Dagupan City
Encyclopedia
The City of Dagupan is a 1st class city in the Philippines
. It is an independent component city of the province of Pangasinan
. According to the latest census, Dagupan City has a population of 149,554 people in 25,921 households. Located on Lingayen Gulf on the island of Luzon, Dagupan is the commercial and financial center
north of Manila
. Also, Dagupan is the center of medical services, media and communication in Northern Luzon. The city is known as the bangus (milkfish
) capital of the Philippines because of its abundance of fresh bangus. The city's name is derived from pandaragupan in the local Pangasinan language
meaning 'gathering place' as the city has been a regional market center
for centuries.
of Lingayen that was established in 1583.
The foreign traders would come to the Lingayen coast to trade gold that was brought down to the area by tribesmen in the Cordillera Mountains
. Aside from traders, Filipinos also had experience with pirates from Japan and China. One of the Chinese corsairs was Lim Feng (in Fukienese, Lim A-hong), who would be known in Philippine history as Limahong.
Limahong sailed down the Ilocos coast with 62 ships and attacked Manila on November 30, 1574. The Spanish, however, repulsed Limahong's two attacks. The Chinese corsair repaired to Pangasinan to establish a colony at Bacnotan on December 2, 1574. But the Spanish conquistador Juan de Salcedo
laid siege on his fortress for eight months by blocking the river outlets. Limahong purportedly broke through the siege by digging a channel from the Agno River through the Bacnotan marshes to Lingayen Gulf
In 1661, a big fire hit Bacnotan during the Malong Revolt, led by Andres Malong of Binalatongan, against the forced labor and mandatory sale of local goods imposed by the Spanish colonial government. The fire broke out after Malong sent 3,000 supporters, most of whom were Zambal tribesmen, to Ilocos
and Cagayan
to fight the Spaniards. The people of Bacnotan, many of whom joined the Spanish forces in repelling the Zambal marauders, rebuilt the town and renamed it Nandaragupan, meaning where once stood the commercial center, indicating its early importance as a trade, commercial and political center in the region. In 1720, Nandaragupan was chartered as a town but its name was simplified to Dagupan. Malong was eventually beheaded in the city's Pantal bridge in 1661 by Spanish authorities.
Dagupan was also the birthplace of a ladino named Caragay who led another uprising in 1719 against the provincial governor (alcalde mayor, in Spanish) who had him flogged for what appeared to be a false accusation of smuggling. Governor Antonio del Valle had Caragay arrested in the village of Nantagalan, northeast of San Jacinto and Mangaldan and flogged. Vowing vengeance, Caragay organized a band of men who hounded the governor until they were able to kill him. Historians view Caragay as a "model" of the revolts of Palaris and Diego Silang
. In 1762, Dagupan would be one of the first towns to join the Palaris Revolt
against Spain.
In 1780, Pantal, originally named Pantalan (port), became a trading center and docking station for merchant ships. At about the same time, the bangus industry thrived and mangrove swamps were converted into fishponds, starting the land conversions that would later have an impact on flooding and earthquake damage in the province. The opening of the Pantalan dock eased the transportation of goods from Pangasinan to other parts of the country, spurring the cultivation of idle lands in the eastern part and the development of fishponds in the western part of the province. The new dock also eased communications between the colonial government, its soldiers and the missionaries, who were tasked to colonize the natives in the Cordillera Mountains
and the Cagayan Valley
region and exploit its gold deposits.
In July 1787, the Spaniards began to build a road to connect Pangasinan and the Cagayan Valley, the home of several head-hunting tribesmen who refused to submit to Spanish rule. Although it took several years to complete, the road would play a vital role in the colonization of the Cagayan Valley and the Cordillera Mountains.
The Palaris and Silang revolts, which occurred simultaneously with the British Invasion of the Philippines demonstrated to the Spaniards the importance of ports in Pangasinan and Ilocos to the security of the entire island of Luzon
. They thus became centers of Spanish governance and acculturation in the 19th century. When the port of Manila was opened to foreign trade in 1830, tobacco from Pangasinan and Cagayan Valley were shipped to the colonial capital via Dagupan and Lingayen. Foreign trading agents also began to make appearances in the two towns, starting a new era of prosperity, especially for the provincial gentry.
The Filipino scholar Maximo Kalaw found the description of the American writer David Barrows as appropriate:
The Filipino had now become embarked upon a new current of intellectual experience—a course of enlightenment which has been so full of unexpected development. Throughout the islands a class was rapidly growing up to which the new industries had brought wealth. Their means enabled them to build spacious and splendid homes of the fine hardwoods of the Philippines, and to surround themselves with such luxuries as the life of the islands permitted. This class was rapidly gaining education.
This was also true of the Dagupan gentry. Trade enriched many families and allowed them to send their scions to study overseas. These young men returned to the Philippines not only with technical knowledge in their chosen fields but also with the intellectual currents of the time, including constitutional republicanism which swept Spain in 1810.
News from the colonial government in Manila also reached Dagupan at a faster pace with the completion of the Manila-Dagupan Railway in 1891. The railway would play a significant role not only in the economic development of Pangasinan but also in the success of the Philippine Revolution
.
and the first and second parts of the Philippine Revolution. But on March 7, 1898, the Dagupeños unveiled a coordinated attack on Spanish forces that appears to have been planned months in advance. It is now known as the Battle of Dagupan (1898)
The Dagupeño leaders of the attack were Juan Solis Galvan, Teodoro Villamil, Pedro de Venecia, Macario Meneses and Daniel Maramba. They were under the overall command of Francisco Macabulos
, who had just liberated the provinces of Pampanga
and Tarlac
. He was assisted by Ramon Manalang, who was based in Alaminos. Communications between Macabulos and Manalang was coordinated by Macario Meneses of Bonuan.
