Alaminos
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Alaminos is undeniably a growing trade, commercial and educational center of Western Pangasinan. Owing to its strategic location and with the presence of the world-famous Hundred Islands National Park, and with its abundant natural resources, the municipality is one of the growth centers in Region I. With such inherent strengths, traders and businessmen continue to come to Alaminos. Investments propelled the economic development of the town.
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History of Alaminos
Suyang (already existing as a barrio of Bolinao as residents have known), located on a large mountain base, was reestablished by Don Gaspar Montoya, Don Nicolas de San Jose, Don Domingo de Guzman, Don Nicolas Purificacion and others. It was a beautiful plain which offered a beautiful panorama surrounded by enchanting forests interposed alternately in its verdant fields. The barrio rose approximately to a height of some 15 or 20 meters above sea level.
In 1735, the people of Barrio Suyang built their church, convent and a tribunal house. They subscribed voluntarily for the acquisition of the image of the Patriarch St. Joseph as patron of the barrio. At first, the settlers considered their new home a paradise. Aside from the bounty that the sea brought them, the place commands a panoramic view of Capurwapurwan and Cabaruyan Islands (Hundred Islands and Anda, respectively).
Unfortunately, after a brief period of time, the settlers found the place not suited for habitation. Typhoons frequented the area, continuous pestilence of their livestock was observed which give them a notion that this was caused by evil spirits. These events made the settlers decide to look for another place to occupy.
It was in 1737 that the transfer of the said barrio took place. The people brought along with them, the image of Patriarch St. Joseph (their patron saint), together with all the furnishings and fixtures of the church, the town hall, private houses and other buildings. The new site was named Casborran (perhaps pertaining to the plants that robustly abound in the area) by the inhabitants.
The barrio was located on a high level site approximately one meter above sealevel. The place has a clayey soil and with no irrigation facilities. The water from the wells was brackish and was unfit for drinking.
In 1744, a delegate of the Superior Government of the Philippines made a visit to Barrio Casboran. The inhabitants therein took the opportunity of presenting a petition to convert the barrio into an independent town. It was, however, in 1747 when the petition was approved converting the same into a town independent from its mother town, Bolinao.
The material progress and prosperity of the new town enticed several prominent citizens of Dagupan, Pangasinan to migrate to the place. Among them were: Don Andres Ballesteros, Don Antonio Nicolas and Don Diego Ballesteros. These three prominent migrants were accompanied by Francisco Aquino and Jose Garcia of Lingayen. These group of migrants offered their cooperation with the people of Casborran which resulted to an agreement with the following conditions:
a. That the two tribes (migrants and inhabitants) would govern the town jointly and firmly in such a manner that should one from Pangasinan govern the town, invariably, he should take as his assistant or second in command a man of Suyang origin;
or
b. If a Suyang man would come out to be the Gobernadorcillo, his Teniente Mayor should be from Pangasinan, and thus successively alternating in all positions committed to them.
The noteworthy peace and harmony between the two tribes was broken in 1758 due to dissension and disagreement among the inhabitants caused by the ill-advised ambition of leaders to rule without the benefit of election. Frustrated by the turn of events, Don Antonio Nicolas, sensing that his old position was weakening, he and his followers left the place and settled in barrio Pocal-pocal and Tanaytay. However, his followers abandoned him in 1763 and returned gradually to the town of Casborran.
That event led Don Antonio Nicolas to return to Pangasinan and engaged the service of Palaris, head of rebel group in San Carlos. Guided by the former, Palaris and his rebel followers embarked for Casborran. Finding no residents, they burned the chapel, the convent, town hall and private houses and looted everything they found of value. Some of the followers of Palaris left the place after ten days while the others who remained in Casborran disowned Palaris. They decided to stay and live in the place. In the meantime, some of those in hiding came out after the rebels left. When the conditions normalized, the inhabitants rebuilt the ruined buildings as well as the private houses.
Don Antonio dela Cruz was elected Gobernadorcillo in 1764 succeeding Don Nicolas Purificacion. Due to the refusal of the former to extend material provisions to the Provincial Vicar when the latter made a visit to the town, the latter became furious and ordered the complete demolition of the town. He left the place taking with him the priest, the patron saint, ornaments of the church and the bell. All these things were brought to Sitio Nansangaan (perhaps along Inerangan) where the people settled and later renamed the place into San Jose.
Not too long thereafter, the town of Casborran was rocked with dissension among the inhabitants. Even the prominent officials did not wield their influence to unite the disconcerted spirits of the inhabitants. The town was in chaos that ultimately led to its reversion into a barrio. Thereafter, the descendants of Suyang migrated to Bani. In 1766, Don Jose de Cervantes, Lord Delegate, visited the province and made the following observation in so far as the people of San Jose were concerned:
a. the inhabitants were not rendering tribute to the treasury; b. that differences of opinion caused antagonism; that inhabitants lived far apart, independently and separately; and c. that the circumstances and conditions of the land occupied by the barrio (San Jose) were not conducive to progress and expansion.
