A Mother’s Stuff

Pangasinan History

PangASINan was one of the early provinces into which the island of Luzon was divided after the arrival of the Spaniards. Pangasinan was then formally created as a province by Governor-General Ronquillo de Penalosa in 1850.

Etymologically, the term Pangasinan means the “place where salt is made“, owing to the rich and fine salt beds which were the prime source of livelihood for the province’s coastal towns.

Another name for the region, but not as widely known is Caboloan. The word Bolo in the native language refers to a species of bamboo that was abundant in the interior areas, and favored in the practice of weaving light baskets and winnowing plates called bilao. Historians believe that both names may have been used at the same time. Today, salt is still being produced in abundance, creating not a few fortunes for some enterprising families although much of its use is for industry.

A local product that has become synonymous with Pangasinan is bagoong, or fermented fish sauce. Salt of course, is the prime ingredient. Mud-colored with a strong smell, bagoong has captured the national palate. Native cuisine, mostly Ilocano in origin, owes its authenticity to the lowly bagoong. Taking from the spare and starkly humble lifestyle of the Pangasinense with his dependence on the sea and rivers and the land, bagoong lends itself well to the local diet. Mixed with plain fresh vegetables like okra, squash and eggplant in an invigorating broth or as a dip for grilled catfish or Bonuan bangus, bagoong brings out the true flavor of the land’s origins.

Population of Pangasinan

The Pangasinan people (Totoon Pangasinan) are called Pangasinan, Pangasinense or simply taga-Pangasinan, which means “from Pangasinan”. The population of Pangasinan is 2,434,086 (National Statistics Office, 2000 Census). Pangasinan is the third most populated province in the Philippines. The estimated population of the indigenous speakers of the Pangasinan language in the province of Pangasinan is 1.5 million and is projected to double in about 30 years. According to the 2000 census 47% of the population are Pangasinan and 44% are Ilocanos. Sambal settlers from Zambales also predominate in the westernmost municipalities of Bolinao and Anda. The Pangasinan people are closely related to the Austronesian-speaking people of the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The Pangasinans are also related to the Polynesians of the Pacific Islands, the Formosan indigenous people of Taiwan, the Cham of central Vietnam and Cambodia, and the Malagasy of Madagascar.

Some prominent people of Pangasinan heritage (though not necessarily ethnic identification) include:

• President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo whose mother was from Binalonan, Pangasinan;
• President Fidel V. Ramos, who was born in Lingayen, Pangasinan;
• Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr., who was born in Dagupan City, Pangasinan;
• Fernando Poe, Jr., the late actor and presidential candidate, whose father was from San Carlos City, Pangasinan;
• Director General Arturo Lomibao, the former head of the Philippine National Police, is from Mangaldan, Pangasinan;
• Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr., the Chief of Staff of the Philippine Armed Forces, is from Asingan, Pangasinan;
• Gabriel Singson, the former governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, is from Lingayen, Pangasinan;
• F. Sionil Jose and Carlos Bulosan are internationally known writers from Pangasinan; and
• Victorio C. Edades, a Filipino modernist and a recognized National Artist, was from Pangasinan.

Economy of Pangasinan

Pangasinan has export earnings of around $5.5 million. The 1200 megawatt Sual Coal-Fired Power Plant, 345 megawatt San Roque Multi-Purpose Dam, the Northern Cement Corporation, are located in Pangasinan. The province is a major producer of salt in the Philippines and has extensive fishponds, mostly for raising bangus or “milkfish,” along the coasts of Lingayen Gulf and South China Sea. It is also a major producer of rice, mangoes and bamboo crafts.The Department of Trade and Industry in the Philippines has identified the following potential investment areas in Pangasinan:

• Maguey production and handicraft center
• Santiago Island Marine Park
• Oyster processing facility
• Bagoong technology and processing center
• Tannery and leather production center
• Oyster and aquaculture farming
• Seaweed farming
• Bamboo production
• Handicraft and furniture making
• Manufacture of construction bricks
• Tourism development

Geography of Pangasinan

Political

The capital of Pangasinan is Lingayen. The major cities of Pangasinan are Dagupan City, San Carlos City, and Urdaneta. San Carlos City, formerly known as Binalatongan, is the most populous political unit of Pangasinan.

