Bani, officially the Municipality of Bani ( pag, Baley na Bani; ilo, Ili ti Bani; tgl, Bayan ng Bani), is a 2nd class

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Pangasinan,

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 52,603 people. The town, dubbed as the "Golden West" in the 1960s and early 1970s, is named after the Bani tree which could be found in the

Poblacion ''Poblacion'' (literally "town" or "settlement" in Spanish; ) is the common term used for the administrative center, central, downtown, old town or central business district area of a Philippine city or municipality, which may take up the ...

History

Bani was founded on March 18, 1769 (from

Zambales Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales ( fil, Lalawigan ng Zambales; ilo, Probinsia ti Zambales; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Zambales''; xsb, Probinsya nin Zambales), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon re ...

). In May 1903, it was transferred to Pangasinan together with the towns of Agno, Alaminos, Anda, Bolinao, Burgos, Dasol, Infanta and Mabini. San Simon, the original Bani, was transferred from Namagbagan to sitio Almacin in 1859. The

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...

, Patron Saint of San Simon, disappeared from the church altar and discovered on top of the tall Bani tree in the vicinity of the present Church. She was brought to the Namagbagan church, and returned to the present site. Bani's name came from the Bani tree where the image of the Patroness was found. Bani (''

Millettia pinnata ''Millettia pinnata'' is a species of tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, native to eastern and tropical Asia, Australia, and Pacific islands. It is often known by the synonym '' Pongamia pinnata''. Its common names include Indian beech and Pongam ...

'') is a smooth tree (height of 8 to 25 meters). In 1769, Fr. Mains de Lamberto erected a "visita" in Bani with settlements around Don Cayo banks and in 1762, these settlements became a sitio, with local officials headed by Don Francisco Baltazar as "Tiniente Absolute". On 21 November 1903 the town of Bani together with Alaminos, Bolinao, San Isidro de Potot and Infanta were annexed to Pangasinan. In 1918 the road from Alaminos to Bani was started. During the time of Martial Law the mayor of Bani was Marcelo Navarro, a member of the Liberal Party. After the People Power of 1986 the OIC who headed Bani was Edmundo Cacho Bani is the hometown of TV host and former Pangasinan governor

Oscar Orbos Oscar Muñoz Orbos (born January 28, 1951), popularly known as Ka Oca, is a Philippine TV personality and host of GMA Network's ''Debate with Mare at Pare''. Orbos was a former cabinet secretary, provincial governor, and vice presidential candi ...

. From the Municipal Hall one would read that this town used to be a part of Zambales and its founders include Pangasinenses, Ilocanos and Zambals. In May 2009, Bani along with Anda and Bolinao, was severely damaged by Typhoon Emong. The typhoon damaged an office close to the Municipal Building, the Western Pangasinan Lyceum, and a lot of structures and houses.

Geography

Bani lies between Tambac Bay and the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phi ...

, and Alaminos and

Bolinao Bolinao, officially the Municipality of Bolinao ( pag, Baley na Bolinao; ilo, Ili ti Bolinao; tgl, Bayan ng Bolinao), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of ...

. It has a land area of 19,243.6075 hectares.Official website of Bani Pangasinan
/ref> Bani is from

Lingayen Lingayen, officially the Municipality of Lingayen ( pag, Baley na Lingayen; ilo, Ili ti Lingayen; tgl, Bayan ng Lingayen), is a 1st class municipality of the Philippines, municipality and capital of the Philippine Province, province of Pangasi ...

and from

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

Barangays

Bani is politically subdivided into 27

barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolita ...

s. These barangays are headed by elected officials: Barangay Captain,

Barangay Council The Sangguniang Barangay, also known as the Barangay Council, and formerly as the Rural Council and then the Barrio Council, is the legislative body of a barangay, the lowest form of government in the Philippines. The term is coined from the Tag ...

