The town of Lingayen Pangasinan has many beautiful attractions: Lingayen Beach, the Provincial Capitol, Urduja House, the World War II Memorabilia Ground Site, Sison Auditorium, the Narciso Ramos Sports Complex, and Civic Center and the Limahong Channel. There are two beautiful parks, the Town Park and the Capitol Grounds.
Lingayen Beach
Lingayen Beach is a very relaxing place. With its long shoreline, fine gray sand, and pristine waters, it is one of the famous tourist destinations of Pangasinan aside from Hundred Islands and Patar Beach Bolinao. There are many beach resorts in the area offer accommodation and beach cottages for rent. And Beach facilities like picnic sheds and bathhouses were put up by the government about 20 meters away from the shoreline. These picnic sheds and bathhouses located in front of the Capitol Complex are free to all locals and tourists.
Pangasinan Provincial Capitol Building
The Pangasinan Provincial Capitol, on Lingayen Gulf, is the present seat of the government of Pangasinan. It was declared as one of the eight Architectural Treasures of the Philippines by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
The Pangasinan Provincial Capitol is a neoclassical building designed by Ralph Harrington Doane. It was damaged during World War II and was reconstructed in 1946 with assistance from the US government under the Philippine Rehabilitation Act. With the completion of its repair and rehabilitation in 2008, the building earned the title Best Provincial Capitol in the Philippines.
It is now one of the famous tourist spots in Lingayen where anyone can enter and take pictures. It is also becoming the favorite prenuptial photo-shoot location among couples in Pangasinan.
Urduja House
The Princess Urduja Palace is named after the legendary warrior Princess Urduja, a legendary 14th-century warrior princess of the dynastic Kingdom of Tawalisi in Pangasinan. Urduja is often described as tall and beautiful with golden bronze skin and dark hair, clad in gold, and was famous for leading an army of strong women warriors adept in sword fighting and horseback riding called Kinalakihan or Amazons. The Urduja House currently serves as the governor’s official residence and guest house.
Governor Juan Rodriguez conceived the idea of an official residence under his administration, especially since Governors before him came from different parts of the province. In order to ease travel, he commissioned a governor’s mansion across the Pangasinan Provincial Capitol he promptly named “Urduja Palace,” named after the legendary Urduja, a princess of Tawilisi, said to be located in the present-day Pangasinan. It was officially named “Urduja House” as a simplication since it was too small to be a palace.
The World War II Memorabilia Ground Site (Veterans Park)
Veterans Park showcases actual fighter planes from World War II and the Lingayen Gulf Landing Shrine. The park was built in memory of the Filipino freedom fighters during the historical Gulf Landing in Lingayen. The park displays grand dioramas and art pieces that commemorate the events leading to the Gulf Landing.
Sison Auditorium
Sison Auditorium was built in Neo-classical Style and was constructed in 1927. It was initially known as the “Grand Provincial Auditorium” in the 1930s. Very popular venue for zarzuelas and other cultural performances in pre-war and early post-war periods. And later renamed after former Governor Teofilo Sison, the first Pangasinense to become secretary of National Defense. In 2010 it had undergone a major renovation and inaugurated on April 5, the same year. At present, Sison Auditorium serves as the Cultural Center of Ilocos Region.
Narciso Ramos Sports Complex and Civic Center
The Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center (NRSCC) , also known as the Narciso Ramos Sports Complex, is a complex of sports facilities in Lingayen, Pangasinan.
The main stadium of the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center has a grandstand which can seat a maximum of 16,000 people[1] as well as a rubberized athletics track oval. It also host a 2,500 capacity gymnasium, outdoor courts, bowling alley, a second sports gym. Dormitories are also present within the complex which has a total capacity of 698 beds. A restaurant and a lagoon is also hosted. The sports complex covers an area of around 3.5 ha (8.6 acres).
The site also has a 25 m (82 ft) swimming pool which was last rehabilitated in 2015. A laundry or linen building, and a mess hall was also inaugurated within the same year.
The NRSCC has hosted the Palarong Pambansa, the national student’s multi-sport games, in two occasions; in 1995 and 2012. It has also held other national competitions such as the Philippine National Open for athletics in 2009 and the National Milo Olympics in 2011. The 2013 Region I Athletics Association (R1AA) meet, a regional competition in the Ilocos Region was also held in the NRSCC. Athletes from the province are trained at the NRSCC by the provincial government of Pangasinan. The Pangasinan Sports Academy uses the facilities of the NRSCC. The venue was also designated as a training venue for Filipino track and field athletes who would be competing at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
Limahong Channel
The Limahong Channel was where the Chinese Corsair Limahong proceeded north to Pangasinan when foiled of his attempt to establish a colony on the shore of Manila Bay. Limahong, Lim Hong, or Lin Feng was a notorious Chinese pirate and warlord who invaded the northern Philippine Islands in 1574. The pirate Limahong began the construction of thirty vessels within his fort near the mouth of the Agno River, where all his soldiers were good workmen. The project was completed on August 4, 1575.
At noon of the same day, he set sail for his country after having been besieged within the fortification for over four months. This development took the Spaniards by surprise. They were astonished to see Limahong sailing out of the fort through a channel which was unknown to them. It was believed among the natives of the locality that Limahong constructed this channel with the utmost secrecy without either the land or sea force hearing it.
House declares Limahong Channel a tourist spot:
THE HOUSE of Representatives approved on third and final reading a bill declaring the historic Limahong Channel in Lingayen, Pangasinan, a tourist spot. About 192 lawmakers unanimously voted for the approval of House Bill 6682, whose principal author is Pangasinan Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil. The channel is where Chinese pirate Limahong — who invaded the northern part of the Philippine islands in 1574 — sought refuge when his army was repulsed by defenders of Pangasinan, then a royal encomienda. Limahong Channel is located along the Agno River at the mouth of the Lingayen Gulf. Bataoil, also chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and Welfare, said declaring the Limahong Channel as a tourist spot could entice local and foreign travelers, especially the Chinese, to visit the place. This would generate employment opportunities for residents of the municipality and nearby communities.
REFERENCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingayen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limahong
https://www.manilatimes.net/house-declares-limahong-channel-tourist-spot/370726/
