Calasiao

The name Calasiao was derived from the root word lasi, meaning "lightning". Building on this root is the Pangasinense word Kalasian, which means "a place where lightning frequently occurs". Upon the arrival of the Spaniards, they called the place "Lugar de Rayos", a literal Spanish translation of the word Kalasian. It was named as such because it is said that Calasiao back in the day was always frequented by this natural phenomenon.

The indigenous people of Calasiao are descended from the Austronesian-speaking people who settled into the Philippines from Taiwan 5,000 years ago. Calasiao was settled by a Pangasinan speaking people whose language belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian languages family.

In 1571, the Spanish conquest of Pangasinan began. The Spanish conquistadores were accompanied by Roman Catholic missionaries who introduced Roman Catholicism to the indigenous peoples of Pangasinan. The town of Calasiao became part of the Pangasinan encomendia of Labaya, designated as belonging to the King of Spain, Juan Ximenez del Opaline, and a son of Alonso Hernandez de Sandoval for whom tributes were collected.[https://web.archive.org/web/20120928060134/http://www.calasiao.gov.ph/2012-03-25-06-27-18/brief-history.html]

In the 16th century, Dominican friars, who were settling at Gabon, were driven out because of the continuing unrest in the town. The formation of the new Calasiao however was not immediately welcomed by its native inhabitants.

Hence in 1660, when the call for the Malong Rebellion came, the citizens picked up their weapons and joined the fight against the Spanish rule. The citizens were also one of the first people to answer the call by Juan de la Cruz Palaris of Binalatongan (now San Carlos City) to rebel, which succeeded in driving the Spanish civil and ecclesiastical authorities out of the vicinity.

Calasiao is politically subdivided into 24 barangays.{{cite web|title=Province: PANGASINAN |url=http://www.nscb.gov.ph/activestats/psgc/province.asp?regName=REGION+I+%28Ilocos+Region%29®Code=01&provCode=015500000&provName=PANGASINAN |work=PSGC Interactive |publisher=National Statistical Coordination Board |access-date=November 26, 2012 |location=Makati, Philippines |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114165526/http://www.nscb.gov.ph/activestats/psgc/province.asp?regName=REGION+I+%28Ilocos+Region%29®Code=01&provCode=015500000&provName=PANGASINAN |archive-date=November 14, 2012 }} Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}

• Ambonao
• Ambuetel
• Banaoang
• Bued
• Buenlag†
• Cabilocaan
• Dinalaoan
• Doyong
• Gabon
• Lasip
• Longos
• Lumbang
• Macabito
• Malabago
• Mancup
• Nagsaing
• Nalsian
• Poblacion East
• Poblacion West^
• Quesban
• San Miguel
• San Vicente
• Songkoy
• Talibaew

{{div col end}}

• † Indicates the most populous barangay.
• ^ The seat of government

{{Weather box

|location = Calasiao, Pangasinan

|width=auto

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

| Jan high C = 31

| Feb high C = 31

| Mar high C = 33

| Apr high C = 34

| May high C = 34

| Jun high C = 33

| Jul high C = 32

| Aug high C = 31

| Sep high C = 31

| Oct high C = 32

| Nov high C = 31

| Dec high C = 31

| Jan low C = 21

| Feb low C = 21

| Mar low C = 23

| Apr low C = 25

| May low C = 25

| Jun low C = 25

| Jul low C = 25

| Aug low C = 24

| Sep low C = 24

| Oct low C = 24

| Nov low C = 23

| Dec low C = 22

| Jan precipitation mm = 4.3

| Jan rain days = 3

| Feb precipitation mm = 19.1

| Feb rain days = 2

| Mar precipitation mm = 27.3

| Mar rain days = 3

| Apr precipitation mm = 45.2

| Apr rain days = 5

| May precipitation mm = 153.3

| May rain days = 14

| Jun precipitation mm = 271.3

| Jun rain days = 17

| Jul precipitation mm = 411.1

| Jul rain days = 22

| Aug precipitation mm = 532

| Aug rain days = 23

| Sep precipitation mm = 364.4

| Sep rain days = 21

| Oct precipitation mm = 182.5

| Oct rain days = 13

| Nov precipitation mm = 56.3

| Nov rain days = 7

| Dec precipitation mm = 24.4

| Dec rain days = 4

|source 1 = World Weather Online (Use with caution: this is modeled/calculated data, not measured locally.)

