Malasiqui, officially the Municipality of Malasiqui (Pangasinan: Baley na Malasiqui; Ilocano: Ili ti Malasiqui; Tagalog: Bayan ng Malasiqui), is a municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 143,094 people.[5]
The word Malasiqui originates from the Pangasinense root word lasi meaning lightning. With prefix ma indicating high degree and suffix qui indicating place - Malasiqui means "place full of lightning".
Another story about the town's etymology goes to talk about three Spanish priests who, while conducting ocular during those days, were so pissed off with the condition of the road which was muddy. The first priest said "mala" which means bad. The second priest responded "si" which means yes. The third one apparently not paying attention asked "que?" or "what". The local folk who overheard the conversation mistook it as if they are naming the town. And so it came to be known as Mala Si Que? or the current name spelled as Malasiqui.
History
The socio-political history of the municipality parallels that of the Pangasinan province and the country in general. Its history is punctuated by periods of foreign domination first by the Spanish, then by the United States and briefly by the Japanese during the 2nd World War.
There were no organized communities in the area before the Spaniards arrived. Attempts to group families into a settlement may have started as early as 1665. The present site was then heavily forested with small family groups scattered along banks of small rivers and creeks.
The municipality proper traces its origins during the middle of the 17th century when Spanish friars opened a mission intended to convert the native population into Catholicism. The most probable founding year was 1671 when Spanish civil authorities in Manila gave the license for the creation of the town. The population participated heavily in some of the bloodiest rebellions during the Spanish period. Catholicism and other Christian sects dominate the religious life of the people.
Ethnically, it is one of the few places in the province of Pangasinan which did not experience in-migration from other regions of the country. Consequently, Pangasinanse is the dominant ethnic group with almost no other ethnic groups mixing into the locality.
Today, the poblacion or town center, has recently been experiencing high commercial growth spurred mainly by high consumer spending generated by increase in family incomes attributable to earnings of OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers). The estimate of OFW population as a percentage of adult labor force is as much as 22% - one of the highest rates in the Philippines. The OFW phenomenon is so significant that almost all households have at least one member working outside of the country.[6]
Geography
Malasiqui is situated 27.97 kilometres (17.38mi) from the provincial capital Lingayen, and 195.76 kilometres (121.64mi) from the country's capital city of Manila.
Barangays
Malasiqui is politically subdivided into 73 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
It is mainly an agricultural municipality with rice, corn and tropical lowland vegetables as main crops. It is also famous for its mango fruits having one of the largest concentration of mango tree population in the Philippines.
Malasiqui, belonging to the third congressional district of the province of Pangasinan, is governed by a mayor designated as its local chief executive and by a municipal council as its legislative body in accordance with the Local Government Code. The mayor, vice mayor, and the councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being held every three years.
Elected officials of the Municipal Council (2025–2028):[21]
Congressman: Maria Rachel J. Arenas
Mayor: Alfe M. Soriano
Vice-Mayor: Daria Dolores M. Mamaril
Councilors:
Vincent Nathaniel S. Arenas
Norman S. Espinoza
Jessica V. Gueco
Alexis V. Mamaril
Janice D. Pinlac
Ronorick D. Ballesteros
John Phillip A. Domantay
Brian Dave R. Austria
Tourism
Public Park and Plaza
The Town Fiesta is celebrated January 17 thru 22 every year.[22] Points of interests include:
There are two schools district offices which govern all educational institutions within the municipality. The schools district offices oversee the management and operations of all private and public elementary and high schools.[24] These are Malasiqui I Schools District Office, and Malasiqui II Schools District Office.
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