Quick History: Bayambang Through the Years
It has been 411 years since the founding of Bayambang in
1614. Known then as Malunguey and part of Binalatongan town (now San Carlos
City), the town started as a flourishing settlement of native inhabitants. Largely
an agricultural town to this day, it is a survivor of the ravages of time: from
economic woes and the impact of colonization and war to natural and man-made calamities.
From being a typical sleepy provincial town, Bayambang of today dares to dream
big and to soar high against all odds with the Quiambao-Sabangan
administration’s visionary, transformative leadership.
1994
Indonesia-based businessman Cezar T. Quiambao went back to
the Philippines for good and initiated, together with his batch-mates from
Bayambang National High School Class of 1965, a program called “Baley Ko,
Pawilen Ko, Aroen Ko, tan Tulungan Ko” (“My hometown – where I shall come
back to, to love and to help”) conceived out of a dream to create a lasting
legacy by bringing economic progress to their hometown.
1999
On January 18, Quiambao put up the CSF Rural Bank of
Bayambang to provide microfinancing programs to help small entrepreneurs.
2004
The Kasama Kita sa Barangay Foundation Inc. was established
by Cezar T. Quiambao in Brgy. Amanperez offering a variety of livelihood
training programs to tens of thousands of residents, especially out-of-school
youth and the unemployed. The foundation would eventually win a string of
awards from the National Literacy Council for this feat.
2007
Bayambang received P5,000,000, a one-time payment by a
single Bayambangueño taxpayer in the person of Mr. Cezar T. Quiambao, President
and CEO of Stradcom, an IT company.
2012
The town’s first proper mall, Royal Mall, rose at a major
corner. Owned by Cezar Quiambao, it was also the first establishment to have an
elevator. Locals also got to have a taste of Jollibee fast-food products, shop
for groceries at SM’s Savemore (later replaced by Puregold), and buy any needs
24/7 at 7-Eleven right in their hometown.
Quiambao then transferred the headquarters of his
Manila-based businesses -- Strategic Alliance Holdings Inc. (SAHI), Land
Registration Systems Inc. (LARES) Philippines, and Stradcom Corp. (an IT firm)
-- to Bayambang. The move became all the more a huge source of funds for the
local government through the taxes paid in millions of pesos by said companies.
2015
Cezar Quiambao initiated, through CS First Green
Agri-Industrial Development, Inc., the development of an extensive bamboo
farming industry in seven towns in Western Pangasinan, an ecologically
sustainable, inclusive growth project. For this, he set up a trial production
facility for bamboo products in Brgy. Amanperez.
2016
Successful businessman and philanthropist Cezar T. Quiambao went
home in Bayambang, ran for Mayor, and won. He introduced new politics in town
with the battlecry, “No to political dynasty, corruption, poverty and
criminality.”
His first year of public service together with Vice-Mayor
Raul R. Sabangan was marked by many firsts all at the same time. The Municipal
Councilors included Mylvin ‘Boying T. Junio, Benjamin Francisco S. de Vera,
Joseph Vincent R. Ramos, Philip R. Dumalanta, Amory M. Junio, Martin E. Terrado
II, and Dr. Ma. Catalina ‘Cathy’ de E. Vera, with Rogelio Dumalanta,
Association of Barangay Captains President, and Gabriel Tristan Fernandez,
Sangguniang Kabataan President, as ex-officio members. Rodelito Bautista eventually
replaced Dumalanta after the latter’s term ended, when the office was renamed
as Liga ng mga Barangay.
Atty. Rodelynn Rajini A. Sagarino, a former Miss Bayambang,
was appointed Municipal Administrator, thus becoming Bayambang’s first female municipal
administrator.
A CCTV Command Center with an emergency hotline number
(#4357) was opened.
The St. Vincent Dialysis Center, a private enterprise, was
opened.
An air-conditioned Events Center with Tarraflex rubberized
flooring was built, replacing the old multipurpose covered court.
Satellite markets (talipapas) were built in eight
barangays.
Municipal employees were provided with free uniforms, enabling
them to save their clothing allowance.
