Pangasinan | Lovely Lingayen Beach, A War Memorial and the Grand Capitol

Fishermen early morning using traditional method of fishing The guard seemed puzzled that a guest would be heading to the beach as early as ...

Fishermen early morning using traditional method of fishing

The guard seemed puzzled that a guest would be heading to the beach as early as four a.m. “Mag sho-shoot lang po sir! (I’m gonna shoot some photos sir!)” I said. “Ah cge sir! (Go ahead sir!” he replied with a smile as he unlocks the side door. It was the main gate from El Puerto Marina Beach Resort and its a few meters walk to the beach walking, by the resort fence on a dirt path. The nocturnal salty air got stronger as I near the shore. I seemed to have stirred the attention of a resident dog who doesn’t stop barking seeing (or was it smelling) my presence there. Another guard doing his round saw me and I sent a quick wave to let him know I saw him there and start setting up my tripod for a shoot. The landscape was well-lit by the waning crescent moon. I wanted to shoot stars but this dreamy and solemn landscape will do. Lingayen beach in all its vast morning-glory unseen in slumber.

Away from the crowds. A lone biker on the gray beach

Lingayen Beach

Gray to black beaches aren’t as popular as white beaches in the country. But if ever there’s a non-white beach I can recommend people, Lingayen Beach would be high on my list. The wide breadth and dune-like shores, the fine and oh so soft sands, gently sloping sea bed, often small lapping waves and a beach stretch as far as the eyes can see makes this beach far from ordinary. My first impression upon stepping on this beach with my companions were all good. No sunset that afternoon since the beach faces east but the low-tide and gentle waves carpeting the shore made a reflective ground mirroring the subtle pastel hues of a sky saying farewell for now.

Memorabilia from World War II on display

Remembering the Liberation

Lingayen Beach is actually at least 12 km long deep into the bottom curve of Lingayen Gulf. A site made significant when General Douglas McArthur landed on these shores when he liberated Luzon from the Japanese back in 1945. In fact, Lingayen celebrates this Leyte Gulf Allied Force Landing annually and this year had a grand 70th anniversary. A Lingayen World War II Memorial was unveiled in 2009 containing history panels, timeline of events, documents, paintings, WWII memorabilia and other artefacts. The memorial is at the back of the grand capitol of Lingayen.

Speaking of capitol, the Lingayen Capitol staunchly stands amidst tree-lined boulevard flaunting its beautiful neoclassical style architecture that has somehow survived the ravage of World War II when it was built in 1918. The capitol has gone through several restorations to keep its stately glory, though at times changes not loyal to the original would make heritage advocate weep to their dismay. Though at present, the yellow and white edifice is still a marvel to look at. Much more is the spiral staircase, the elegant rooms and the rest of the interiors. I remember having snack at the roof top here when I first visited the capitol during a Lakbay Norte tour, now at daylight, the surrounding area can clearly be seen. Students from nearby schools promenading along the boulevards and the public Lingayen Beach nearby.

Lingayen’s architectural gem, the neoclassical style Capitol

The provincial seal inside the capitol

Beautiful staircase

Wide gray sands

Glassy shore in the afternoon at Lingayen Beach

Night falls in Lingayen

Beach life and essential information on the next page…

Waking up early for the sunrise.

Beach Life

[pullquote]So never judge the beauty of the beach again by its color but by its character[/pullquote]

I can say that a large part of the local life of Lingayen people revolves around the Lingayen Beach. Weekends find locals and visitors alike trooping the beach. The public beach is easily accessible from the capitol grounds and best of all its free for everyone. The local government did well in keeping the place clean and the locals just the same.

Fishing is one of the main livelihood of the province and there’s abundance coming from the gulf. The morning I woke up early to catch the unfolding morning scenery at the beach I caught a few fishermen on usual chore. Up before the first light, they would fix their boat gear or tend to their nets. There was even a traditional form of fishing where they drop their nets and then they manually pull the nets from the beach with one man on each end to hopefully catch some fish. Their silhouettes against the colors of the dawn sky were like figures of a dance above the gentle waves. Pulling, gathering and spreading the net in a repeated fashion.

My “Smooth Morning” playlist from spotify lingered in the air when I came back at my spot near the row of beach huts by the sea after my morning shoot. It was a lovely morning, quiet, unperturbed and simple. So never judge the beauty of the beach again by its color but by its character. Lingayen Beach is comely.

Preparing the nets to fish

Essential Info

The municipality of Lingayen is 222km away from Manila.

• By private car, travel time is 4–5 hours. Exit SCTEX to MacArthur Highway via Luisita. Turn toward Camiling via Romulo Highway at Tarlac Junction. At Bugallon town, follow the northward highway to Dagupan and Lingayen.
• By public bus, travel time is 5–6 hours. Victory Liner and Five Star buses have trips going to Lingayen. From the bus terminal, there are jeeps and tricycles waiting.

The huts and the sea early morning in Lingayen

Preparing to fish

The net pull

Nets laid on the ground. Fishermen checking if there were any fish caught

Heading back to the beach after washing the nets