City of Urdaneta
—  City  —
Map of Pangasinan showing the location of Urdaneta.
Country	Philippines
Region	Ilocos Region (Region I)
Province	Pangasinan
District	5th District, Pangasinan
Cityhood	March 21, 1998
Barangays	34
Government
- Mayor	Amadeo R. Perez Jr.
Area
- Total	100.26 km2 (38.7 sq mi)
Population (2007)
- Total	120,785
- Density	1,204.7/km2 (3,120.2/sq mi)
Time zone	PHT (UTC+8)
ZIP Code	2428
Income class	2nd class ; component city

The City of Urdaneta is a 2nd class city in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 120,785 people in 22,908 households.

[edit] Geography

The City of Urdaneta is located in eastern part of the Province of Pangasinan, situated at 15°56' to 16°0' latitude and 120°29' to 120°37' longitude.

Traverse by the Manila North Road virtually bisecting the locality into the west and east side. The city is bounded north by the Municipality of Binalonan, south of Villasis, east by Asingan and west by Sta. Barbara.

The city is approximately 186 km (115 mi) from Metro Manila, 70 km (43 mi) from Baguio, and 40 km (24 mi) from Lingayen.

[edit] Feast Day

The City of Urdaneta celebrates fiesta every eighth of December. This is in remembrance of the city patron Our Lady Of Immaculate Conception. Festivities are held from the 1–8 December. Activities include a parade, drum and lyre competition, teachers' night, balikbayan night, ABC-SK night, ballroom and Miss Urdaneta City coronation night. A carnival is also put up every December as a part of the yearly event.

[edit] Historical background

There are many versions on how Urdaneta City officially became "Urdaneta". One theory suggests its original name is "Organita", roughly meaning “little organ or unit.” This is plausible as it was then a composite of portions of barrios of the adjacent towns where they converged to create one composite pueblo. Some of the theorists, the so-called purists, belie this by saying that the Spanish root word is organo; therefore, the right word should be organito. These theorists cite education at that time was centered in the Poblacion and the people in the hinterlands were neglected, thus resulting in bad grammar.

Andres Urdaneta monument, in front of the City Hall.

Another contention was that the first “cura parroco” of the town, Fr. Nicolas Alonzo Manrique, during the organization of the publeo in January 8, 1858, named the town “Urdaneta”, in honor of another friar, Fr. Andres de Urdaneta. Fr. Urdaneta was the spiritual advisor of the expedition led by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi which arrived in Cebu to explore the country on April 27, 1565. However, doubts still exist on after whom the town was named. Was it after Father Andres de Urdanteta or Fr. Miguel de Urdaneta or Fr. Simon de Urdaneta? The archives of the National Library state that it was after Fr. Miguel de Urdaneta. The historian Fr. Jose Ma. Gonzales, in his book “Labor Evangelica y Civilizadora de los Religioso Dominicos en Pangasinan”, was silent on this. Some articles on the town’s history say that it was after Fr. Simon de Urdaneta while others claimed it was after Fr. Andres de Urdaneta.

The first inhabitants of the town were mostly Ilocanos. They established nearby settlements that occupy portions of the barrios of surrounding towns, namely Asingan, Villasis, Malasiqui, Sta. Barbara, Mangaldan. Manaoag and Binalonan. The settlers joined together and petitioned the Spanish government to allow them to form a separate pueblo for greater ties and stronger unity. Their petition was granted and Urdaneta was formally founded on January 8, 1858.

[edit] Creation of the City

Urdaneta became a city through Republic Act 8480, otherwise known as "An Act Converting the Municipality of Urdaneta, Province of Pangasinan into a Component City to be known as the City of Urdaneta". This was signed on January 10, 1998 and was voted affirmatively by the people of Urdaneta City on March 21, 1998.

[edit] Barangays

Urdaneta City is politically subdivided into 35 barangays.

[edit] External links

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 2007 Philippine census information
• City of Urdaneta brief history
• Badipa online community
• Divine Word College of Urdaneta alumni online

Coordinates: 15°58′34″N 120°34′16″E / 15.97611°N 120.57111°E / 15.97611; 120.57111