A registered nutritionist-dietician was hired for the first
time by the municipal government to head the nutrition section of the Municipal
Health Office, now called the Municipal Nutrition Action Office, and to oversee
a comprehensive program for malnourished children.
Additional police precincts were built, to ensure strong
police presence in all nine districts.
Barangay roads were concretized at a fast pace like never
before.
Operation Birthright was launched, giving free late
registration birth certificates from the Philippine Statistics Authority to
residents who did not possess such a basic legal document as proof of identity
and existence.
The annual municipal budget rose to unprecedented levels.
Quiambao’s companies were among the town’s top five
taxpayers, and this feat would be repeated annually.
He also took up the fight to reclaim the old Bayambang
Central School campus. Among other things, he discovered the land swap deal to
be lopsided in favor of the private landowner.
He likewise asserted the local government’s right to sell off
government land in Magsaysay to long-time occupants, knowing the political
risks of such a move.
He also created the following new offices: Public Order and
Safety Office, General Services Office, Public Information Office, Information
and Communication Technology Office, Nutrition Office, Public Employment
Services Office, and Tourism Office.
He went all out on his tax education campaign, despite its
being an unpopular and politically risky cause, by asserting that paying one’s
taxes means good citizenship, one’s contribution to community-building and not
government’s instrument of oppression.
A new official website and the Balon Bayambang Facebook page
was launched by the ICT Office, and the official newsletter, Balon Bayambang
Newsletter, was published in September, edited by retired PSU professor and now
Media Affairs Officer, Dr. Leticia B. Ursua, and Public Information Officer Resty
S. Odon.
The ICT Office took the lead in the computerization of all
major LGU operations, making work processes more efficient and unsusceptible to
irregularities and paving the way for Bayambang to become a ‘smart town.’
The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office
was institutionalized through ordinance after its creation in 2011.
Mayor Quiambao donated his annual salary from the local
government to the Local School Board, from the start of his term until 2022, a
gesture of generosity that his wife would emulate herself as next mayor.
On October 13, after 20 long years of litigation, the local
government unit (LGU) of Bayambang demolished an illegal structure built by
Homeowners Savings & Loan Association Inc. on municipal plaza grounds. The
ceremonial demolition was led by Mayor Quiambao himself together with all members
of the Municipal Council and residents who had filed the petition against the
structure: Dr. Henry Fernandez, Feliciano Casingal Jr., et al.
A proper bagsakan or drop-off point for retail and
wholesale produce was inaugurated.
The Tourism Office improved the Municipal Public Plaza by
creating a flower garden and erecting a giant ‘Balon Bayambang’ signage, now a
favorite spot of locals and visitors alike to take selfies.
The town was actively promoted by dubbing it as “the
country’s 5th capital during the 1st Philippine
Republic,” “home of the binasuan dance,” “makers of the best-tasting
fish buro,” “corn belt of Pangasinan,” and “onion capital of northern
Luzon.”
The town's children were treated to an annual animated
Christmas display, the Paskuhan sa Bayambang, the biggest in the country
according to the Rosario family of the COD Mall Christmas display fame in Cubao
in the '70s. A personal gift of the mayor and his family, this project was
repeated annually with varying themes: Filipino traditions, Rebolusyon Laban
sa Kahirapan (poverty alleviation program), Disney World characters.
A Mini-Amusement Park with fun rides was built inside the
plaza through the public-private partnership mode of procurement.
The first official Bayambang Hymn, “Baley Ko, Tawir Ko,"
(My Hometown My Heritage) was composed by Jane Frances Ambat van Doorn of Brgy.
Nalsian Sur and originally interpreted by the composer's own mother, Gilconida
Ambat van Doorn. (“Pinablin Baley,” (Beloved Hometown) another hymn, had
been composed earlier by Oscar Ora but it was not institutionalized through
legal or official recognition.)
“Lanceros na
Bayambang” was declared the town’s first official social dance, and it was choreographed
by Prof. Januario Cuchapin.
The UP Board of Regents elected Danilo Lardizabal Concepcion
as UP President. Concepcion has roots in Bayambang, for he grew up spending
summer vacations at his mother's house in Estacion.
