Bolinao, officially the Municipality of Bolinao (

Bolinao Bolinao, officially the Municipality of Bolinao ( Bolinao: ''Babali nin Bolinao;'' ; ; ), is a municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 83,979 people. Sea urchins are regula ...

: ''Babali nin Bolinao;'' ; ; ), is a

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

in the

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

Pangasinan Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan (, ; ; ), is a coastal Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capital is Lingayen, Pangasinan, Lingayen while San Carlos, Pangasi ...

, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 83,979 people.

Sea urchin Sea urchins or urchins () are echinoderms in the class (biology), class Echinoidea. About 950 species live on the seabed, inhabiting all oceans and depth zones from the intertidal zone to deep seas of . They typically have a globular body cove ...

s are regularly harvested at Isla Silaki, Bolinao. The town, aside from being a fishing domain, is also a heritage site in the Philippines, possessing an olden church surrounded by heritage houses. The town is also the location of the cave where the gold-teeth Bolinao Skulls with fish scale designs were found. Scholars have been pushing for the addition of the town's cultural landscape into the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

Etymology

Folk etymology attributes the name "Bolinao", a remote fishing enclave, from the fish specie "monamon" – commonly called "bolinao" by the Tagalogs, Bicolanos, and the Visayans. A theory also posits that once upon a time, "pamulinawen" trees grew luxuriantly along its shores; thus, the Ilocano migrants who crossed Lingayen Gulf named it phonetically similar to the name of the tree in their language. Nowadays, however, such tree does not exist in abundance in the area.

History

Spanish Colonial Era

According to oral history, the town of Bolinao used to be a small settlement in what is now Barrio Binabalian in Santiago Island, then having a population of just over a hundred families. An account narrates the arrival of Juan de Salcedo and his crew in Bolinao when they chanced upon a Chinese Sampan who captured a native chieftain. Salcedo and his men liberated the natives and the latter immediately pledged vassalage to the King of Spain. It is also said that Captain Pedro Lombi founded the town of Bolinao in 1575. A decade later, Dominican Friar Esteban Marin became the first Spanish missionary to evangelize the people of Bolinao. For two years, he worked in Bolinao before he was assigned as prior in Batac, Ilocos Norte. The Dominicans ended their service in 1607 to be replaced by the Augustinian Recollects headed by Father Jeronimo de Cristo and Dr. Andres del Espiritu Santo. At this time, the old town of Bolinao was still located along the coast of

. Due to pirate attacks, the town was transferred to the mainland in 1609. Ilocano settlers from Paoay,

Ilocos Norte Ilocos Norte (), officially the Province of Ilocos Norte (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region. It is located in the northwest corner of Luzon island, bordering Cagayan and Apayao to t ...

moved and stayed in the town to increase the small population of the town. This town formerly included the neighboring towns of Alaminos, Bani, and Anda; until they eventually became independent municipalities in 1744; March 18, 1769; and, May 26, 1849 respectively.

American occupation era

In 1903, Bolinao was separated from

Zambales Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales (; ; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is Iba, Zambales, Iba, which is located in t ...

and was annexed into

by virtue of Act No. 1004.

Japanese occupation era

Japanese forces landed and occupied Bolinao in December 1941 and established a military garrison. A joint military force of American, Australian and Philippine Commonwealth troops, including local resistance fighters, liberated Bolinao in January 1945.

Contemporary

First Mass

On November 18, 2007, Bolinao challenged the belief that the first Mass in the Philippines was held on March 31, 1521, Easter Sunday, at Limasawa in Southern Leyte. Memorial markers (donated by Italian priest Luigi Malamocco, 62, from Odorico's hometown of

Friuli Friuli (; ; or ; ; ) is a historical region of northeast Italy. The region is marked by its separate regional and ethnic identity predominantly tied to the Friulians, who speak the Friulian language. It comprises the major part of the autono ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

) were set in the town's church and on Santiago Island, claiming that in 1324, Franciscan missionaries led by an Italian priest named Odorico celebrated a thanksgiving Mass thereat and also baptized natives.

Hard coal spill

Bolinao Mayor Alfonso Celeste said the local government will file damage suit against Indonesian owners of the

barge A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...

APOL 3003. The

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...

Marine Science Institute (UPMSI) stated that the environmental damage was P 54.9 million ($1 =- P 40). The barge towed by a tug boat from

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

to the power plant in Sual,

on November 27 when Typhoon "Mina" winds destroyed its anchor and rope, then hurled to Ilog Malino

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral, or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic component, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition (geol ...

, spilling 95% of its

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

cargo. The hard coal spill spread to 330,000 square metres of

coral Corals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact Colony (biology), colonies of many identical individual polyp (zoology), polyps. Coral species include the important Coral ...

and

sea grass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine (ocean), marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four Family (biology), families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and ...

areas.

Bolinao Skull

The Bolinao Skull is a skull dated between the 14th and 15th centuries A.D. recovered in the Balingasay archeological site in Bolinao. The Bolinao Skull is the most well known artifact from the site, noted for the intricate gold ornamentation formed in the shape of scales on the surfaces of its teeth. However, 67 other skulls containing teeth with less extensive gold ornamentation were also found at the Balingasay site. The skull is now displayed within the National Museum of Anthropology in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

Santiago Island

This year's construction of the PHP1.95 billion 600 linear meter bridge, approaches and access roads will connect Santiago Island's Barangay Salud to Barangay Luciente 2nd, Bolinao. Municipal Administrator Vennia Camba Escanilla explained it takes 20 minutes travel time from Barangay Binabalian to Picucubuan Port, Luciente 1st, Bolinao.