, whose members are called Barangay Councilors. All are elected every three years. *Ambabaay *Aporao *Arwas *Ballag *Banog Norte *Banog Sur *Calabeng *Centro Toma *Colayo *Dacap Norte *Dacap Sur *Garrita *Luac *Macabit *Masidem *Poblacion *Quinaoayanan *Ranao *Ranom Iloco *San Jose *San Miguel *San Simon *San Vicente *Tiep *Tipor *Tugui Grande *Tugui Norte

Climate

Demographics

Religion

Roman Catholic population of Bani is 28,686 or 66.98% while the Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan) population is 7,859 or 18.35%. Other churches include Bani United Methodist Church and Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) Lokal ng Bani, inter alia. The 1762

of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish Church (Poblacion, Bani) is under Co Pastor, Fr. Raymond Oligane and Fr. Fernando Castillo. Feast day is December 8, with its Parish Priest, Fr. Roberto Casaclang, Vicariate of the Divine Savior, Vicar Forane, Father Eduardo E. Inacay. is part of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Alaminos The Roman Catholic Diocese of Alaminos ('' la, Dioecesis Alaminensis'') is a Roman Rite diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. The diocese was erected on January 12, 1985, and comprises 14 municipalities in the ...

(

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

Economy

Government

Bani, belonging to the first 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. Spain ruled Bani from 378 from 1521 to 1899, The “pueblos”'s Gobernadorcillos were appointed by the Spanish authorities and from 1901 to 1936, the Presidentes, by the Americans. In 1937 to present, the local chief executives were elected. The Official Seal was adopted in Resolution No. 7 on 7 March 1991.

Elected officials

Tourism

Attractions include: *1,000 step "Via Crucis" leading to the gigantic Redeemer's Cross perched on a plateau overlooking the South China Sea of Doña Segundina Enriquez Navarro, wife Mayor Marcelo C. Navarro. Annual Archdiocesan Penitential Pilgrimage every Holy Tuesday first held in 1975. *Rock formations along the shores. *Bird Watching at Bangrin Mangroves *Olanen Beach, Tobong Beach - Dacap Sur *Surip Beach in Sitio Olanen, Barangay Dacap Sur -

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for " Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chr ...

, snorkeling and recreational fishing of tropical fishes and lobsters *Surip Beach Mountain Resort, Hide Away Sea and Beach Resort, Cacho Beach Resor *Oldwoods by the Sea Eco Resort - Olanen *Surip Cave, Nalsoc Cave, Abot Aso Cave, Nangadiyan Cave, and the Dumaloy Cave. *Nalsoc Cave is a subterranean river with natural archway of stalactites and stalagmites, Barangay Colayo: Cave Formations (

Speleothems A speleothem (; ) is a geological formation by mineral deposits that accumulate over time in natural caves. Speleothems most commonly form in calcareous caves due to carbonate dissolution reactions. They can take a variety of forms, depending on ...

), Dripstone, Straws, Stalactites,

Stalagmites A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling") is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically co ...

, Columns or Pillars and

Shawls A shawl (from fa, شال ''shāl'',) is a simple item of clothing from Kashmir, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, which is often folde ...

. *Cacho Beach Resort Bani Pangasinan *Baliwangga falls, Barangay Ranao, near Ranao Elementary School. *Bani Public Auditorium and Children's Playground *The Manuel Oboza Lara-Edralin Auditorium, Poblacion *Bani is noted for producing the sweet and juicy watermelon.

Gallery

File:BaniPangasinanjf12.JPG, Bani Town hall File:Bani4jf.JPG, Bani Basketball Court File:BaniChurchjf2.JPG, Aglipayan Bani Church File:Bani33jf.JPG, Downtown at dusk File:Banijf11.JPG, Bani-Agno Road File:BaniPangasinanjf.JPG, Town center, at dusk

References

External links

*
Bani Profile at PhilAtlas.comMunicipal Profile at the National Competitiveness Council of the PhilippinesBani at the Pangasinan Government WebsiteLocal Governance Performance Management System
* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census Information
{{Authority control Municipalities of Pangasinan