Alleged, Reported, and/or Possible Sources of the Name of Bayambang Town

Alleged, Reported, and/or Possible Sources of the Name of Bayambang Town

Let's keep it simple and break things down this way:

1. Kulibangbang - current Pangasinan and Tagalog term for Piliostigma malabaricum, a bauhinia tree species with butterfly-shaped leaves (whose shoots are edible), little white flowers, and leguminous fruit -- not to be confused with other ornamental bauhinia species with colorful (pink, etc.) orchid-like flowers; reference: according to multiple old folks' account and at least one written folk tale online; possibility: questionable, because kulibangbang is an Ilocano word meaning butterfly, and the Ilocanos wouldn't arrive in Bayambang until around 1880s(?) whiile Bayambang was already Bayambang since 1741

2. Balangbang or Balangabang - another local term for the kulibangbang tree; reference: residents; possibility: moderate because of the l-y substitution

3. Balangbang - local term for waist; reference: provincial government website; possibility: questionable to possible

4. Bayang-bayang - local term for scarecrow; reference: Spanish missionary account? ; possibility: hmmm

5. Bayambang - name of a weed called celosia (Celosia or Deeringia polysperma) ; reference: Philippine botanical websites, old wikipedia entry on Bayambang's history; possibility: low to high

6. Bayambang, Bayabang, Bayangbang - Tagalog name of a fern called Nephrolepis cordifolia and other similar species; reference: Philippine botanical websites; possibility: low because it is a Tagalog term

7. Bayambang - old Pangasinan term meaning "madanom ya lugar," sapa, or catch basin; reference: Oscar Ora (resident) and at least someone from Calasiao; possibility: very high because the southern part of the town and those along the river are indeed madanom (water) and serve as catch basin

Note: A barangay in Infanta town of Pangasinan is named Bayambang as well. And it reportedly has a Bayambang National High School too! It would be instructive to know how they came up with that same name.

So, which do you think is the real root or source?

Books that Mention Bayambang Town

Books that Mention Bayambang Town

Except for historical documents, the town of Bayambang is hardly ever mentioned in publications that lean toward fiction and popular culture. So encountering our town's name in notable works here and abroad, even just in passing, is a little cause for celebration.

Thanks to Bayambangueños who are wide readers, we were tipped of the following information, and of course yours truly had to find and pore over these materials.

1. "Po-on: A Novel" F. Sionil José

"Po-on: A Novel" -- written by F. Sionil Jose in 1984 -- is a saga of an Ilocano peasant family who fled to Pangasinan to escape oppressive Spanish authorities at a time when the colonialists' power was waning and another colonist power was taking over. And that's the perfect setting to add a chapter wherein a member of the family crosses the bridge over Agno River from Bautista to Bayambang to deliver a letter from one adviser, Apolinario Mabini, to the Filipino revolutionary leader General Emilio Aguinaldo.

2. "Lieutenant Ramsey's War: From Horse Soldier to Guerrilla Commander (Memories of War)" by Edwin Price Ramsey & Stephen J. Rivele (2005)

During World War II, an American soldier finds himself trapped by Japanese forces in Bataan and hatches an escape plan together with fellow survivors. He succeeds and rises up to lead a guerilla army. In his long escape route across Luzon, he heads the East Central Luzon Guerrilla Area resistance with headquarters in Bayambang and stays in this town for a few months in secret, with stories of how he narrowly escapes the enemy, including one incident involving a taltagan (boat-shaped mortar) in Brgy. Inirangan. In his autobiography, he even mentions a Bayambang native, Major Claro Camacho of Brgy. Nalsian, as his aide-de-camp.

3. "Little Manila Is in the Heart: The Making of the Filipina/o American Community in Stockton, California" by Dawn Bohulano Mabalon (2013)

This book traces the history of the Filipino-American community in Stockton, California by focusing on how the immigrants were able to forge an identity and create a community thanks to immigration policies, American colonialism back home, and the conflicts and difficulties they had to face due to race, gender, labor, and political realities in the United States. I know I am scraping bottom here, but Bayambang town was mentioned in passing only because of the four escrima masters from this town that made Stockton and California their home: Leovigildo 'Leo' Miguel Giron of Brgy. Hermoza (who also eventually became a WWII guerilla back home in the Philippines) and his mentors, Benito Junio of Brgy. Inirangan, Julian Bundoc of Brgy. Carungay, and Fructuoso Junio of Brgy. Telbang.

