Pozorrubio, Pangasinan

Etymology and history

"Pozo rubbio" (ruby-like waters from the "poso" or artesian well of the town) is the origin of the town's name.

Fr. Domingo Naval, Vicar of San Jacinto, Pangasinan Vicar, founded on "Pozo rubbio" March 12, 1834.

"Claris" or Pozorrubio became a Municipio on January 13, 1870. It was formerly a settlement and later a Barangay of San Jacinto, Pangasinan.

Wealthy landowners, Don Benito Magno, Domingo Aldana, Pedro Itliong, Bartolome Naniong, Bernardo Olarte, Pedro Salcedo, Juan Ancheta, Antonio Sabolboro, Jose Songcuan, Tobian Paragas, Francisco Callao and Baltazar Casiano y Salazar filed the June 19, 1868, Petition addressed to the Philippine Governor General de la Torre thru the Pangasinan "Alcalde Mayor" for conversion of Barrio Claris. The request was granted on November 3, 1869.

Parish Priest, another Dominican, Rev. Fr. Asencio and Lingayen Seňor Domingo Castro filed petitions to the Governor-General). The name Claris was derived from Juan dela Cruz Palaris, the leader of the 1762 Spain revolt of Binalatongan (San Carlos). Claris was named in honor of Palaris, king of Pangasinan. Father Asencio suggested Pozorrubio to honor Governor-General dela Torre alias Conde de Pozor-the Count of Pozor, adding RUBIO.

Don Benito, Sr. Domingo Castro, Don Domingo Aldana and DonAgustin Venezuela, proceeded to Manila by caruaje (stagecoach pulled by four horses) to deliver the second petition to the Queen of Spain was Isabel II, which was granted on August 13, 1868.

Santa Philomena beame the Town's Patron Saint with feast day of August 13. She is, as believed by her devotees within the Catholic Church, a young virgin martyr whose remains were discovered in 1802 in the Catacombs of Priscilla. Three tiles enclosing the tomb bore an inscription that was taken to indicate that her name (in the Latin of the inscription) was Filumena, the English form of which is Philomena.

The remains were removed to Mugnano del Cardinale in 1805 and became the focus of widespread devotion, with several miracles credited to the saint's intercession, including the healing of Venerable Pauline Jaricot in 1835, which received wide publicity. Saint John Vianney attributed to her intercession the extraordinary cures that others attributed to himself.

The town's 12 intelligentsia formed the Communidad or Town Council (Tribunal or Presidencia, the Town Hall):

Don Benito Magono was elected on November 3, 1868, as first Gobernadorcillo on January 1, 1869, with seat of government at Barrio of Claris, now Barangay Amagbagan. Don Jose Sanchez and Don Agustin Venezuela donated the plaza lot.

San Jacinto Kura Paroko, Fr. Pablo Almazan appointed Dona Francisca Aldana-Magno, the wife of Don Benito, to teach in the only school set up in Claris. The town was relocated to Cablong. On December 18, 1880, Gobernadorcillo, Don Bernardo Olarte, inaugurated the new site with new Parish Priest, the Rev. Fr. Joaquin Gonzales, with a brand-new church and a kumbento.

The Japanese commandos in 1942 executed Attorney Filomeno G. Magno, the direct heirs of Don Benito Magno, 1st Gobernadorcilo and anak banus founder of Pozorrubio. Don Benito Estaris Magno's mother, Doňa Maria Estaris (Akolaw Inkew) was Benito's first teacher and his wife Doňa Francisca Aldana, was also a teacher in Claris. Don Benito organized a new town (independent from San Jacinto ) barrio Claris (now Brgy. Amagbagan), in 1867. It included barangays Nantangalan, Maambal, Bantugan, Dilan, Malasin, and Talogtog.

On April 19, 2012, Oscar V. Cruz announced that the aswang (Philippine ghoul) believed to have appeared in Brgy. Villegas, Pozorrubio was not true.

Local government

The Chief Executives of the town are Mayor Artemio Q. Chan and Vice-Mayor Ernesto T. Go,with 8 Sangguniang Bayan Members or Councilors who hold office at the Town Hall and Legislative Building's Session Hall.

Barangays

Pozorrubio is politically subdivided into 34 barangays.

Economy

Education

The town's prime school is the Benigno V Aldana National High School (BVANHS, formerly Pozorrubio High School).

Tourism

The town's interesting points and events include:

St. Jude Thaddeus Parish Church

The 1880 St. Jude Thaddeus Parish Church (Feast Day: October 28; Parish Priest: Father Teofilo L. Calicdan & Parochial Vicar: Father Christopher E. Sison) is under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, Roman Catholic Diocese of Urdaneta (Coordinates: 16°6'42"N 120°32'42"E).

The town and Parish were founded on March 12, 1834, by Fr. Domingo Naval, San Jacinto Vicar. The 1839–1842 ermita or Chapel amid the creation of Pozorrubio as Municipio on January 30, 1870, per Royal Decree of Governor General.

The Cablong (now the town proper) temporary parish was opened and the new church inaugurated on July 26, 1879, by Fr. Julian Lopez, San Jacinto Vicar, with the appointment on December 5, 1879, of Fr. Joaquin Gonzales (1879–1884) as Kura Paroko. Fr. Silvestre Fernandez (1887–1893) added the convent and the "escuelas" of "caton" and the old brick-walled cemetery. Mortae and ladrillo were used for house construction. Fr. Mariano Rodriguez (1893–1899) built a bigger bricks church (75.57 m long, 23 m 50 cm wide, walls of 4 m high, unfinished due to the Philippines-American War.

Fr. Lucilo Meris (1899–1925), first Filipino priest of Pozorrubio reduced the length of the Church to 42 m American Bombers destroyed the church and convent on January 7, 1945, and rebuilt by Fr. Emilio Cinense (1947–1952). Fr. Cinense, appointed Bishop, who founded the St.Philomena's Academy in 1948. Fr. Alfredo Cayabyab (1954–1967) reconstructed the Church. Fr. Primo Garcia and Fr. Arturo Aquino helped reconstructed the present church.