{{cite web

| url = http://www.worldweatheronline.com/Calasiao-weather-averages/Pangasinan/PH.aspx

| title = Calasiao, Pangasinan: Average Temperatures and Rainfall

| publisher = World Weather Online

| access-date = September 26, 2015}}

| date=September 2015}}

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| footnote= Source: Philippine Statistics Authority{{PH census|2015}}{{PH census|2010}}{{PH census|2007}}{{LWUA population data}}

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The people in Calasiao speak Pangasinan, the dominant language in central Pangasinan. Ilocano, Tagalog, and English are also widely spoken.

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{{PH poverty incidence}}

File:Calasiao11fjf.JPG

Calasiao is centrally located in Pangasinan, between Dagupan and San Carlos City, with a major road connecting Calasiao to both cities. The town is also connected to Santa Barbara, from where the MacArthur Highway connects to Baguio City and Metro Manila.

Calasiao has rich farmlands planted mainly with palay or rice, coconuts and mangoes. Calasiao also has a lot of fishponds along its rivers and wetlands where fish like bangus (milkfish), pantat (catfish), and tilapia are raised. A Coca-Cola Bottlers plant is located in Purok 7 Barangay Bued Calasiao.

In June 2010, Robinsons Malls announced the construction of its 30th mall in this town. Robinsons Place Pangasinan is a two-level mall built on a {{convert|5.8|ha}} lot with a gross floor area of {{convert|31900|m2}} and a gross leasable area of {{convert|23000|m2}}.

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{{main|Sangguniang Bayan}}

Calasiao, belonging to the third congressional district of the province of Pangasinan, is governed by a mayor designated as its local chief executive and by a municipal council as its legislative body in accordance with the Local Government Code. The mayor, vice mayor, and the councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being held every three years.

The town hall is located in front of the Roman Catholic convent of San Pedro y San Pablo de Calasiao, the same building as the shrine of Senor Divino Tesoro. The current mayor is Mamilyn A. Caramat, who took over the mayoralty post from Joseph Arman C. Bauzon, following his victory in the May 2022 elections. In January 2023, she died from stroke and Kevin Macanlalay took over as Mayor.{{cite web | url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1713915/calasiao-mayor-passes-away-due-to-stroke | title=Calasiao mayor passes away due to stroke | date=January 8, 2023 }}

The town is currently led by Mayor Kevin Roy Q. Macanlalay, Vice Nestor Gabrillo, and eight other councilors.[https://web.archive.org/web/20120928060433/http://www.calasiao.gov.ph/2012-03-25-06-11-35/2012-03-25-06-12-32/2012-03-26-21-05-36/lead-officials.html]

File:Calasiao Pangasinan 2.JPGCalasiao is known for its puto, a soft rice cake; suman, a sweet coconut and sticky rice cake wrapped in banana leaves; and bagoong, or fermented fish paste. Calasiao puto is described as the town's "white gold."{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}} Puto Calasiao is a bite-size, soft rice cake made from semi-glutinous rice that is fermented in earthen jars. It is produced mainly in Barangay Dinalaoan.

Many pilgrims from neighbouring cities/towns and provinces visit Calasiao to pray at the Senor Divino Tesoro shrine. The statue of a crucified Jesus Christ is believed to grow in size and grant miracles.

