Bayambang Through the Years

Quick History: Bayambang Through the Years

It has been 400 years since the founding of Bayambang in 1614. Known then as Malunguey, the town was a flourishing settlement of native inhabitants. It was and still is an agricultural town, and has  survived the ravages of time: from the economic and cultural impact of colonization to natural and man-made destruction of modern times. But it should not be forgotten that in spite of such influences, some unique cultural practices which make Bayambang district remain to be its charm – a vibrant town that embraces change but cherishes its heritage. 

TIMELINE

1614

Bayambang, known then as Malunguey/Balonguey, became a visita (a settlement of families under the jurisdiction of the motherhouse regularly visited by a religious functionary for its religious needs) of the Vicar of Binalatongan (now City of San Carlos). 

1619

Malunguey was accepted as one of the vicariates of the Dominican Order at the Provincial Chapter of 1619 under the patronage of Saint Vincent Ferrer. It became independent from its matrix Binalatongan.

1660

In October, an uprising in Malunguey occurred, though this was immediately quelled by Spanish forces. When the Malong revolt broke out two months later, the people of Malunguey joined Andres Malong in their disgust over the excesses of the Spanish authorities. Malunguey, along with Binalatongan, were the two remaining rebel towns at the end of the revolt.

Telbang, a native settlement, was placed under the jurisdiction of Malunguey.

1741

The church and convent in Malunguey were transferred to a place called Bayambang.

1763

On March 1, rebels under the command of Juan Dela Cruz Palaris, the leader of the Palaris revolt which started on 1762, mounted captured cannons in a bridge in Bayambang towards the direction of the Spaniards. In the said battle, the Spanish forces were able to capture the staff of the rebels. However, they didn’t pursue the rebels but instead returned to their home base on Bacolor, Pampanga.

1813

The construction of the church and the convent, made of bricks and stone, started this year.

1834

The Alcalde Mayor of Pangasinan submitted a petition to acquire two big boats for use in the transport of mails between Bayambang and Paniqui in Tarlac, and for use during floods.

1838

Camiling became independent of Bayambang.

1855

Domingo Junio dela Cruz, then the town’s gobernadorcillo or mayor, submitted a petition to construct a new town hall to the office of the Alcalde Mayor of Pangasinan. He was supported by the town’s parish priest, Fr. Raymundo Barcelo.

1865

The first Pangasinan-Spanish dictionary produced by Father Lorenzo Fernandez Cosgaya was compiled in Bayambang.

1875

On May 25, Catalina de Seña led a petition where the people of Barrio Hermoza requests to separate from Bayambang due to its immense distance to the town center. The petition forwarded to the Alcalde Mayor of Pangasinan.

A petition from the people of Dangla, a barrio of Bayambang, to become a separate town was granted with eleven (11) cabecerias or barrios composing the new town which was later named Alcala.

1880

On March 6, the Alcalde Mayor of Pangasinan elevated to the office of the Governor General the request of Doña Modesta Leonarda Mendoza to operate public school for girls.

One of the first three rice mills in Pangasinan was installed and operated in Bayambang by British firm Smith, Bell and Company.

1896

On April 6, Fr. Feliciano Martin started the construction of the first stone-fenced cemetery, which was completed under the leadership of secular priest Fr. Frangno Fernandez.

On June 1, in the midst of the ongoing revolution against Spain, an inventory of church properties was conducted with the intent that whatever result the uncertain times might bring, the properties were properly accounted for.

1899

In June, General Antonio Luna had his brief encampment in Bayambang to prepare the defense of General Emilio Aguinaldo. Here, he received a telegram from General Aguinaldo ordering him to report to Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija to see the General.

Jose Palma, a staff member of the Revolutionary Government’s newspaper “La Independencia,” wrote a poem that became the lyrics of “Marcha Nacional Filipina,” now the Philippine National Anthem. He penned the poem in Bautista, then a barrio of Bayambang.

On November 12, Bayambang became the 5th capital of the short-lived Philippine Republic when General Emilio Aguinaldo, the first president of the Philippine Republic, transferred the seat of government here. At the same time, the regular army was disbanded and the revolutionaries resorted to guerrilla warfare in dealing with the Americans.

1908

The Philippine Postal Savings Bank opened a branch in Bayambang two years after it opened for business in 1906.

1922 

Gabaldon buildings were erected at the Bayambang Central School and Pangasinan State University Bayambang Campus. The Bayambang Normal School started operations to produce much-needed public school teachers until it was temporarily closed in 1935.

