique. 1611 The province of Pangasinans territorial limits are set by the superior government, thus completing the requisites for a viable political subdivision: a defined territory, a set of administrators, and law-abiding subjects. The province, as constituted, now include all the coastal villages called Pangasinan and the inner areas called Caboloan. The boundaries are from San Juan (now in La Union) in the north, to the foothills of the Cordillera and Caraballo mountains in the northeast and east, to Paniqui in the south, to the present area of Sual town in the west plus that area that is the present-day Zambales. 1660 Malong Revolt. Andres Malong of Binalatongan leads the revolt of the Filipinos against the Spaniards. They were encouraged by the short takeover of Manila by the Dutch. He declares himself as Ari but their declaration of independence is short-lived as they are subdued by the Spaniards in less than a month. 1762 Palaris Revolt Juan dela Cruz Palaris, also of Binalatongan, leads his people to complain to the Spaniards about paying tributes. Encouraged by the defeat of the Spanish army and capture of Manila by the British, they go on to make more demands and drive away all the

Spaniards from the capital town of Lingayen. For two years the rebels and their supporters in the province taste freedom and power over the Spanish government but the capture of Palaris ends the rebellion. To forget this sad episode the Spanish officials give the town Binalatongan its new name San Carlos in honor of Spains reigning monarch Charles III. 1840 The Casa Real (Royal House) is constructed in Lingayen. This 1,700 sqm building of stone masonry and bricks is the provincial seat of government where the Alcalde Mayor resides and holds office. It would be the venue of many historic events in Pangasinan and was used as the Juzgado later on. 1855 The Spanish government opens Sual as an official port of foreign trade. Rice is exported to China and Macao from this port. It is also one of the countrys centers for shipbuilding, together with Labrador, Lingayen and Dagupan. December 27, 1897 General Emilio Aguinaldo, accompanied by Spanish Governor General Primo de Rivera and others, takes the train to the Dagupan terminal and travels on to Sual to board the S.S. Uranus that is to bring him to exile in Hongkong to comply with the Pact of Biakna-Bato. July 22, 1898 Pangasinan is liberated from Spanish rule. The local board of Katipunan that was organized by General Francisco Makabulos of Central Luzon four months earlier and led by Don Daniel Maramba of Sta. Barbara, Vicente del Prado of San Jacinto, Juan Quesada and Eliseo Arzadon of Dagupan, defeat the Spanish forces making a last stand in Dagupan. Thereupon, they reenact the proclamation of independence done at Kawit 40 days earlier. February 5, 1899 A day after the start of hostilities of the Philippine-American War, President Aguinaldo directs Pangasinan Governor Quesada to transfer the provincial capital to San Carlos to protect the province from the threat of a coastal invasion by the Americans, as Lingayen is located right by the Gulf. San Carlos thus served as the capital of the province from this day until the fall of the Republican forces in Pangasinan in November of the same year. August 1899 In a barrio in Bayambang, Jose Palma, a staff member of the revolutionary governments newspaper La Independencia, writes a poem that becomes the lyrics for the melody of the La Marcha Nacional Filipina composed by Julian Felipe. This poem is translated later to Pilipino and given the title Lupang Hinirang which is now the Philippine National Anthem. It was written in the house of Doa Romana G. vda de Favis. This house served as the Malacaang of the Aguinaldo Republic momentarily in November 1899. (The said barrio is now part of Baustista.) Early November 1899 the Philippine American War reaches Pangasinan. General Emilio Aguinaldo, the president of the first Philippine Republic, transfers the seat of his government to Bayambang and it momentarily becomes the capital of the republic. The Council of Government also convenes for the last time in Bayambang, in which meeting it was finally decided to disband the army and resort instead to guerilla warfare. The formal workings of the central government of the first Philippine Republic thus ended in Bayambang. November 20, 1899 General MacArthur and General Lawtons columns successfully link up with General Wheatons in Dagupan, marking the end of overt warfare in Pangasinan and completing the American conquest of the province. Shortly, military administrators are installed. February 16, 1901 The Taft Commission organizes Pangasinan as a civil province in a general assembly in Dagupan. Don Perfecto Sison of Lingayen is appointed Governor and Lingayen is chosen over Dagupan to remain as the capital because the Casa Real is located there. Judge Taft and his commissioners were given a grand reception at the Casa Real. September 1902 The first public secondary school in Pangasinan is opened in Lingayen with some of the US Thomasites as