San Carlos City, Pangasinan

From Binmaley, I rode a tricylce to San Carlos City. I passed by several rice fields and palaisdaan.

 

San Carlos City is a huge city like Urdaneta. It was past lunch when I arrived here. I visited the St. Dominic Guzman Parish Church (built in 1587) and roam around the Poblacion or town proper. They have Jollibee, Magic Mall San Carlos, CSI City Mall San Carlos, among others.

Good thing the San Carlos City Hall is nearby so I was able to visit it. There’s a park between the San Carlos Church and Municipal Hall dedicated to Eugenio Padlan Perez. I tried to locate the market, but I can’t find it nearby.

It’s getting late in the afternoon and decided to finish my 2 days trip to Pangasinan by visiting my last destination – Malasiqui, Pangasinan.

Here are some information about San Carlos City from the Pangasinan Provincial Website:

San Carlos City was once known as Binalatongan.  From the time of its founding up to the middle of the 19th century, it was considered as the biggest and most populous town of Pangasinan composing a whole third of the Province. It is recorded in history as a bastion of freedom fighters, with famous uprisings against Spaniards led by Andres Malong (1660) and Juan dela Cruz Palaris (1762).  These heroic acts prompted the Spanish colonizers to change the name of the town to San Carlos in honor of King Carlos III of Spain.

San Carlos became a city by virtue of Republic Act No. 4487 signed on June 19, 1965.

MAYOR:    JULIER C. RESUELLO

VICE MAYOR:    JOSERES C. RESUELLO

LAND AREA:    17,087 hectares

POPULATION:    164,061

NO. OF BARANGAYS:    86

CLASSIFICATION:    3rd class city

FIESTA:   Mango Bamboo Festival  (April)

MAJOR CROPS:    rice, corn, root crops, vegetables, fruit trees

MAJOR INDUSTRIES:    handicraft, pottery making, mango culture, livestock trading

PRIME PRODUCTS:    tomato paste, cassava cake, bamboo, rug, furnitures, native cakes

TOURIST ATTRACTION:    St. Dominic Guzman Parish (1587)

You may also visit the San Carlos City website here.

San Carlos City Plaza in front of the St Dominic Guzman Church

CSI Mall, San Carlos City

Speaker Eugenio P. Perez Sr Memorial Building, San Carlos City, Pangasinan

 

St. Dominic Guzman Parish (1587), San Carlos City, Pangasinan

A lot of churches in Pangasinan are adored with statues of saints. Dagupan Church has this feature as well as Manaoag Church, Bolinao Church and Binmaley Church.

Bust of Eugenio P. Perez Sr

 

CSI Mall San Carlos City, Pangasinan

 

San Carlos City Municipal Hall, Pangasinan

 

San Carlos City Marker

Jollibee at the Magic Mall, San Carlos City

An old house in San Carlos City, Pangasinan

San Carlos City is a crossroad between several towns of Pangasinan. There’s a jeepney terminal that would take you to Malasiqui, Urbiztondo among other destinations.

Technorati Tags: San Carlos City,Pangasinan,CSI Mall,Magic Mall,St Dominic Guzman Parish Church

Binmaley, Pangasinan

I saw the picture of Our Lady of Purificacion Parish Church on Facebook months before I visited Pangasinan. I find the church beautiful, so I noted the name of the town where it is located – Binmaley.

The Binmaley Seal in front of the Binmaley Presidencia

From Lingayen, I rode a jeep to Dagupan and dropped off by the quiet town of Binmaley. I went immediately to the said church, which is besides the Mary Help of Christians Seminary. Unfortunately, the church was closed (I visited on a Saturday) so I only got to take pictures of the church’s façade. It is indeed beautiful.

One of the common traits of churches here in Pangasinan is that the compound is surrounded by statues of saints. Dagupan Church has this feature, Manaoag Church has statues of saints in the surroundings as well as Bolinao Church. There’s an old church bell at the façade of the church that bares the year 1880. I’m guessing it’s the founding year of the church.

Adjacent to Binmaley Church is the Centennial Park, Ramirez Bautista Memorial Hospital (RBMH), the town plaza where a statue of a fisherman is prominent, the Binmaley Museum (which is also closed when I visited), Binmaley Presidencia (Municipal Hall I guess), Rizal’s statue, Saint Charles Academy, and Magic Mall Binmaley.

Here's more information about Binmaley from the Pangasinan Provincial Website:

Binmaley derived its name from the Pangasinan phrase “nanmaliw ya baley”, meaning, a place or territory that has been converted into a town because it is believed that the municipality was formerly a part of the town of Binalatongan, now known as San Carlos City.

The town is famous for its bangus (milkfish) aquaculture due to the existence of its numerous fishponds (pokok in the Pangasinan language).

MAYOR:   SIMPLICIO DL. ROSARIO

VICE MAYOR:   EDGAR C. MAMENTA

LAND AREA:    11,850 hectares

POPULATION:    83,052

NO. OF BARANGAYS:    33

CLASSIFICATION:    1st class

TOWN FIESTA:    Sigay Festival (February)

PAROCHIAL FIESTA:    February 2

INDUSTRIES:
fishing, wood furniture making, pottery, rubber-by-products making,
fish processing, bagoong making,lime production, noodles production

POINTS OF INTEREST:
Binmaley Beach,
People’s Park,
J.P. Rizal Park,
Binmaley Presidencia,
Binmaley Museum
and Display Center,
Binmaley Catholic School,
Mary Help of Christians Seminary,
Our Lady of Purificacion  Parish Church,
General MacArthur Lingayen Gulf Landing Marker

From Binmaley, I rode a tricycle to San Carlos City. I passed by several rice fields and palaisdaan (fishponds).

