BAYAMBANG PNR STATION (ESTACION NA TREN)
(Category: Significant Tangible Immovable Heritage; Government Structures, Private Built Structures and Commercial Establishments)
The Bayambang PNR Station, then popularly known as Estacion, is located in Zone VII, Bayambang, Pangasinan. It occupies a total land area of 75 m x 12.5 m, but the structure itself is 75 m x 6 m x 10 m.
By virtue of Republic Act No. 4156, it was constructed on November 24, 1892, making it 126 years old today.
The only parts that are left of the publicly owned train station are the walls that are made up of bricks, which comprise nearly half of the original structure.
Informal settlers now occupy the station and the surrounding areas. The establishment has been altered and now sports a red and brown color and serves as a dwelling place and a place for business. When you enter, the first thing you will notice is a store and a computer shop on the right side. The interior of the station is subdivided using lumber, creating rooms. Some features, such as the ticketing area, remain intact, while some parts are totally abandoned. The rail tracks are now converted into a road. You can also still see the foundations of the huge water tank that the trains used before and was located just across the road.
The Bayambang Station opened in November 24, 1892 with the name of Bayambang Pasajeros. Constructed during the Spanish colonial period in the Hispano-Philippine style, the station signaled the efficient delivery of goods and services and fast transportation for a massive number of people. It took eight hours to reach Manila from the Bayambang station and the trains stopped for 15 minutes at every station.
On December 8, 1902, the first Railroad Legislation Act (Philippine Commission Act No. 554) was passed, granting the Manila Railroad Company (MRRCo) the right to construct branch lines. On June 20, 1964, Republic Act No. 4156 was enacted, changing the corporate name of MRRCo to Philippine National Railways (PNR).
According to Mr. Narciso Bravo, a former print clerk at the Bayambang PNR Station, the station was originally a two-story building. The first floor consisted of offices for the employees of PNR, the ticketing area, and a room that served as a lounge area for first-class passengers, while the second floor served as a resting area and extra room for the employees that lived from distant places. Passengers had their own waiting area outside the station, where some vendors of snacks also did brisk business.
Beside the station was the paradaan na karumata (calesa station), which passengers from Manila used to ride in getting back home back in the day.
When a train arrived, someone would stop the vehicles crossing the railroad by pulling down the bamboo poles on both sides. There was also a “banderado” whose task was to wave a green and red flag to signal whether a train was coming or going. But sometime in 1988, the station slowly closed down due to the natural calamities that destroyed PNR's bridges and railways located in other towns. Inadequate government funding for restoration works dealt the final blow to the station.
Associated Stories
It is believed that there are spirits inhabiting the area. There were also rumors saying that there was gold hidden underneath the station, and treasure hunters lost no time in excavating it, but found nothing. According to Marina Molina De Vera, owner of the house behind the water tank that served as the water stop of the trains, around 1996-1997 one of the former mayors of Bayambang bought the tank from PNR because of the gold rumors, but unfortunately found nothing inside apart from rocks. De Vera also stated that cranes from Calasiao were even used due to the tank’s heaviness.
Historical Significance
According to historian Jaime B. Veneracion, when Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo's revolutionary government fled to Bayambang on November 12, 1898, “the Bayambang railroad station served as the publishing house of the newspaper La Independencia, whose editor was Antonio Luna and among whose staff included Rosa Sevilla, Cecilio Apostol and Jose Palma.”
Thus the train station was not just the first-ever transportation system that offered fast, straight travel to Manila; it was also a witness to Filipinos' fight for independence.
Economic Significance
The Estacion na Tren was not only a pit stop for an efficient transportation system, but also facilitated trade with other towns. For example, fish freshly caught from Mangabul Lake were brought to the train station to be delivered to other municipalities.
Being a gathering place for passengers, it naturally attracted a lot of vendors inside and outside the trains and offered other livelihood opportunities to the enterprising. The closing of the station therefore left a lot of people unemployed.
Aesthetic Significance
The structure apparently took inspiration from the Hispano-Philippine design of the bahay na bato, which typically features open ventilation, elevated apartments (usually made of wood) used as living space, and a ground floor (made of bricks or hewn adobe stones) used as storeroom, cellar and other business purposes.
