CENPELCO Bayambang Contact Numbers

Landline:  6327606
Globe: 09459747850
Smart: 09215264083

Municipio contact number

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIT OF BAYAMBANG | OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

Municipal Hall, Roxas St. Zone II, Bayambang, 2423 Pangasinan

(075) 632-23-61 Loc. 116 

List of Public Elementary Schools in Bayambang

1. A.P. Guevarra Integrated School (Manambong Norte)

2. Alinggan-Banaban Elementary School (ES)

3. Amancosiling ES

4. Amanperez ES

5. Ambayat ES

6. Ataynan ES

7. Bacnono ES

8. Balaybuaya ES

9. Bani School ES

10. Bascos Manambong ES (Manambong Parte)

11. Bayambang Central School

12. Beleng ES

13. Bical ES

14. Bongato East ES

15. Bongato West ES

16. Buayaen Central School

17. Buenlag ES

18. Carungay ES

19. Cason ES (Sancagulis)

20. Caturay ES

21. Darawey ES

22. Dusoc ES

23. Hermoza ES

24. Idong ES

25. Inirangan ES

26. Langiran ES

27. Don Teofilo Mataban Memorial Elementary School (Ligue)

28. Macayocayo ES

29. Magsaysay ES

30. Maigpa ES

31. Malimpec ES

32. Malioer ES

33. Managos ES

34. Manambong Sur ES

35. Nalsian ES

36. Obillo ES (Pantol)

37. Pangdel ES

38. Paragos ES

39. San Gabriel 2nd ES

40. San Gabriel–Iton ES

41. San Vicente ES

42. Sanlibo ES

43. Sapang ES

44. Tamaro–Tambac ES

45. Tampog ES

46. Tanolong ES

47. Tatarac ES

48. Telbang ES

49. Tococ East–West ES

50. Warding ES

51. Wawa ES

52. PSU Integrated School

TOTAL: 52

Tax breakdown

Ang breakdown ng ating amilyar, for example, ay ganito:

35% ay mapupunta sa provincial government
20% ay para sa Special Education Fund
10% naman ay sa barangay
35% lamang ang napupunta sa LGU

PSU Revives Pangkat Kawayan

If you Google “bamboo band,” you get 600,000+ hits mostly referencing Filipino musician Bamboo Mañalac’s band. But there was a time when there was a real bamboo band in town, thanks to then Pangasinan State University-College of Education’s Pangkat Kawayan.

It was 1980 and, even then, it was already a novelty. Decades away from the personal computer and the Internet, smartphones, Google, YouTube, and Facebook, it was a time when Madonna, shoulder pads, hair gel and glitters, and the so-called New Wave rock music occupied the youth. But music professor Rufino Menor bucked the tide, so to speak, and insisted that extracting notes from bamboo was what constituted real music.

At the time, we haven’t even discovered Wordstar, Lotus and floppy diskettes yet, to say nothing of CDs, viral videos, trending news, and fake news; instead, what we had as cutting-edge technology were Betamax tapes and, in the field of sound, cassette tapes -- played, of course, in cassette players. Looking back, it’s funny how we used Mongol pencils to fix the cassette tape if it unspooled.

At the time, only the college students played the bamboo instruments made of the angklung (main bamboo tube instrument), bamboo xylophone, bamboo cymbals, and sibakong (bamboo base). Mr. Menor would explain that he borrowed the angklung concept from the Indonesians, but no one taught him how to make the instruments per se – he only caught the idea on TV and from then on, it was solo flight for him. He said it took him a huge amount of time to make his instruments because the bamboo tubes had to go through a painstaking treatment and adjustment process to emit the right sound when struck. The bamboos had to be submerged in seawater for a certain time, and to make a wooden tube emit the right note, Mr. Menor had to slowly chip off a part of it bit by patient bit. Then he’d varnish the pieces one by one.

Every time there was an important event on campus, Mr. Menor and his bamboo band were sure to be there, regaling the PSU community and guests with number after lively number. The bamboo band spurred high interest among all audiences because, when played in an ensemble, the instruments are a joy to behold and to listen to. Each and every note is assigned to a group of players who have to raise and shake the angklungs at exactly the right time when it is their turn. It takes a level of skill to play the instruments because a player needs to have a strong sense of being an indispensable part of a team. Gentle tinklings in unison and harmony are produced this way, and listeners are relaxed by the melodic tremolos because it is almost like listening to 'nature sound.'