A local boy, Al
Vincent Casela, became a finalist in “The Voice Kids Philippines,” a popular
singing competition on TV.
2017
Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao continued to bring Bayambang to
greater heights with new feats.
He installed the town’s first traffic lights.
He expanded the drainage system in Poblacion area to address
perennial flooding problems.
He built a proper tricycle terminal for an estimated 2,000
tricycle drivers in the center of town.
On February 4, the ‘Komprehensibong Serbisyo sa Bayan’ was
launched in Brgy. Warding, a project that sent all municipal government
services, not just medical, for one day to a chosen barangay located far away
from the center, benefiting hundreds of thousands of residents since then.
The local government bought a fleet of vehicles and rescue
equipment, which would eventually include a coaster (small bus) and aluminum
rescue boats.
The Municipal Cooperative Development Office was created to
help develop local cooperatives as engines of local economic growth.
SingKapital or the commemoration of Bayambang as the
country's fifth capital during the 1st Philippine Republic was
institutionalized through an ordinance.
Binasuan dance was adopted as Bayambang’s official folk
dance.
The first-ever official tourism jingle was released.
In the week-long fiesta celebrations, then first lady Niña
Jose-Quiambao, with Mayor Quiambao's support, started to organize a grand and
glittering version of the Binibining Bayambang beauty pageant, complete with free
professional training-workshops for the lucky ladies, creative costumes, superb
stage preparations, awe-inspiring performances, and a star-studded list of
judges and guest performers.
The first-ever official Binibining Bayambang jingle was
released.
A mural painting contest transformed the Agno River dike
into an elongated canvas.
The first-ever Cutest Baby Contest was held.
The Quiambao family also began sponsoring concerts of the
day's biggest names in local show biz I including rock stars, pop divas,
balladeers, stand-up comics, and other performers.
The first Matalunggaring Awards were also held as part of
the town fiesta in honor of Bayambangueños who have brought pride and honor to
the town. It would be subsequently held yearly and eventually
institutionalized. Among the distinguished individuals accorded the town’s
highest honor were the pioneering feminist and activist Sr. Mary John Mananzan,
OSB, Tour of Luzon organizer Atty. Geruncio Lacuesta (posthumous), fashion
designer Rusty Lopez, actor Carlos Salazar (Rustico Roldan), national scientist
Carmen Velasquez (posthumous), former Labor Secretary Onofre Guevara
(posthumous), and Commission on Higher Education Chairman, Dr. Prospero ‘Popoy’
de Vera.
On September 16, the concrete Balaybuaya Footbridge was
inaugurated.
On October 12, world-renowned urban planner Felino Palafox
Jr. and his staff from Palafox Associates were hired by Dr. Quiambao to help
the local government updated its Comprehensive Land Use Plan.
On October 30, first lady Niña Jose-Quiambao launched the
Bayambangueña Pasalubong and Tourist Assistance Center at the Mini-Bus and Van
Terminal.
Niñas Café opened at SVV, ushering in a café culture in town
after dozens of cafés and restaurants sprouted around not just the Poblacion
area but even in the far-flung barangays of Bayambang in the succeeding years.
A smart card called ‘Community Service Card’ was issued to
citizens as proof of being bona fide residents.
Louise Anne C. Calimlim was crowned as the first Ms.
Palarong Bayan.
Pangasinan State University Bayambang Campus (PSU-BC)
programs first underwent AACCUP accreditation on November 27-28 for their
flagship programs, Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEEd) and Bachelor of
Secondary Education (BSEd).
A municipal canteen, Kusina na Balon Bayambang, was put up
beside the repurposed NAWASA water tank. It was envisioned as a self-sustaining
facility that would provide funds in feeding the town’s undernourished
children. It stopped operations in 2019 due to challenges.
Mayor Quiambao faced a series of legal battles from
political opponents, all of which turned out to be nuisance cases and were
promptly dismissed by the courts.
2018
Mayor Cezar Quiambao declared an all-out war against poverty
in the program called “Rebolusyon Laban sa Kahirapan” (Revolution
Against Poverty) and gave the marching order to Municipal Administrator, Atty.
