On the shores of yesterday

Seated quietly on the balcony of our home in Bonuan Binloc, just a few meters from the Lingayen Gulf, memories come rushing back like the tide.

- JOSE DE VENECIA JR.

Now long retired from public office, we find ourself returning not to the thunder of parliamentary debates or the corridors of diplomacy, but to the soft echoes of childhood — to Dagupan as it once was.

We were 10 years old when our humble town became a city on June 20, 1947, by virtue of Republic Act No. 170, the City Charter of Dagupan, authored by the illustrious Pangasinense Eugenio Perez, Speaker of the House during the First and Second Congresses of the Republic and co-founder of the Liberal Party with President Manuel Roxas. Even then, history seemed to quietly unfold around us, though we were too young to grasp its full weight.

Our earliest memories of Dagupan were shaped by wide lowlands and muddy swamps cradled by the West Philippine Sea. With my brothers and cousins, we spent sun-soaked days chasing bangus, crabs, and shrimps in the fishponds before the summer rains arrived. These were days of mud-streaked faces, scraped knees, and unrestrained laughter days of freedom, independence, and youthful daring. We would sell our modest catch at the market, proud of the few coins we earned with our own hands.