Binalonan

According to historians, the town's name is an evolution of the Pangasinan Language term balon, which means "packed lunch", or in Tagalog, baon.

In a traditional story, which now plays an important role in the town's history, the area was originally owned by a Spaniard named Don Salvador. It was told that he instructed his men to put up crude wooden fences along the property to establish his ownership. During the course of their work, Don Salvador's men used to have their lunch and rest under Camachile trees located in the center of the land mainly due to its breezy shades.

Don Salvador offered his pastureland to several immigrants from Ilocos. When they asked Don Salcador how they were going to find the said land, the owner answered: "It is the place where people bring their balon to eat". Hence the term Binnalonan, which in Ilocano and Pangasinan means "a place where people bring and eat their baon", was born. At present, the town is called Binalonan while its people are known as Binalonians.^[6]

Ilocano herdsmen and laborers composed the first town which was founded in 1838, in San Felipe, which was later transferred to Santa Catalina, then returned to the present site.

Binalonan is located in the eastern part of the province of Pangasinan. The Municipality is bordered on the north by the municipalities of Pozorrubio and Sison, on the south by Urdaneta, on the east by San Manuel and Asingan and on the west by Laoac.

It is 51 kilometres (32 mi) from Lingayen and 190 kilometres (120 mi) from Manila.

Binalonan is subdivided into 24 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

The municipality's total land area, estimated at 8,400 hectares (84 km²), is classified as alienable and disposable land.

Binalonan has two major rivers:

• Aloragat River
• Tagamusing River

It also has minor rivers, including the San Pablo Creek, Tuboy River, Palma Creek, the Camambogan Creek and Balisa Creek.

There are five types of soil which can be found in Binalonan: the San Manuel fine sandy loam, San Manuel loam, San Manuel sandy loam, San Manuel clay, and Umingan sandy loam.

The urban population is recorded at 7,634 while the rural population is at 45,088. The urban-rural population ratio is estimated at 15/100. The male-to-female ratio is 1.029.

Roman Catholic, Iglesia Ni Cristo (3 locale chapels at Binalonan Crossing, at San Felipe Central, Sitio Riverside at Brgy. Sumabnit, one at Moreno, San Pablo and Sto.Nino), Aglipayan Church, and Other Protestant denominations.

 

Poverty incidence of Binalonan

 

Binalonan, belonging to the fifth congressional district of the province of Pangasinan, is governed by a mayor designated as its local chief executive and by a municipal council as its legislative body in accordance with the Local Government Code. The mayor, vice mayor, and the councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being held every three years.

 

The topmost structure depicted on the municipal seal is an image of the municipality's Municipal Hall. Below it on the left is a depiction of the antenna of Digital Communications, the center of communications for Regions I, II and CAR.

Beside the antenna is a representation of a subsidiary source of income in Binalonan: the raising of chickens and hogs. At the bottom, the left image is that of rice stalks, the municipality's main product. Beside it is the picture of a sugar cane, which is the main ingredient for Binalonan's top products — basi, suka and muskuvado (brown sugar). The shield encasing these images means that Binalonan is under the province of Pangasinan.

Members of the Municipal Council (2019–2022):^[20]

• Congressman: Ramon V. Guico III
• Mayor: Ramon N. Guico Jr.
• Vice-Mayor: Melicio F. Patague II
• Councilors:
  • Glory Jovelyn G. Manaois
  • Josephine D. Caburnay
  • Noel Apolinario O. Bautista
  • Bryan Louie R. Balangue
  • Ryan G. Gotoc
  • Jerry J. Aradanas
  • Lorenzo R. Tambo
  • Ernesto T. Buquing

Binalonan figures prominently in the novel America is in the Heart by Filipino-American writer Carlos Bulosan, who was born in Binalonan. The first part of the semi-autobiographical novel features the struggles of Allos, the novel's main character, as he grows up as the son of a peasant farmer in Binalonan. The town has a memorial and street named after Bulosan just north of the municipal hall and town market.

 

 

Binalonan Rock Garden defines the town with century-old acacia trees guarding the walking pavements, benches, Balikbayan Hall, basketball court and the pathway towards the historic Santo Niño Parish Church.

