Binalonan

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Binalonan
Municipality
Municipality of Binalonan
Town hall
Flag Seal
Map of Pangasinan with Binalonan highlighted
show OpenStreetMap Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Binalonan Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 16°03′N 120°36′E / 16.05°N 120.6°E / 16.05; 120.6Coordinates: 16°03′N 120°36′E / 16.05°N 120.6°E / 16.05; 120.6
Country	Philippines
Region	Ilocos Region
Province	Pangasinan
District	5th district
Founded	February 18, 1872
Barangays	24 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Ramon N. Guico Jr.
• Vice Mayor	Melicio F. Patague II
• Representative	Ramon V. Guico III
• Municipal Council	show Members Glory Jovelyn G. Manaois Josephine D. Caburnay Noel Apolinario O. Bautista Bryan Louie R. Balangue Bryan B. Gotoc Jerry J. Aradanas Lorenzo R. Tambo Ernesto T. Buquing
• Electorate	36,727 voters (2019)
Area [2]
• Total	47.57 km2 (18.37 sq mi)
Elevation	40 m (130 ft)
Highest elevation	149 m (489 ft)
Lowest elevation	23 m (75 ft)
Population  (2020 census) [3]
• Total	56,382
• Density	1,200/km2 (3,100/sq mi)
• Households	12,655
Economy
• Income class	1st municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	8.82% (2015)[4]
• Revenue	₱154,540,126.71 (2016)
Service provider
• Electricity	Pangasinan 3 Electric Cooperative (PANELCO 3)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	2436
PSGC	015512000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)75
Climate type	tropical monsoon climate
Native languages	Pangasinan Ilocano Tagalog
Website	www.binalonan.gov.ph

Binalonan, officially the Municipality of Binalonan (Pangasinan: Baley na Binalonan; Ilocano: Ili ti Binalonan; Tagalog: Bayan ng Binalonan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 56,382 people. ^[3]

One of Binalonan's natives is the Filipino-American writer Carlos Bulosan, who wrote brief descriptions of the town's history and people in his semi-autobiographical novel entitled America is in the Heart. The town has a memorial and street named after him just north of the municipal hall and town market. It is also the hometown of Evangelina de la Cruz Macaraeg Macapagal, spouse of 9th President Diosdado Macapagal, and mother of 14th President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.^[5]

Geography[]

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.

Land classification[]

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

Soil type[]

There are 5 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.

Rivers[]

Binalonan has 2 major rivers: the Aloragat River and Tagamusing River. It also has minor rivers, including the San Pablo Creek, Tuboy River, Palma Creek, the Camambogan Creek and Balisa Creek.

Barangays[]

Binalonan is subdivided into 24 barangays.

Climate[]

Demographics[]

Population census of Binalonan

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1903	14,603	—
1918	17,392	+1.17%
1939	19,736	+0.60%
1948	23,361	+1.89%
1960	25,651	+0.78%
1970	32,441	+2.37%
1975	34,726	+1.37%
1980	35,574	+0.48%
1990	43,839	+2.11%
1995	44,490	+0.28%
2000	48,967	+2.08%
2007	52,722	+1.02%
2010	52,832	+0.08%
2015	54,555	+0.61%
2020	56,382	+0.65%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [7] [8] [9][10]

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.

Economy[]

Poverty Incidence of Binalonan
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[11][12][13][14][15][16]

History[]

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.^[17]

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.

Local government[]

Binalonan's Chief Executive is Mayor .

Municipal seal[]

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.

Tourism[]

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 Nino Parish Church.

The town's interesting points include:

• The Santo Nino 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
• Razons Binalonan owned by Edna "Perlita" Tink

Parish of the Holy Child Church[]

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.^{[18][19][20][21]}

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 Nino.

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).^{[21] [22][23][24][25][26]}

Infrastructure[]

Healthcare[]

• 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%

Sanitation[]

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.

Education (SY 2009 to 2009)[]

	Elementary	Secondary
Number of schools
Government	22	6
Private	6	2
Total enrollment
Government	7,376	3,729
Private	919	113
Number of teachers	287	169
Number of classrooms	295	109

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 .

WCC Aeronautical and Technological College, the aeronautical school that sits at the heart of Binalonan, Pangasinan.^[27] 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.^[28]

Portrayals of Binalonan in literature and media[]

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.

Notable people[]

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
• Evangelina de la Cruz Macaraeg Macapagal, spouse of 9th President Diosdado Macapagal, and mother of 14th President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.^[5]

Image gallery[]

• 

  1960 Gate and the Town Hall

• 

  Most beautiful Park, 1968

• 

  Highway

• 

  Public Market

• 

  Business Center

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Binalonan.

• Official website
• Binalonan Profile at PhilAtlas.com
• 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