Department of Public Works and Highways The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH; ) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for serving as the country's engineering and construction arm. It is tasked with implementing the government's policy to ...

Ilocos Region The Ilocos Region (; ; ), designated as Region I, is an Region of the Philippines, administrative region of the Philippines. Located in the northwestern section of Luzon, it is bordered by the Cordillera Administrative Region to the east, the Ca ...

Director Engineer Ronnel Tan said the bridge is expected to be completed in 2028.

Geography

The Municipality of Bolinao is the northernmost town in the province, with many white-sand beaches. Bolinao is situated from the provincial capital Lingayen, and from the country's capital city of

Barangays

Bolinao is politically subdivided into 30

barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

s. Each barangay consists of

purok A ''purok'' () is an informal division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a ''purok'' often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay. ''Pur ...

s and some have

sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own bar ...

. The barangays listed in ''italics'' indicate that they are located on Santiago Island. * Arnedo * Balingasay * ''Binabalian'' * Cabuyao * Catuday * Catungi * Concordia (

Poblacion ''Poblacion'' (from Spanish '' población'', meaning "population"), sometimes abbreviated as Pob., is a term used in the Philippines to refer to the administrative center, downtown, old town, or commercial area of a city or municipality. It ...

) * Culang * ''Dewey'' * Estanza * Germinal (

) * ''Goyoden'' * Ilog-Malino * Lambes * Liwa-liwa * ''Lucero'' * Luciente 1.0 (J.Celeste) * Luciente 2.0 * Luna * Patar * ''Pilar'' * ''Salud'' * Samang Norte * Samang Sur * Sampaloc * San Roque * Tara * Tupa * ''Victory'' * Zaragoza

Climate

Demographics

Language

The word Bolinao is a term used for the name of the town, the people, and the language. The Bolinao people generally speak

, Ilocano, Tagalog, and their own unique native language called Bolinao, which is also used in the nearby town of Anda, a former barangay of Bolinao. The Bolinao language is closely related to Sambal, both are Sambalic languages. Bolinao was part of the province of Zambales from the mid-18th century before being turned over to Pangasinan in 1903. Most locals generally understand and speak English. The Mother Tongue Policy of the

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

is enforced in the elementary schools of these barangays to empower the native languages in town.

Economy

Government

Local government

Bolinao, belonging to the first congressional district of the province of

, 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.

Elected officials

Members of the Municipal Council (2024–2027): * Representative: Rhona-lyn Galunggong Pal-iwen * Mayor: Alfonso F. Celeste *Vice-Mayor: Richard C. Celeste *Councilors: ** Gregorio C. Celeste ** Carolina M. Abad ** Jasmin C. Camba ** Joven C. Caasi ** Jesus E. Dela Cruz Jr. ** Jonumber V. Caasi ** Rey Carlo I. Celeste ** Gabriel C. Castellano

Mayors

List of former mayors of Bolinao: * Mark Escanilla Opeña, 1974–1975 * Gloria Steinem Opeña, 1975–1990 * Kimberly Oballes, 1990–2000 * George Atompa, 2000–2005 * Mario Anglioan, 2005–2009 * Jerry Anglioan, 2009–2012 * Mario Panganiban Bata, 2012–2015 * Ambler Celeste, 2015–2019 * George Celeste, 2019-2018 * Alfonso D. Celeste, 2021–current

Education

The Bolinao Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public elementary and high schools.

Primary and elementary schools

* Arnedo Elementary School * Balingasay Elementary School * Beda Elementary School * Binabalian Elementary School * Cabuyao Elementary School * Catuday Elementary School * Catungi Elementary School * Culang Elementary School * Dewey Elementary School * Estanza Elementary School * Gagaban Elementary School * Goyoden Elementary School * Ilog-Malino Elementary School * Lambes Elementary School * Lucero Elementary School * Luciente I Elementary School * Luciente II Elementary School * Luna Elementary School * Patar Elementary School * Pilar Elementary School * Samang Norte Elementary School * Salud Elementary School * Samang Elementary School * Sampaloc Elementary School * San Roque Elementary School * Tanobong Elementary School * Tara Elementary School * Victory Elementary School * Yabyaban Elementary School * Zaragoza Elementary School

Secondary schools

* Arnedo National High School * Balingasay National High School * Binabalian National High School * Bolinao School of Fisheries * Cape Bolinao High School * Catubig Integrated School * Catuday National High School * Dewey National High School * Ilog-Malino National High School * Liwa-liwa Integrated School * Luciente II National High School * Luna National High School * Pilar National High School * Sampaloc National High School * Tupa Integrated School * Zaragoza National High School

Tertiary schools

* Bolinao Lighthouse School of Tourism and Learning Center Ilog-Malino Campus

Churches

* The Jesus Church Arnedo, Bolinao * The Jesus Church Tara, Bolinao * Saint James the Great Parish Church (Bolinao) * The Jesus Church Bolinao (2) * The Jesus Church (Luciente 1, Bolinao) * The Jesus Church Luciente 2

References

External links

Official Bolinao tourism website

Municipal Profile at the National Competitiveness Council of the Philippines

Bolinao at the Pangasinan Government Website

Local Governance Performance Management System
* Philippine Standard Geographic Code
Philippine Census Information
* {{Authority control Municipalities of Pangasinan Beaches of the Philippines