What other notable books due you know mention our town?

(Acknowledgment: Sylvester Quintos, Joey Ferrer)

First-class relic of St. Vincent Ferrer

First-class relic of St. Vincent Ferrer

The St. Vincent Ferrer Parish Church holds a first-class relic of St. Vincent Ferrer.

Contained in an elaborate reliquarium, the relic is a tiny piece of bone of the winged saint called "angel of the apocalypse" credited for bilocation and miraculous cures, among other intercessory acts.

Ferrer was actually a Dominican priest from Valencia, Spain.

In the past, this relic was placed at the high altar (?), so during masses, a stream of devotees would pay him homage by climbing a wooden (?) staircase just to be able to whisper their prayer to the saint, but this also visibly disrupted the mass or caused a distraction to the mass-goers. For this reason, it was eventually transferred to this prayer room.

Monday Report – August 25, 2025

 

Monday Report – August 25, 2025

[INTRO]

NEWSCASTER 1: Naimbag nga aldaw kadakayo amin, Bayambang! Ako po si ___ mula sa Municipal Tourism, Information, and Cultural Affairs Office. Ang inyong katuwang sa paghahatid ng mga napapanahong balita.

NEWSCASTER 2: At ako naman po si _____, ang inyong katuwang sa paghahatid ng mga napapanahong balita.

NEWSCASTER 1: Mga balitang tungo sa pagbabago at patunay ng sama-samang pagkilos para sa kinabukasan.

NEWSCASTER 1: Ito ang tinig ng bayan, tinig ng serbisyo...

SABAY: …BayambangueNews!

 

***

1.      Municipal Accountant, Isa sa Most Outstanding sa Pangasinan

Kinilala si G. Flexner de Vera, bilang isa sa mga Most Outstanding Municipal Accountant ng probinsya ng Pangasinan, sa ginanap na seremonya ng Pangasinan Association of Local Government Accountants o PALGA noong August 12 sa Dagupan City. Ito ay isang pagkilala sa kanyang husay at dedikasyon, na siyang nagbigay-daan sa LGU-Bayambang upang makatanggap ng unmodified opinion mula sa Commission on Audit para sa 2024 financial statements nito.

2.      Bagong ECCD Bldg. at MSWDO Bldg., Pinasinayaan

Noong August 18, pormal na binuksan at binasbasan ang bagong magkahiwalay na gusali ng Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) at Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) sa Brgy. Magsaysay. Ang proyekto ay inilunsad upang mas mapabuti ang pagbibigay ng serbisyo para sa mga bata, kababaihan, senior citizens, at iba pang sektor.

3.      Fountain sa Royal Mall, Ipinatibag

Ipinatibag ng Task Force Disiplina ang fountain sa tapat ng Royal Mall na itinuturing na obstruction sa road shoulder at panganib para sa mga motorista. Pinanindigan ng task force ang kanilang layunin na linisin ang mga lansangan laban sa anumang sagabal para sa kaligtasan ng publiko.

4.      Internal Assessment ng CDCs at CDWs, Isinasagawa

Noong nakaraang linggo, nag-umpisang magsagawa ang MSWDO ng monitoring at validation activity sa 34 na Child Development Centers at Child Development Workers ng Bayambang. Dito ay tiniyak ang kumpletong dokumentasyon ng bawat pasilidad, bilang paghahanda sa nakatakdang external evaluation ng ECCD Council at assessors mula sa Pangasinan SWDO.

5.      Updates sa 4Ps, Tinakalay sa MAC Meeting

Sa pinakahuling pulong ng Municipal Advisory Council, tinalakay ng DSWD ang status update ng 4Ps members, kabilang ang pagsusuri ng compliance turnout, ang Social Welfare and Development Indicators administration, at mga isyu gaya ng teenage pregnancy. Ibinalita rin dito ang nakatakdang pag-exit ng 2,804 na benepisyaryo mula sa programa.