Rodelynn Rajini Sagarino, who happened to be formerly with the National
Anti-Poverty Commission, to draft the Bayambang Poverty Reduction Action Plan
2018-2028.
The Municipal Library, known for its collection of rare Pangasinan
books, got its own building using the repurposed water tank beside the
Municipal Hall.
ANCOP Ville, a free housing project with at least 30 units
for selected indigent families, rose in Brgy. Sancagulis, sponsored by the
Mojares family of Canada and Couples for Christ – Answering the Cry of the Poor
(CFC-ANCOP).
RHU III in Brgy. Carungay opened on April 3, and was built
on a lot donated by Punong Barangay Virgilio Romano's family. It was first
headed by Dr. Adrienne Estrada, then by Dr. Roland M. Agbuya in 2020.
On August 11, the Pangasinan State
University-Department of Science and Technology Food Innovation Center was
inaugurated. Among its inventions were bottled odorless buro, vegetable
(okra, squash, onion) chips, and bagoong powder.
In August, St. Alexander M. Sauli Catholic School started
operations in Brgy. Sapang.
On September 10, the Bayambang Culture Mapping Project
commenced, through the collaboration between Tourism Office, Bayambang National
High School through Mr. Christopher Gozum, and Center for Pangasinan Studies of
the provincial government. The project, which was a thorough inventory and
cataloguing of the town’s cultural resources, won a major award from the
Department of Tourism and Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines.
On November 18, Mayor Quiambao’s closest aide, Councilor
Levin N. Uy, was murdered by unidentified gunmen while jogging near his home in
Zone II.
The Quiambao-Sabangan administration was accorded with a
long list of awards from all levels, including the highest form of recognition
from the national government, the Seal of Good Local Governance.
One by one, various LGU held benchmarking activities in
LGU-Bayambang.
In December 20, Local Council of Women President Mary Clare
Judith Phyllis Jose-Quiambao opened the Abong na Aro (House of Love) halfway
house for abused women and children and other individuals in need of special
non-medical emergency assistance at the Wawa Evacuation Center.
2019
The Quiambao family inaugurated the Saint Vincent Ferrer
Prayer Park in Brgy. Bani, by unveiling the engineered bamboo statue of St.
Vincent Ferrer, which earned for Bayambang its second Guinness record: the
tallest bamboo sculpture (supported) in the world.
Coinciding with the official opening of St. Vincent Ferrer
Prayer Park was the 2019 Cristo Rey celebration, with no less than Archbishop
Gabriele Giordano Caccia, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, leading the
rites in the SVF Prayer Park Chapel in Brgy. Bani, with church and municipal
officials and other dignitaries in attendance together with devotees from 39
parishes, 17 municipalities, 15 Catholic schools, 9 vicariates, 8 pastoral
stations, 3 chaplaincies, and 3 seminaries.
On March 25, LGU Ville, a low-cost housing development of
the local government, broke ground in Brgy. Sancagulis.
On May 8, Fr. Fidelis Layog of Bayambang was appointed by
Pope Francis as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, the
first priest from Bayambang to become a bishop.
In July, the construction of a mini-dam in Telbang began.
Mayor Quiambao launched his farm modernization program with
a purchase of a suite of farm machineries (rice planter, combine harvester,
etc.) and other supporting activities.
Bayambang's first coffee-table book was published, as part
of the 400th year celebration of the town’s parish church. Its title is "Parokya
nen San Vicente Ferrer: Subol na Pananisia" and was authored by former
Pangasinan State University-Bayambang college dean, Dr. Clarita D.G. Jimenez. “Subol”
details the history of the St. Vincent Ferrer Parish Church from the time it
was founded in 1619.
Forest Lake offered an alternative to Hands of Heaven as
memorial park.
The Land
Transportation Office (LTO) opened its Bayambang Extension Office in J.P.
Rizal, Poblacion Sur on December 18.
Mayor Quiambao represented LGU-Bayambang as he graced the Department
of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Panata Ko sa Bayan Awards ceremony
on February 15 at the Landbank Plaza, Malate, Manila. LGU-Bayambang was chosen by
the DSWD as GAPAS or Gawad sa Paglilingkod sa Sambahayan awardee for being the
country's Model LGU in the Implementation of DSWD's Sustainable Livelihood
Program (Microenterprise Development Model).