1926

Farmacia San Rafael, Bayambang’s first drug store, was established.

1935

Mary Help of Christians Institution, Bayambang’s first private Catholic school, was founded under the administration of RVM sisters. It is now known as Saint Vincent Catholic School.

1943 

Bayambang was Col. Edwin Ramsey's ECLGA headquarters.

Former enemies became allies during World War II. Noted American military official Col. Edwin Ramsey set foot in Bayambang to organize Filipino guerrillas against a common nemesis: the Japanese Imperial Army. In the country's bitter struggle against Japanese imperialism, Bayambang had been Lt. Edwin P. Ramsey's East Central Luzon Guerrilla Area (ECLGA) headquarters for sometime. ECLGA encompassed Manila, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Pangasinan, Zambales and La Union. Ramsey's aide de camp was our very own Major Claro J. Camacho of Barangay Nalsian.

According to local lore, Col. Ramsey evaded capture by the Japanese by hiding inside a taltagan (giant wooden mortar) in the barrio of Inirangan.

After the war, a huge part of Bayambang became the site of the Americans’ Camp Gregg Military Reservation.

1945

On January 7, the Pangasinan Normal School (formerly Bayambang Normal School) started operations with 293 students.

1950

The Bayambang Municipal Library was established and operated under the Mayor’s Office through the assistance of the United States Information Service.

1952

On October 23 to 25, Bayambang hosted the solemn celebration of the grand feast of Christ the King in the whole Pangasinan, Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan.

1954

On June 17, Bayambang became the first pilot town in the Far East when the Pangasinan Normal School (PNS) was chosen to be the seat of the Philippine-UNESCO National Community Training Center (PUNCTC) by virtue of Republic Act No. 1142.

1955

The first Child Study Center in the country was put up at PNS in Bayambang. The Center made initial studies on the Filipino child in order for the country to have its own data about Filipino children.

In October, President Ramon Magsaysay caused a stampede in Mangabul when he brought there with him his entire Cabinet to meet out-of-town for the first time. Thousands of rural folk turned out and mobbed the "champion of the masses," causing some  disturbance at the makeshift venue, as they freely sought his attention to their concerns. Eschewing protocol and formalities, he addressed those concerns one by one, including a big land dispute, among other grievances. Magsaysay is said to donate a water pump as well for the barrio people. This little incident is commemorated in the erection of a statue of Pres. Magsaysay years later at the Municipal Plaza.

1956

Opportunity class was organized at PNS Bayambang ahead of any other school in the country to pay attention to exceptional children. The first kindergarten was also established at Pangasinan Normal Laboratory School to provide a working laboratory for the Child Study Center.

1958  

Bayambang’s first optical clinic and store was established by the Urbi family.

On July 5 to August 3, Bayambang was the venue of the First National Institute in Physical Education and Recreation in the Philippines, being the seat of PUNCTC.

1970

On February 15, the town’s first community paper called “Bayambang Post” started operations under Geruncio Lacuesta as publisher.

1974

On April 5, the towering belfry beside the church was blessed and inaugurated. It houses the old bells.

1976

The [Central] Pangasinan Electric Cooperative Inc. (CENPELCO), a non-stock electric cooperative, started its operations and extended services to Bayambang.

1980

Bayambang Water District (NAWASA) started its operations, and DIGITEL installed its first telephone system in Bayambang and constructed a building for its office.

On July 16, the Bayambang Emergency Hospital opened its doors to the public. It was temporarily housed at the Municipal Annex Building.

1985 

On July 1, the Bayambang District Hospital, built at Brgy. Bical Norte, opened for medical services, with Dr. Ernesto Matabang as its first director. The lot on which it was built was donated by the family of Teofilo Matabang.

1988

Dr. Orlando de Guzman was appointed Provincial Board Member, the first time a Bayambangueño held a position in the Provincial Board. He was in position from November 17, 1987 to February 1988.

1989

Mayor Calixto Camacho cut the ceremonial ribbon for the formal opening of a mini Bayambang Museum established through a joint venture of the municipality and the Pangasinan State University Bayambang Campus. The Museum was housed at the former Municipal Jail.

1997 

Rehabilitation of the Bayambang Town Plaza started.

1998

Bayambang inaugurated its Municipal Abattoir with biogas system located at Brgy. Telbang

The town had the 8th highest revenue collection among 48 municipalities in Pangasinan during an 8-month period.