6.      Iba't Ibang Grupo, Nagbigay ng Relief Goods

Iba't ibang grupo ang patuloy na nagbibigay ng tulong sa mga nasalanta ng nagdaang bagyo. Noong August 18, naghatid ng food packs at hot meals sa 180 residente ng Sitio Lagare, Nalseban, Brgy. San Gabriel 2nd, ang pinagsamang relief mission ng Gabriel Medical Clinic, Gabs Pharmacy Cooperative Store, at Bayambang Matikas Eagles Club, salamat kina Dr. Roberto Gabriel at BMEC President Bogs Bugarin.

7.      Search and Retrieval Operation, Isinagawa

Noong August 18, ang MDRRMO, katulong ang BFP at BDRRMC ng Brgy. San Gabriel 2nd ay nagsagawa ng search and retrieval operation matapos makatanggap ng tawag mula sa naturang barangay ukol sa isang insidente ng pagkalunod. Matapos ang apat na oras na operasyon, matagumpay na natagpuan at naiahon ang walang buhay na biktima, na isang 21 taong gulang na binata na residente sa lugar.

8.      'Gender-Fair Language Training,' Idinaos

Noong August 19, sumabak sa isang "Gender-Fair Language Training" ang mga kawani ng munisipyo  bilang bahagi ng pagsusulong ng inklusibong wika at pagkakapantay-pantay ng mga kasarian. Ito ay upang itaas ang kamalayan at baguhin ang paggamit ng mga kawani sa mga salita at pahayag na hindi nagtatangi o nagpapahiwatig ng anumang bias batay sa kasarian. Naging resource speaker si Assistant Professor Jeffrey A. de Asis mula sa PSU-Bayambang Campus.

9.      Miguel Family, Nagdonate ng Bigas sa mga Nasalanta ng Bagyo

Noong August 19, nagdonate ang Miguel family ng 150 bags ng tig-limang kilong bigas sa mga nasalanta ng bagyong 'Emong.' Ito ay tinanggap ng Municipal Social Welfare Management Office (MSWMO) at ipinamahagi naman ng Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) sa mga magsasaka. Malugod na nagpapasalamat kina Dr. Nicolas at Dr. Myrna Miguel ang LGU-Bayambang at ang mga magsasakang kanilang biniyayaan.

10.  BEACONS Program, Dinala Rito ng UPLB

Noong August 19 to 21, isinagawa ng UP Los Banos Biotech ang isang serye ng aktibidad sa ilalim ng Biotechnology Empowerment and Assistance of Communities and the Nation for Sustainability o BEACONS, upang lalo pang mapalawak ang kaalaman ng mga magsasaka at kooperatiba sa makabagong teknolohiya, partikular na sa paggamit ng biofertilizers. Dinaluhan ito ng humigit-kumulang na 100 magsasaka at farmer-cooperators, kung saan sila ay nakinig sa mga lecture at nanood ng mga field demo mula sa mga eksperto ng UPLB Biotech.

11.  ONGOING: Data-Gathering ng Assessor's Office para sa RPVARA

Ang Municipal Assessor's Office ay kasalukuyang nangangalap ng mga datos mula sa mga real property owner sa iba't ibang barangay. Ito ay bahagi ng paghahanda para sa pagbabalangkas ng Schedule of Market Value at pagsasagawa ng General Revision of Property Assessment and Classification, alinsunod sa Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act.

12.  Holistic Health, Tinutukan sa SK Symposium

Bilang pagsuporta sa pagsulong ng holistic health sa mga kabataan, nagsagawa ang Sangguniang Kabataan ng Bayambang ng isang symposium noong August 20. Ipinaliwanag dito ang kahalagahan ng pangangalaga, hindi lamang sa pisikal na kalusugan, kundi pati sa mental, emosyonal, sosyal, at ispiritwal na aspeto ng buhay – upang maging ganap na masigla at balance ang pamumuhay ng kabataang Bayambangueño.

