Dingalan [ˌdiŋɡɐˈlan], officially the Municipality of Dingalan (Tagalog: Bayan ng Dingalan; Ilocano: Ili ti Dingalan), is a 3rd-class municipality in the province of Aurora, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 27,878 people.

Dingalan has several caves, of which the Lamao Caves are the best known. The rough shoreline and very high waves of Dingalan make it attractive to surfers. Dingalan is nicknamed "Gateway to Southern Tagalog" as it is bordered by Quezon Province (in the south), which is part of Southern Tagalog, of which Aurora was a part; Aurora was a sub-province of Quezon.

History

Dingalan, formerly just a barangay, was created a municipal district within the municipality of Baler in 1956. It was declared a town in 1962. During Spanish territorial rule, Dingalan was part of District of La Infanta, which was composed of Binangonan de Lampon.

The name Dingalan is a Dumagat word for "by the Galan River", used because the territory crosses 15 rivers and streams. The river itself is named after the Spanish priest Bartolome Galan, who arrived in Quezon during the Spanish colonial era; Galan River is now known as Umiray River.

In the early 1900s, settlers from Quezon, Nueva Ecija, and the Ilocos, along with Bicolanos and Kapampangans (Pampangos), started to migrate to Dingalan. They were generally lowland cultivators in search of arable land. Internal migration heightened in the 1930s when Don Felipe Buencamino started his logging and sawmill operations. Soon after, intermarriages among Tagalogs, Ilocanos, Pampangos, and Bicolanos enriched the cultural diversity of the settlers.

From November 30 to December 3, 2004, the town was wiped out by the tropical storms Violeta, Winnie, and Yoyong. The town benefited from the relief efforts of foreign traders, some Christian groups, La Salle Greenhills, and the Philippine National Red Cross.

Since the 1990s, due to its distance from Aurora's capital Baler, Dingalan has been pushing to be included in Nueva Ecija. Services from Palayan City, the capital of Nueva Ecija, is closer. Currently, there are no roads that directly connect Dingalan to Baler, the reason for creating Aurora sub-province from Quezon.

Geography

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 304.55 square kilometres (117.59 sq mi),  constituting 9.68% of the 3,147.32-square-kilometre- (1,215.19 sq mi) total area of Aurora.

Dingalan is 183 kilometres (114 mi) from Manila and 155 kilometres (96 mi) from Baler. It is bounded on the north by San Luis, west by Gabaldon, General Tinio, and Doña Remedios Trinidad, south by General Nakar, and east by the Benham Rise or Plateau and Philippine Sea.

It is a small town with one main cemented road with branching alleys. Further south of the town proper are the barangays of Aplaya, Butas na Bato, Matawe, Ibona, Dikapanikian and Umiray. The premier barangay north of the town is Paltic. All of the barangays are located on the seashore, except for Poblacion and two barangays located in the mountains. The whole town is mountainous due to the Sierra Madre. The Umiray River separates the town from Quezon Province.

The National Government has an ongoing move to transfer Municipality of Dingalan to become part of Nueva Ecija Province for the reason that the said municipality is geographically and strategically within the said Province. This was favored by most of the residents was opposed by the Provincial Government of Aurora. One reason is that you must travel via the province of Nueva Ecija before reaching the province of Aurora, which is especially difficult during disasters. It is more economical and practical to deliver Dingalan to the province of Nueva Ecija.

Barangays

Dingalan is politically subdivided into 11 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

PSGC	Barangay	Population			±% p.a.
		2020		2010
037705001	Aplaya	6.5%	1,802	1,619	▴	1.08%
037705002	Butas Na Bato	3.3%	909	813	▴	1.12%
037705003	Matawe (Cabog)	12.0%	3,356	3,090	▴	0.83%
037705004	Caragsacan	10.7%	2,992	2,729	▴	0.92%
037705005	Davildavilan	3.7%	1,036	992	▴	0.43%
037705006	Dikapanikian	1.4%	404	387	▴	0.43%
037705007	Ibona	13.0%	3,624	3,185	▴	1.30%
037705009	Paltic	18.2%	5,075	5,029	▴	0.09%
037705010	Poblacion	3.9%	1,084	1,091	▾	−0.06%
037705011	Tanawan	2.9%	820	656	▴	2.26%
037705013	Umiray (Malamig)	15.7%	4,380	3,963	▴	1.01%
	Total		27,878	23,554	▴	1.70%

Climate

Demographics

Population census of Dingalan

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1960	3,368	—
1970	6,616	+6.98%
1975	7,591	+2.80%
1980	8,702	+2.77%
1990	14,475	+5.22%
1995	19,325	+5.56%
2000	20,157	+0.91%
2007	21,992	+1.21%
2010	23,554	+2.53%
2015	25,482	+1.51%
2020	27,878	+1.78%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

In the 2020 census, Dingalan had a population of 27,878. The population density was 92 inhabitants per square kilometre (240/sq mi).

Economy

Poverty incidence of Dingalan

5 10 15 20 25 30 2006 29.30 2009 14.48 2012 13.46 2015 14.57 2018 12.73 2021 28.45 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

Gallery

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  Town hall in Poblacion
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  Public Market in Poblacion
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  Dingalan Bay blue sea
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  Fisherfolk at Aplaya