Allan Michael Ibañez emerged as another internationally
multi-awarded indie filmmaker from Bayambang, having bagged such awards as the
Grand Jury Prize feature film at the San Diego International Kids' Film
Festival, the Best Feature Film award under the Debut Directors category at the
All Lights India International Film Festival, and Honorable Mention for Best
Feature Film at the 12th Buffalo Niagara Film Festival.
In a year-end assessment celebration of
the LGU, the mayor raffled off a brand-new car as the grand prize.
2020
A survey by the Philippine Statistics Authority reported
that Bayambang had a population of 120,000.
On January 28, Commodore Luzviminda A. Camacho, AFP, of Brgy.
Cadre Site made history by being the Philippine Navy's first female Skipper and
Contingent Commander, thus becoming the first female Commodore of the
Philippine Navy, equivalent to Brigadier General or one-star rank in the Army,
Air Force, and Marines.
Horror, panic, and sadness gripped the whole town during the
global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of its earliest casualties were
the town’s “duktor ng bayan” Dr. Henry Fernandez and wife Julie. Mayor
Cezar Quiambao and wife Niña were among the thousands who were struck down by the
disease and got hospitalized.
The local government built the Bayambang Commercial Strip in
front of the parish church under a public-private partnership scheme.
A new Municipal Annex Building was inaugurated at the back
of the Municipal Hall compound.
RHU I got its own Department of Health-certified Animal Bite
Treatment Center.
RHU IV in Brgy. Macayocayo opened on November 25, and was
built on a lot donated by the Macayocayo Barangay Council under Punong Barangay
Mario Cariño.
Construction of the Municipal Warehouse began in Telbang
across the Municipal Motorpool.
Two local rock musicians, Richmond Bancolita and Tom Patrick
Cuison, became part of Nobita, a band that would have a reach nationwide and
beyond.
Dr. Jose 'Dong' DV. Camacho, Jr., a Bayambang native, was
elected by the Board of Regents as Chancellor of the University of the
Philippines-Los Baños (UPLB).
On September 24, Dr. Jose Camacho, Jr., from this town, was
elected by the University of the Philippines at Los Baños Board of Regents as
the 10th UPLB chancellor.
2021
Mayor Quiambao’s petition for the Philippine government to
convert Mangabul Lake into alienable and disposable land reached Philippine
Congress and Senate with the help of Congresswoman Rose Marie ‘Baby’ Arenas and
Senator Miguel Zubiri.
An attempt was also made to have Bayambang declared as a
city, but it lacked one major requirement: a population of at least 150,000.
RHU V in Brgy. Pantol opened in February. It was built using
funds donated by 3rd District Congresswoman Rose Marie 'Baby' Arenas.
“Beauty and the Beast: The Musical” was staged for the first
time in Region I. Sponsored by the town’s First Couple, it was staged at the
Balon Bayambang Events Center showcasing local talents.
On March 16, Mayor Quiambao launched the Bayambang’s Best
longanisa brand at the Public Market.
On April 14, 2021, a newly constructed Bayambang Municipal
Fire Station was opened at its old location in Brgy. Zone VI.
On May 17, P22.4-million worth of heavy equipment were
purchased by the LGU to revive the town's 8-km inland fishery. The equipment
included one wheel loader, two chain excavators, two dump trucks, one tractor
head, and one 40-ft two-axle lowbed trailer — all brand new.
Quiambao’s 1Food Corporation started its food manufacturing
operations in Brgy. Dusoc. Their initial products included OKrantz assorted
vegetable chips and tomato salsa using local farmers’ produce and employing the
technology of the DOST-PSU Food Innovation Center after Quiambao discovered its
existence.
Silver Concha Wavepool Resort, a water-based resort with
artificial waves, was inaugurated in Brgy. Malimpec.
On May 15, Sta. Lucia Land Inc. broke ground for its Centro
Verde Bayambang residential estate development across the St. Vincent Ferrer
Prayer Park.