The province of Pangasinan is subdivided into 44 municipalities, 4 cities, 1,364 barangay, which means “village,” and 6 congressional districts.

Cities

• Alaminos City

• Dagupan City

• San Carlos City

• Urdaneta City

Municipalities

Agno / Aguilar / Alcala / Anda / Asingan / Balungao / Bani / Basista / Bautista / Bayambang / Binalonan / Binmaley / Bolinao / Bugallon / Burgos / Calasiao / Dasol / Infanta / Labrador / Malasiqui / Manaoag / Mangaldan / Mangatarem / Mapandan / Natividad / Pozorrubio / Rosales / San Fabian / San Jacinto / San Manuel / San Nicolas / San Quintin / Santa Barbara / Santa Maria / Santo Tomas / Sison

Physical

Pangasinan is located on the west central area of the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Pangasinan borders La Union and Benguet to the north, Nueva Vizcaya and Nueva Ecija to the east, and Zambales and Tarlac to the south. To the west of Pangasinan is the South China Sea and the province encloses the Lingayen Gulf.

The land area of Pangasinan is 5,368.82 square kilometers. Pangasinan is 170 kilometers north of Manila, 50 kilometers south of Baguio City, 115 kilometers north of Subic International Airport and Seaport, and 80 kilometers north of Clark International Airport.

The Province of Pangasinan

Pangasinan is one of the four provinces that comprise the Ilocos Region of the Philippines. Its provincial capital is Lingayen and is located on the west central area of the island of Luzon along the Lingayen Gulf. It has a total land area of 5,368.82 square kilometers and a total population of 2,434,086 as of 2000, and projected to be 3,039,500 in 2010. (National Statistics Office, 2000 Census). The Pangasinan Language is the primary language in Pangasinan. The name Pangasinan means “land of salt” or “place of salt-making”. It is derived from the word “asin” which is the word for “salt” in Pangasinan Language. The province is a major salt producer in the Philippines.

Pangasinan province is famous for the Hundred Islands National Park. This is a marine park located off the coast of Alaminos City in the Lingayen Gulf and is composed of some 123 islands, most of which are quite small and uninhabited.

Pangasinan is noted as the birthplace of President Fidel V. Ramos, and former Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. The mother of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was from Binalonan, Pangasinan. The father of the late actor and former presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr. was from San Carlos City, Pangasinan. The maternal great-grandfather of Jose Rizal, a Philippine national hero, was a Pangasinan named Manuel Facundo de Quintos who was a lawyer and the gobernadorcillo of Lingayen in the 1850s.

Pangasinan occupies a strategic geo-political position in the central plain of Luzon, known as the rice granary of the Philippines. Pangasinan has been described as a gateway to northern Luzon and as the heartland of the Philippines. The province is 170 kilometers north of Manila, 50 kilometers south of Baguio City, 115 kilometers north of Subic International Airport and Seaport, and 80 kilometers north of Clark International Airport.

Shrine of Our Lady of Namacpacan

The century-old church of St. Catherine in Luna, formerly called Namacpacan, houses the miraculous image of Our Lady of Namacpacan, patroness of Ilocano travellers. The shrine is located at the town proper of Luna, approximately 40 kilometers northwest of San Fernando.

The year 1690 saw the birth of a new town as idyllic in its formation as its name implies. Situated along the fringes of Northern La Union coasting the China Sea, it was named NAMACPACAN to glorify the native trait of hospitality which residents showed towards the people of neighboring towns who retreated to its thick forests when they were persecuted by the colonizers.

