MUNICIPALITY OF ASINGAN (Pangasinan), History and Folkways of
[Note to the reader: Quite a few pages of the original document of this history on file at the digital library of the National Library of the Philippines are torn in places. Where it is not possible to infer from context any missing word or words, the notice [torn] will be inserted.]
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THE HISTORY OF ASINGAN
The municipality lying in the Agno Valley of eastern Pangasinan, a part of the Central Plain of Luzon, has been officially named Asingan.
The word Asingan was derived from the word "Asiñgan," meaning a place where people are always hostile and antagonistic toward others. It has been said that the first settlers of the place, the Aetas, had been driven away, and the Malays, who were more advanced and civilized, occupied the settlement. These immigrants prospered and expanded. However, the Aetas came back now and then to reclaim their land, but they were repulsed every time they did so. They were chased and maltreated when captured. Other settlers tried to come to the place, but the first comers were antagonistic and hostile to them.
Then, the Spaniards came. They found the same settlement with the same attitude of the people. The Spaniards gave it the name "Villa de Asingan" to the place. To date, the place is called Asingan. Asingan is now a municipality with fifteen barrios, namely: Bantog, Toboy, Cabalitian, Carosucan Norte and Sur, Sanchez, Baro, Domanpot, Calepaan, Sobol, Coldit, Dupac, San Vicente, and Ariston. Bantog and Toboy are the largest.
The whole set of the town is favorably located on a productive plain. The people engage in farming with the Agno River as a good irrigating system. The people also engage in minor home industries such as fishing, weaving, rope-making basketry, and lumbering [torn] engage in the 4-H club project.
[This bottom paragraph of the page is basically completely torn and, therefore, cannot be transcribed in a manner that will be intelligible.]
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[torn] Toboy and Bantog are the biggest [torn] teachers, a principal, and a janitor. Cabalitian is next [torn] teachers, a principal, and a janitor. The central school has two sites, one in the Poblacion, with Building No. 1 for the primary classes, and the other in the barrio of Dupac, about five meters away from the Poblacion, with Building No. 2 for the intermediate classes, and a forty-five meter long temporary building.
The municipality also has two private high schools, the Rizal Junior Colleges and the Pacifican Institute of Asingan. Each has a good yearly enrolment. There are also two vocational schools. They are the School of Fashion and Household Arts. These vocational schools offer courses in dressmaking, hair science, and interior decoration. The Pacifican Institute of Asingan, aside from its high school curriculum, offers also courses in Liberal Arts.
NAMES OF ALCALDES DURING THE SPANISH REGIME
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1782 1783 1784 1785 1786 1787 1788 1789 1790 1791 1792 1793 1794 1795 1796 1797 1798 1799 1800 1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 |
Don Bartolome Cabonacan Don Francisco Jover Don Diego Mariano Don Vicente Salinas Don Raymundo Butuyan Don Pedro Somera Don Pascual Somalang Don Diego Mariano Don Manuel Crespo Don Francisco Jover Don Manuel Arcangel Don Pascual Magalong Don Manuel de Guzman Don Pascual de los Santos Don Pascual Magalong Don Manuel Arcangel Don Domingo Calimlim Don Pedro del Rosario Don Cristobal Cabonacan Don Cristobal Lopez Don Pascual Soles Don Dristobal Cabonacan Don Pedro del Rosario Don Pascual Soles Don Manuel Maglo Don Bartolome Butuyan Don Pascual Soles |
1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 |
Don Salvador Sebastian Don Rafael Sambrano Don Juan Geronimo Don Domingo Diaz Don Alejandro Robles Don Salvador Sebastian Don Jose Suyat Don Francisco Apelo Manuel Don Cristobal de la Cruz Don Fernando Mercado Don Pedro Ylora Don Faustino Malong Don Francisco Abalahin Don Vicente Nances Don Gelacio Orebriga Don Francisco Amansec Don Lucas Bugayong Don Flaviano de Vera Don Silvino Espiritu Don Vicente Acosta Don Mariano Jave Don Ambrosio Escorpiso Don Juan Bauzon Don Nicolas Malong
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Domingo Bautista
"
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[torn] 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 |
[torn] Don Jose Cabies Don Sebastian de Salinas Don Tomas Cagao Don Pablo Lopez Don Pedro del Rosario Don Jose Cabies Don Antonio Malong Don Sebastian de Salinas Don Simon Butuyan Don Bartolome Butuyan Don Jacinto Cabonacan Don Salvador Sebastian Don Rafael Sambrano Don Rafael Rivera Don Raymundo Butuyan Don Fransisco Apelo Manuel Don Bartolome Alfonso Don Jose Macaraeg Don Andres Crespo Don Eusebio Malong Don Jose Bugayong Don Juan Sicong Don Domingo de la Cruz Don Jose Bugayong Don Francisco Apelo Manuel |
1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 |
Don Manuel Calimlim
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Don Pedro Butuyan
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Don Vicente Froylan
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Don Matias Presto
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Don Saturnino Butuyan
