Bayambang gearing to become a socioeconomic powerhouse

Town poised for accelerated growth as its marks 410th anniversary

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Today, April 1, Bayambang, a first-class municipality in Pangasinan, begins a six-day celebration of its 410th founding anniversary with an activity-filled town fiesta. However, this week's festivities will be significantly different from the fiestas of previous years because instead of just remembering the town's glorious past, they will mark the start of an exciting phase in its growth Bayambang's accelerated rise as a dynamic business center.

This theme year's fiesta "Magangganan Bayambang: Nidumaduma, which means "Beautiful Bayambang: In a Class All its Own," is certainly appropriate for a town that definitely has a lot to celebrate and be thankful for.

To begin with, Bayambang has a noble history and a rich culture.

In November 1899, it became the fifth capital of the First Philippine Republic that was headed by Emilio Aguinaldo. It was also in Bautista, then a barrio of the town, where Jose Palma wrote the lyrics of the Philippine national anthem.

It is the home of Binasuan, an iconic Philippine folk dance. It is also home to the makers of what Bayambangueños claim to be the best fish buro, a Filipino dish consisting of cooked rice and fermented fish, including a one-of-a-kind odorless variety.

But aside from an impressive past, Bayambang also has an equally impressive present characterized by a rapid and steady economic growth that is propelling it to an even more impressive future.

Growing Commercial Sector

Though still essentially an agricultural economy that is widely known for its corn and onion production, the town, thanks to its enlightened and forward-looking leadership, is also fast becoming a thriving commercial center.