educators. The Pangasinan Academic High School is the sole public secondary school in Pangasinan until 1946. Now named the Pangasinan National High School, it has produced many of the most successful personages in the province. February 10-19, 1919 Governor Daniel Maramba leads the inaugural festivities for the new Capitol. The revelry features an agricultural and industrial fair, a carnival, parades and a grand coronation ball with a a queen and her court. American Ralph Doane, designed this neo-classical building. December 22, 1941 World War II comes to Pangasinan. Bitter fighting between the USAFFE (United States Armed Forces in the Far East) and the Japanese army rages around the towns of Pozorrubio, Binalonan, and Tayug. In due course, the USAFFE forces retreat to Bataan and the

Japanese military takes control of Pangasinan and the two-year Japanese invasion starts. This brought enormous hardship to the people. January 20, 1942 It being necessary to cooperate with the occupation forces through the Japanese Military Administration, Dr. Santiago Estrada, who earlier evacuated the provincial office to Tayug, reassumes the governorship and reorganizes the provincial government in order to help in the restoration of peace and order and to work for the welfare of the people. Dagupan is chosen as the provincial capital of the new Japanese-sponsored national government. January 9-13, 1945 The Allied Forces with the United States Sixth Army under General Walter Krueger lands unopposed on the beaches of Lingayen, Binmaley, Dagupan, Mangaldan, and San Fabian, effecting the start of the liberation of Pangasinan. Four days later Gen. Douglas MacArthur came ashore right behind the ruined Capitol building. He also landed in Dagupan and set up his Luzon headquarters there. February 1945 The Americans through the Philippine Civil Affairs Unit (PCAU) reestablish the provincial government and install Sofronio Quimson as Governor, while retaining the wartime capital of Dagupan as such. June 1945 The provincial capital is moved back to Lingayen. 1946- Through the Philippine Rehabilation Act, the US government assists the provincial government under Governor Enrique Braganza in reconstructing damaged buildings including the Capitol building. 1953 Governor Juan de Guzman Rodriguez undertakes the construction of the governors official residence and guest house. It is named Princess Urduja Palace after the legendary 14th century amazon leader in pre-colonial Pangasinan. (Note: Sometime in the 1990s a national conference of scholars and academicians concluded that the kingdom where Urduja was supposed to rule was not in Pangasinan or anywhere in the Philippines but somewhere in Indochina.) June 30, 1992 A full-blooded Pangasinense, Fidel V. Ramos, becomes President of the Republic of the Philippines. Among his many achievements that benefits Pangasinan today was attracting foreign investors to put up the Sual Power Plant to ease the power crisis before and during his term, and the San Roque Dam. October 1999 The Sual Power Plant in Sual started operating. With Pangasinan as the host province, this is the largest and most effective coal-fired power plant in the Philippines servicing the Luzon grid with a generating capacity of 1,218 MW. The company has an Energy Conversion Agreement with the National Power Corporation with a 25-year build-operate-transfer scheme (BOT). 1998 The San Roque Multipurpose Project or SRMP in San Manuel and San Nicolas was built to harness the power of the countrys third largest river, the Agno River, bringing these benefits to several communities in the heart of Luzon if operated and maintained properly: flood control, irrigation, electrical power and improved water quality. 2007- The second half of 2007 marks the commencement of significant changes in the physical appearance and systematic clustering of provincial government buildings, parks, hospitals, and satellite offices. The intensive rehabilitation and repair of the provincial capitol building gained national fame and recognition upon its completion in 2008, earning for it the title Best Provincial Capitol in the Philippines. Simultaneous to the renovation o f the physical infrastructure of the province, human resource improvement was implemented through programs which resulted to the restoration of dignity, self-respect and professionalism of provincial government employees as working force partners in Pangasinans development. It was during this Term of Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. that the founding day of Pangasinan was estblished, celebrating its 430th founding anniversary for the first time on April 5, 2010. Pangasinans Golden age took off from this year which saw numerous investments flowing into the province, significant development projects mushrooming in every corner, local, national and international linkages being established, all for Pangasinans progress and advancement, and finally breaking ground on a period where Pangasinenses proudly claim that their Province is the best place to invest, live, work and raise a family.