At first the Pangkat Kawayan would perform folk songs such as “Bahay Kubo,” “Leron, Leron Sinta,” and “Malinac lay Labi,” then surprise the audience by performing the pop music hits of the day. The crowd would then roar and erupt in loud applause, apparently pleased by the disorienting effect of it.

The bamboo instruments would bring PSU’s Pangkat Kawayan outside home, performing around Pangasinan and the Ilocos region. Then, in 1987, the “singing bamboos” abruptly turned silent.

According to Prof. Januario Cuchapin, Mr. Menor’s superior at the time, it’s because the latter devoted himself to producing the bamboo instruments for sale, which of course took up a lot of time and energy. Mr. Cuchapin reveals that Mr. Menor’s unprecedented passion for his bamboo instruments was a product of his own professional research, which he turned into reality, thanks to some amount of government funding.

Mr. Menor himself recalls how it took him eight long years of research. And that there were only three of them in the entire Philippines working on a Pangkat Kawayan. He was the only one in Pangasinan.

Mr. Cuchapin also recounts that Mr. Menor used to buy all the bamboo stems from his native Malasiqui, but when he entered into mass production for commercial purposes, he began putting up bamboo farms. He would travel all the way to a mountain in Mayantoc, Tarlac to procure bamboos of all kinds – cauayan bolo, bayug, kiling, etc.

The demise of the bamboo band would deprive several batches of students of getting to know something that is uniquely a part of PSU’s identity and history. But the upside is that Mr. Menor found his new preoccupation quite lucrative, and even found a buyer from as far as Palawan.

It is thus gratifying to witness the bamboo band resurrect from the dead, so to speak, keeping alive Mr. Menor’s legacy. And who better to revive it from the catacombs starting August 2017 (in time for Linggo ng Wika) but his daughter, Leah M. Bumatay, herself a singer, composer, and music teacher teaching at PSU’s MAPEH Department and High School Department, now renamed PSU Integrated School. Bumatay says she revived her father’s band after Prof. Felipe Moreno, Chairman of PSU’s MAPEH Department, suggested to have the Pangkat Kawayan presented again to the public.

As if by miracle, things fell into place. New to the service and lacking in financial capacity, Bumatay encountered a lot of obstacles, but PSU's then Campus Executive Director Dr. Cesar Della helped her secure financial assistance from Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao through Levin Uy -- incidentally, both Mayor Quiambao and Uy are into bamboo farming. And when Dr. Della was replaced by Dr. Rhodora Malicdem, Malicdem inspired Bumatay to carry on by assisting her each time she encountered a new problem. Soon, PSU Prof. Salome M. Montemayor became a consultant and wrote the bylaws of the Pangkat Kawayan. Along the way, other people gave help when needed.

And thanks to this chain of events, referring to the Pangkat Kawayan can now be made in the present tense instead of past. Luckily, her father had passed on the technology by this time to a group of workers. Playing during the recently held 1st Pangasinan Rizal Youth Leadership Institute, the band is now composed of not just MAPEH Department college students but also high schoolers, and they played the latest hits such as Michael Buble’s “Sway” under Ms. Bumatay’s baton. The old bamboo magic is kept intact!

Bumatay reveals that the band needs a minimum of 30 players, but she is planning to add more instruments to the ensemble.

Mr. Menor -- who happens to be the composer of the PSU Hymn, the creator of the PSU Kitchenette Symphony Orchestra, Rhythm Band, Ukelele, Harmonica, Bottle Xylophone Ensemble, Elementary Rondalla, Children’s Choir, Elementary Drum & Bugle Corps, Drum & Lyre Corps, and the organizer of PSU Band -- is now 80 years old and has retired from all of his former preoccupations, but his passion for music remains aflame. He is now an active member of Bayambang Municipal Council for Culture and the Arts, sharing wisdom and experience gained from his field whenever he can.

To us who grew up watching PSU’s Pangkat Kawayan and the rest of the bands he had put up, it is like going back to the days when we were listening to the now-obscure New Wave acts like New Order, Seona Dancing, and Psychedelic Furs (to randomly name a few) while obsessing with our crushes and the latest outbreak of pimples on our face. And then the singing bamboos stopped us on our tracks, disorienting our thoroughly Westernized worldview.

