Calasiao, Pangasinan
Encyclopedia
Calasiao is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pangasinan
Pangasinan
Pangasinan is a province of the Republic of the Philippines. The provincial capital is Lingayen. Pangasinan is located on the west central and peripheral area of the island of Luzon along the Lingayen Gulf, with the total land area being 5,368.82 square kilometers . According to the latest census,...

, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

. According to the latest census, it has a population of 85,419 people with 15,020 households. In the Pangasinan language
Pangasinan language
The Pangasinan language or Pangasinense is one of the twelve major languages in the Philippines....

, the town is called "Baley na Calasiao" which means "town of Calasiao" in English. The name Calasiao was derived from the native word "Kalasian", which means a place where lightnings frequently occur. The word Kalasian comes from the root word "lasi" which means lightning. Upon the arrival of the Spaniards, they called the place, "Lugar de Rayos" which is a literal translation of the word Kalasian.

Government

The town hall is located in front of the Roman Catholic convent of San Pedro y San Pablo de Calasiao, and it is at the same building as the shrine of Senor Divino Tesoro. The current mayor is Mayor Roy T. Macanlalay. One of his major projects is to add a roof above school basketball courts or school yards in every barangay school in Calasiao. He has won thrice of the mayoral election and currently serving final term until 2010. His son, Mark Roy Macanlalay, will take over as the new mayor on July 2010 following his victory in the May elections.
Also the High council secretary of barangay Dinalaoan united is Corneilio Terrado Marquez.

Language

The people speak the Pangasinan language which is called Pangalatok which only the town of Calasio uses, the dominant language in Central Pangasinan. Ilokano, Tagalog, and English are also widely spoken.

History

The indigenous people of Calasiao are descended from the Austronesian-speaking people
Austronesian languages
The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia that are spoken by about 386 million people. It is on par with Indo-European, Niger-Congo, Afroasiatic and Uralic as one of the...

 who settled in the Malay archipelago at least 5,000 years ago. Calasiao was settled by a Pangasinan speaking people
Pangasinan language
The Pangasinan language or Pangasinense is one of the twelve major languages in the Philippines....

 whose language belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian
Malayo-Polynesian languages
The Malayo-Polynesian languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, with approximately 385.5 million speakers. These are widely dispersed throughout the island nations of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, with a smaller number in continental Asia...

 branch of the Austronesian languages
Austronesian languages
The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia that are spoken by about 386 million people. It is on par with Indo-European, Niger-Congo, Afroasiatic and Uralic as one of the...

 family.

In 1571, the Spanish conquest of Pangasinan began. The Spanish conquistadors were accompanied by Roman Catholic missionaries who introduced Roman Catholicism to the indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....

 of Pangasinan. Around 1592, the small settlement of Calasiao was united with the other neighboring small settlements of Nalsian and Dinalaoan to form the new town of Calasiao. The much larger settlement of Gabon and other settlements also became part of the new town of Calasiao. The town of Calasiao became part of the Pangasinan encomendia of Labaya, designated as belonging to the King of Spain, Juan Ximenez del Pino, and a son of Alonso Hernandez de Sandoval for whom tributes were collected.

Augustinian and Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...

 missionaries converted most of the indigenous people of Calasiao to Roman Catholicism. In 1596, the Roman Catholic convent in Calasiao was built and named San Pablo de Calasiao. In 1621, the convent was renamed San Pedro y San Pablo de Calasiao. The convent is located in the town center or poblacion.

Today, Calasiao is a progressive town. Calasiao may soon become a city or join with Dagupan City and San Carlos City to be a metropolis
Metropolis
A metropolis is a very large city or urban area which is a significant economic, political and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections and communications...

.

Many people from Calasiao have emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and other countries to seek better opportunities.

Attractions

Calasiao is centrally located in Pangasinan, between Dagupan City and San Carlos City. A major highway connects Calasiao to Dagupan City, San Carlos City, San Carlos City
Pangasinan
Pangasinan is a province of the Republic of the Philippines. The provincial capital is Lingayen. Pangasinan is located on the west central and peripheral area of the island of Luzon along the Lingayen Gulf, with the total land area being 5,368.82 square kilometers . According to the latest census,...

, and Urdaneta City
Urdaneta City
Urdaneta City is a 1st class city in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 120,785 people in 22,908 households....

, which then connects to Baguio City and Metropolitan Manila. Calasiao is only a few minutes ride to the Bonuan Blue Beach and the Hundred Islands on the Lingayen Gulf. Calasiao is about an hour ride to Baguio City and a four hour ride to Manila.

Calasiao is known for its puto, a soft rice cake; suman, a sweet coconut and sticky rice cake wrapped in banana leaves; and bagoong, or fermented fish paste. Calasiao puto is described as the town's "white gold." Calasiao puto is a bite-size, soft rice cake made from semi-glutinous rice that is fermented in earthen jars. It is produced mainly in Barangay Dinalaoan.

Many pilgrims from neighbouring cities/towns and provinces visit Calasiao to pray at the Senor Divino Tesoro shrine. The statue of a crucified Jesus Christ is believed to grow in size and grant miracles.

Industries

Calasiao has rich farmlands planted mainly with palay or rice, coconuts and mangoes. Calasiao also has a lot of fishponds along its rivers and wetlands where fish like bangus or milkfish, pantat or catfish, and tilapia are raised. A Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...

 Bottlers plant is located in Calasiao. The plant is famed for producing one of the best tasting Coca-Cola in the world.

Because of Calasiao's great business potential, fast-food chains Jollibee, Chowking and Gery's Grill opened a branch in the town, while huge car companies such as Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi have opened a dealership in the town. The Regency Hotel in Calasiao has become the biggest competitor of the Star Plaza Hotel in Dagupan City. Dagupeńa, a famous world-class restaurant in Dagupan City has also moved to Calasiao.

In June 2010, Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC) announced it will be putting up its 30th mall in this progressive town. Robinsons Place Calasiao will be a two-level mall built on a 5.8-hectare lot with a gross floor area of 31,900 square meters and a gross leasable area of 23,000 sqm.

Free puto festival

Calasiao (pop: 85,419) will celebrate on May 5, 2008, its (free) puto industry festival. It is known for its 100 years "white gold: "cup-shaped, bite-sized, soft rice cakes; the semi-glutinous rice is fermented in old earthen jars" (in villages of Dinalaoan, Lumbang, Ambuetel, and part of Nalsian). The Calasiao Puto is a rice cake that is well known all over the Philippines for its melt-in-the-mouth feeling. It is locally sold along the streets going to Sr. Divino Tesoro.

Bocayo (sweetened coconut) and Dinuguan are also the best products of Nalsian Bacayao and Nalsian Centro.
Calasiao celebrates its town fiesta every May 2 & 3, the feast day of Señor Divino Tesoro. Every 28th & 29 June is the fiesta of San Pedro
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...

 and San Pablo, which was then the dates of the Calasiao fiesta.

Barangays

Calasiao is politically subdivided into 24 barangay
Barangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...

s.
Calasiao enjoys its success due to the central location and proximity to Dagupan City. Businesses have more potential for success since the town is traversed by the national highway (MacArthur)



  • Ambonao
  • Ambuetel
  • Banaoang
  • Bued
  • Buenlag
  • Cabilocaan

  • Dinalaoan
  • Doyong
  • Gabon
  • Lasip
  • Longos
  • Lumbang

  • Macabito
  • Malabago
  • Mancup
  • Nagsaing
  • Nalsian
  • Poblacion East


  • Poblacion West
  • Quesban
  • San Miguel
  • San Vicente
  • Songkoy
  • Talibaew


External links

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