Pangasinan is a province in Ilocos Region of in northern Luzon, the chief island of the Philippines. The capital of Pangasinan is Lingayen. Being in a somewhat fertile plain, the area is known for agricultural products like corn crops carabao milk, duhat wine, nipa hut roofings, tuba and other products.
Cities
- Lingayen – provincial capital of Pangasinan and famous for its fermented fish sauce or that so-called bagoong.
- Alaminos – home to the famous Hundred Islands
- Bolinao – Known for its white sand beaches, Patar beach and its native product binungey, also known as bamboo cake.
- Dagupan – Home of the tasty Bonuan bangus (milkfish), and the economic hub of the province. Known as the Bangus capital of the country, Bangus Festival is celebrated annually every month of April.
- Dasol – Town facing the coast of West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). Known for Tambobong Beach and white sand islets.
- Mangatarem – An agricultural municipality with an expansive public market. Also known for the Manleluag Spring Protected Landscape.
- San Carlos – The "Mango-Bamboo Capital of the Philippines", and a cultural and historical center of Pangasinan. Site of the Mango-Bamboo Festival every April, an event marked by green and yellow colors, delicious mangoes and durable bamboo handicrafts and the hospitality of San Carlos' people.
- Sison – Site of numerous Cordilleran hills and mountains and waterfalls such as Antong Falls.
- Urdaneta – The economic center of eastern Pangasinan.
Other destinations
- Umbrella Rocks, 16.13400°, 119.77637°. is a nature's masterpiece in Agno, these rock formation are mushroom/umbrella shape boulders along the mouth of Balincaguing River, in Sabangan. 2020-10-08
- Sunflower Maze, 15.9766°, 120.7495°. is a giant maze on a farm in Tayug. The 2,600-m² sunflower maze consists of more or less 8,000 sunflower plants in its 3-hectare farm. It was set to open in public on February 17, 2017. 2020-10-08
Understand
The name "Pangasinan" can be ambiguous; it can refer also to the people and the language.
Pangasinan's name derives from the word for "place of salt", with the root word "asin" (salt). Salt production is the main source of income, but the local economy has since diversified. It is the richest province among the four in Ilocos Region.
The local people are of the same name, Pangasinan (also called Pangasinense or Panggalatok, the latter they consider to be derogatory), but the province has been heavily settled by Ilocanos from the north, which still some natives resent. Other ethnic groups are the indigenous Sambal peoples, who live in western Pangasinan.
While historically linked to Central Luzon, Pangasinan is rather lumped up as part of Ilocos Region as a relic of the Marcos era. As a result, native Pangasinan object to calling Ilocos Region as simply Ilocos.
Talk
- Most people of Pangasinan, especially central Pangasinan, speaks the Pangasinan language (also called Pangalatok, but Pangasinan people consider this name derogatory).
- Ilocano is spoken in the western and especially the eastern part of Pangasinan such as in Santa Barbara municipality.
- Many establishments use the national language known as Filipino that is based on Tagalog.
- English is widely-spoken in the province especially by the youth.
- Bolinao is spoken in portions of the municipalities of Bolinao and Anda in the province of Pangasinan.
Get in
By bus
Victory Liner runs buses every hour from Manila to Alaminos, Lingayen or Dagupan (and vice versa), with stopovers at Dau and Tarlac City; some buses continue onward to Baguio through MacArthur Highway/Manila North Road (Route 2). Five Star, Victory's sister bus line, also serve the same destination pairs, but they also have a trip from Santiago in Isabela with an ordinary (non-air-conditioned) bus.
By car
Pangasinan is served by the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway since 2015, shortening travel time from Manila. Taxis can take you to the province, but are expensive
By plane
There is no airport in Pangasinan with commercial flights, and the two only airports, in Lingayen and Binalonan, are mostly used by general aviation and flying schools. The nearest major airport is in Angeles. There are plans to build a new airport at Alaminos, but construction is stalled by political debate.
Get around
The best way to get around Pangasinan is by provincial bus, with frequent connections across key cities and towns. Major operators are Victory Liner and Five Star, Pangasinan Solid North and Dagupan Bus Line.
Highways are of a decent standard, but most will be two- to four-lane roads with homes and businesses at both sides, and lots of slow traffic and obstacles.
Jeepneys are the primary mode of local public transport around Dagupan and surroundings. On most other places, tricycles are more common, and jeepneys primarily used to service nearby towns, but are less comfortable than buses.
See
Do
- Mountain hiking or picnicking in the mountains of San Nicolas, Pangasinan.
- Go island hopping and snorkelling in Hundred Island National Park.
- Visit Our Lady of Manaoag Shrine, the Minor Basilica in Pangasinan.
- Visit the largest dam in the Philippines and 16th largest in the world, the San Roque Dam located near San Manuel.
Swim
- ̈ Patar White Sand Beach
- Dipalo River scenic area in San Quintin municipality
Buy
For a fishy experience, try the fish market in Dagupan.