The Spanish forces were commanded by Federico Caballos, who had troops garrisoned at all the towns of Pangasinan. In Dagupan, he had men at the Colegio de San Alberto Magno, which guarded the western approach to the town; at the foot of Quintos Bridge, which guarded the east; and his main force at the Catholic Church.
Although the revolutionary forces were ill-equipped (most of them armed only with bolos and lances), they attacked the Spaniards with an ingenious rolling trench. The "trenches" were made of several banana tree trunks, wrapped in sheets of dried nipa palm leaves. The trenches were seven feet in diameter and the revolutionists would roll them toward Spanish positions so they could fight them in close-quarter combat with their bolos and lances.
Galvan led the back at the Colegio de San Alberto Magno while Villamil and De Venecia swooped down on the enemies at Quintos Bridge. The Tagalog forces from Nueva Ecija, who were better armed, joined the Dagupeños who attacked the Spanish position at the church. The Dagupeños held the Spanish troops at bay in Dagupan while other revolutionists liberated other towns in the province. Maramba later joined the battle after fighting in Sta. Barbara and Mangaldan.
By July 21, after four months and 16 days, Macabulos unleashed a concerted attack. Spanish and Filipino troops exchanged fire for two nights and a day before Caballos surrendered on July 23, 1898, six weeks after the Declaration of Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898.
After the town returned to normal, President Emilio Aguinaldo
named Galvan president of the municipal council. Galvan was a ranking officer of the Katipunan. Galvan Street along which the public market was built was named after him.
landed his amphibious liberation force in the city's "Blue Beach" section along the Lingayen Gulf
. From his beachhead in Dagupan, along with those in neighboring towns Lingayen, Binmaley and San Fabian, MacArthur's forces under General Walter Krueger
together with the Philippine Commonwealth troops were able to penetrate Japanese defenses in Luzon island and liberate Filipino and allied prisoners of war near Cabanatuan in the province of Nueva Ecija, and in Manila's University of Sto. Tomas, among others.
. It was signed into law by President Manuel Roxas
on June 20, 1947.
On October 15, 1947, President Roxas issued Executive Order No. 96 fixing the city limits to include the towns of San Fabian
, Pangasinan
and Calasiao, Pangasinan
but the residents of Calasiao rejected inclusion into the new city, causing controversy over the election that was held on November 10, 1947.
The dispute was brought before the Supreme Court of the Philippines
which subsequently validated the election and ruled that Dagupan became a city on June 20, 1947, when Roxas signed the charter into law.
Despite the controversy attending Dagupan's rise as a city, the new city mayor, Angel B. Fernandez, embarked on an infrastructure program that would develop erswhile idle swamplands toward the south and west.
In 1948, he built a road from barrio Mayombo to barrio Tapuac, passing through the edge of barrio Pogo Chico. The road, built mostly on reclaimed swampland, was named Perez Boulevard, in honor of the House speaker who sponsored the city charter. The road was needed because of the increasing number of commercial establishments on Torres Bugallon Avenue and the growing number of residents at the southern limits of the city. In 1946, the Dagupan City High School was transferred from Torres Bugallon Avenue. Perez Boulevard expanded the commercial area south especially after Fernandez built a new public market at the bank of the river.
Later, Fernandez's successor Teofilo Guadiz, who served from 1954–1957 and 1958–1959, would also contribute to the city's expansion by extending Rizal Street, which was only then from Torres Bugallon to Rivera Street, up to the Iglesia ni Cristo
compound. Also, he extended Galvan Street, which was then up to Gomez Street only, up to Perez Boulevard. He also secured funds from Senator Cipriano P. Primicias Sr., a native of Pangasinan, to build a two-story semi-permanent building for the city high school. Guadiz also replaced the Bailey bridge on Perez Boulevard with a concrete one.
The westward expansion of the city went as far as Lucao which was also swampland. Local historian Restituto Basa surmised that the name Lucao may have been derived from the shellfish called lukan that used to abound in the swampy area.
In June 1962, Dagupan was shaken by a series of strong earthquakes which occurred at irregular intervals for about three weeks. The quakes toppled the belfry of the Roman Catholic Church. The epicenter of the earthquake was in Calmay, where real estate values dropped after the temblors. Many people from Calmay, Carael and island barrios evacuated to other towns.
In 1968, the national government agencies opened offices in Dagupan and other key cities across the country. The daytime population increased substantially, causing congestion in the city that began to see the appearance of public utility tricycles.
On July 16, 1990, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck northern Luzon. The worst hit cities were Cabanatuan, Baguio and Dagupan.
Many public and private structures were destroyed or damaged when river banks slid into the Pantal River and dry land into the swampy areas. Streets were ruptured and the ground subsided, causing buildings to sink by as much as two meters. Other buildings tilted severely, especially along Perez Boulevard. One building tilted by as much as 19 degrees, but generally, the magnitude of tilt was within 2 to 5 degrees.
There were sand boils in several areas in the city and drainage systems were clogged by the accumulated sand causing temporary flooding of the city's main thoroughfares. Some houses remained underwater by 30–50 cm. for several months. The whole stretch of Don Jose Calimlim Street and swampy areas and fishpond communities, such as Barangay Lasip Grande, remained underwater even during low tide conditions.