{{Main|Puto Calasiao}}

File:Calasiao11gjf.JPG

Calasiao celebrates a puto industry festival. The Puto Calasiao is a rice cake that is well known all over the Philippines for its melt-in-the-mouth feeling. It is locally sold along the streets going to Sr. Divino Tesoro.{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}}

It is known for its "white gold": "cup-shaped, bite-sized, soft rice cakes; the semi-glutinous rice is fermented in old earthen jars" (in the barangays of Dinalaoan, Lumbang, Ambuetel, and a part of Nalsian).{{Cite news |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/topstories/topstories/view/20080503-134365/Free-puto-as-Pangasinan-town-celebrates-rice-cake-festival |title=Inquirer.net, Free puto as Pangasinan town celebrates rice cake festival |access-date=May 3, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527175757/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/topstories/topstories/view/20080503-134365/Free-puto-as-Pangasinan-town-celebrates-rice-cake-festival |archive-date=May 27, 2008 |url-status=dead }}

Puto Calasiao is made of long grain rice soaked in water, ground and fermented for three days of more, with just enough sugar to taste, and steamed. It can be topped with cheese or drizzled with chocolate syrup for variation. It is perfect to be paired with dinuguan.{{Cite web|url=http://www.asensopangasinan.com/festivals/puto-festival-of-calasiao/|title = Puto Festival of Calasiao|date = October 6, 2010}} The town has the traditional white puto and many flavors like pandan (green), ube (violet), banana (yellow), strawberry (light red/pink) and cheese (gold).

The original white puto and kutsinta (another rice cake variety) is sold at P80 per kilogram (70 to 75 pieces), while the flavored ones are sold at P80 per kg. The price is higher by P15 to P20 in other areas to cover transportation costs.

Bella's Puto consumes three to six sacks of rice a day to make puto, depending on the season. Peak production period is from October to January. A sack of rice can produce 8,000 pieces or 107 kg of puto. Bella's Puto is sold at four SM shopping mall branches, in Santa Mesa (Manila), Baliwag (Bulacan), Clark (Pampanga) and Rosales (Pangasinan). It is also sold in a store in Caloocan and at the Pasalubong Center in Rosales town.{{Cite news |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|url=http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view/20090816-220505/United-colors-of-Calasiao-puto |title=Business - United colors of Calasiao puto - INQUIRER.net |access-date=November 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111228164436/http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view/20090816-220505/United-colors-of-Calasiao-puto |archive-date=December 28, 2011 |url-status=dead }}

Bocayo (sweetened coconut) and dinuguan are also the best products of Nalsian Bacayao and Nalsian Centro. Calasiao celebrates its town fiesta every May 2 and 3: the feast day of Señor Divino Tesoro. Every June 28 and 29 is the fiesta of San Pedro and San Pablo, which were the dates of the Calasiao fiesta.

• Mitoy Yonting

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category|Calasiao}}

• [https://www.philatlas.com/luzon/r01/pangasinan/calasiao.html Calasiao Profile at PhilAtlas.com]
• {{official website|http://www.calasiao.gov.ph/}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20170702112730/http://www.competitive.org.ph/cmcindex/pages/profile/?lgu=Calasiao Municipal Profile at the National Competitiveness Council of the Philippines]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20111028164348/http://www.pangasinan.gov.ph/the-province/cities-and-municipalities/calasiao/ Calasiao at the Pangasinan Government Website]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20161010201809/http://www.blgs.gov.ph/lgpmsv2/cmshome/index.php?pageID=23 Local Governance Performance Management System]
• [{{NSCB detail}} Philippine Standard Geographic Code]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20081120024509/http://www.census.gov.ph/data/census2007/index.html Philippine Census Information]

{{Geographic location

| Centre = Calasiao

| North = Dagupan

| Northeast = Mangaldan

| East = Santa Barbara

| South = San Carlos

| Southeast = Malasiqui

| West = Binmaley

}}

{{Pangasinan}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Municipalities of Pangasinan

Category:1592 establishments in the Philippines

Category:Populated places established in 1592