The foregoing observations prompted the Lord Delegate’s order to transfer immediately the barrio to a new site where the seat of Alaminos now occupies. Likewise, he united all factions then existing among the inhabitants that led ultimately to the restoration of tranquility in the place.
For unknown reasons, the inhabitants of Casborran renamed the place into Salapsap or Sarapsap (pronounced by the Spanish as “Zarapzap”) which was derived from a river or sitio of the same name. Salapsap means “cascade.”
Those mainly responsible for establishing the barrio were of Suyang origin. Among them were: Don Nicolas Purificacion, Don Andres de San Jose and Don Antonio dela Cruz.
Barrio Sarapsap consisted of a big portion of land of bare mountainous areas well suited for pasture but not suitable for agriculture except the sloping areas. The lower portion of the terrain could be planted with palay. Its water supply came from surface wells. In 1769, Don Diego Ballesteros was elected the first teniente and in 1774, the first Gobernadorcillo of Salapsap. The chapel, convent, tribunal house and a school building were constructed made of makeshift materials. However, the chapel and the convent were burned in 1834.
The residents of Sarapsap agreed to rebuild the two edifice with durable and lasting materials. In 1840, they laid the first stone of the church. Among the distinguished personalities in the construction were: Don Leonardo Pansoy, Don Sebastian Abalos, Don Felix de Castro, Don Pablo de Francia, Don Domingo Montemayor, and several others. It was supervised by Fr. Manuel Bosqueto and Fr. Jose Tornos.
Fr. Victoriano Vereciano, parish priest, helped in the solicitation of funds for the subsistence of the laborers, and suggested the idea of finishing the town hall initiated by Don Felix de Castro. Fr. Andres Romero, who succeeded Father Vereciano upon the death of the latter, worked for the enlargement of the cemetery and rebuilt the chapel therein. Due to the revolution in the northern part of Zambales, the work was interrupted on March 7, 1898.
With the establishment of Salapsap, progress went its way. By the middle of the 19th century, Salapsap was considered a progressive town north of Zambales. Its rapid growth attracted the attention of Spanish authorities, and in 1860, the Spanish Lieutenant Governor-General of the Philippines visited Zarapzap.
Being a fair administrator, the Lieutenant Governor-General captured the high esteem and sympathy of the inhabitants. Under the leadership of Captain Domingo Montemayor, Zarapzap was renamed, “Alaminos” in 1872, in honor of Lieutenant Governor-General Alaminos, the then Governor-General of the Philippines.
And from a mere settlement of adventurers, sprung the town of Alaminos.
Briefer for the New Alaminos City
VISION 2015
By the year 2015, we envision a peaceful city, well educated, healthy and God-centered citizens, sharing fully in a development, propelled by a competitive local economy anchored on ecotourism, agriculture, commerce and light industry, serving as the vibrant hub of Western Pangasinan and as a living showcase of a family oriented, environmentally-sensitive growth with equity.
MISSION
A pro-active City Government, setting standards in good governance, serving as an architect of holistic development, an integrator of development initiatives and provider of oppurtunities to the broadest segments of its constituents.
A new Alaminos City is shaping up, fast
Less than 300 days into its new administration, the signs of a turn around are palpably visible. Initial results of strategies and programs implemented have been dramatic. Agricultural farms clustered into innovative management units called Ocho-Ocho are registering yield increases from 30 – 100%. A repositioned tourism industry is putting the Hundred Islands, the City’s centerpiece attraction, back into the map of travelers and events organizers. The tide of criminality is under control and illegal activities that threatened the Hundred Islands marine ecosystem are being reversed, with the cooperation of the people themselves. But much still needs to be done.
Alaminos City is in a race against time, towards destiny. As a new city at the heart of Western Pangasinan, it is struggling against the bane of all urbanizing areas - congestion, population escalation, criminality, solid wastes and inadequate facilities, infrastructure and services. And, with an economy reliant on low-output agriculture and fishery but propelled by the merchandise trading sector, poverty and marginalization threaten to divide, negating even the gains that commerce brings. The once nurturing environment, particularly the sea, fell prey to desperate measures in past years. Illegal fishing destroyed a good portion of the city’s fishing grounds, threatening even the ecosystem of the famed Hundred Islands. Tourism had been stagnant, unable to spur a rebirth of sorts for the city.