The town's interesting points include:

• The Santo Niño Parish Church is the town's landmark and Spanish colonial architectural legacy
• Mount Paldingan Stations of the Cross in Barangay Santa Catalina^[5]
• The town has a central transport terminal, a Bagsakan Center (wholesale trade) library and community eCenter
• The New Market Shed and Food Terminal were opened on 27 September 2012
• The Binalonan Airfield and Binalonan airport
• Balon-Balon Festival and Fiesta
• Rupertos Inland Resort
• Balangobong field
• Binalonan Fiesta - vibrant festival with various activities and street performers

 

The 1841 (19th century architecture) Santo Niño Parish Church, in under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, Roman Catholic Diocese of Urdaneta. Its Feast Day is 3rd Sunday of January, with Parish Priest, Father Elisar Christopher M. Itchon and Parochial Vicar, Father Jun G. Laya and Vicar Forane, Father Elpidio F. Silva Jr.^{[21][22][23][24]}

Fr. Julian Izaga founded San Felipe, the origin of the Church and town freed from Manaoag since 1834, and moved to Santa Catalina, where he built church and a convent of light materials. Fr. Ramon Fernandez transferred the town in 1938 to the present site..

The Dominicans founded Binalonan Parish in 1841, under Kura Paroko, Fr. Domingo Llue and then, by Fr,. Policarpio Illana who began construction of the Church in 1842.

Fr. Antonio Vinelas erected in 1855 a bigger church, with Fr. Ruperto Alarcon's construction in 1861. Fr. Juan Fernandez (1861-1865) built a provisional church. In 1866–1873, Fr. Felix Cantador added old convent walls, while Fr. P.del Campo finished the Church. In 1879,

The October 19, 1881 typhoon destroyed the 1879 Church. Father Silvestre Fernandez added the 3 naves rehabilitation due to the earthquake of 1882. The Church was placed under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of El Santisimo Nombre de Jesus. In the Hispano-American War the church was destroyed.

After the 1898 Revolution, Fr. Mariano Pacis became the Pastor of Manaoag and Binalonan, but it was Fr. Pio Mabutas who finished the Church in 1930. The Japanese destroyed the Church except the miraculous image of Santo Niño.

Fr. Pablo Evangelista rehabilitated the Church in 1946 and Fr. Leon Bitanga reconstructed in until 1961, founding the Holy Child Academy.

It was only on January 30, 2008, that the Church's marker was imposed upon generous donations of New York and New Jersey Binalonans (Joey and Remy Castelo-Sellona and Drs. Jose and Violy Quintos. (Source: Church marker, 2008).^{[24] [25][26][27][28][29]}

• Hospitals:
• Rural Health Unit/Centers: 8
• Barangay Health Stations: 24
• Malnutrition Rate: 9.06%
• Severely Underweight: 1.17%
• Moderately Underweight: 7.88%
• No. of Day Care Workers: 29
• No. of Day Care Centers: 29
• No. of Day Care Children: 544
• Contraceptive Prevalence Rate: 51%

Surveys show that 8,238 homes in Binalonan have water-sealed sewer/septic tank toilets which are used exclusively by members of the household.

Garbage is disposed of through burning.

Other education centers include the WCC Aeronautical and Technological College (World Citi Colleges, (WCC) Aviation Company), an expansive facility which contains the Binalonan Airfield), St. Michael de Archangel College, Manantan Technical School, Holy Child Academy parochial school and Juan G. Macaraeg National High School.

WCC Aeronautical and Technological College, the aeronautical school that sits at the heart of Binalonan, Pangasinan.^[30] It also has the College of Engineering and Aviation Technology, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Tourism, and Flight Attendant Course. It offers the Flight Navigator Trainers Procedure II with MRO facilities, including its Airbus A320 full flight simulator.^[31]

Notable people who either were born or resided in Binalonan include:

• Carlos Bulosan, Filipino-American writer best known for the novel America is in the Heart
• Eva Macapagal, spouse of 9th President Diosdado Macapagal, and mother of 14th President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.^[5]
• Leo Soriano - former bishop of United Methodist Church in the Philippines (2000-2012).

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Binalonan.

• Official website
• Municipal Profile at the National Competitiveness Council of the Philippines
• Binalonan at the Pangasinan Government Website Archived 2017-03-02 at the Wayback Machine
• Local Governance Performance Management System
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information