History of Dupax (Part 6): Important Facts, Incidents or Events [1726-1778]

[NOTE: Except for the text written in italics, the following were lifted verbatim from the typewritten document History and Cultural Life of Dupax (not dated, author/s anonymous, publisher not indicated).

THE FOLLOWING are some important facts, incidents or events that took place in Dupax which could be recorded:

1726 – Fathers Nicolas Norbante and Agustin San Juan, Agustinian misssionariesarrrived in Dupax. They found the natives hostile.

1729 – Arrival of the first Spanish soldiers who placed the people under control.

1731 – April 22 Founding of Dupax

1735 – Opening of the sitio of U-yu and converting the place into ricefields with irrigation canals under Capitan Ajamus. [NOTE: The U-yu mentioned here is most probably sitio I-iyo that is now called barangay Palobotan. Ajamus, an Igorot, was head – then called “Capitan” – of Dupax in 1735. He was succeeded by Tiun Pising, an Isinay, in 1736. Preceding them were Mandalito, an Ilongot, in 1732; Ibarrat, an Igorot, in 1733; and Inyu, an Ilongot, in 1734. The ricefields must have included the ones in Dalijan where until recently stone walls called “tuping” lined up one inner ricepaddy. The “sitio” (the equivalent of the present “purok”) was smaller than a “barrio” (now called barangay).]

1737 – Opening of the sitio of Allawan as ricefield under Capitan Laccay. [NOTE: Allawan is still a rice-growing area between Santa Maria and Barangay Mangayang. Capitan Laccay, probably an Isinay who was later given the first name Diego, was the fifth recorded head of Dupax. He again served as Capitan in 1760.]

1745 – The sitio of Uanguen was opened into ricefields under Capitan Agustin Aboloj. [NOTE: Uanguen is now called and spelled Wangeon. It is located between Malasin and Lamo and is now part of Dupax del Norte.]

1749 – The Patron Saint of the town was changed to San Vicente Ferrer. San Vicente Ferrer is still the Patron Saint of Dupax today.

1775 – Father Manuel Corripio, a missionary of the Dominican Order, came from Pangasinan and began construction of the town’s Catholic church. The work lasted for four years with free labor. [NOTE: It is probable that Father Corripio brought with him trusted assistants from Pangasinan. As a Dominican Spanish friar, he must have also imported brick-makers and church construction workers from Cagayan which was then the seat of the Nueva Segovia and had older churches than those in Nueva Vizcaya. The bellfry or campanario took much longer to construct – the first tier in 1772, the second tier in 1776, and the third tier and cuppola in 1886.  As implied, the “free labor” was unpaid and was thus actually “forced labor” (called “polo”) as was the norm during the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines.]

1778 – Capitan Dionicio Telmo caused the construction of a permanent bridge over the Abanatan creek. This creek divides the poblacion into two districts. [NOTE: The bridge later became known as Dampol and is reportedly one of the oldest existing Spanish-era and brick bridges in the Philippines. Formerly called Districts 1 and 2, the districts are now officially named Barangay Dopaj and Barangay Domang, respectively.]