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Don Tomas Presto
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Don Eusebio Bugayonjg
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Don Vicente Fariñas
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Don Ramon de Guzman
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Don Hermogenes Abalahin
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Don Cirilo Salcedo
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Don Doroteo Suratos
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Don Jose Malong
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Don Serapion Altre
" " |
NAMES OF PRESIDENTES
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1902-1903 1904 1905 1906-1907 1908-1909 1910-1911 1912-1915 1916-1918 1919-1920 1921-1923 1924-1925 1925-1926 1927-1929 1930-1932 1933-1935 |
Don Placido Ramos Don Leandro Soloria Don Benito Casemiro Don Francisco Cerezo Don Placido Ramos Don Basilio Ignacio Don Moises Malong Don Hermenegildo Velasco Don Teodorico Bauzon Don Pedro Rasiles Don Donato Costes (Died during his term) Don Gregorio Velasco (Vice-Presidente) Don Teodulo Victorio Don Moises Malong Don Gregorio Velasco |
NAMES OF PRESIDENT DURING THE COMMONWEALTH
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1933-1938 1939-1941 |
Don Dalmacio E. Guillermo Don Servillano Alejo |
DURING THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION
| 1942-1945 |
Don Servillano Alejo (Killed by the Japanese) Don Marcos Velasco continued the term. |
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AFTER LIBERATION
| 1945 | Don Gregorio Velasco (Early liberation) |
| 1946-1947 | Don Roman Palisoc being the Vice-President of Don Servillano Alejo during the term 1939-1941 assumed office. But Don Moises Malong was appointed by the President, Hon. Sergio Osmeña. Asingan had two (2) Mayors for almost three (3) months, after which the rightful heir to the office, Don Roman Palisoc, resumed his office until the elections of 1948. |
| 1948-1951 | Don Simon Z. Cardinez |
There are two dominating political parties in this municipality, namely: the Liberal Party and the Nationalista Party. Their local strengths are evenly balanced, one winning alternately over the other in the previous elections. But for national offices, the Liberal Party predominates.
There were 7773 registered voters during the 1948 elections.
The peace and problem in this town is not as disturbing as in other places. Except for the little incident in Macalong, a barrio about a kilometer away from the Poblacion, where a supposed Huk was killed by a PC patrol in April 1951, the people live peacefully and contentedly. The Asingan people are not molested in their struggle for life.
HISTORICAL SITES, STRUCTURES, BUILDINGS, OLD RUINS, ETC.
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during the early part of the American occupation. The Salcedo Building, now housing the Rizal Junior Colleges, still stands in the western part of the Poblacion. Like the Fariñas Building, it is made of brick as its foundation and well-seasoned wood materials. The Roman Catholic church at the center of the town, though the interior part is now quite modernized, is still a replica of the old Spanish influence. Labor and materials for this church and the ruined convent were furnished by the townspeople by force.
IMPORTANT FACTS, EVENTS OR INCIDENTS
DURING THE SPANISH OCCUPATION
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[torn] return, he was made not to continue to Asingan [torn] already occupied by the Katipuneros.
EVENTS DURING THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION
During the American occupation, public schools were established in the poblacion which later spread to the barrios. The Gabaldon building in the central was constructed in 1912 and the annex completed sometime in 1917. Compulsory education for the primary level was, for the first time, enforced. The educational system of the United States was copied in the Philippines and such fundamental subjects as Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and Geography were taught for the first time. Among the first public school teachers in Asingan were the late Mr. Teodorico Bauzon, Mr. Moises Malong, and Mr. Zaragosa, the father of the Zaragosa family.
In 1920, there was a big flood in Asingan, the biggest flood in many years. Most of the barrios were flooded except the town plaza, where most of the barrio people came for safety. Most of the fields, especially in Bantog and Ariston, were either eroded or covered in sand and stone. The Chico River, a branch of the Agno River, caused the greatest damage to property in the eastern part of the town. People whose lands were destroyed by the flood emigrated to the Cagayan Valley to acquire other lands. This caused a great flow of people from Asingan to Isabela. Thus, the progress of these two barrios has been greatly retarded.
EVENTS DURING WORLD WAR II
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then the Japanese garrison, on the night of August 3, 1943. This incident was the offshoot of the massacre of the Japanese cotton inspector, which happened in front of the Primary School Building sometime before August of that year. He was suspected of being connected with the guerrillas. He could have escaped had he chosen, but he stuck to his post. He died another hero of World War II.