How Bayambang town was founded

The present town of Bayambang was originally known as Malunguey or Balunguey, its location being west of the current position of the town. According to historical accounts, the original settlement was near the Agno River, and the soil was conducive to farming. The very first mention of this settlement appeared in the Actas Capitulares of the Dominican Order in the year 1614 when it was included among the visitas of Binalatongan, which is what is known today as San Carlos City. A visita is a community which has a chapel and is visited once in a while by a priest to say mass, baptize or officiate weddings. 

The visita of Malunguey later on became the nucleus of a new parish when it was accepted by the Provincial Chapter of 1619 as one of the vicariates of the Dominican Order, putting it under the patronage of Saint Vincent Ferrer. Its first vicar was Fr. Raimundo Vasquez. 

It can be deduced that Malunguey at this time was already a town because a parish cannot be established first if a town was not yet organized because priests who were subsequently assigned to the parish were supported by state funds. Part of these funds would come from the taxes collected from the townspeople.

A few years later, a church and a convent made of wood were constructed. However, between 1649 and 1690, the religious administration of Malunguey was reverted to the vicar of Binalatongan. This was so probably because of the difficulty of securing new parish priests who could be assigned full time in the area.

In 1741, the church and the convent was transferred to a place called Bayambang because Malunguey was prone to flooding and parishioners from far-flung places were complaining that pagan Negritos were attacking them whenever they went to church to hear mass. It was said that the place called Bayambang was far better than Malunguey because it was located on a higher ground and was also near the Agno River. From thereon, the town of Bayambang was never transferred.

As for the origin of the word Malunguey or Balunguey, no document so far has been found to explain its meaning. Even in the Pangasinan language, no word exists that will point to its meaning. Even in the oral tradition of the town, the word Malunguey/Balunguey is unheard of.

On the other hand, there are many theories as to the origin of the word “bayambang.” According to oral tradition, it came from the word “balangbang” which means “waist.” The story goes that a Spaniard was asking a native what the name of the place was and since they were speaking different languages, the native thought that the Spaniard was asking for the local word for “waist” and so he answered “balangbang” and the latter understood it to be the name of the place. The problem with this version is that there is no relation between the concept of “waist” and “town." The second story states that the word ‘bayambang” came from “colibangbang,” a tree with butterfly-like leaves. It was believed that in the olden times, trees of this kind abounded in the southern portion of the town. It is said that its young leaves can be used to sour dishes. The problem with this story, however, is that the word “colibangbang” does not sound closely to “bayambang.”   The third story claims that it came from the word “bayang bayang,” which pertains to the scarecrows used by farmers in driving away the anuyais and other birds that feast on ripening palay.

It is clear, however, that by 1614, Malunguey was already existing as a pre-Spanish settlement. This was made more evident when the Dominican Orders made it a visita of Binalatongan in the said year. As a visita, it was periodically visited by a priest assigned in Binalatongan. Second, by 1619, Malunguey was made into a parish by virtue of the Provincial Chapter of 1619, which accepted the casa of Malunguey into the Dominican Order. This action, in effect, led to the assigning of a separate parish priest who looked into the spiritual administration of the people of Malunguey.

Accounts by Dominican friars point to 1619 as the foundation year of the town of Malunguey which was the founding of the parish or when it became a separate vicariate. However, it is also clear that, by 1614, Malunguey was already recognized by Spanish friars as a pre-Spanish settlement. The fact that it was made a visita of Binalatongan confirms its status as an independent settlement even before the arrival of the colonizers. This means that even in the absence of documentary evidences, it can be gleaned that Malunguey was already a socio-political unit however rudimentary it was. The presence of a leader and a defined territory will further affirm the independence of the area. This ran counter to the claim of some Spaniards that the natives whom they encountered upon their arrival in the archipelago were “barbaric and uncivilized.” It can also be inferred that Malunguey must have contacts with other nearby settlements such as that of Telbang which was also identified by the friars themselves as already existing in 1614.

However, in the absence of documents that will point to the exact day of the town’s foundation, the NHCP’s policy of adopting the feast day of a town’s patron saint, Saint Vincent Ferrer on April 5, can be applied. Therefore Bayambang’s foundation date can be put into the books as April 5, 1614. Malunguey, which was the precursor of the present town of Bayambang, is thus one of the oldest towns in Pangasinan. 