Socio-Political Significance
The Bayambang Station became a place that fostered social interaction among the majority of the townsfolk as people from all walks gathered. The station was once a happy place for different people as the trains kept on loading and unloading their passengers amidst the chronic blaring of horns.
Scientific Research
According to Mrs. Emily Miranda, many researchers have already come over to conduct a study and document the Bayambang Station because of its significance in our history.
According to Mrs. Elisa Ferrer Cayabyab, her father, Mr. Eulogio B. Ferrer, used to be the chief of the train station, and when the station closed down, their family took care of the place. But after her father died, many people took interest in the materials. Some of them have salvaged the railway or iron tracks and any metal scrap that could be sold, thus leaving only the brick wall, travesa (which is made of yakal lumber and forms part of the railway that is placed underground for support), and water stop post, which is made of steel and cement. These are reportedly the same people whose lives were badly affected ever since the station, which was their source of livelihood, closed down.
Natural disasters like earthquakes and other calamities and man-made disasters such as fire will remain as the top threats to what remains of the Bayambang PNR Station.
As of now, there are no conservation measures that protect the Bayambang Station.
NAME OF PROFILER/MAPPER: Mari Jonette T. Frias
DATE PROFILED: September 23, 2018
TEACHER: Christopher Q. Gozum
SCHOOL: Bayambang National High School, Senior High School
KEY INFORMANT/S: Mrs. Elisa Ferrer Cayabyab, Zone VII, Bayambang, Pangasinan; Mr. Narciso Bravo, Mrs. Emily Miranda, Mrs. Marina Molina De Vera
EDITOR: Resty S. Odon
(Category: Significant Tangible Immovable Heritage; Government Structures, Private Built Structures and Commercial Establishments)
 |
| [owner of photo to be determined] |
The Bayambang PNR Station, then popularly known as Estacion, is located in Zone VII, Bayambang, Pangasinan. It occupies a total land area of 75 m x 12.5 m, but the structure itself is 75 m x 6 m x 10 m.
By virtue of Republic Act No. 4156, it was constructed on November 24, 1892, making it 126 years old today.
The only parts that are left of the publicly owned train station are the walls that are made up of bricks, which comprise nearly half of the original structure.
Informal settlers now occupy the station and the surrounding areas. The establishment has been altered and now sports a red and brown color and serves as a dwelling place and a place for business. When you enter, the first thing you will notice is a store and a computer shop on the right side. The interior of the station is subdivided using lumber, creating rooms. Some features, such as the ticketing area, remain intact, while some parts are totally abandoned. The rail tracks are now converted into a road. You can also still see the foundations of the huge water tank that the trains used before and was located just across the road.
The Bayambang Station opened in November 24, 1892 with the name of Bayambang Pasajeros. Constructed during the Spanish colonial period in the Hispano-Philippine style, the station signaled the efficient delivery of goods and services and fast transportation for a massive number of people. It took eight hours to reach Manila from the Bayambang station and the trains stopped for 15 minutes at every station.
On December 8, 1902, the first Railroad Legislation Act (Philippine Commission Act No. 554) was passed, granting the Manila Railroad Company (MRRCo) the right to construct branch lines. On June 20, 1964, Republic Act No. 4156 was enacted, changing the corporate name of MRRCo to Philippine National Railways (PNR).
According to Mr. Narciso Bravo, a former print clerk at the Bayambang PNR Station, the station was originally a two-story building. The first floor consisted of offices for the employees of PNR, the ticketing area, and a room that served as a lounge area for first-class passengers, while the second floor served as a resting area and extra room for the employees that lived from distant places. Passengers had their own waiting area outside the station, where some vendors of snacks also did brisk business.
Beside the station was the paradaan na karumata (calesa station), which passengers from Manila used to ride in getting back home back in the day.
When a train arrived, someone would stop the vehicles crossing the railroad by pulling down the bamboo poles on both sides. There was also a “banderado” whose task was to wave a green and red flag to signal whether a train was coming or going. But sometime in 1988, the station slowly closed down due to the natural calamities that destroyed PNR's bridges and railways located in other towns. Inadequate government funding for restoration works dealt the final blow to the station.
