History of Dagupan Reviewer
Dagupan City is the only independent component city of Pangasinan’s four cities. Crisscrossed
by seven rivers and 14 creeks, Dagupan is known for its pond-raised bangus (milkfish),
which is said to be the world’s tastiest and juiciest, making it the “World’s Bangus Capital.”
The city remains the commercial, educational and health center of the province because of its
malls and other business establishments, universities and hospitals that continue to attract people
from other parts of the province.
The early settlers of Dagupan City were believed to have come from the Flores Island, one of
the islands of the Lesser Sunda Islands located in the eastern half of the Indonesian Archipelago.
The dialect used by the natives of this island bore a strong similarity to the Pangasinan dialect.
The main sources of livelihood were fishing and salt-making, both major sources of livelihood
and income among coastal residents in the present day.
The area of Dagupan was part of the Alcadia Mayor of Pangasinan, a politico-civil
administrative unit or province in 1580. Dagupan was originally named ‘Bacnotan’ by the
Augustinian missionaries. A few years after the establishment of the Encomienda in Pangasinan
in 1583 during the period of the Spanish Colonization, Bacnotan was already known to be one
of the biggest areas for trade not only within the Alcadia Mayor, but within the whole of the
Ilocos Region.
In 1660, Andres Malong, a local chieftain of Binalatongan, led the Malong Revolt of the
Filipinos against the Spaniards. The insurrection was short-lived as the Filipinos were subdued
by the Spaniards. After the revolt, the locals rebuilt their town. To commemorate the gathering of
forces under Malong, the place was renamed as ‘Nandaragupan’, which in local dialect meant,
‘where people meet.’ In 1780, the name was then simplified to ‘Dagupan’, of which it stands to
this day.
Made Labrador, Lingayen, and Dagupan as among the locations for shipbuilding in the
country.
In December 1897, General Emilio Aguinaldo, along with Governor General Primo de Rivera,
take the Ferrocarril De Manila-Dagupan train to Dagupan en route to the port of Sual for General
Aguinaldo’s exile to Hongkong pursuant to the terms of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato.
During the Japanese Occupation in the Second World War, Dagupan was chosen as the
provincial capital of the newly-established Japanese Government. At the start of the
Liberation of the Philippines in 1945 by the Allied Forces, the U.S. Sixth Army under General
Walter Kruger took part in a massive amphibious assault operation to recapture Luzon from
Japanese Forces. Amphibious landings were made along the length of the Lingayen Gulf in
beaches at Lingayen, Binmaley, Dagupan, and San Fabian. The U.S. land forces were under
the overall command of General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Allied Commander-Southern
Pacific Area. After the assault and with the beach head secured, Gen. MacArthur set up his
Luzon headquarters in Dagupan to consolidate preparations for the U.S. Army’s push south to
recapture and liberate Manila.
On June 20, 1947, two years after the Liberation of the Philippines, the cityhood of Dagupan
was formally recognized as President Manuel Roxas signed into law Republic Act No. 170,
or the City Charter of Dagupan, authored by Speaker Eugenio Perez
On July 16, 1990 a strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck northern Luzon and severely affected
Dagupan as it caused ground liquefaction resulting in damage to its major infrastructure such as
roads, bridges, and buildings. But the resiliency of the Dagupeños helped them overcome the
calamity to their city as they strove to rebuild Dagupan and re-establish the city as one of the
premier urban centers in Region I.
VISION:
Dagupan City as the premier center for commerce and aquaculture in North Luzon supported by
a viable solid waste management system and a disaster resilient environment.
A city that every Dagupeño can be proud of.
MISSION:
To improve the life of every Dagupeño by living the value of ‘our city, our shared
responsibility’.
VALUES:
D isplina
A ngat na Serbisyo
G aling at Talino
U galing Matapat
P ananagutan sa Lahat ng Gawi
A tensyong Makabayan
N agkakaisa sa Iisang Pangarap
The current Dagupan seal was derived from a 2011 logo design competition, which was
participated in by eligible residents of the city. The winning seal design, which was unveiled on
May 2011, was conceptualized by Carmelo John E. Vidal.
The four previous elements (a horseshoe magnet, a railway, a road, and a ribbon bearing
the words “Sigue Dagupan”) of the 1948 seal was added upon. Among the new symbols
integrated in the seal are: a milkfish, 31 stars which signifies the constituent barangays of the
city; seven wave crests which represents the city’s rivers, a torch which signifies education,
and a gear which represents commerce.
