Dagupan
Dagupan, officially the , or simply referred to as City, is a independent component in the province of,. According to the, it has a population of people.
Located on the Lingayen Gulf on the northwest-central part of the island of Luzon, Dagupan is a major commercial and financial center north of Manila. Also, the city is one of the centers of modern medical services, media and communication in North-Central Luzon. The city is situated within the fertile Agno River Valley.
The city is among the top producers of milkfish in the province. From 2001–2003, Dagupan's milkfish production totaled to 35,560.1 metric tons, contributing 16.8 percent to the total provincial production. Of its total production in the past three years, 78.5 percent grew in fish pens/cages while the rest grew in brackish water fishponds.
Dagupan is administratively and politically independent from the provincial government of Pangasinan and is only represented by the province's legislative district.
Dagupan City is one of the proposed metropolitan area in the Philippines. Metro Dagupan is proposed to include the independent component city of Dagupan, as well as the towns of Lingayen, Binmaley, Calasiao, Mangaldan, Manaoag, Mapandan, San Fabian, San Jacinto, and Santa Barbara.
Etymology
The city's name was derived from the local Pangasinan word pandaragupan, meaning "gathering place" as the city has been a regional market center for centuries.History
Kaboloan
During the 15th century, Pangasinan had been the site of an ancient polity called the Kaboloan. the Wangdom of Pangasinan sent emissaries to China in 1406–1411.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 encomienda of Lingayen that was established in 1583.The first long distance railroad in the Philippines connecting Manila and Dagupan was opened on November 24, 1892.
Japanese Occupation
The Japanese planes bombed in Dagupan in December 1941; Dagupan was occupied by Japanese forces starting in 1942.Allied liberation
On January 8–January 9, 1945, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur 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 under the Philippine Army and Philippine Constabulary units 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 Santo Tomas, among others.Dagupan's cityhood
Dagupan became a city by virtue of Republic Act No. 170, authored by Speaker Eugenio Pérez. It was signed into law by President Manuel Roxas on June 20, 1947.Contemporary history
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. 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, causing liquefaction, which made buildings tilt and sink due to their heavy weight and the looseness of the ground, which turned into sediment-rich mud. The Magsaysay Bridge, one of the two bridges especially spanning the Pantal River, collapsed, delaying people from crossing to the other banks and vice versa. Major damage caused businesses to be permanently transferred to the neighbouring towns of Mangaldan and Calasiao, but somehow, Dagupan and its inhabitants managed to recover from the earthquake.
Geography
Dagupan City covers a total land area of, 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 uses are commercial, industrial, institutional, government private, parks and roads.Barangays
Dagupan City is politically subdivided into 31 barangays.ClimateDagupan City has a tropical monsoon climate. It is in Type I climate zone in the Modified Coronas' Climate Classification, with a pronounced dry season from November to April.DemographicsIn Dagupan, the Pangasinans are the predominant people and the Pangasinan language is predominantly used in the city and environs, followed by English and Filipino, as well as Ilocano. Chinese is mainly spoken only by a few city individuals of Chinese descent.
Historically, Dagupan was a center for salt making in numerous salt evaporator beds in the low-lying swampy areas close to the Lingayen Gulf, Beginning in the 19th Century, some of the salt making operations gave way to pond culture of fish, most prominently the milkfish or as it is known locally as bangus for which the city has become famous. Fisheries, aquaculture and processed fisheries products are an important mainstay of the city's economy. Manila-based developers have also set shop in this bustling city due to its strategic location and growing population. ▪ Santa Lucia Land Inc. ▪ Double Dragon Properties ▪ SM Prime Holdings ▪ 11-storey Allied Care Experts Medical Center ▪ Green Sun Management Inc. & Megaworld Construction and Development Corporation ▪ Filinvest ▪ Vester Corporation - Bayani Hall condominium, Arellano St., Dagupan City As of June 2020, Dagupan is one of the 25 cities in the country identified as an area with “high-potential in IT-BPM industry” for transformation into “digital cities” by 2025. Sitel, a global business process outsourcing firm, has recently opened its first Sitel MAXhub in Dagupan City, bringing more jobs to aspiring BPO professionals in Dagupan city. The company is now actively seeking to expand more in the city. Local businessmen have also went with the trend in developing their properties in different locations which further boosts the city's construction activities and secures the city's title as the economic hub of Pangasinan. Another part of Dagupan's economy is the motor vehicle industry. Many automotive companies have a dealership in the city's metropolitan area. Existing car dealerships from major companies including Ford, Hyundai, Chevrolet, Mazda and Izuzu are all found in Dagupan, while other companies such as Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan and many more are found at the neighbouring town of Calasiao. TransportationDagupan is connected with other cities by networks of national roads. Romulo Highway and Pangasinan - La Union Road and Urdaneta - Dagupan Road are the principal highways that serve the city.The Philippine National Railways once served Dagupan through Dagupan station, that went defunct in the late 1980s. The first railroad in the Philippines, the Manila-Dagupan Railway, terminated at the city. Intercity/interprovincial buses from Manila serve the city, and are usually operated by Dagupan Bus Company, Victory Liner, Five Star, and Pangasinan Solid North. Jeepneys provide intracity travel, as well as for towns and cities of close proximities. HealthMedical 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 1 Medical Center with hospital bed capacity of 1000.EducationSince the colonial era, Dagupan has always been the center of education in Ilocos Region. 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.Colleges and universities
Sister cities
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