13.  Training on Barangay Budgeting and AIP, Isinagawa

Noong August 20, nag-organisa ang Budget Office, sa pakikipag-ugnayan sa MPDO, ng isang libreng pagsasanay para sa mga punong barangay, barangay secretary, barangay treasurer, at barangay kagawad na pinuno ng Committee on Appropriations tungkol sa Barangay Budgeting and Annual Investment Programming. Dito ay mas pinalawak ang kaalaman ng mga naturang opisyal sa tamang proseso ng pagpaplano at pagbubuo ng badyet, gayundin sa maayos na paglalaan ng pondo para sa mga proyekto.

14.  Mga Barangay Kagawad, Nag-Team-Building Activity

Sa unang pagkakataon, lumahok ang lahat ng miyembro ng mga Sangguniang Barangay at ilang Punong Barangay ng Bayambang sa isang team-building activity at capability development training na ginanap sa isang beach resort sa Bolinao, Pangasinan noong Agosto 19-20. Masayang nagbonding ang lahat sa mga aktibidad na inorganisa ng kanilang samahan.

15.  PESO-Yokohama Rubber LRA, Nagbunga ng 27 HOTS

Noong August 19–20, isang local recruitment activity ang isinagawa sa pagtutulungan ng Public Employment Service Office at Yokohama Rubber Company sa SB Session Hall. May 72 na aplikante ang nakapagparehistro, at 27 sa mga applicants ang hired on the spot.

16.   3 PMMA Grads, Nagcourtesy Call

Tatlong bagong ensign ng Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) ang nagcourtesy call kay Mayor Niña. Dumalaw ang mga bagong graduate na mga tubong Bayambang upang ipagpasalamat ang suporta ng kanilang bayan. Sila anila ay pawang mga anak ng mga magsasakang nagsumikap upang maitawid ang kanilang edukasyon, at patunay na hindi hadlang ang kahirapan sa kanilang pangarap na makapagtapos.

17.  Dairy Farm Training, Inilunsad

Noong August 20, opisyal nang sinimulan ng Dairy Farm Training Center ng Kasama Kita sa Barangay Foundation Inc. ang isang Dairy Farm Training sa Brgy. Mangayao para sa unang batch ng trainees upang magbigay ng wastong kaalaman sa dairy farm operations. Ang KKBSF Dairy Farm ay isang Learning Site for Agriculture, sa paggabay ng Agricultural Training Institue ng Department of Agriculture Region I at ng National Dairy Authority.

18.  Wellness Day, Inilaan para sa PWD Presidents at Council

Isang Wellness Day ang inilaan ng Persons with Disability Affairs Office noong August 21 para sa mga PWD President at Council members ng iba't ibang barangay. Ito ang nagsilbing culminating activity ng Disability Rights Week, kung saan nabigyan ng natatanging araw ang mga PWD sa pamamagitan ng pag-alok ng mga libreng serbisyo kabilang ang haircut, massage, at manicure at pedicure.

19.  8th RLK Anniversary at Linggo ng Kabataan, Sabay na Ipinagdiwang!

Nanguna ang Sangguniang Kabataan Federation ng Bayambang, katuwang ang Local Youth Development Office, sa gabay ng Bayambang Poverty Reduction Action Team, sa mga aktibidad bilang parte ng selebrasyon ng ikawalong aniberaryo ng ating Rebolusyon Laban sa Kahirapan at ang taunang Linggo ng Kabataan.

A.     Una, kanilang inilunsad kasama ng ESWMO ang Bali-Balin Bayambang 3.0 upang mas mapaigting ang kalinisan at kaayusan sa ating bayan.

B.     Ikalawa, iginawad sa napiling benepisyaryo mula sa Brgy. Bical Norte ang nalikom na pondo mula sa pinakahuling Ukay for a Cause activity.

C.      Ikatlo, nagsagawa ng isang outreach program ang mga SK Chairperson sa Don Teofilo Mataban Memorial School sa Brgy. Ligue, kung saan nagkaroon ng storytelling session at pamamahagi ng reading materials.

D.     Noong August 19 naman, nagsagawa ng literary and arts contest ang SK Federation kung saan nagtagisan ang mga kabataan sa poster-making, essay writing, at poetry slam.

E.      Nang sumunod na araw, nagsagawa ng isang usapang pangkalusugan para sa mga kabataan upang talakayin ang holistic approach sa kalusugan.