It was in the year 1871, when an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary was brought along its shores by a lucky stroke of fate, which eventually became venerated as the Image of Our Lady of Namacpacan. The image was ordered from Spain by a certain Augustinian Priest then assigned to the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. Brought to the Philippines in a ship, it was heading for the province of Ilocos Sur when a storm forced the crew to seek shelter at Darigayos, a barrio of the town then named Namacpacan. When the storm abated, they tried to resume their journey, but strong winds forced them back to the port; several attempts were made to sail, but each time they did, their progress was impeded by the winds. Finally, the captain of the ship decided to carry the statue to the port and have it carried overland to its destination. Again, the natives met difficulties when the box containing the image could not be budged an inch, so that after several unsuccessful attempts, they concluded that Our Blessed Lady must have chosen the town of Namacpacan as her sanctuary. Rev. Fr. Marcelino Ceballos, the Parish Priest of Namacpacan then, negotiated with the Augustinian Friars who came to claim the statue, and the sacred Image was carried in procession to the Church of Namacpacan. A big feast marked the arrival of Our Lady in town. The townspeople came out in their best to meet the parish church and which came to be known as Our Lady of Namacpacan. An altar at the northern portion side of the church was constructed to house the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Namacpacan. By virtue of Philippine Commission Act No. 1543, the town’s name was changed to Luna in 1906 to honor the Luna brothers, Antonio, the General and Juan, the Painter, whose mother, Doña Laureana Novicio Luna hails from the place; however, the townspeople became so attached to Our Lady that the name, Our Lady of Namacpacan, remained despite the change of the name of the town.

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Shrine of Our Lady of Charity

  Basilica of Our Lady of Charity

  The renowned organ situated at the left area of the altar.

The Agoo Basilica enshrines the miraculous image of Our Lady of Charity. This imposing structure of Mexican-Baroque architecture is the venue of religious rites, foremost of which is the Semana Santa.

It is situated at the center of the aged town of Agoo, the Basilica of Our Lady of Charity has stood for scores of centuries now as one of the long venerated configurations of the Virgin in the Philippines.

It was founded in 1578 when two zealous Franciscan priests, Fray John Baptist Lucarelli of Pesaro, Italy and Fray Sebastian de San Francisco of Baesa, Spain on the time they got in the country for their evangelical mission. The settlement of the Franciscan Order opened the doors to Agoo’s embrace to God’s supremacy over mankind, making the town the first point of contact with Christianity for the Southern Ilocos region.

At present, the Basilica of Our Lady of Charity commemorates its Patronal Fiesta every 4^th of May as a tribute to its myriad of help that will live forever in the hearts of its thousands of devotees far and wide.

Pindangan Festival of San Fernando City

Pindangan Festival is a celebration every March 20 commemorating the Founding Anniversary of San Fernando City as a City. Authored by then Gov. Victor F. Ortega, it was ratified on March 20, 1998 subsequent to Republic Act 8509 converting the municipality into a component city of La Union on February 13 of the same year. The original name of San Fernando, Pindangan in the Ilocano dialect means a place where meat is sun dried with salt for preservation. Because of the place’s abundant dried meat, the place was called Pindangan. 

The festival features the annual street dancing competition among students and residents from various schools and barangays in the City of San Fernando that marks the first day of the five-day celebration. Students from the elementary, secondary and tertiary levels including the different barangays and civic organizations in the city set foot their best street dance steps and displayed their colorful costumes. Residents, local and foreign tourists alike trooped to the streets during the festival to witness the street dancing by the participants in a stunning display of mastery, gaiety, coordination and energy.

Bacsil Ridge celebration

Bacsil Ridge is located 9 kilometers of San Fernando town proper through the San Fernando-Bagulin Road. It was the last bastion of the retreating Japanese Imperial Army in the province. Later, the Ridge constituted the East Flank of the 121^st Infantry of the United States of Armed Forces in the Philippines, Northern Luzon (USAFIP, NL) during the Liberation in 1945.

The Bacsil Ridge celebration, held every March, commemorates the bravery of the Filipinos during the Battle in Bacsil Ridge in the year 1945 that led to the complete liberation of the town.

Feast of Our Lady of Caysasay

The Feast of Our Lady of Caysasay is an annual activity in La Union held every December. Sports activities, beauty contest, and painting contest are among the featured events visitors enjoy. It is also a time to give importance to Filipino balikbayans through free tours and a balikbayan night.

The Filipino-Chinese community in San Fernando celebrates the Feast of Our Lady by bringing the original statue from Taal, Batangas to the temple for the weeklong activities held on the second week of September which is the 5th day of August in the Lunar calendar.