At the height of the earthquake, an eyewitness told experts of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology that he saw rolling during the earthquake and a jeep parked along the road vanished from his sight.
Scientists blamed the destruction on the liquefaction of land that was had not compacted enough since it was reclaimed from the swamp or marsh. It was also blamed on the active shifting of Pantal River, which left abandoned meanders on which people built structures. Varying degrees of damage were sustained in the different affected areas of Dagupan City. Phivolcs said a study of the damage during the earthquake indicate that susceptibility to liquefaction in different parts of Dagupan City can be related to the relative ages of the geologic features and the deposits underlying them.
The degree of destruction along A.B. Fernandez Avenue, which largely lies on reclaimed swampland, was generally less than that in the Perez Blvd. area except near its intersection with Rizal Street. The great degree of liquefaction along a 100 m stretch of A.B. Fernandez Ave. can be traced to changes in the channel of Pantal River. Prior to north eastward expansion of Dagupan City, Pantal River used to meander around the area now partly occupied by A.B. Fernandez Ave. and Rizal St. before running parallel to Pantal Road.
Red for fortified, victory, boldness, sublimity and wile.
Gold for nobility, magnanimity, wealth, ability, light, certainty and wisdom.
Wings for speed, care, omnipresence, progress and ambition.
Magnet for attraction and core.
The seal was submitted and approved by the Philippine Heraldry Committee in 1948. Railroad and highway were added to emphasize the city’s geographic location and to stress the strategic role it played to establish Dagupan as the trading post of the North.
s.
Dagupan was identified in 2008 as one of the country's most competitive small-sized cities for doing business in an annual survey conducted by the Asian Institute of Management
(AIM) Policy Center. It was ranked based on its respective costs of doing business; the dynamism of the local economies; human resources and training; infrastructure; the responsiveness of the local government units to business’ needs; and the quality of life of its inhabitants. The annual survey is a research undertaking of the AIM Policy Center that seeks to identify the best cities in the country in which to live, work and operate a business.
Dagupan have been named as one the most competitive cities outside Metro Manila in the Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking Project 2009 (PCCRP) of the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center. The study, which was launched Monday in Pasay City, used six criteria in ranking the 29 cities: dynamism of local economy, responsiveness of the LGUs to business, infrastructure, quality of life, and cost of doing business and human resource and training.Dagupan City is the most competitive among the emergent cities. It bested the cities of Angeles, Butuan, Cotabato, Lucena, Naga, Legaspi, Pagadian, Puerto Princesa, Ormoc, Iligan, Tagum, and San Fernando in La Union, Surigao, Tuguegarao, Tacloban and Santiago.
time, Dagupan has always been the center of education in Ilocos Region
(Region 1). The private sector-driven centers of education University of Pangasinan
, University of Luzon
and Lyceum-Northwestern University
lead, 14 colleges and 18 vocational schools and 3 technical learning centers, 19 secondary schools and 53 elementary schools both in public and private.
measured 1,007.56 m (3,305.64 ft) —it was created by the people of Dagupan City on May 3, 2003 as part of the city’s Bangus Festival. Dagupan City broke Canchia, Peru
's 613 meters long record set in November 1999. Dagupeños grilled Bonuan bangus at the "Kalutan ed Dagupan" street party.
The city government of Dagupan is the first local government unit (LGU) in the country to apply the Electronic Commerce Law. Thus, business transactions with the city hall can be made via internet.
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...
. It is an independent component city of 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,...
. According to the latest census, Dagupan City has a population of 149,554 people in 25,921 households. Located on Lingayen Gulf on the island of Luzon, Dagupan is the commercial and financial center
Financial Centre
A financial centre is a global city that is a company and business hub, as well as being home to many world famous banks and/or stock exchanges....
north of Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. Also, Dagupan is the center of medical services, media and communication in Northern Luzon. The city is known as the bangus (milkfish
Milkfish
The milkfish is the sole living species in the family Chanidae. - Description and biology :...
) capital of the Philippines because of its abundance of fresh bangus. The city's name is derived from pandaragupan in the local Pangasinan language
Pangasinan language
The Pangasinan language or Pangasinense is one of the twelve major languages in the Philippines....
meaning 'gathering place' as the city has been a regional market center
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
for centuries.
Geography
Dagupan City covers a total land area of 40,079,278.93 square meters or 4,008 hectares. However, the digitized cadastral maps reveal that the sum of the lands within Dagupan's boundaries is 4,446 hectares, bounded by the Lingayen Gulf in the north, San Fabian in the northeast, Mangaldan in the east, Calasiao in the south and Binmaley in the west. Land use is primarily for Agriculture with 35.98% of the total land area, fishpond, cropland, residential with 22.88%; others are for commercial, industrial, institutional, government private, parks, and roads.Spanish occupation
The area that is now known as Dagupan was described as marshland thickly covered with mangrove and nipa palm trees. The natives lived along the shoreline and riverbanks of Calmay, Pantal, and Bonuan. But there were also communities in Malued, Lasip, Pogo, and Bacayao. The natives called the area Bacnotan which would later be incorporated into the encomiendaEncomienda
The encomienda was a system that was employed mainly by the Spanish crown during the colonization of the Americas to regulate Native American labor....
of Lingayen that was established in 1583.
The foreign traders would come to the Lingayen coast to trade gold that was brought down to the area by tribesmen in the Cordillera Mountains
Cordillera Mountains
*Andes in South-America *Cordillera Central in the Philippines...