DESTRUCTION OF LIVES, PROPERTIES, AND INSTITUTIONS DURING
WARS, ESPECIALLY in 1896-1900 and 1941-1945
Asingan was among the towns of the Philippines that underwent colossal experiences during the turbulent years of 1896-1900 and 1941-1945. The former was characterized by hanging, beheading, and torturing by any means, persons implicated by the KKK. It was terribly worst during the latter. The inhabitants were subjected to all sorts of inhuman and brutal liquidation. It was so because the people were sandwiched between the two hanging swords of Damocles, those of the Japanese forces on the one hand, and those of the underground forces (guerrillas) on the other hand. Hundreds of lives were unspared, the crooks, civilians, and persons in authority as well. The death of the late Mayor Servillano Alejo was one, a memorable but notorious example of the many cases. He was made to drink several gallons of water. And the trunk, when loaded to its maximum, was made the landing board of a dozen Japanese soldiers, who stepped and jumped upon him one after the other. He also received merciless blows from fists and clubs. A victim of mere suspicion, he died a martyr's fate. Many a life met the same fate. The third degree method of the worst order was also employed on many suspects.
As to properties, Asingan suffered a great deal. Upon the arrival of the Japanese forces, nearly all the houses, especially those in the Poblacion, were cleared of their contents. The inhabitants, upon their return from the evacuation camps, had to be satisfied, only to see their homes empty. During the full period
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of the Japanese occupation, the inhabitants were deprived of their belongings. Their food-animals and fowls, from time to time, were confiscated by the Japs, rationed to the genuine guerrillas, and searched off by fake guerrillas. Really, life was very hard.
MEASURES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS TOWARD REHABILITATION AND RE-
CONSTRUCTION FOLLOWING WORLD WAR II
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PART II - FOLKWAYS
TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS, AND PRACTICES IN DOMESTIC AND SOCIAL LIFE; BIRTHS, BAPTISM, COURTSHIP, MARRIAGE, DEATH, BURIAL, VISITS, FESTIVALS, PUNISHMENTS, ETC.
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SUPERSTITIONS
1. Big lizards coming up the house bring bad luck, but snakes in the house mean good fortune.
2. Sleeping with cats is a good protection from ghosts, believing that ghosts are afraid of cats.
3. Death coming at sundown means a hard life on the part of those left behind, but death coming at sunrise means an easy life.
4. Giving food, drinks, tobacco, and cakes to certain spirits will cure the sick.
5. A howling dog means a ghost around.
6. Mooing cattle at night means death in the neighborhood.
7. Crowing hens mean elopement or an unmarried lady is on the family way.
8. Dreaming of a party in the house means death.
9. Dreaming of bathing in the river means a cold.
10. Dreaming of chickens pecking at you means a snake will bite you soon.
11. Carrying things on the head when a member of the family has just died is a cause of the constant shaking of the head.
12. Washing hands in boiled guave leaves after coming from any funeral will prevent the involuntary shaking of the hands.
13. Eating rounded things when the deceased is not yet buried is a cause of certain growths in the body.
14. No sweeping must be done when the deceased is still in the house as it will cause more deaths in the family.
15. The house lizard making noises at the door means a visitor.
16. The accidental dropping of silverware while setting the table or eating means visitors are on the way.
17. Bathing the cat and laughing at it will bring rain.
18. A woman on the family way must not sleep near an open window because an evil spirit will steal the child and will bring death to the mother.
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19. Singing in front of the stove while cooking will mean marriage to an old man.
20. A pregnant woman must not sleep on the floor without a mat.
21. A woman on the family way, when going out, must hand her hair loose.
22. It is also believed that the Agno River is the habitat of a cruel spirit who gets a person yearly as his sacrifice.
23. Giving birth during an eclipse brings death to the mother.
24. When the sun or moon is surrounded by a rainbow, it is a sign that a high government official will die.
25. A star just on the tip of a new moon means war.
26. When someone sneezes just when you go down the stairs, it means bad luck.
27. A black cat or a lizard crossing the street in front of you ride foretells an accident. The trip should be discontinued.
28. Burning old rags and sprinkling vinegar around the house will prevent the house from catching fire during lightning storms.
POPULAR SONGS, GAMES, AND AMUSEMENTS
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1. Songes 2. Cudo 3. San Pedro 4. Jumping 5. Piko-piko |
6. Juego de Anillo 7. Skipping Rope 8. Carabao, animal race |
2. Zarsuela
3. Folk Dances
4. Cansionan
PUZZLES AND RIDDLES
1. Bayabas nga bunga pito ti abut na.[p. 12]
6. [torn] natay, idi imbellengco nagbiag.
PROVERBS AND SAYINGS
1. Ti nasalucag isu ti agbiag.[p. 13]
7. Awan ti aggigem ti banga nga saan nga maugingan.[p. 14]
METHODS OF MEASURING TIME AND SPECIAL CALENDARS