Lingayen

Lingayen, officially the Municipality of Lingayen (Baley na Lingayen; Ili ti Lingayen; Bayan ng Lingayen), is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 107,728 people. It is the capital and the seat of government of the province of Pangasinan. Lingayen was a strategic point during World War II. It is also the birthplace of former President Fidel V. Ramos. The Augustinian missionaries and the Spanish conquistadores drew a plan of Lingayen in 1614 and Lingayen was founded. The founders named the town Lingayen at the suggestion of natives themselves, due to a certain corpulent tamarind tree growing on the present town plaza at that time. The tree was exceptionally big, tall, and spreading; that the surrounding trees were just drafts in comparison. Passers-by developed the habit of looking back and back again at this corpulent tree until it would vanish from their rear view. When they arrived home and were asked what way they took in returning they would simply say "through Liñgayen". The word "Liñgayen" was from the Pangasinan language word "lingawen" meaning " to look back". Since then up to the present time the town bears its name as Lingayen. Lingayen became the capital of Pangasinan when the province became an encomienda. During World War II, Lingayen was invaded by the Japanese forces as one of the main targets due to being a gateway to the central plains of Central Luzon to race for the capital of Manila. During the occupation, Lingayen was a hotspot of US-sponsored guerrillas under Russell Volckmann. On November 22, 1942, the guerrillas burned the bridge at Baay, Lingayen when the Japanese forces started conducting their mopping operations the same day. On January 9, 1945, Lingayen was where the Allied armies landed during the Invasion of Lingayen Gulf after the guerrillas have informed MacArthur that the Japanese had only a small presence in the area, giving the impression of being a safe place for the American incoming landing.