# Anda, Pangasinan

Anda, officially the Municipality of Anda (Bolinao: Babali nin Anda; Pangasinan: Baley na Anda; Ilocano: Ili ti Anda; Tagalog: Bayan ng Anda), is a municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. Once a part of the municipality of Bolinao, the town consists of a group of islands on the northwest portion of the Lingayen Gulf. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 41,548 people.

## History

Before the middle of the nineteenth century, the islands that compose the municipality were uninhabited. Only occasionally did seafarers and fishermen use the coast as safe havens.
Andres de la Cruz Cacho, fondly called in Bolinao as Andales Kulayo, discovered a vast tract of land suitable for grazing and fertile lowlands, and an abundant spring for agriculture. It was he who brought families from the town of Bolinao aboard a big boat and dispersed them on the island of Cabarruyan in 1842. The settlers rapidly spread across the island.
On May 10, 1842, the pioneers landed on what is now the barrio of Dolaoan, put up a settlement, and chose San Miguel Arcangel as their patron saint. On May 25, 1842, they established Carot and Cabungan, with Santa Lucia as the common patroness of the two settlements. Later, on June 01, 1842, Tondol was founded. Sablig and Macaleeng were settled later that month.
No family was willing to stay in Toritori at the time and so the place was bypassed. The settlers proceeded to Awile and Aruab (now Roxas) and by early July, they have established settlements in the area. By August, Mal-Ong, Awag, Santa Rita, and San Nicolas were established. Within a period of only four months - from May to August 1842 - the whole island of Cabarruyan was populated. A steady stream of settlers followed the first pioneers and soon within a few years, the population was large enough to form a municipality.
In January 1849, a conference of leaders was called by Don Pablo Cacho Valerio through his son Don Domingo with the end in view to establish a new town. The leaders drafted a petition for the creation of a new town and sent copies to Don Jose Sanchez y Guerrero, the then Alcalde at Iba, Zambales and to the Archbishop of Manila on March 15, 1849.
On May 26, 1849, the Alcalde brought the reply granting the petition. Accompanied by the Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Juan Migrano, Capitan Felipe Cacho Valerio, and other municipal officials of Bolinao, the Alcalde came to Cabarruyan to choose a suitable location for the town site. They agreed on Segat in the center of the island which is now known as Namagbagan. The site for the plaza, church, town hall, convent, cemetery, and streets were laid out on January 20, 1850, by order of the Alcalde.

## Geography

The municipality consists primarily of Cabarruyan Island (also known as Anda Island), as well as minor surrounding islets. Because of Anda's proximity near the Hundred Islands, a popular tourist destination for its caves and beaches, it is the so-called "Mother of the Hundred Islands."
Anda is 77 kilometres (48 mi) from Lingayen and 283 kilometres (176 mi) from Manila.

### Barangays

Anda is politically subdivided into 18 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
* Awile
* Awag
* Batiarao
* Cabungan
* Carot
* Dolaoan
* Imbo
* Macaleeng
* Macando-candong
* Mal-ong
* Namagbagan
* Poblacion
* Roxas
* Sablig
* San Jose
* Siapar
* Tondol
* Tori-tori

### Climate

Climate data for Anda, Pangasinan :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) | 33 (91) | 32 (90) | 32 (90) | 30 (86) | 30 (86) | 30 (86) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21 (70) | 21 (70) | 22 (72) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 22 (72) | 23 (73) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 5.1 (0.20) | 11.6 (0.46) | 21.1 (0.83) | 27.7 (1.09) | 232.9 (9.17) | 350.8 (13.81) | 679.8 (26.76) | 733.1 (28.86) | 505 (19.9) | 176.6 (6.95) | 67.2 (2.65) | 17.7 (0.70) | 2,828.6 (111.38) |
| Average rainy days | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 23 | 25 | 22 | 15 | 8 | 4 | 142 |
| Source: World Weather Online ||||||||||||||

## Demographics
### Language

The people of Anda generally speak Pangasinan, Bolinao, and Ilocano. Unique in this part of the province, the Sambalic language of Bolinao or Binubolinao is primarily spoken in the municipality and the adjacent town of Bolinao.

## Economy

Poverty incidence of Anda
* 10
* 20
* 30
* 40
* 50
* 2000 45.80
* 2003 34.71
* 2006 31.60
* 2009 25.87
* 2012 8.88
* 2015 11.52
* 2018 12.40
* 2021 21.39
* Source: Philippine Statistics Authority
The town thrives on farming and deep-sea fishing.
In the past, progress in the town was sluggish due to its dependence to a landing barge to cross the Catubig Channel separating Anda to mainland Bolinao. In 1996, trade has increased due to a bridge connecting the municipality to the mainland. This bridge, known as Anda Bridge, was sponsored and inaugurated by then President Fidel V. Ramos, who hails from Pangasinan. Main roads have been concreted for faster access to the barangays, especially tourism related places.

## Government
### Local government

Anda, belonging to the first 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

Members of the Municipal Council (2019–2022) :
| Position | Name |
| Congressman | Arnold F. Celeste |
| Mayor | Joganie C. Rarang |
| Vice-Mayor | Artemio B. Carolino Jr. |
| Councilors | Erwin C. Catabay |
| Councilors | Lorenzo C. Cabalquinto |
| Councilors | Ester C. Carpo |
| Councilors | Lilybeth C. Kiongson |
| Councilors | Ruel B. Quilla |
| Councilors | Marvin Charles C. Caranay |
| Councilors | Christian C. Cacho |
| Councilors | Jocelle Z. Celeste |

## Transportation

The town is accessible through land transportation. Two main bus companies serve commuters to and from Anda to Manila or neighboring towns and cities. These are Dagupan Bus Co., Inc.and Pangasinan Five Star Bus Co. Mini buses and jeepneys are also available for commuters going to neighboring towns and cities, like Alaminos and Dagupan.

## Fossil Finds

In the year 2000, fossils were found in barangay San Jose and barangay Awile. Fossils in barangay Awile were found only a few centimeters from the surface due to extensive erosion in the area. In San Jose, the fossils were discovered 3 meters from the ground surface. Most of the fossils were found in clay layer with limestone rubbles.
Among the faunal fossils discovered were from Stegodon sp., Elephas sp (large)., Elephas beyeri Von Koenigsvald (dwarf), Rhinoceros philippinensis, Cerpis sp. and Bovid sp.