Calasiao, officially the Municipality of Calasiao (; ; ), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 100,471 people.
Today, Calasiao is known as a first class, highly commercialized municipality and is strategically located at the heart of Pangasinan. It governs 24 barangays and 31 sitios in a total land area of 4,836 hectares. Being a town adjacent to the city of Dagupan, the municipality experiences continuous economic boom and is increasingly becoming an important satellite commercial hub for Metro Dagupan. In terms of delicacy, Calasiao's flagship product is the native rice cake known as Puto Calasiao.
Calasiao is from Dagupan, from Lingayen and from Manila.
Etymology
The name Calasiao was derived from the native word Kalasian, which means "a place where lightning frequently occurs", from the root word lasi, meaning "lightning". 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.
History
The indigenous people of Calasiao are descended from the Austronesian-speaking people who settled in the Malay archipelago at least 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 conquistadors were accompanied by Roman Catholic missionaries who introduced Roman Catholicism to the indigenous peoples of Pangasinan.
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 in the fight against the Spanish rule. The citizens were also one of the first people to answer the call for rebellion of Juan de la Cruz Palaris of Binalatongan (now San Carlos City), which succeeded in driving the Spanish rulers and friars out of the boundaries. 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.
Today, Calasiao is rapidly expanding town. It may soon become a city or join with Dagupan and San Carlos City to be a metropolis. Yet many people from Calasiao have emigrated to other parts of the Philippines, the United States and other countries to seek better opportunities.
Geography
Barangays
Calasiao is politically subdivided into 24 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
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
† indicates the most populous barangay. ^ The seat of government
Climate
Demographics
The people speak Pangasinan, the dominant language in central Pangasinan. Ilocano, Tagalog, and English are also widely spoken.
Economy
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.
Fast-food chains Jollibee, Chowking, and Gery's Grill all have a branch in the town, while car companies Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi have dealerships in the town. The Regency Hotel in Calasiao has become the biggest competitor of the Star Plaza Hotel in Dagupan. Dagupeńa, a famous restaurant from Dagupan, has moved to 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 lot with a gross floor area of and a gross leasable area of .