History of Barangay Pugo, Bayambang, Pangasinan

BARANGAY PUGO

by Orlando M. Quinto

Three decades and eight years after, Barangay PUGO has arrived to its presents status as one if the fast progressing and have metamorphosed from its simple and seemingly antiquated beginnings. In retrospect, Barangay PUGO is geographically situated in the south-Eastern part of the Municipality of Bayambang Pangasinan. It is bounded on the North Barangay San Gabriel 1^st, on the east by the Agno River, on the west by Barangay Wawa, and on the south again the bank and stream of the Agno river. from the east going through the South. The constituents largely depend their livelihood from the rich arable land which generally planted with during the lead months of the year. But before harvest time, some of men folks are engaged in carpentry works while some of the women folks sell vegetables, fish and ambulantly  to the households to the adjacent barangays as means of augmenting their meager income.

Before PUGO became an independent Barangay, it was once a sitio of Barangay WAWA. PUGO at this time was ably represented by deputy Barangay Lieutenant in the person of DON PETACIO T. SOLIS who is also known to be the Grand Old Man of PUGO. It was not until the advent of 1971 when two members of the Barangay council of WAWA representing sitio PUGO, namely DON FERDERICO G. ODON and DON FLORENCIO M. JUNIO stoically stood their grounds for the separation  and creation of PUGO as an independent barrio/barangay. These two Barangay elder man were the ones responsible in petitioning the MUNICIPAL COUNCIL up to the Provincial Board of Pangasinan for final decision. Accordingly, it was January 21, 1971, through Provincial Board Resolution No. 24 which finally made PUGO an independent barrio/barangay thereby finally separating it from the umbilical cord of its mother barangay WAWA. Immediately thereafter gaining its independence, the Barangay constituents sought for a special election for independent governance of the newly created barangay. In this special election,  a maverick and independent minded leadership was chosen. The first set  of elected Barangay Kagawads were DON JUAN M. BATO the first Barangay Captain, and the Kagawads were DON MARCIANO MEJIA. DON VICENTE F. DE VERA, DON PETACIO SOLIS, DON FAUSTO M. BATO, DON RUFINO G. MENOR. DON ARCADIO G. MENOR. In May 1982, another elector  process was conducted and again reelecting DON JUAN M. BATO as Barangay Captain, and the Barangay Kagawads were DON MILANIO B. TAMONDONG, DON ALAJANDRO T. TORRES, DON DOMINGO SOLOMON, DON ALBERTO V. JUNIO, DON PABLO T. JUNIO and DON FRANSISCO B. LAZA. Not long after, in August 15, 1984, DON MILANIO B. TAMONDONG was sworn into Office as the Barangay Captain of PUGO due to the untimely demised of DON JUAN M. BATO.

The law of succession prevailed and was adopted so that vacuum in Barangay council was duly filled up and eventually sworn to office was DON JUACINTO B. JUNIO due to his being the 7^th placer the precious electoral exercise. There years after the historic people Power Revolution 1986, another electoral process took place. This time the most coveted title of Barangay captain is open to all Barangay captain candidates where in the highest or the topnotch candidate in the barangay council wins the title in the plum of the barangay captain while the rest from the number two lot down to the seventh placer composed the barangay kagawads. And the very lucky candidate winning the title of barangay captain was a neophyte candidate in the person of Don JESUS C. DE VERA, while the barangay kagawads were Don TITO B. TAMBUYAT, Don DOMINGO SOLOMON, ROBERTO S. BATO, Don ALBERTO V. JUNIO, Don FRANCISCO B. LAZA, and DON ALPONSO R. TABORA. Incidentally, and due to reasons beyond control, DON TITO B. TAMBUYAT resigned and as a matter of a lawful act, the role succession prevailed paving the way for Don GODOFREDO R. JUNIO was occupied the  8^th slot in the previous election. It should also be noted that the during incumbency of the above named barangay official when the first ever Punong Barangay fiesta celebration was celebrate in May 20-22, 1994. But due to the upsurge of the rainfall during these dates, the annual celebration of the festivities has to be adjusted until finally decided to be celebrated every May 1^st and 2^nd of the year. Don JESUS C. DE VERA’S term of office should have ended in 1994 but he opted to take another chance by the polls in 1994 and again was chosen by the people to extend his term until 1997. The following were also elected Barangay Kagawad: Don PONCIANO V. JUNIO,Don ROBERTO S. BATO, Don GODOFREDO P. JUNIO,  Don JUANITO B. JUNIO, Dona ESTELLA T. GUTIERREZ, Don NOEL S. ABALOS, and Don ALBERTO V. JUNIO while sk chairman was MR. VICTOR T. SOLOMON and the Barangay Secretary was Mr. Rufino Menor. In the electoral process in 1997 Don DANTE R. JUNIO was elected y the constituents of Pugo as Barangay Captain and the following personages composed the Barangay Kagawad: Dona ESTELLA T. GUTIERREZ, Don ROGELIO B. TAMBUYAT, Don JIMMY C. JUNIO, Don REYNATO B. DE VERA, Don JUANITO, Don GERALDO J. JUNIO. The Sangguniang kabataan is also the setting as a member of the Barangay Council representing the youth. Chairman by this time was VHANEZA QUINTO.

