April 5, 1580 is Pangasinan’s birthday
LINGAYEN–Finally, the province has a founding date to look back to.
Pangasinan Day is now April 15 after Governor Amado Espino Jr. signed the ordinance last week declaring April 5, 1580 as the official founding day of the province.
“I am the happiest guy today because this historical note unfolded during my term as governor,” Espino said during his meeting with the members of the special committee tasked to conduct the research.
He said the declaration of Pangasinan’s founding anniversary is like finding at last a long-lost birth or baptismal certificate.
The committee, formed by Espino last year, was headed by former Vice Governor Gonzalo Duque, president of Lyceum-Northwestern University.
(Erratum: The PUNCH mistakenly reported in its last issue that the province is 420 years old. It should be 430).
Members of the provincial board said establishing the founding day or the beginning of existence of every local government unit is very important as it enriches the cultural and historical heritage of the place and the people.
Duque, for his part, said, “irrespective of political affiliation, we are now united with the thought that we now know the real day when Pangasinan was born.”
Duque, after completing his task, was handpicked by the governor to head the organizing committee that will prepare for the celebration of the province’s 430th anniversary on April 5. This will be the province’s first time to celebrate its founding day.
In determining the date, the committee sifted records in various libraries, including those on file at the National Historical Institute. Pangasinan was determined to have become an encomienda on April 5, 1572 and an alcaldea (province) in 1580.
On that basis, the committee recommended April 5, 1580 as the official founding day of the province to commemorate two historic events: April 5 to celebrate the day when Pangasinan became an encomienda and 1580 to mark the year it became a province under the Spanish crown.
The committee was composed of historians, researches, members of the academe and media, representatives of different historical associations and government departments of the province.—LM
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