. Aside from traders, Filipinos also had experience with pirates from Japan and China. One of the Chinese corsairs was Lim Feng (in Fukienese, Lim A-hong), who would be known in Philippine history as Limahong.
Limahong sailed down the Ilocos coast with 62 ships and attacked Manila on November 30, 1574. The Spanish, however, repulsed Limahong's two attacks. The Chinese corsair repaired to Pangasinan to establish a colony at Bacnotan on December 2, 1574. But the Spanish conquistador Juan de Salcedo
Juan de Salcedo
Juan de Salcedo was a Spanish conquistador. He was born in Mexico in 1549 and he was the grandson of Miguel López de Legazpi and brother of Felipe de Salcedo. Salcedo was one of the soldiers who accompanied the Spanish colonization of the Philippines in 1565...
laid siege on his fortress for eight months by blocking the river outlets. Limahong purportedly broke through the siege by digging a channel from the Agno River through the Bacnotan marshes to Lingayen Gulf
In 1661, a big fire hit Bacnotan during the Malong Revolt, led by Andres Malong of Binalatongan, against the forced labor and mandatory sale of local goods imposed by the Spanish colonial government. The fire broke out after Malong sent 3,000 supporters, most of whom were Zambal tribesmen, to Ilocos
Ilocos
Ilocos collectively refers to two provinces in the Philippines: Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. Inhabitants are called Ilocanos and they speak the language Iloko, also called Ilocano.The Ilocos Region, containing four provinces, is named after Ilocos...
and Cagayan
Cagayan
Cagayan , the "Land of Smiling Beauty", is a province of the Philippines in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital is Tuguegarao City and is located at the northeastern corner of the island of Luzon. Cagayan also includes the Babuyan Islands to the north. The province borders Ilocos Norte...
to fight the Spaniards. The people of Bacnotan, many of whom joined the Spanish forces in repelling the Zambal marauders, rebuilt the town and renamed it Nandaragupan, meaning where once stood the commercial center, indicating its early importance as a trade, commercial and political center in the region. In 1720, Nandaragupan was chartered as a town but its name was simplified to Dagupan. Malong was eventually beheaded in the city's Pantal bridge in 1661 by Spanish authorities.
Dagupan was also the birthplace of a ladino named Caragay who led another uprising in 1719 against the provincial governor (alcalde mayor, in Spanish) who had him flogged for what appeared to be a false accusation of smuggling. Governor Antonio del Valle had Caragay arrested in the village of Nantagalan, northeast of San Jacinto and Mangaldan and flogged. Vowing vengeance, Caragay organized a band of men who hounded the governor until they were able to kill him. Historians view Caragay as a "model" of the revolts of Palaris and Diego Silang
Diego Silang
Diego Silang y Andaya was a revolutionary leader who conspired with British forces to overthrow Spanish rule in the northern Philippines and establish an independent Ilocano nation...
. In 1762, Dagupan would be one of the first towns to join the Palaris Revolt
Palaris Revolt
The Palaris Revolt of 1762-1765 was led by Juan de la Cruz Palaris, also known as Pantaleon Perez, of Binalatongan , Philippines. He was the son to Tomas Perez, a cabeza de barangay. He was born in Barrio Coliling, San Carlos City, Pangasinan, in the year 1733, third in a family of five, with three...
against Spain.
In 1780, Pantal, originally named Pantalan (port), became a trading center and docking station for merchant ships. At about the same time, the bangus industry thrived and mangrove swamps were converted into fishponds, starting the land conversions that would later have an impact on flooding and earthquake damage in the province. The opening of the Pantalan dock eased the transportation of goods from Pangasinan to other parts of the country, spurring the cultivation of idle lands in the eastern part and the development of fishponds in the western part of the province. The new dock also eased communications between the colonial government, its soldiers and the missionaries, who were tasked to colonize the natives in the Cordillera Mountains
Cordillera Mountains
*Andes in South-America *Cordillera Central in the Philippines...
and the Cagayan Valley
Cagayan Valley
Cagayan Valley is a region of the Philippines, also designated as Region II or Region 02. It is composed of five provinces, namely: Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino...
region and exploit its gold deposits.
In July 1787, the Spaniards began to build a road to connect Pangasinan and the Cagayan Valley, the home of several head-hunting tribesmen who refused to submit to Spanish rule. Although it took several years to complete, the road would play a vital role in the colonization of the Cagayan Valley and the Cordillera Mountains.
The Palaris and Silang revolts, which occurred simultaneously with the British Invasion of the Philippines demonstrated to the Spaniards the importance of ports in Pangasinan and Ilocos to the security of the entire island of Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
. They thus became centers of Spanish governance and acculturation in the 19th century. When the port of Manila was opened to foreign trade in 1830, tobacco from Pangasinan and Cagayan Valley were shipped to the colonial capital via Dagupan and Lingayen. Foreign trading agents also began to make appearances in the two towns, starting a new era of prosperity, especially for the provincial gentry.
The Filipino scholar Maximo Kalaw found the description of the American writer David Barrows as appropriate:
The Filipino had now become embarked upon a new current of intellectual experience—a course of enlightenment which has been so full of unexpected development. Throughout the islands a class was rapidly growing up to which the new industries had brought wealth. Their means enabled them to build spacious and splendid homes of the fine hardwoods of the Philippines, and to surround themselves with such luxuries as the life of the islands permitted. This class was rapidly gaining education.
This was also true of the Dagupan gentry. Trade enriched many families and allowed them to send their scions to study overseas. These young men returned to the Philippines not only with technical knowledge in their chosen fields but also with the intellectual currents of the time, including constitutional republicanism which swept Spain in 1810.