Sun Plaza Mall rose in Brgy. Telbang.
Forest Lake Memorial Park opened in Brgy. Nalsian Sur.
Mayor Quiambao created two additional departments: Municipal
Legal Office and Internal Audit Unit/Service.
2022
Mayor Cezar Quiambao launched the E-Agro app, a digital
platform that addresses the various needs of farmers, especially loans, at
their fingertips. Eight agricultural warehouses were constructed per farming
district as supporting infrastructure.
On March 24, a tourism enterprise proposal of the
Sangguniang Kabataan of Brgy. Amancosiling Norte was the grand prize winner of
Mayor Quiambao's Bayambang Millennials’ Challenge. Patterned after Bloomberg's
Mayors Challenge, the competition sought to solicit and reward the most
innovative ideas from the youth that could solve one of their own community's
problems. The winning team experimented with transforming a moribund river dike
area into an Agno River cruise type of attraction.
On March 30, the biggest post-harvest facility complex in Northern
Luzon was inaugurated by the Jose-Quiambao family in Brgy. Amancosiling Sur. It
was operated by the Agricultural Infrastructure and Leasing Corporation or AILC
with office at St. Vincent Village, Brgy. Bical Norte.
The main output of the Bayambang Culture Mapping Project was
produced, the book “Say Nanlapuan.”
Mayor Cezar Quiambao ended his second term with the release
of a detailed LGU-Bayambang Annual Report.
In May, two women made history by being the first women to
get elected as Mayor and Vice-Mayor of the town: Mary Clare Judith Phyllis ‘Niña’
Jose-Quiambao and Ian Camille ‘IC’ Castillo Sabangan. The Municipal Councilors
included former Vice-Mayor Mylvin ‘Boying T. Junio, former Vice-Mayor Jose ‘Boy’
Ramos, Benjamin Francisco S. de Vera, Philip R. Dumalanta, Amory M. Junio,
Gerardo ‘Gerry’ Flores, Martin E. Terrado II, and Levinson Nessus M. Uy, with Rodelito
Bautista, Liga ng mga Barangay President, and Marianne Cheska Dulay,
Sangguniang Kabataan President, as ex-officio members.
In May, a mini-dam funded by Senator ‘Koko’ Pimentel was
built in Dusoc.
On June 10, the Bayambang Dairy Farm started operations in
Brgy. Mangayao.
The Bayambang Polytechnic College (BPC) was established on
June 27 by virtue of Municipal Ordinance No. 05, S-2022, later on approved
through Sangguniang Panlalawigan Resolution No. 586-2022. An LGU-owned and
operated college but initially funded privately by the Jose-Quiambao family, it
initially opened in 3F Royal Mall and offered a ladderized program on tech-voc
courses and four-year courses in Entrepreneurship and Agribusiness in response
to the town’s pressing needs.
On July 4, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the
Pantol-to-San Gabriel Farm-to-Market Road with Bridge Project, a grant worth P126,478,000.00
from the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project-World
Bank.
On August 3, the Municipal Bonery beside the Bayambang Fire
Station was constructed.
On September 19, the Municipal Hatchery opened in Brgy.
Langiran.
On October 20, the northernmost span of Wawa Bridge
collapsed after two overloaded trucks drove through it at the same time. On
November 8, a bailey bridge was constructed by the DPWH to restore traffic in
the area.
In early March, PSU-BC received AACCUP Institutional
Accreditation Level IV Re-Accredited status.
In November, Kenneth Mejia, the son of a Bayambangueña was
elected as City of Los Angeles Controller or city accountant, the first-ever
Filipino and the first Asian to reach such a milestone in the city's history.
A Seal of Good Local Governance for Barangays was
conceptualized by Mayor Quiambao long before the Department of the Interior and
Local Government introduced this form of recognition for barangay local
government units.
Joseph Anthony F. Quinto, General Manager of San Fernando
City Water District (La Union), was hired as the town’s first Municipal
Environment and Natural Resources Officer or MENRO. Under his term, the
Municipal Nursery was transferred to the Materials Recovery Facility in Brgy.