Associated Stories
It is believed that there are spirits inhabiting the area. There were also rumors saying that there was gold hidden underneath the station, and treasure hunters lost no time in excavating it, but found nothing. According to Marina Molina De Vera, owner of the house behind the water tank that served as the water stop of the trains, around 1996-1997 one of the former mayors of Bayambang bought the tank from PNR because of the gold rumors, but unfortunately found nothing inside apart from rocks. De Vera also stated that cranes from Calasiao were even used due to the tank’s heaviness.
Historical Significance
According to historian Jaime B. Veneracion, when Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo's revolutionary government fled to Bayambang on November 12, 1898, “the Bayambang railroad station served as the publishing house of the newspaper La Independencia, whose editor was Antonio Luna and among whose staff included Rosa Sevilla, Cecilio Apostol and Jose Palma.”
Thus the train station was not just the first-ever transportation system that offered fast, straight travel to Manila; it was also a witness to Filipinos' fight for independence.
Economic Significance
The Estacion na Tren was not only a pit stop for an efficient transportation system, but also facilitated trade with other towns. For example, fish freshly caught from Mangabul Lake were brought to the train station to be delivered to other municipalities.
Being a gathering place for passengers, it naturally attracted a lot of vendors inside and outside the trains and offered other livelihood opportunities to the enterprising. The closing of the station therefore left a lot of people unemployed.
Aesthetic Significance
The structure apparently took inspiration from the Hispano-Philippine design of the bahay na bato, which typically features open ventilation, elevated apartments (usually made of wood) used as living space, and a ground floor (made of bricks or hewn adobe stones) used as storeroom, cellar and other business purposes.
Socio-Political Significance
The Bayambang Station became a place that fostered social interaction among the majority of the townsfolk as people from all walks gathered. The station was once a happy place for different people as the trains kept on loading and unloading their passengers amidst the chronic blaring of horns.
Scientific Research
According to Mrs. Emily Miranda, many researchers have already come over to conduct a study and document the Bayambang Station because of its significance in our history.
According to Mrs. Elisa Ferrer Cayabyab, her father, Mr. Eulogio B. Ferrer, used to be the chief of the train station, and when the station closed down, their family took care of the place. But after her father died, many people took interest in the materials. Some of them have salvaged the railway or iron tracks and any metal scrap that could be sold, thus leaving only the brick wall, travesa (which is made of yakal lumber and forms part of the railway that is placed underground for support), and water stop post, which is made of steel and cement. These are reportedly the same people whose lives were badly affected ever since the station, which was their source of livelihood, closed down.
Natural disasters like earthquakes and other calamities and man-made disasters such as fire will remain as the top threats to what remains of the Bayambang PNR Station.
As of now, there are no conservation measures that protect the Bayambang Station.
NAME OF PROFILER/MAPPER: Mari Jonette T. Frias
DATE PROFILED: September 23, 2018
TEACHER: Christopher Q. Gozum
SCHOOL: Bayambang National High School, Senior High School
KEY INFORMANT/S: Mrs. Elisa Ferrer Cayabyab, Zone VII, Bayambang, Pangasinan; Mr. Narciso Bravo, Mrs. Emily Miranda, Mrs. Marina Molina De Vera
EDITOR: Resty S. Odon
REFERENCES:
https://www.pnr.gov.ph/
Jaime B. Veneracion, "A Guide to Gregorio del Pilar, Ilocos Sur, and the Heroes’ Trek" (SAMPAKA Inc., 2003)
https://www.pnr.gov.ph/
Jaime B. Veneracion, "A Guide to Gregorio del Pilar, Ilocos Sur, and the Heroes’ Trek" (SAMPAKA Inc., 2003)
I know this place... a popular landmark of Bayambang. I stayed in Bayambang for 4 years, 1975-79 for my college schooling at the former Central Luzon Teachers' College, which became the Pangasinan State University College of Education during mga senior year. It is now the Pangasinan State University Bayambang Campus.
ReplyDeleteHello, that's nice to know. :-)
DeleteI went to Bayambang Station in June 1, 2024. The train station with the brick walls is still intact the ticketing area is still intact too. However the train station was turned into a house but i asked permission to the owner
ReplyDeleteand he allowed me to go inside and as i walked outside i saw some bricks that fell out of the station building but i asked some permission
and he allowed me to take the bricks but i only got 2 bricks from him
i see
Delete