News from the colonial government in Manila also reached Dagupan at a faster pace with the completion of the Manila-Dagupan Railway in 1891. The railway would play a significant role not only in the economic development of Pangasinan but also in the success of the Philippine Revolution
Philippine Revolution
The Philippine Revolution , called the "Tagalog War" by the Spanish, was an armed military conflict between the people of the Philippines and the Spanish colonial authorities which resulted in the secession of the Philippine Islands from the Spanish Empire.The Philippine Revolution began in August...
.
Under the First Philippine Republic
Not much is known of Dagupeños involvement in the KatipunanKatipunan
The Katipunan was a Philippine revolutionary society founded by anti-Spanish Filipinos in Manila in 1892, whose primary aim was to gain independence from Spain through revolution. The society was initiated by Filipino patriots Andrés Bonifacio, Teodoro Plata, Ladislao Diwa, and others on the night...
and the first and second parts of the Philippine Revolution. But on March 7, 1898, the Dagupeños unveiled a coordinated attack on Spanish forces that appears to have been planned months in advance. It is now known as the Battle of Dagupan (1898)
The Dagupeño leaders of the attack were Juan Solis Galvan, Teodoro Villamil, Pedro de Venecia, Macario Meneses and Daniel Maramba. They were under the overall command of Francisco Macabulos
Francisco Macabulos
Francisco Macabulos was a Filipino patriot who led Katipunan revolutionary forces during the Philippine Revolution against Spain in 1896....
, who had just liberated the provinces of Pampanga
Pampanga
Pampanga is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. Pampanga is bordered by the provinces of Bataan and Zambales to the west, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija to the north, and Bulacan to the southeast...
and Tarlac
Tarlac
Tarlac is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Luzon Island. Its capital is Tarlac City. Tarlac borders Pampanga to the south, Nueva Ecija to the east, Pangasinan to the north, and Zambales to the west...
. He was assisted by Ramon Manalang, who was based in Alaminos. Communications between Macabulos and Manalang was coordinated by Macario Meneses of Bonuan.
The Spanish forces were commanded by Federico Caballos, who had troops garrisoned at all the towns of Pangasinan. In Dagupan, he had men at the Colegio de San Alberto Magno, which guarded the western approach to the town; at the foot of Quintos Bridge, which guarded the east; and his main force at the Catholic Church.
Although the revolutionary forces were ill-equipped (most of them armed only with bolos and lances), they attacked the Spaniards with an ingenious rolling trench. The "trenches" were made of several banana tree trunks, wrapped in sheets of dried nipa palm leaves. The trenches were seven feet in diameter and the revolutionists would roll them toward Spanish positions so they could fight them in close-quarter combat with their bolos and lances.
Galvan led the back at the Colegio de San Alberto Magno while Villamil and De Venecia swooped down on the enemies at Quintos Bridge. The Tagalog forces from Nueva Ecija, who were better armed, joined the Dagupeños who attacked the Spanish position at the church. The Dagupeños held the Spanish troops at bay in Dagupan while other revolutionists liberated other towns in the province. Maramba later joined the battle after fighting in Sta. Barbara and Mangaldan.
By July 21, after four months and 16 days, Macabulos unleashed a concerted attack. Spanish and Filipino troops exchanged fire for two nights and a day before Caballos surrendered on July 23, 1898, six weeks after the Declaration of Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898.
After the town returned to normal, President Emilio Aguinaldo
Emilio Aguinaldo
Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy was a Filipino general, politician, and independence leader. He played an instrumental role during the Philippines' revolution against Spain, and the subsequent Philippine-American War or War of Philippine Independence that resisted American occupation...
named Galvan president of the municipal council. Galvan was a ranking officer of the Katipunan. Galvan Street along which the public market was built was named after him.
American and Filipino liberation
On January 8–January 9, 1945, U.S. General Douglas MacArthurDouglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
landed his amphibious liberation force in the city's "Blue Beach" section along the Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
. From his beachhead in Dagupan, along with those in neighboring towns Lingayen, Binmaley and San Fabian, MacArthur's forces under General Walter Krueger
Walter Krueger
Walter Krueger was an American soldier of German descent and General in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his command of the Sixth United States Army in the South West Pacific Area during World War II...
together with the Philippine Commonwealth troops were able to penetrate Japanese defenses in Luzon island and liberate Filipino and allied prisoners of war near Cabanatuan in the province of Nueva Ecija, and in Manila's University of Sto. Tomas, among others.
Dagupan's cityhood
Dagupan became a city by virtue of Republic Act No. 170, authored by Speaker Eugenio PerezEugenio Perez
Eugenio Pérez was a Filipino politician who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from 1946 to 1953. He was a member of the Liberal Party, whose president he served as during his term as Speaker.-Early life:Pérez was born in San Carlos, Pangasinan...
. It was signed into law by President Manuel Roxas
Manuel Roxas
Manuel Acuña Roxas was the first president of the independent Third Republic of the Philippines and fifth president overall. He served as president from the granting of independence in 1946 until his abrupt death in 1948...
on June 20, 1947.
On October 15, 1947, President Roxas issued Executive Order No. 96 fixing the city limits to include the towns of San Fabian
San Fabián
San Fabián is one of 21 communes in the Ñuble Province of central Chile's Biobío Region. The capital is the town of San Fabián de Alico. The commune spans an area of .-Administration:...
, 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,...
and Calasiao, 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,...
but the residents of Calasiao rejected inclusion into the new city, causing controversy over the election that was held on November 10, 1947.