Dusoc, Mayor Niña Jose-Quiambao’s intensive clean-and-green campaign,
Bali-Bali’n Bayambang, was launched, he was elected as President of the
Pangasinan Association of Environment and Natural Resources Officers, and the
Ecological Solid Waste Management Office received several awards.
2023
On January 22, the Bayambang District Hospital's operating
room became the largest among district hospitals in the province, after Kasama
Kita sa Barangay Foundation, Inc., Niña Cares Foundation, and the provincial
government expanded and improved it together with upgraded equipment.
On February 15, the Balon Bayambang Museum: Home of
Innovation was formally opened to the public after a soft launch on October 14,
2022.
RHU VI was built in Brgy. Mangayao on a lot donated by Mayor
Cezar T. Quiambao and opened on February 22.
On May 5, former Mayor Quiambao, through CS First Green
Agri-Industrial Development Inc., entered into a memorandum of agreement for
two solar power plants worth $503-million with a 321-megawatt capacity to be
built in Infanta and Dasol towns in western Pangasinan. In the presence of Gov.
Ramon Guico III, he signed the MOA in Lingayen together with URIT Limited
Philippines Corp., China Energy International Group Co., and the China Energy
International Group Co.
On May 8, CitiHardware opened in Brgy. Buayaen.
A Sewage Treatment and Septage Management System Plan was
crafted, based on a nationwide directive from the President Rodrigo 'Digong'
Duterte.
LGU-Bayambang accepted its hard-earned ISO 9001:2015
(Quality Management System) Certification from Certification Partner Global -
Philippines, at an awarding ceremony held August 16 at the Balon Bayambang
Events Center, with all LGU officials and employees in attendance. Thus, the
town became the only ISO-certified town/city LGU in Pangasinan aside from
LGU-Alaminos City.
On October 12, the local government won the Bayambang
Central School case and wasted no time in reclaiming possession of the
property.
On December 5, the first 3D LED screen in the country outside
of Metro Manila was inaugurated in Royal Mall.
After this, a Christmas attraction inspired by Ghibli
Studios’ anime films and characters at the Municipal Plaza attracted hundreds
of thousands of visitors and media attention.
LGU-Bayambang scored an "Unmodified Opinion" from
the Commission on Audit's Annual Audit Report for the first time, it was
announced on June 30.
Mayor Niña Jose-Quiambao donated
P1-milion for the raffle draw for the LGU’s year-end assessment program.
2024
On January 12, Former Vice-Mayor Raul R. Sabangan was
elected as President of the provincial Federation of Liga ng mga Barangay,
earning him a seat at the Pangasinan legislative body as an ex-officio Board
Member.
On May 15, the National Irrigation Administration started
digging in Brgy. Amancosiling Norte.
On June 6, the old Home Economics Building in the old
Bayambang Central School campus was renovated and turned into temporary
government offices. Soon, another surviving school building was rehabilitated
and turned into temporary classrooms of the Bayambang Polytechnic College.
On June 24, BYB Metro broke ground in Brgy. Bical Norte as a
new and modern town center that is envisioned to be “the BGC of the North.”
On July 29, Don Teofilo C. Mataban Memorial School opened in
Brgy. Ligue, a school constructed by the local government on privately donated
land.
On August 8, Bo’s Coffee opened a branch in Brgy. Asin.
On October 18, the seven-story Julius K. Quiambao Medical
and Wellness Center was inaugurated in Brgy. Asin with First Lady Louise
Araneta-Marcos leading the ceremony. The tertiary hospital was managed by The
Medical City group.
A Christmas attraction inspired by the “Star Wars” film
franchise at the Municipal Plaza attracted thousands of visitors. Digital
projection mapping technology and animatronics were used in this attraction.
The bougainvillea was declared as the official municipal
flower of Bayambang.
In November, a major amusement park broke ground at the site
of BYB Metro.
On December 13, a groundbreaking ceremony was held in Brgy.
Nalsian Norte for the Nalsian Norte Onion Cold Storage, a grant from the
Department of Agriculture worth ₱37,372,158.01.