F.      Noong August 21, nagkaroon ng Youth Leadership Development Symposium kung saan naging kalahok hindi lamang ang mga SK Chairperson kundi pati na rin ang mga student leader.

G.     Sa araw na iyon, nagdaos din ng isang Laro ng Lahi competition upang pagyamanin ang kaalaman ng mga kabataan sa pamana ng lahing Pilipino at kulturang Pinoy pagdating sa larangan ng sports o palakasan.

H.     Kinagabihan ng August 22, nagpasiklaban ang mga kabataan sa HimigSikan Battle of the Bands. At may kasabay pa itong Your Face Sounds Familiar contest.

I.       Ito ay nagtapos sa isang Awarding at SK Fellowship Night, kung saan pinarangalan ang lahat ng nagwagi sa mga patimpalak at masayang nagbonding magdamag ang lahat ng mga kabataan.

 

20.  LGU, Regional Winner sa Kaunlarang Pantao Award

Ang LGU-Bayambang ay pinarangalan ng Commission on Population and Development bilang Regional Winner sa Municipal Category ng 2025 Rafael M. Salas Kaunlarang Pantao Award. Ito ay bilang pagkilala sa mga inisyatibo ng LGU sa pag-localize ng population and development agenda sa pamamagitan ng mga innovative, inclusive, at sustainable na programa.

 

[OUTRO]

NEWSCASTER 1: Sa bayan nating may puso, may direksyon, at may malasakit, ang serbisyo ay tuloy-tuloy.

NEWSCASTER 2: At sa bawat ulat na aming hatid, nariyan ang pangakong hindi kayo pababayaan.

NEWSCASTER 1: Muli, ako po si ___, kaisa ninyo sa pagpapatuloy ng tunay na pagbabago.

NEWSCASTER 2: At ako si ___, mula sa ____, patuloy na naglilingkod sa inyo, sa ngalan ng LGU-Bayambang. Hanggang sa susunod na lingo.

SABAY: Ito ang.... BayambangueNews!

 

Quick Intros for MNJQ and MCTQ

 

Quick Introduction: Mayor Niña Jose-Quiambao

Our Guest of Honor and Speaker, more popularly known as the former actress Niña Jose, is the very first female Mayor of Bayambang.  

She is a graduate of Assumption College in Manila, and finished Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies from Harvard Business School.

Before becoming Mayor, she worked as the President of the Local Council of Women of Bayambang, President of the Agricultural Infrastructure and Leasing Corporation, President of Kasama Kita sa Barangay Foundation, Inc., and founder of Niña Cares Foundation. Through these companies and organization, her family has served the people of Bayambang by donating to and caring for the needy and vulnerable sectors using private funds.

As mayor of Bayambang since 2022, she is determined to continue the Rebolusyon Laban sa Kahirapan, the flagship antipoverty program of her husband, former Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao.

With her motherly approach to governance, she has endeared herself to the people of Bayambang through her clean-and-green program and various projects that reach out to marginalized sectors.

Beyond these accomplishments, she is also as a devoted, loving, and kind-hearted wife to husband Cezar and mother to their children.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce to you the remarkable woman behind the progress and development of Bayambang. Please join me in warmly welcoming our beloved leader, Mayor Mary Clare Judith Phyllis Niña Jose-Quiambao!

 

Quick Introduction: Dr. Cezar T. Quiambao

Our Guest of Honor and Speaker is a successful businessman and philanthropist.

He is a product of Bayambang Central School and Bayambang National High School. He took up Accountancy at the University of the East and became a Certified Public Accountant.

As businessman, he had over three decades of executive experience in various industrial activities, infrastructure and development projects, information technology applications, management knowhow and corporate planning, and banking, finance and investments. He was formerly the Executive Vice-President of PT Green Timber Jaya, a leading timber company in Indonesia; Chair and CEO of Strategic Alliance Development Corp.; President and CEO of Stradcom Corp.

Among his landmark projects are the 2008 Automated Elections of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, LTO-IT Stradcom project, Land Registration Authority’s land titling computerization project, and Metro Manila Skyway project, a groundbreaking project worth USD514M and a pioneer in utilizing the Build, Own and Transfer (BOT) scheme between the government and private sector.