The dispute was brought before the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...
which subsequently validated the election and ruled that Dagupan became a city on June 20, 1947, when Roxas signed the charter into law.
Despite the controversy attending Dagupan's rise as a city, the new city mayor, Angel B. Fernandez, embarked on an infrastructure program that would develop erswhile idle swamplands toward the south and west.
In 1948, he built a road from barrio Mayombo to barrio Tapuac, passing through the edge of barrio Pogo Chico. The road, built mostly on reclaimed swampland, was named Perez Boulevard, in honor of the House speaker who sponsored the city charter. The road was needed because of the increasing number of commercial establishments on Torres Bugallon Avenue and the growing number of residents at the southern limits of the city. In 1946, the Dagupan City High School was transferred from Torres Bugallon Avenue. Perez Boulevard expanded the commercial area south especially after Fernandez built a new public market at the bank of the river.
Later, Fernandez's successor Teofilo Guadiz, who served from 1954–1957 and 1958–1959, would also contribute to the city's expansion by extending Rizal Street, which was only then from Torres Bugallon to Rivera Street, up to the Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo also known as INC, is the largest entirely indigenous Christian religious organization that originated from the Philippines and the largest independent church in Asia. Due to a number of similarities, some Protestant writers describe the INC's doctrines as restorationist in...
compound. Also, he extended Galvan Street, which was then up to Gomez Street only, up to Perez Boulevard. He also secured funds from Senator Cipriano P. Primicias Sr., a native of Pangasinan, to build a two-story semi-permanent building for the city high school. Guadiz also replaced the Bailey bridge on Perez Boulevard with a concrete one.
The westward expansion of the city went as far as Lucao which was also swampland. Local historian Restituto Basa surmised that the name Lucao may have been derived from the shellfish called lukan that used to abound in the swampy area.
In June 1962, Dagupan was shaken by a series of strong earthquakes which occurred at irregular intervals for about three weeks. The quakes toppled the belfry of the Roman Catholic Church. The epicenter of the earthquake was in Calmay, where real estate values dropped after the temblors. Many people from Calmay, Carael and island barrios evacuated to other towns.
In 1968, the national government agencies opened offices in Dagupan and other key cities across the country. The daytime population increased substantially, causing congestion in the city that began to see the appearance of public utility tricycles.
On July 16, 1990, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck northern Luzon. The worst hit cities were Cabanatuan, Baguio and Dagupan.
Many public and private structures were destroyed or damaged when river banks slid into the Pantal River and dry land into the swampy areas. Streets were ruptured and the ground subsided, causing buildings to sink by as much as two meters. Other buildings tilted severely, especially along Perez Boulevard. One building tilted by as much as 19 degrees, but generally, the magnitude of tilt was within 2 to 5 degrees.
There were sand boils in several areas in the city and drainage systems were clogged by the accumulated sand causing temporary flooding of the city's main thoroughfares. Some houses remained underwater by 30–50 cm. for several months. The whole stretch of Don Jose Calimlim Street and swampy areas and fishpond communities, such as Barangay Lasip Grande, remained underwater even during low tide conditions.
At the height of the earthquake, an eyewitness told experts of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology that he saw rolling during the earthquake and a jeep parked along the road vanished from his sight.
Scientists blamed the destruction on the liquefaction of land that was had not compacted enough since it was reclaimed from the swamp or marsh. It was also blamed on the active shifting of Pantal River, which left abandoned meanders on which people built structures. Varying degrees of damage were sustained in the different affected areas of Dagupan City. Phivolcs said a study of the damage during the earthquake indicate that susceptibility to liquefaction in different parts of Dagupan City can be related to the relative ages of the geologic features and the deposits underlying them.
The degree of destruction along A.B. Fernandez Avenue, which largely lies on reclaimed swampland, was generally less than that in the Perez Blvd. area except near its intersection with Rizal Street. The great degree of liquefaction along a 100 m stretch of A.B. Fernandez Ave. can be traced to changes in the channel of Pantal River. Prior to north eastward expansion of Dagupan City, Pantal River used to meander around the area now partly occupied by A.B. Fernandez Ave. and Rizal St. before running parallel to Pantal Road.
City of Dagupan Official Seal
The City Seal first appeared on the cover of the 1948 Dagupan City Fiesta and Fair souvenir program.Red for fortified, victory, boldness, sublimity and wile.
Gold for nobility, magnanimity, wealth, ability, light, certainty and wisdom.
Wings for speed, care, omnipresence, progress and ambition.
Magnet for attraction and core.
The seal was submitted and approved by the Philippine Heraldry Committee in 1948. Railroad and highway were added to emphasize the city’s geographic location and to stress the strategic role it played to establish Dagupan as the trading post of the North.