ABOUT PANGASINAN The third biggest province in the whole Philippine Archipelago, derived its name from salt or asin in the vernacular. Owing to the rich and fine salt beds which were the prime source of livelihood for the provinces coastal towns, PanagASINan or Pangasinan which means where salt is made came to be its name. The province is crescent-shaped and occupies 536,818 hectares of land area which constitutes almost one-half (41.8%) of the total land area of Region 1 and 1.8% of the total area of the Philippines. Composed of 4 cities and 44 municipalities, it is bounded on the north by the Lingayen Gulf, La Union and Benguet, on the north-east by Nueva Vizcaya, on the east by Nueva Ecija, on the south by Tarlac, and on the west by Zambales and the China Sea. Owing to its diverse cultural heritage rooted in centuries of glorious history and a way of life that is a delightful combination of tradition, innovation and creativity, the warm, polite, hospitable, hardworking and fun loving 2.65 million Pangasinenses (2007 census) enjoy the best of Provincial Philippines where you find both the familiar and unfamiliar world, abreast with modern technological times, but with a preserved vast panorama of outstanding natural beauty and unique attractions. Pangasinan boasts of stretches of white, sandy beaches, verdant hills, scenic terrains, caves, waterfalls, ancient Hispanic churches, miraculous destinations for devotees, a vast coastline for fishing, water sports or leisurely walking along the Lingayen beach where one can get a glimpse of the world-famous Philippine sunset. Being a gateway of sorts, the province is house to major and minor telecommunication companies, bus and transport services, regional and local publications, radio stations, television networks , cable services, hotel and restaurant chains, and a diversified variety of manufacturing and merchandising establishments. The Northern Gate Pangasinan is a crescent-shaped province that occupies 5,368.82 square kilometers of verdant farmlands, hills, forests and rivers. To the east, it is bounded by the mighty Cordillera Mountains, the Zambales ranges to the west, the rice plains of Tarlac to the south and the Lingayen Gulf and the China Sea to the north. Because of this strategic geographical positioning, it has always been described as a gateway of sorts. Most travellers going up North often remember Pangasinan as the place where they had last seen some semblance of civilization, comparing it with the sparsely populated regions of the Ilocos and the Cagayan Valley (with the exception of Baguio and the old Spanish towns of Vigan and Laoag). Connections Historian Rosario Mendoza Cortes writes in her book, Pangasinan 1572-1800 that according to Bishop Domingo de Salazar, Pangasinan was forty leagues distant from Manila either by land or by sea. Roughly translated, travelers of old normally take about thirty-hours to reach Manila via horse and carriage. After the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, travel time was normally 5 to 7 hours as normal route points like Bamban and Mabalacat were closed temporarily. Today, 5 hours is the norm although private vehicles can sometimes negotiate the route under 4 hours. Most major bus companies ply the Manila-Pangasinan route complemented by a host of local bus lines, which can be hired for private purposes and tours. Most bus services operate on a 24-hour basis. Media services are active in Pangasinan. National dailies as well as local publications (several weeklies and one daily) are available. There are 20 radio stations and one regional television station. Cable services have mushroomed even in areas far from the urbanized centers of Dagupan, Urdaneta and Alaminos. At the latest survey, Pangasinan has the highest tele-density in the country outside of Metro Manila with the presence of three major telecommunication companies. People and Culture Much has been written and discussed about the Pangasinense, yet no definite image comes to mind. There is a strong perception that the province is basically of Ilocano stock, but aside from the fact that Iloko is more widely spoken than Pangasinan, the defining characteristics end there. The Pangasinense is hardly frugal in the true sense of the word, nor is he extravagant either. Special occasions such as fiestas, weddings and baptisms are exceptions wherein extravagance is necessary to save face, but then most other Filipinos in other regions are

similar in that respect. History tells us however that the Pangasinense has always been sensitive to issues concerning his welfare. One of the first local revolts during the Spanish colonization was instigated by a Binalatongan native, (now San Carlos) Andres Malong in 1660. The Gifts of the Earth and Sea Pangasinan is rooted to the earth agriculture based production remains as a major source of income for the majority of the populace. Aqua-culture is also popular in areas where instead of farmlands, variated squares of artificial ponds for fish rearing are found. Through the years, as the demand for particular fish stocks rose and fell, fishpond owners have adapted by sticking to traditionally favored, and stable growing fish species like the bangus or milkfish, the malaga and prawns. With agriculture currently mobilizing more than half of the local labor force, the current administration has seen the need to boost its efforts in this area. El Nio and La Nia Like the rest of the country and the world, 1998 was Pangasinans hottest year with temperatures soaring beyond the 40s. The lingering effects of the El Nino and the La Nina phenomenon continue to affect the local climate. Normally, the dry season begins in November to April and wet during the rest of the year. Typhoons intermittently wreak havoc with some serious flooding in the eastern towns. However, the presence of a long coastline with attractive beaches offsets the hot and humid weather; sun-loving tourists affirm that Pangasinans current climate is perfect. The Count Current census (Year 2000) figures place the population at 2,434,086 distributed in the provinces 44 towns, four cities and 1,364 barangays. English and Filipino are widely spoken and are the mediums of instruction in all schools. Ilocano is the major dialect, spoken by a greater portion of the population in the western and eastern areas. There is some fear that the Pangasinan dialect, spoken predominantly in the central areas, is losing its hold on the local tongue. Bolinao, at the northernmost tip of western Pangasinan has a unique language of its own, also called Bolinao.