[This account is based on "A RESEARCH AND STUDY COMMITTEE REPORT IN DETERMINING THE EXACT DATE OF THE FOUNDATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF BAYAMBANG, PROVINCE OF PANGASINAN (2010)]

REFERENCES

A.   Primary

1.   Unpublished

Philippine National Archives. Ereccion de Pueblos Pangasinan. “Ano de 1879. Expediente sobre creacion de una parroquia de Alcala, Provincia de Pangasinan.” Legajo 96, Numero 33.

PNA. Ereccion de Pueblos.”Memoria de la Provincia de Pangasinan de 1883 por El Don Jose Ruiz de Castro.” Leg.79,No.43.

PNA. Ereccion de Pueblos. “Memoria de la Provincia de Pangasinan por el Sr. Don Carlos de Penaranda, ano de 1891.Lingayen,12 de Febrero.”Leg.79, No.42.

PNA. Ereccion de Pueblos.”Ano de 1892.Expediente sobre la traslacion de la cabecera de la Provincia de Pangasinan propuesta por el Jefe de la misma.” Leg.79, No.45.

University of Santo Tomas Archives. Seccion de Pangasinan Tomo 3. “Visita Episcopal Minusciosa, e inventarios de la Iglesias de Pangasinan, 1803.” Fols.249-334.

UST Archives. Seccion Pangasinan Tomo 3. “Padron de Pangasinan en 1804.” Doc.No.26.

UST Archives. Seccion de Pangasinan Tomo 4. “Peticion para que Camiling desmembrado de Bayambang, 1835.” Fols.221-226.

UST Archives. Seccion de Pangasinan Tomo 7. “Expedientes de ereccion de pueblos en Pangasinan.” Fols 83-105.

2.   Published

__________. Estado General de los Religiosos y Religiosas Existentes en los Diversos Conventos, Colegios, Parroquias, Misiones y Demas Casas. Manila: Colegio de Santo Tomas, 1895.

Fernandez Cosgaya, Lorenzo, O.P. Diccionario Pangasinan-Espanol. Manila: Tip.Del Colegio de Santo Tomas,1865.

B.   Secondary

Cortes, Rosario M. Pangasinan,1572-1800. Quezon City: New Day Publishers, 1987.

Fernandez, Pablo, O.P. History of the Church in the Philippines, 1521-1898. Manila: Navotas Press, c.1979.

__________. “Dominican Towns in Pangasinan: An Overall View (1587-1898),” Boletin Eclesiastico de Filipinas, Vol.642-643, May-June, 1983, pp.335-349.

__________. “The Dominicans in Pangasinan,” Boletin Eclesiastico de Filipinas, Vol.60, Nos.654-655, May-June, 1984, pp.375-382.

Gonzalez, Jose Ma., O.P. Labor Evangelica y Civilizadora de los Religiosos Dominico en Pangasinan (1587-1898). Manila: UST Press, 1946.

Marin, Valentin,O.P. Ensayo de una sintesis de los trabajos realizados por las Corporaciones Religiosas de Filipinas. Manila: Imprenta de Universidad de Santo Tomas, 1901.

Ocio, Hilario M. O.P. Resena Biografico de los Religiosos de la Provincia del Santisimo Rosario de Filipinas. Manila: Colegio de Santo Tomas, 1895.

From husk to handbag

"Corn husk bags?"

"Yeah, those are corn husk bags!"

That is the typical exchange triggered by the sight of these curiosities to hit town of late. How did they come to be?

Well, Bayambang is often called the “cornbelt of Pangasinan,” so the Local Council of Women of Bayambang headed by Niña Jose-Quiambao took advantage of this huge resource of the town by thinking of ways of turning the equally huge refuse of the corn farming industry -- corn husks -- into something profitable. The result is LCW's corn husk bag project.

Founded last year for non-working mothers, the project is envisioned not just to give livelihood to the women but also to promote environment-friendly livelihoods.

Otherwise making up mountains of garbage, in Bayambang, corn husks are now being used as raw material for making not just quality women's handbags but also handicrafts of excellent design as well as strings and ropes, etc.

LCW officer Jocelyn S. Espejo recounts that LCW had brought in trainors who are experts in handcrafts design to teach their women workers who are often homemakers and mothers with a lot of free time in their hands. Showing how some of the workers do their craft, Espejo explains that 16 strings of corn husks can make a small bag, and the bag can be finished from just half a day up to one day. A big bag, she says, can be finished within three days.

Noting how evidently stylish their work products are, one would never think they are made of corn farm byproducts. But with the LCW's pluck and creativity, their workers prove that it is possible.