SAN CARLOS CITY–This year’s celebration of Pangasinan Day was made unique. In addition to the usual program, participants were invited to partake of a variety of native cakes.

Students, municipal employees, teachers, the media and other guests were treated to snacks made of glutinous rice like bibingkan latik, palitaw, unda-unday, masikoy, kundandit, puto, bocayo, inangit, espasol, and malangwer, which this city is known for.

Performances of local songs and dances were also held and Pangasinan was strictly observed as the only language of communication for the day, even in all speeches delivered by guest speakers.

Mayor Julier Resuello of this city lauded the efforts of the Department of Education and the Marcelo Casillan Foundation for organizing a different way of celebrating the annual Pangasinan Day.

Pangasinan Heroes Day

Meanwhile, Resuello urged provincial officials to add into the Pangasinan Day celebration a program to honor local heroes in different towns and cities across the province.

Governor Amado Espino Jr. earlier issued an order renaming November 13 as Pangasinan Heroes’ Day.

The yearly celebration held in this city for the last 19 years is in honor of the late Speaker Eugenio Perez, the first speaker of the House of Representatives who hailed here.

“The other local heroes also deserve equal honor and recognition for the people to emulate on this celebration” Resuello said.

Resuello also proposed that the event be hosted by other towns and cities in succeeding years to make the celebration more meaningful for the entire province.

Republic Act 6721 enacted on March 20,1989 declared November 13 of each year as special public holiday in Pangasinan for the birth anniversary of Perez.#

Dagupan honors

late Speaker Perez

Dagupan also celebrated Pangasinan Day on Thursday, November 13, through a simple ceremony honoring the late Speaker Eugenio Perez Sr.

Acting Mayor Belen Fernandez, City Administrator Alvin Fernandez and Punong Barangay Salvacion Bravo of Barangay Herrero-Perez East, where a memorial park for Perez is located, participated in a simple wreath-laying ceremony.

The afternoon wreath-laying ceremony marked the city’s solidarity with the rest of Pangasinan in the observance of Perez’s 112th birth anniversary.

Acting Mayor Fernandez paid tribute to the late Speaker saying Dagupenos – past, present and future generations — owe much to Perez for helping nurture the city into what it is now.

With his vision, Dagupan was transformed into a big city metropolis that is now the center of trade, commerce and education north of Manila, she said,

Perez, representative of the then Second District of Pangasinan, authored Republic Act 170 that converted the municipality of Dagupan into a chartered city on June 20, 1947, and now celebrated as Dagupan Day.

Hailing Perez as a Father of Dagupan, City Administrator Fernandez said RA 170 set the tone of development in Dagupan.

One of two principal streets of the city is named Perez Boulevard and a Perez Market is also named in honor of the Speaker.

Perez Boulevard was built in 1948 mostly on reclaimed swamplands to address the increasing number of commercial establishments on Torres Bugallon Avenue (now Angel B. Fernandez Avenue) and the growing number of residents at the southern limits of the city.

Perez was a loyal, dedicated and life-long member and co-founder of the Liberal Party. A bar topnotcher, he first entered politics in 1926 when he was elected to the municipal council of his hometown, San Carlos.

In 1928, he was elected to the Philippine Legislature as a Representative of the Second District of Pangasinan. Perez would be re-elected to his congressional seat for eight consecutive terms.

Perez was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives when the 1st Congress of the Philippines convened later that year, and would serve as House Speaker throughout the 1st and 2nd Congresses.

Perez died in office in August 1957.—LM

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