He was also a partner in establishing the Guam Regional Medical City, a $219-million tertiary hospital; the Second Vivekananda Bridge Tollway in India, a $145-million project; another tollway project in Vietnam; and the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road Tollway, through the BOT scheme, a project immensely benefiting Calabarzon or the southern Tagalog provinces.

He was a recipient of a Doctor of Humanities (honoris causa) degree from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines; the prestigious Asna Award for Business from the Pangasinan provincial government; and Most Outstanding Jubilarian Award from his alma mater UE.

As the former mayor of Bayambang from 2016 to 2022, he was able to transform the town through his flagship program called Rebolusyon Laban sa Kahirapan by reengineering local government processes, initiating massive infrastructure projects, and pump-priming the local economy.

Beyond these accomplishments, he is also as a devoted and loving husband to wife Niña and father to their children.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce to you “a man of many firsts,” “the local boy who made good,” and the remarkable man behind the dramatic transformation of Bayambang. Please join me in warmly welcoming Dr. Cezar Terrado Quiambao!

 

 

 

Pangasinan Words for Voracious or Gluttonous (Matakaw)

Pangasinan Words for Voracious or Gluttonous (Matakaw)

Alsab

Maesek

Ponsyano, Ponsyana

Abutiktik

Abutit 

Walay betsin na sangi to.

Impatiyaryar ya panangan ya singa anggapo lay nabwas!

Walay mantika (odino taba) ed sangi to!

Maong ya impampangal!

Buwakag

Mambuwaboy sangi ton naynay!

Atamukal so sangi ton naynay!

Aga naluksoy pusa so nansabitan to.

Imbuti'y ebet ya panangan!

Agaylay siba to; inlaem to la anggad nabwas!

Anggapo'y atilak ed kaldero pati galor naupot; asiket angga'd say sabaw!

Singa impan-eges ya baboy!

Inalibok toy panangan ya singa nalalagaan!

Abutaw so kaldero

Apigar so kaldero

Sinalikop to ira'y panangan ya singa no nauputan.

Ngalngali mapetatan ed pesel to.

Anggad beklew so pesel to.

Alusbo so panangan ed plato to ya singa palandey!

Diad totoon masisiba, onkaida so kaldero angga'd say talyasi.

Anak na kutsara

Lupa'y _____ (e.g. baaw)

Eras (patay-gutom in Tagalog)

Abigot

Bakag

Singa manpapakulang

Maong ya mangan

Singa ag napepesel

Aputer so aklo

Pangasinan Synonyms: Expressions for Lazy

Pangasinan Expressions for Lazy

Ngalngali aga onkireg.

Singa tataleman ya belas!

Agto amtay onkimey.

Uusilay apangat (mangiras ya manames) 

Uusilay plantsa (mangiras ya manplantsa)

Ambelat ebet

Kapinsa'y Sabado

Kimmandila iray gamet to.

Manaalagar na napelag ya botayong

Marakep so porma'y lima to

Uusila'y danganan

Wala'y sakit na manok

Mansasakit so manok

Abalkot ed ngiras

Umpepeket so bisukol

Akar bakokol

Kereg-kereg

Amagaa'y binuti

Aperper la'y dalan

Ilar 

Mailar!

Mailalo

Manaakar ed bulan

Namagaa'y dika

Ompapatey so dika ya dadalanan to

Ambelat so sali to.

Malanir ed laman to.

Anggapoy bakat na lima to.

Si Suan Batugan (version of Juan Tamad)

Naynay ya akabalambang, say manggangan labat la'y amta to.

Anggapoy amta ton kimey.

Abilang so amta ton gawaen.

Anggapoy bulon to ya onkimey.

Alagaren to'y napelag o napaktak labat ya grasya.

Aliwan makewas ed kimey.

Aga unkimey 

Aga ungalaw, Aga ungala-galaw

Butaig

Ambetel so laman to'd kimey.

Sangkaagto toy dakulap to odino lima ton naynay.

Agto ondemet ed trabaho.

Arawi ed kimey.

Maliker ed kimey

Unaamot no oras na kimey.

Mabli'y sagpot to

Singa sasaliwe'y sagpot to

Related saying: "Say mangiras, banbantayan to'y eras."