Archives: Places

Distinguished by the statue of the longest running and twice-elected Pangasinan governor Aguedo Agbayani, the Governors Park is located directly across the Capitol Building, with more than a dozen of trees shading benches that are strategically scattered around the vicinity. The park opens out to a panorama of the Capitol Complex and its buildings like the Malong Building and Palaris Building, both of which were named after prominent Pangasinan heroes. There are also grassy areas where visitors can lay out blankets and have picnics or simply bask in the sun.

Unveiled in 2008 by Lingayen resident and former Philippine president Fidel V. Ramos, the Veterans Park is an open site reserved for World War II memorabilia such as tanks and fighter planes and exhibits to commemorate and preserve the participation and sacrifices of Filipino freedom fighters as well as their foreign allies.

The Provincial Capitol Building of Pangasinan is a neoclassical structure built in 1917 under the supervision of architect Ralph Harrington Doane during the term of Governor Daniel Maramba, the province’s seventh governor who was also known as the Grand Old Man of Pangasinan.  

The Capitol Building was severely damaged during World War II but was initially reconstructed in 1949 and was further rehabilitated from 2007 to 2008. The Capitol Building was deemed as one of the Eight Architectural Heritage treasures of the Philippines, which is now more than a centennial treasure. It was declared in 2003 by the Filipino Heritage Festival, a grantee of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and the only building outside of Metro Manila to be declared as such. 

The Sison Auditorium is a grand venue for events such as government meetings, international conventions, cultural shows, theater plays, graduations, and weddings, among others. It was built in 1926 simply as “Grand Provincial Auditorium” but it was eventually named after the late Governor Teofilo Sison, who was also the first Pangasinense to have become Secretary of National Defense. Its grand interior will leave visitors in awe.

Named after the legendary warrior princess of Pangasinan, the Urduja House is famously known as the official residence of the province’s governor. Its structure is inspired by Balinese origins and its rooms are intricately and elegantly designed. Currently, a painting of Princess Urduja by Romeo Mananquil welcomes visitors upon entering the building and for those who would want to see a different portrayal of the princess by Antonio Dumlao can be seen at the Bengson-Yuson Ancestral House.

Though the former president’s true ancestral house was destroyed during World War II, the Ramos Foundation built a replica in 1995, along the neighborhood of Primicias Street in Lingayen. The walls of the house are adorned with framed pictures of President Fidel V. Ramos’ family and his achievements in life, as well as other family memorabilia. Since the former president and his family moved to the capital city of Manila, the maintenance of the house had been entrusted to a neighbor fondly called Nanay or Nay Vilda, so that when visitors want to drop by, they have to make appointments a week before the planned visit with Nay Vilda, who lives right across the famous house.

Converted into a heritage museum, the Bengson-Yuson House is the oldest residential house in Lingayen which the descendants of Antonio Bengson and Soterana Yuson donated to the Provincial Government of Pangasinan and has since been preserved and maintained by the staff of the Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office. The museum features utensils and furniture commonly used during the Spanish Regime, as well as various pictures of the Bengson-Yuson family throughout the years. Artworks by Romeo Mananquil, the renowned artist behind the P1000 and P20 designs, are also displayed within the museum. The dresses of previous winners of the Limgas na Pangasinan pageant are also displayed in one of the museum’s rooms.