La Union Province

La Union is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Its capital is San Fernando City and borders Ilocos Sur to the north, Benguet to the east, and Pangasinan to the south. To the west of La Union is the South China Sea.

People and culture

Ninety-three percent of the population is Ilocano and is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic. There are communities of Pangasinense in the south, Igorots in the Cordillera foothills, and Chinese in the city.

La Union is highly literate, with San Fernando City as the administrative, educational, and financial center of the region.

Economy

The economy is diversified with service, manufacturing, and agricultural industries spread throughout the province. The Port of San Fernando operates as an increasingly active shipping point, and the former American airbase Wallace Air Station, having been converted into a business and industrial area, helps to facilitate such commercial activity.

Tourism to the province is driven by airlines and passenger coach bus lines like regionally owned Farinas Transit Company and Partas.

Tourists often flock to the beaches of Bauang, or to the more secluded ones further north for snorkeling, surfing or other water sports; the more northerly beaches near San Juan specifically cater to both local surfers as well as portions of the world surfing circuit.

Geography

La Union is subdivided into 19 municipalities and 1 city (San Fernando City).

Municipalities:

• Agoo
• Aringay
• Bacnotan
• Bagulin
• Balaoan
• Bangar
• Bauang
• Burgos
• Caba
• Luna
• Naguilian
• Pugo
• Rosario
• San Gabriel
• San Juan
• Santo Tomas
• Santol
• Sudipen
• Tubao

Physical

Like most of the region, the province is squeezed in by the Cordillera mountain range to the east and the South China Sea to the west. Yet, unlike other portions of Luzon and the Philippines’ two other island groupings, the Visayas and Mindanao, La Union experiences a rather arid and prolonged dry season with little precipitation to be expected between the months of November and May.

Brief History

La Union, “The Union” or “The United” in Spanish, was formed in 1850 when the Spanish colonial government merged the southern towns of Ilocos Sur province, the northern towns of Pangasinan, and the western towns of Benguet to the east.

Ilocos Region

The Ilocos Region or Region I (Ilokano: Rehion ti Ilokos, Pangasinan: Rihiyon na Sagor na Baybay na Luzon) of the Philippines is located in the northwestern region portion of Luzon. It is bounded by the Cordillera Administrative Region and Cagayan Valley to the east, Central Luzon to the south and by the South China Sea to the west.The province of Pangasinan composes 58% of the region’s population, 42% of its area and 61% of its economy.

The region is composed of four provinces, namely: Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan. Its regional center is San Fernando City, La Union. The Ilocanos compose 66% of the region, the Pangasinan people compose 27%, and the Tagalogs compose 3%.

Demographics

The Ilocos provinces of the Ilocos Region is the historical homeland of the Ilocanos including Former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, the Filipino Martial Law dictator. The Ilocanos compose 66% of the region, the Pangasinan people compose 27%, and the Tagalogs compose 3%. The Ilocanos have the following percentage of the population inside the bracket in each province: Pangasinan (43%), La Union (92%), Ilocos Norte (97%), and Ilocos Sur (93%).

Pangasinan is the historical homeland of the Pangasinenses including Former Philippine President Fidel Ramos. The population of Pangasinan comprises approximately 60% of the total population of the region. The Pangasinenses presently constitute around 50% of the population of the province. The Ilocanos were not originally inhabitants of Pangasinan. They started migrating to Pangasinan in the 19th century. Pangasinan was formerly a province of Region III (Central Luzon), but President Marcos signed Presidential Decree No. 1, 1972, incorporating it into Region I. Minority groups include the Tinggian and Isneg communities that inhabit the foothills of the Cordillera mountains.

The population is predominantly Roman Catholic with strong adherents of Protestantism such as the Aglipayan denomination further north of the country. There are also adherents to other offshoots of Christianity, such as Iglesia ni Cristo, Mormons, and the like. There is also an undercurrent of traditional animistic beliefs especially in rural areas. The small mercantile Chinese and Indian communities are primarily Buddhists, Taoists, and Hindus respectively.

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