# Santo Tomas, Pangasinan

Santo Tomas, officially the Municipality of Santo Tomas (Pangasinan: Baley na Santo Tomas; Ilocano: Ili ti Santo Tomas; Tagalog: Bayan ng Santo Tomas), is a municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 14,878 people, making it the least populated municipality in the province.
Santo Tomas is 58 kilometres (36 mi) from Lingayen and 172 kilometres (107 mi) from Manila.

## Geography
### Barangays

Santo Tomas is politically subdivided into 10 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
* La Luna
* Poblacion East
* Poblacion West
* Salvacion
* San Agustin
* San Antonio
* San Jose
* San Marcos
* Santo Domingo
* Santo Niño

### Climate

Climate data for Santo Tomas, Pangasinan :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) | 32 (90) | 34 (93) | 35 (95) | 34 (93) | 32 (90) | 32 (90) | 32 (90) | 32 (90) | 32 (90) | 31 (88) | 32 (90) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22 (72) | 22 (72) | 22 (72) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 22 (72) | 23 (74) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 13.6 (0.54) | 10.4 (0.41) | 18.2 (0.72) | 15.7 (0.62) | 178.4 (7.02) | 227.9 (8.97) | 368 (14.5) | 306.6 (12.07) | 310.6 (12.23) | 215.7 (8.49) | 70.3 (2.77) | 31.1 (1.22) | 1,766.5 (69.56) |
| Average rainy days | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 16 | 23 | 21 | 24 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 140 |
| Source: World Weather Online ||||||||||||||

## Demographics
### Religion
#### St. Thomas Aquinas Parish Church

The 1973 St. Thomas Aquinas Parish (F-1973) Church (Barangay Santo Domingo) is under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Urdaneta and the Vicariate of Sacred Heart (Vicar Forane is Father Hurley John S. Solfelix). Its Feast Day is January 28, the same feast day of the Church's patron and the town's patron, St. Thomas Aquinas. The current Parish Priest as of 2024 is Father Joseph Repollo. As a parish, Santo Tomas was erected on March 15, 1974, by Archbishop Federico Limon consecrated the Church on March 15, 1974, since before, Santo Tomas Church was merely a "visita” or chapel of Alcala, Pangasinan, while the town was a barrio of Alcala (from 1898 until the 1901 fusion with Alcala), with former name of Arango (“inarang”, fresh water shells at Agno River).
Before 1898, Santo Tomas was a barrio of Alcala. Arango was its name as a barrio, Such a name derived from “inarang”, a name given to the fresh water shells which abound near the bank of the Agno river. Santo Tomas was recreated as a town in 1908.

## Economy

Poverty incidence of Santo Tomas
* 5
* 10
* 15
* 20
* 25
* 30
* 2000 20.34
* 2003 16.82
* 2006 22.80
* 2009 17.50
* 2012 13.01
* 2015 12.21
* 2018 10.72
* 2021 15.32
* Source: Philippine Statistics Authority
The town's principal products are palay, yellow corn, coconut, tobacco, poultry and livestock.

## Government
### Local government

Santo Tomas is part of the fifth congressional district of the province of Pangasinan. It 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 | Ramon V. Guico III |
| Mayor | Timoteo S. Villar III |
| Vice-Mayor | Wilfredo M. Pescador |
| Councilors | Jerry P. Marquez |
| Councilors | Leonora S. Zarasate |
| Councilors | Dickerson D. Villar |
| Councilors | Jonathan Q. Castañaga |
| Councilors | Mary Jane V. Saavedra |
| Councilors | Garry V. Coloma |
| Councilors | Nela N. Mariñas |
| Councilors | Heidiliz S. Ordoño |

## Guinness World Records

On February 11, 2008, during the first Corn Festival of the centennial celebration, Santo Tomas was awarded by the Guinness World Records certificate for the longest barbecue (3,803.96 metres (12,480.2 ft)). Residents grilled 93,540 glutinous corn on the 1,559 metres (5,115 ft) long grills (each interconnected grill measured 2.4 meters), traversing its 10 barangays. Santo Tomas' longest barbecue record beat the previous record of 1,493.2 metres (4,899 ft) set in Montevideo, Uruguay (grilled red meat).
On February 11, 2009, Santo Tomas' 2nd Corn Festival's 200-meter (stretch of the street) corn grill was held for its 101st founding anniversary. at it previously held its 2007 Santo Tomas Corn Festival.
In the "Agew na Pangasinan 2012 Street Dancers Showdown", April 11, 2012 Pangasinan Day amid the Float Parade and Street Dancing Contest, Santo. Tomas Street Dancers demonstrated their Guinness entry: “the biggest grill in the world”. On the 2012 Corn Festival, March 26, Santo Tomas, Pangasinan grilled 6,000 ears of corn for the town's 103rd founding anniversary yesterday.

## Gallery

* Gate of the Town Hall
* Santo Tomas Town Hall (Municipio)
* Health Center
* Santo Tomas Gymnasium
* Santo Tomas Elementary School (in front of the Town Hall)