Mary Help of Christians Seminary, Binmaley, Pangasinan

 

Our Lady of Purificacion Parish Church, Binmaley, Pangasinan

 

Ramirez Bautista Memorial Hospital (RBMH), Binmaley, Pangasinan

 

 

Binmaley Museum, Pangasinan

Town Plaza of Binmaley, Pangasinan

 

Binmaley Presidencia (Municipal Hall I guess)

 

Magic Mall Binmaley, Pangasinan

Saint Charles Academy, Binmaley, Pangasinan

Technorati Tags: Our Lady of Purificacion Parish Church,Binmaley,Pangasinan

My First Time Trip to Bolinao, Pangasinan

On my 2^nd day in Pangasinan last August 31, 2019 I travelled from Urdaneta City to Alaminos City. After touring the Poblacion and taking pictures of the old houses of Alaminos, I rode a mini-bus (Bolinao Express) to the resort time of Bolinao, Pangasinan.

The municipal hall of Bolinao, Pangasinan

There are so many resorts and natural wonders in Bolinao but I have a limited budget, so I just focused on touring the town center. I was impressed by the St James The Great Parish Church. There are paintings all over the interior of the church. It’s also an old church dating back to 1594.

I was amazed at how St Joseph Drug transformed and repurposed an old house into a pharmacy. I noticed that St Joseph Drug is all over Pangasinan. I guess it’s their equivalent of Mercury Drug.

Off all the towns I visited in Pangasinan – in my 2 days journey – it’s only here in Bolinao that I find a unique kakanin (rice product). It’s called binunguey or bamboo cake. It’s something that I don’t normally see in Metro Manila.

I saw two bus companies that have terminals here in Bolinao – 5 Star and Dagupan Bus. Since I’m planning to drop by Lingayen, I rode the Bolinao Express mini-bus again. I was able to take some pictures of Bani and Sual towns on the way to the capital of Pangasinan province -- Lingayen.

Here are some quick facts about Bolinao, Pangasinan from the Pangasinan Province Website:

Historians have no exact record on the date Bolinao was created.  It was presumed that the town was created by virtue of a Royal Decree of Spain.  Records show that it was the year 1575 when Spanish Captain Pedro Lombi founded the first settlement with more or less 100 settlers.  The Municipal Council of Bolinao, by virtue of its Resolution No. 104 dated September 19, 1988 adopted July 25, 1575 as the Foundation Day of Bolinao in honor of the Patron Saint of the town, St. James the Great.

Bolinao was made a part of the Province of Pangasinan upon the enactment of Public Act No. 1004 dated November 30, 1903 of the Philippine Commission.

There are three (3) versions where the name Bolinao came from.  The name of the town could have been derived from the “Pamulinawen” tree which grew in abundance along the beaches.  The second story claims that the name of the municipality came from the fish species “monamon” commonly called “Bolinao” by the Tagalogs, Bicolanos and Visayans.  The third one is associated with the couple Bolido and Anao.  The combination of their names created the name Bolinao, which is the name of the town.

MAYOR:   ALFONSO DF. CELESTE

VICE MAYOR:   RICHARD C. CELESTE

LAND AREA:    19,722 hectares

POPULATION:    82,084

NO. OF BARANGAYS:    30

CLASSIFICATION:    1st class

PAROCHIAL FIESTA:    July 25 (adopted as Bolinao Foundation Day)

FESTIVAL:    Mangunguna Festival (April 24)

MAJOR SOURCES OF INCOME/LIVELIHOOD:
Farming, fishing as a major supplier of  bangus to Navotas
and Malbon small-scale and cottage industries, salt making,
rope making, shellcraft, bagoong making, buri mat  weaving,
dried fish making, charcoal making, bamboo and woodcrafts

HISTORICAL SITES AND TOURIST ATTRACTIONS:
Enchanted Cave
Bolinao Museum
Cape Bolinao Lighthouse
UPMSI (Marine Laboratory) Pacific Farms, Inc.
Bolinao Falls
Tara Falls
Balingasay River Patar Beach
St. Claire Monastery
St. James the Fortress Parish (1609)

 

 

One of the most impressive monument of Jose Rizal that I’ve seen

Senyor Santiago MDCIX

Façade of St James The Great, Parish Church

 

Interior shot of St James The Great Parish Church

St Joseph Drug, Bolinao, Pangasinan

Bolinao Public Market

 

Dagupan Bus

 

 

Adora’s Restaurant, Bolinao, Pangasinan

 

The binunguey or bamboo cake

 

Archway of the St James The Great Parish Church in Bolinao, Pangasinan

Five Star Bus Company terminal in Bolinao, Pangasinan

Rice fields of Bolinao, Pangasinan

 

Some churches of the Iglesia ni Cristo that we passed by on our way back to Lingayen, Pangasinan

Our mini-bus passed by the public park of Poblacion, Sual, Pangasinan

Technorati Tags: Bani,Sual,Bolinao,Pangasinan,St James The Great Parish Church,Beaches,Tourist Spot