1999

Bayambang held a month-long “Sentenaryong Pagdiriwang” from October to November to commemorate its being once the capital of the Philippines.

Activities included the unveiling of a historical marker at the municipal grounds by Dr. Pablo S. Trillana III, then director of the National Historical Institute.

2003

In March, Hands of Heaven, the first private memorial park in Bayambang, started operations.

On April 4, several buildings were opened in time for the annual town fiesta: the Philippine National Police building, the Bayambang Sports Complex, and the Bayambang Commercial Center.

2004 

The Institute of Nursing was opened in PSU.

The Kasama Kita sa Barangay Foundation Inc. was established by Dr  Cezar T. Quiambao in Brgy. Amanperez.

2005

Bayambang became a first-class municipality under the term of Mayor Leocadio de Vera.

2009

In April, a distinct and unique festival called “Malangsi Fish-tival” was launched to celebrate the harvest of freshwater fishes locally grown in Bayambang.

On June 30, Bayambang inked the sisterhood pact with Guam, USA through the joint efforts of Mayor Ricardo Camacho and businessman Dr. Cezar T. Quiambao.

2010

Bayambang was awarded the “Model LGU with Best Practices in Solid Waste Management” by the Environmental Management Bureau under the Regional Office I of the Department of Environment and natural Resources in San Fernando City, La Union.

On August 9, the Sangguniang Bayan of Bayambang passed a resolution creation a Research  and study Committee to determine the exact date of the foundation of the municipality.

2011

On March 14, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines formally established 5 April 1614 as Bayambang’s foundation date.

On November 3, the Municipality of Bayambang adopted a new Corporate Seal (Official Seal) as endorsed by the Sangguniang Bayan and recommended by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

2012

On February 27, Mayor Ricardo Camacho formally organized a committee in charge of Bayambang’s Quadricentennial Celebration.

2013

On November 29, a bronze statue of former Philippine president, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, was unveiled in front of the Municipal Hall, as witnessed by Pangasinan Governor Amado T. Espino Jr., together with the relatives of Gen. Aguinaldo and municipal health officials from Kawit, Cavite. A sisterhood pact with the said town was also signed.

2014

On April 5, Bayambang was declared the new holder of the Guinness World of Record for Longest Barbeque, mounting 8,000 grills and 50,000 kilograms of fish spanning 8.16 kilometers. 

2016

Successful businessman and philanthropist Cezar T. Quiambao goes home from abroad, runs for Mayor, and wins. He introduces new politics in town, with the battlecry, “No to political dynasty, corruption, poverty and criminality.” His reign is marked by many firsts: CCTV Command Center, Emergency Hotline Number (#4357), St. Vincent Dialysis Center, air-conditioned Events Center with rubberized flooring, Paskuhan sa Bayambang giant animated Christmas display, free Community Service Card, Operation Birthright, satellite markets (talipapas) in eight barangays, comprehensive supplementary feeding program for malnourished children, among many other projects. He also initiated the fight to reclaim Bayambang Central School and the sale of government land in Magsaysay to long-time occupants.

2017

Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao continues to bring Bayambang to greater heights with the following feats: installation of the first traffic lights, expansion of drainage system in Poblacion area, and erection of municipal canteen, RHU III, RHU IV, and eight police precincts, and major renovation of the Tricycle Terminal.

2018

Mayor Cezar Quiambao declared an all-out war against poverty in the program called “Rebolusyon Laban sa Kahirapan.”

The Municipal Library 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).

Rural Health Unit III rose in Brgy. Carungay.

The Pangasinan State University-Department of Science and Technology Food Innovation Center was inaugurated.

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.

Fr. Fidelis Layog of Bayambang was appointed by Pope Francis as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan.

LGU Ville, a low-cost housing development of the local government, rose in Brgy. Sancagulis.

RHU IV was built by the local government in Brgy. Macayocayo, and RHU V was built in Brgy. Pantol, sponsored by Congresswoman Rose Marie ‘Baby’ Arenas.

Mayor Quiambao launched his farm modernization program with a purchase of a suite of farm machines and other supporting activities.

2020

Mayor Cezar Quiambao builds the Bayambang Commercials Strip in front of the parish church under a public-private partnership scheme.

A new Municipal Annex Building was inaugurated at the back of Municipal Hall.

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. 

“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.

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.

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’ C. Sabangan.

References: Dr. Clarita Jimenez & Bayambang Quadricentennial Research Team (for the period 1614-2014, Resty S. Odon (for the period 2016-2022)