During the year’s SingKapital celebration in November, the
National Historical Commission of the Philippines unveiled a new marker in
front of the Municipal Hall stating that Aguinaldo and company were in
Bayambang for several days and not just overnight as long thought.
Susanna Rodriguez Evangelista, RN, of Barangay Nalsian Sur,
was the topnotcher of the June 2024 Philippine Nurses Special Professional
Licensure Examination, securing the top spot with a score of 86.20%.
On May 15, LGU-Bayambang received the Excellence Award from
the Philippine Association of Local Government Accountants at the CAP-John Hay
Trade and Cultural Center, Baguio City, in recognition of the LGU’s attainment
of an “Unmodified or Unqualified Audit Opinion” based on the 2022 COA Annual
Audit Report of the Commission on Audit, a first in the annals of the LGU.
On midnight of May 5, a portion of the Public Market caught
fire due to octopus wiring in some stalls. Affected stall owners were immediatelygiven
financial assistance from the LGU’s fund and the mayor’s personal fund.
In April, the parish church’s Museo de San Vicente was first
inaugurated as a parish exhibit.
The local government officially created the positions of
Local Youth Development Officer, PWD Affairs Development Officer, Local Revenue
Collection Officer, and Business Permits and Licensing Officer and hired
qualified personnel for the purpose.
A book, “220 Tula para sa Bayambang,” was published which
compiles all winning and non-winning poems about the town’s history and culture
from contests held since 2016. The compilation includes entries about the
‘SingKapital’ celebration.
2025
On February 6, the groundbreaking ceremony for the campus of
Bayambang Polytechnic College was conducted in Brgy. Bical Norte beside
Bayambang District Hospital on a lot donated by Dr. Cezar T. Quiambao. First
Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos and Commission on Higher Education Chairman Prospero
‘Popoy’ de Vera led the ceremony together with Dr. Cezar T. Quiambao, BPC
President, Dr. Rafael L. Saygo, and other dignitaries.
On March 7, Governor Ramon 'Mon-Mon' Guico III and other
Pangasinan provincial government officials, together with municipal officials,
inaugurated the new CT scan, stationary and portable ultrasound, and X-ray
machines at the Bayambang District Hospital, and led the groundbreaking
ceremony for the new hemodialysis center there.
On April 5, the St. Vincent Ferrer Parish Church was
officially proclaimed by Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop, Most Reverend Socrates
Villegas, as an archdiocesan shrine.
This development coincided with the ordination of a new
priest from Bayambang, Fr. Alexander I. Martinez, OCarm., after 29 long years.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the rehabilitation of Wawa
Bridge was held as an opening activity for the town fiesta.
‘Rhianna’ Cerezo Poquiz of Brgy. San Gabriel 2nd was crowned
as the first “Binibeking Bayambang.”
The local government won two other major infrastructure
projects from DA-PRDP Scale-up and WB: the Pantol-to-San Gabriel Farm-to-Market
Road with Bridge Project, a grant worth ₱319,180,000, and the Nalsian Cold
Storage Project, a grant worth ₱246,015,000.
Bayambang was recognized by the National Nutrition Council
with the CROWN or Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner in Nutrition Award in
the presence of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr.
A Central Terminal for big buses was completed on the
leftmost side of PSU-Bayambang Campus.
Kangaroo Hill Pavilion and Resort opened in Brgy. Sancagulis.
On May 12, Mayor Niña Jose-Quiambao was reelected on her
second term.
Compiled by: Resty S. Odon
References: Dr. Clarita Jimenez & Bayambang
Quadricentennial Research Team (for the period 1614-2014), Balon Bayambang
Facebook page, various official websites
Contributors: Tessie Reyes, Gernalyn Santos, Jonathan de
Castro, Karla de Vera-Cristobal, Boyette Santillan Poserio, Annie Seledio,
Corazon Reyes, Jane Kristelle Domingo Macmod, Joel V. Camacho, Bernabe Mercado
Jr., Joey Ferrer
Researchers: JV Baltazar, Vernaliza Ferrer, Camila Gatpo
Garin, Geralyn Pagsolingan, Caryl Nikki Agdeppa, Mica Flores, Sheina Mae U.
Gravidez