But the new Alaminos City is leaving no stone unturned in reversing the tide of events. The new administration is re-writing the city’s development books, making a determined bid to prevent confusion, crime, helplessness and environmental abuse from permanently setting in. The new Alaminos is a model of sustainable, equitable progress that is already beginning to happen. The city is doing this with a combination of bold and visionary leadership, hands on, no nonsense management styles, a development paradigm emphasizing growth with equity, a common strategic direction, and a new found optimism among its people.
The development paradigm of the city prescribes the kind of development that the city should follow. Growth with equity, or progress originating from and benefiting broader segments, competitiveness of all segments, resource management and sustainable use, the provision of basic services and social safety nets for the vulnerable and family centeredness form the core principles of this development paradigm.
The vision of the new city reflects its development paradigm and the most powerful aspirations of its people. It paints a picture of peace and progress, of uplifted citizens sharing in development, and of a vibrant, competitive local economy serving as a living showcase of sustainable, family centered progress with equity.
The 10- Point Agenda
The 10 – Point Agenda of governance of the new city administration translates the development paradigm and vision into action areas to be pursued within 1000 days.
The 10 – Point Agenda of the City is as follows:
1) Innovative Agricultural Development And Modernization 2) Tourism Revival Through Repositioning, Remarketing And Redevelopment 3) Environmental Conservation And Coastal Resources Management
These are the anchor thrusts of the ten point agenda.
4) Provision Of Improved Basic Services For All And Social Safety Nets For The Elderly,
Disabled, Vulnerable Youth And The Abused
5) Public Order And Safety
These agenda ensure a safer and more humane city.
6) Infrastructure Development 7) Enterprise Development 8) Investment Promotion
These will lead to competitiveness and growth for broad sectors
9) Human Resources Development. 10) City Government Modernization.
These will strengthen governance, improving the efficiency, transparency, and responsiveness of the city government.
Strategies and Programs have been laid out to operationalize the 10 – Point Agenda and achieve the goals and vision for the city.
Agricultural Modernization, one of the flagship programs of the city. Boasts of an innovative concept, called the Ocho-Ocho, or the clustering of farms into larger units of eight hectares each, for a collective, entrepreneurial approach that ensures higher productivity, farm management efficiency, competitiveness and greater gains from farming.
The Tourism Revival Program, another flagship program promises to “Recapture the Magic of the Hundred Islands”. It repositions the national park as the ideal destination for eco-adventure and family oriented tourism with wow experiences that happen “only at the Hundred Islands”. With high profile tourism events and developments lined up for the next 300 days, the city expects to reclaim its title as the tourism mecca in Luzon for outdoor enthusiasts.
The Coastal Resources Management Program seeks to protect, conserve and rehabilitate the coastal and marine resources of the city that have been threatened. It promises a more sustainable basis for the livelihood of families in the 10 coastal barangays of the city, including Lucap, where the Hundred Islands are nestled.
Accompanying these programs is a wide menu of programs and projects addressing all the critical needs of the city and its people, including those for peace and order (emergency quick response), infra-structure (potable water, sewerage and wastewater treatment systems, flood control), expanded health services delivery, computer literacy, crisis intervention and good governance (city information systems development). Updating of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan and physical master planning for the city are to be started soon.
While the programs and projects of the city are anchored on local needs and aspirations, they also reflect national developmental thrusts as laid out in the Medium Term Development Plan and the 10 – Point agenda of governance of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Thus both the MTDP and the 10 – Point agenda of the President are realized at the city level.
The city government invites its partners – the national government, particularly the Office of the President, national development agencies and lawmakers, the private sector and non-government groups, Alaminian balikbayans and the general public to join in the effort to build a new Alaminos. Its message to its partners: “Join us in building an edifice of peace, progress and economic stability in Western Pangasinan. Help us recapture the magic of the Hundred Islands, restore a marine ecosystem and build a sustainable local economy.”
Transportation
A trip to Alaminos is a great diversion from urban hustle-and-bustle. Free ways, rice paddies and rustic ambience is to be beholden. A big stretch of blue sea signifies one is in Sual, Pangasinan. Big commercial ships dock on its shores in case of tropical depressions. Sual has a zigzag road resembling that of Kenon Road in Baguio City.
The costal city of Alaminos in the province of Pangasinan, where the islands is much nearer, is about five hours bus ride from Metro Manila and three hours from Baguio City. Land travel from Manila to Alaminos City is 250 kms, 4 hours by private vehicle from Manila via Camiling, Tarlac 5 ½ hours by public vehicle.
Public bus lines regularly plying the Pangasinan route (Baguio to Alaminos straight), passing by La Union province, are the Byron North Express and the Victory Liner. From Dagupan (if you have not chance on a straight ride from Baguio), it would take about another one and a half hours to reach Alaminos City, the Home of the Hundred Islands.