Barangays
Dagupan City is politically subdivided into 31 barangayBarangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
s.
| Barangay | Population(2007) |
|---|---|
| Bacayao Norte | 2176 |
| Bacayao Sur | 2011 |
| Barangay I | 741 |
| Barangay II | 2158 |
| Barangay IV | 985 |
| Bolosan | 3187 |
| Bonuan Binloc | 7507 |
| Bonuan Boquig | 10852 |
| Bonuan Gueset | 20335 |
| Calmay | 5386 |
| Carael | 4368 |
| Caranglaan | 7848 |
| Herrero-Perez East | 2241 |
| Lasip Chico | 774 |
| Lasip Grande | 2705 |
| Lomboy | 1304 |
| Lucao | 7974 |
| Malued | 9798 |
| Mamalingling | 1280 |
| Mangin | 3611 |
| Mayombo | 6566 |
| Pantal | 16835 |
| Poblacion Oeste | 4231 |
| Pogo Chico | 4852 |
| Pogo Grande | 2243 |
| Pugaro Suit | 4063 |
| Salapingao | 2466 |
| Salisay | 2191 |
| Tambac | 2064 |
| Tapuac | 4166 |
| Tebeng | 2636 |
Economy
Dagupan has a high concentration of 57 banks and 44 financial institutions that support its status as the major trading and commercial center in North Luzon. It has several malls, supermarkets and multi-national food chains.Dagupan was identified in 2008 as one of the country's most competitive small-sized cities for doing business in an annual survey conducted by the Asian Institute of Management
Asian Institute of Management
The Asian Institute of Management, or simply AIM, is a graduate school of business and a center of business and management research. It is one of the few business schools in Asia to be internationally accredited with the AACSB. It was established in partnership with Harvard Business School and uses...
(AIM) Policy Center. It was ranked based on its respective costs of doing business; the dynamism of the local economies; human resources and training; infrastructure; the responsiveness of the local government units to business’ needs; and the quality of life of its inhabitants. The annual survey is a research undertaking of the AIM Policy Center that seeks to identify the best cities in the country in which to live, work and operate a business.
Dagupan have been named as one the most competitive cities outside Metro Manila in the Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking Project 2009 (PCCRP) of the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center. The study, which was launched Monday in Pasay City, used six criteria in ranking the 29 cities: dynamism of local economy, responsiveness of the LGUs to business, infrastructure, quality of life, and cost of doing business and human resource and training.Dagupan City is the most competitive among the emergent cities. It bested the cities of Angeles, Butuan, Cotabato, Lucena, Naga, Legaspi, Pagadian, Puerto Princesa, Ormoc, Iligan, Tagum, and San Fernando in La Union, Surigao, Tuguegarao, Tacloban and Santiago.
Education
Since the SpanishSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
time, Dagupan has always been the center of education in Ilocos Region
Ilocos Region
The Ilocos region or Region I is a Region of the Philippines and is located in the northwest of Luzon. It borders to the east the regions of the Cordillera Administrative Region and Cagayan Valley and to the south the region of Central Luzon...
(Region 1). The private sector-driven centers of education University of Pangasinan
University of Pangasinan
It is located in the province of Pangasinan. It is a member of the PHINMA Education Network.The University of Pangasinan is located in the City of Dagupan which is the commercial center of the province of Pangasinan . The university is a member of the PHINMA Education Network. It offers ...
, University of Luzon
University of Luzon
The University of Luzon is a private university located in Dagupan City, Pangasinan, Philippines.-History:After the ruins of World War II, Dagupan City rose to become one of the major economic, political and socio - cultural centers of Northern Luzon...
and Lyceum-Northwestern University
Lyceum-Northwestern University
Lyceum-Northwestern University is a medical college located in Dagupan City, Philippines founded by Dr. Francisco Quimson Duque and Mrs...
lead, 14 colleges and 18 vocational schools and 3 technical learning centers, 19 secondary schools and 53 elementary schools both in public and private.
Colleges and Universities
- Asiacareer College Foundation
- Aie College - Dagupan Campus
- AMA Computer College - Dagupan Campus
- Colegio de DagupanColegio de DagupanColegio de Dagupan is a private non-sectarian college located in Dagupan City, Philippines.-Computronix College:* December 22, 1992 - the school obtained college status registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and began offering Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering.* 1993 -...
- Dagupan Colleges Foundation
- Escuela de Nuestra Señora de La SaletteEscuela de Nuestra Señora de La SaletteEscuela de Nuestra Señora de La Salette, also known as La Salette La Salle, is a private educational institution located in Dagupan City, Philippines.-History:...
- Kingfisher School of Business and Finance
- Lyceum-Northwestern UniversityLyceum-Northwestern UniversityLyceum-Northwestern University is a medical college located in Dagupan City, Philippines founded by Dr. Francisco Quimson Duque and Mrs...
- Pangasinan Merchant Marine Academy
- Pimsat Colleges
- STI College - Dagupan Campus
- University of LuzonUniversity of LuzonThe University of Luzon is a private university located in Dagupan City, Pangasinan, Philippines.-History:After the ruins of World War II, Dagupan City rose to become one of the major economic, political and socio - cultural centers of Northern Luzon...
- University of PangasinanUniversity of PangasinanIt is located in the province of Pangasinan. It is a member of the PHINMA Education Network.The University of Pangasinan is located in the City of Dagupan which is the commercial center of the province of Pangasinan . The university is a member of the PHINMA Education Network. It offers ...
Public Secondary Schools
- Dagupan City National High School
- Special Science High School
- Special Program in the Arts
- General High School
- Bonuan Boquig National High School
- Judge Jose de Venecia Sr. Memorial National High School
- Carael National High School
- Salapingao National High School
Private Primary and Secondary Schools
- College of St. Michael the Archangel
- Clifford Interactive Learning School
- Divine Word Academy of DagupanDivine Word Academy of DagupanThe Divine Word Academy of Dagupan is a Catholic, private, secondary school run by the Society of the Divine Word or SVD in Dagupan City, Pangasinan in the Philippines...
- Dominican School
- Ednas School
- Escuela de Nuestra Señora de La Salette
- Harvent School
- Hilkan Montessori
- JCCMI Christian AcademyJCCMI Christian AcademyJCCMI Christian Academy Inc. is a private school located in the city of Dagupan, Philippines. It was known as Jesus Christian Community Ministry International with an education program called Children's Care and Learning Center . The school primary offers pre-elementary, elementary, and secondary...