On December 9, 2012, former Mayor Benjamin S. Lim received the certificate of registration
for this city’s new corporate seal (Republic Act 7160).
Past Mayors:
Hon. Alipio F. Fernandez, Sr. - June 20,1947 – Dec. 31,1947
Hon. Angel B. Fernandez, Sr. - Jan. 1, 1948 – Dec. 31, 1963
Hon. Teofilo P. Guadiz - Jan. 1, 1964 – Sept. 12,1957
June 16, 1958 – Dec. 31,1959
Hon. Gaudencio S. Siapno - Sept.13, 1957 – June 15, 1958
Hon. Liberato Ll. Reyna, Sr. - Jan.1, 1960 – Dec. 31, 1967
Hon. Cipriano M. Manaois - Jan.1, 1968 – May 20, 1986
Hon. Liberato Ll. Reyna, Sr. - May 21, 1986 – Dec. 1, 1987
Hon. Felipe C. Siapno - Jan. 25, 1988 – Feb. 2, 1988
Hon. Liberato Ll.Reyna, Sr. - Feb. 1, 1988 – June 30, 1992
Hon. Alipio F. Fernandez, Jr. - July 1, 1992 – June 30, 2001
Hon. Benjamin S. Lim - July1, 2001 – June 30, 2007
Hon. Alipio F. Fernandez, Jr. - July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2010
Hon. Benjamin S. Lim - May 15, 2010 – June 30, 2013
Hon. Belen T. Fernandez - July 31, 2013 – June 30, 2019
Hon. Marc Brian C. Lim - 2019 – 2022
Victorio C. Edades
Visual Arts – Painting (1976)
Painting distorted human figures in rough, bold impasto strokes, and standing tall and singular in
his advocacy and practice of what he believes is creative art, Victorio C. Edades emerged as the
“Father of Modern Philippine Painting”.
Salvador F. Bernal
Theater Design (2003)
Salvador Bernal is a theater designer who has designed more than 300 productions distinguished
for their originality since 1969. Sensitive to the budget limitations of local productions, he
harnessed the design potential of inexpensive local materials, pioneering or maximizing the use
of bamboo, raw abaca, and abaca fiber, hemp twine, rattan chain links and gauze cacha.
New Year’s Day: January 1 (Tuesday)
Chinese New Year: February 5 (Tuesday)
Edsa Revolution: February 25 (Monday)
Pangasinan Day: April 5 (Friday)
Araw ng Kagitingan: April 9 (Tuesday)
Bangus Festival: April 1-30
Pista’y Dayat/Labor Day: May 1 (Wednesday)
Independence Day: June 12 (Wednesday)
Agew na Dagupan: June 20 (Thursday)
Ninoy Aquino Day: August 21 (Wednesday)
National Heroes’ Day: August 29 (Thursday)
All Saints’ Day: November 1 (Friday)
Speaker Eugenio Perez Day: November 13 (Wednesday)
Bonifacio Day: November 30 (Saturday)
Christmas Day: December 25 (Wednesday)
City Fiesta: December 26 (Thursday)
Rizal Day: December 30 (Monday)
In 2003, the “kalutan ed dalan” in Dagupan City was recognized by the Guinness Book of World
Records as the Longest Barbeque of the world.
On January 1945, Gen. Douglas McArthur with the US 6th army landed on the “Blue
Beach” which is now called Bonuan Gueset in Dagupan City.
Dagupan City has Seven rivers:
-
Mangueragday river
Tanap river
Dawel river
Patogcaoen river
Bayaoas river
Pantal river
Calmay river
Dagupan City has Five Island Barangays:
-
Carael
Calmay
Lomboy
Salapingao
Pugaro
Benjamin “Benjie” S. Lim – Father of Bangus Festival.
FRANKLIN BRIDGE also known as "Calmay Bridge" was part of what historian Rosario
Mendoza-Cortes called the Golden Road, the 12 kilometer highway linking Dagupan to
Lingayen and to Western Pangasinan. For many decades, this highway was considered the best
road in Pangasinan as its surface was arched and reinforced so that it could withstand heavy
rains.
Dagupe Restaurant – this is the oldest establishment in the city located at Angel B. Fernandez
Avenue.
Streets in Dagupan City that surrounded the business center:
-
AB Fernandez Avenue
Perez Boulevard
Three Heroes of the “Battle of Dagupan”:
-
Daniel Maramba – Became senator
Vicente Del Prado – Elected as the representative of Pangasinan.
Juan Quesada – owner of Vicar Hotel (was known as Manila Hotel)