Soon the term of office of Don DANTE R. JUNIO and his band of Kagawads ended and on the issuing electoral process in 2002 Don ROBERTO S. BATO was catapulted to Barangay Captain ascendancy from his twice elected as Barangay kagawad. The following were elected barangay kagawads: Dona ESTELA T. GUTIERREZ, Dona THELMA V. JUNIO, Don ROGELIO P. TAMBUYAT and the SK Chairman is MR. AVRIL B. JUNIO. The barangay purse holder is MR. MANUEL J. SOLOMON. Jr. Alejandro T. Torres was the former barangay secretary but had to be replaced by MR. BONIFACIO J. MENOR. In October 29, 2007, another electoral process was conducted and Don ROBERTO S. BATO was re-elected by the constituents of Pugo as Barangay Captain. It was Don ROBERTO S. BATO’s second term of office as Barangay Captain, so at present, his band of Kagawads are te following: Don WILLIAMOR M. JUNIO, Don AVRIL M. JUNIO, Don REYNATO C. DE VERA, Don CRISPIN M. SALINAS, Don ERNESTO L. JUNIO, Don ROGELIO B. TAMBUYAT and JIMMY C. JUNIO. The SK chairman is Mr. BERNARDO T. TAMONDONG, the present Barangay  Treasurer is MR. MANUEL J. SOLOMON and the Barangay Secretary is MR. BONIFACIO J. MENOR.

Ang Alamat ng Barangay Pugo

Ayon sa mga salaysay ng mga matatanda, dati ang Barangay Pugo ay isa lamang sa dalawang sitio na bumubuo sa malaking barangay ng Wawa. Sa pagdaan ng mahabang panahon, ngayon ang Pugo ay isang nagsasariling barangay. Pangkaraniwan na lamang ngayon kung paano at bakit ang barangay Pugo ay tinawag na lamang  na ganito. Sa mga sanaysay ng mga mapagkakatiwalaang tala, ang barangay Pugo daw ay dating isang  masukal na liblib na lugar na kung saan ay mangilan-ngilan lamang ang mga mamamayang naninirahan dito, at pinamumuguran ng mga ibat-ibang lahi ng ibon na tulad ng maya, papa, uwak, at ang ibong pugo.

 Subalit kakaiba sa lahat ng mga ibon ang pugo dahil sila ang pinakamarami at siyang naging pinag-kukunan ng mga tao upang gawing ulam. Ang ibong pugo ay siya lamang hawan  ng mga ibon na hindi nabubulabog ng mga tao, hindi katulad ng mga ibang hawan ng ibong kaagad na lumalayo at  naghahanap ng ibang tirahan. Kaya’t nagmula noong sitio pa lamang at hanggang maging isang barangay ito, ang lugar na ito ay tinatawag na Pugo.

Barangay Pugo

            Long before Pugo became an independent newly created barangay of Bayambang, it was once a mere sitio of Barangay Wawa. According to old folkloric tales, the place is the breeding nest of a fowl called pugo, or quail in English, thus the name Pugo. At the time when it was just a sitio of Barangay Wawa, it was represented by an elderly member of the Wawa Barangay Council, who is also the Deputy Barangay Lieutenant.

            Foremost personality to be the Deputy Barangay Lieutenant was Don Epetacio T. Solis, who is also known to be the Grand Old Man of Pugo. It was not until the 1970s when two members of the Wawa Barangay Council representing Sitio Pugo, namely Don Federico G. Odon and Don Florencio M. Junio, stoically stood their ground for the separation and creation of Pugo as an independent barangay. According to records on file, it was in January 21, 1971, through Provincial Board Resolution number 24, when independence was finally granted the barangay, thereby finally detaching from the umbilical cord of its mother, Barangay Wawa.

            After four decades and a year, Barangay Pugo has a total land area of  111.87 hectares and a total population of 1,450.