- La Marea Academy
- Living Lights Academy Foundation
- Francisco Q. Duque Medical Foundation Special Science High School
- Lyceum-Northwestern University General High School
- Mother Goose Playskool and GradeschoolMother Goose Playskool and GradeschoolThe Mother Goose Playskool and Gradeschool are of several schools that are part of the Mother Goose Special Schools System in the Philippines....
- Mother Goose Special Science High School
- Pangasinan Universal Institute
- St. Albert the Great School
- St. John's Cathedral School
- University of Pangasinan
- University of Luzon
- Wonderland School
Health services
Medical and health service centers abound in Dagupan. Out of 51 hospitals in Pangasinan, 12 are located in the city. The largest of these is the Region I Medical Center with hospital bed capacity of 300.Hospitals and medical centers
- Luzon Medical Center
- Cuison Family Clinic and Hospital
- Dagupan Doctors Villaflor Memorial Hospital
- Dagupan Orthopedic Center
- Decena Hospital
- Medical Centrum Dagupan
- Nazareth General Hospital
- Pangasinan Center for Family Medicine
- Pangasinan Medical Center
- Region I Medical Center
- Specialist Group Hospital & Trauma Center
Dining
Charged with the existing aroma of various cuisines, the city cradles a variety of restaurants and fast foods joints, an evidence of people’s passion for food. In Bonuan-Tondaligan area alone, there are about 30 seafood diners, which serve the famed Dagupan Bangus any way one wants it: inihaw (roasted/broiled), sinigang, kilawen and daing. For those with adventurous palate, they can try the local favorites “pigar-pigar” in Galvan Street and “kaleskes” in Herrero-Perez.Nightlife
Every night enthralls as people far and wide from a beeline to the city’s disco houses, clubs, music bars, video lounge and concert halls where tired and weary souls who unwind are treated to a diverse genre of recreation from pop entertainment to cultural shows.Bangus Festival
The longest barbecueBarbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
measured 1,007.56 m (3,305.64 ft) —it was created by the people of Dagupan City on May 3, 2003 as part of the city’s Bangus Festival. Dagupan City broke Canchia, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
's 613 meters long record set in November 1999. Dagupeños grilled Bonuan bangus at the "Kalutan ed Dagupan" street party.
Communication and mass media
Dagupan City is home to regional television stations of GMA Network, TV5 and ABS-CBN, sixteen radio broadcasting stations, at least seventeen local newspapers and three cable television companies. There are also four internet service providers and more than 30 cyber cafes now operating in the city.The city government of Dagupan is the first local government unit (LGU) in the country to apply the Electronic Commerce Law. Thus, business transactions with the city hall can be made via internet.
Television networks
- ABS-CBN: Channel 2, Channel 32
- TV5Associated Broadcasting CompanyThe Associated Broadcasting Company, Inc is a television network in the Philippines, with main broadcast facilities and transmitter located at 762 Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City. The network was previously known as the , Associated Broadcasting Company remains the legal...
: Channel 28 - GMA-7GMA NetworkGMA Network is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company...
: Channel 10 - Studio 23Studio 23Studio 23 is a Filipino television network owned by the ABS-CBN Corporation. The network is named for its flagship station in Metro Manila, DWAC-TV, which is carried on UHF channel 23...
: Channel 30 - Q-11: Channel 22
- NBCNation Broadcasting CorporationNation Broadcasting Corporation is a pioneer radio and TV network operating in the Philippines since 1963. NBC is currently a subsidiary of MediaQuest Holdings, Inc.. This station offices and studios are located at 762 Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City...
: Channel 34 - RPN-9(ETC)Radio Philippines NetworkRadio Philippines Network, Inc. is a broadcast television network in the Philippines co-owned by the Government Communications Group, Solar Entertainment Corporation, Far East Managers and Investors Inc., and private sectors. This station studios are located at Broadcast City, Old Balara, Capitol...
: Channel 12
FM radio stations
- DWQT - 89.3 Home Radio
- DWKT - 90.3 Energy FM Dagupan
- DWTL - 93.5 Campus Radio Dagupan
- DWEC - 94.3 MOR for Life! Dagupan
- DWID - 98.3 Love Radio
- DWHY - 100.7 Star FM
- DWON - 104.7 i FM http://hayag.com/w/1047ifm http://www.ifmsabanguscapital.i.ph http://www.rmn.com.ph/ http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=67
- DWHR - 106.3 Hot FM
AM radio stations
- DWCM - 1161 Aksyon Radyo
- DZWN - 1125 Bombo RadyoDZWNBombo Radyo Dagupan is an AM commercial radio station owned and managed by Consolidated Broadcasting System Inc., under Bombo Radyo Philippines . The station's studio and transmitter are located at Bombo Radyo Broadcast Center, Maramba Bankers Village, Bonuan Catacdang, Dagupan City, Philippines...
- DWPR - 1296 Power RadioDWPR-AMDWPR, branded as Poweradio 1296, is an AM radio station owned and operated by Multipoint Network Management in the Philippines. The station's studio is located at Barrio Bolosan, Dagupan City.-History:...
- DZRD - 981 Sonshine Radio
- DZSD - 1548 Super Radyo (Relay Station only)
- DWIN - DWIN|DZEC Radyo Agila (Relay Station only)
- DZMQ - Radyo ng Bayan