San Nicolas, officially the Municipality of San Nicolas (Pangasinan: Baley na San Nicolas; Ilocano: Ili ti San Nicolas; Tagalog: Bayan ng San Nicolas), is a landlocked, 1st class municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 39,778 people.

History

Spanish Period

At the beginning of Spanish colonization in the late 16th century, indigenous settlements punctuated what is now San Nicolas. Among these communities were Ambayabang (Balungao), overseen by the legendary native chief Cayon Dagarag, Maliongliong (Mallilion), which accommodated the Dominican mission of San Jose in 1732, and Apsay (Agpay), which are all recorded in cartographic records dating as far back as 1625.

The development of San Nicolas into a settlement was marked by the establishment of religious missions by the Dominican and Augustinian orders in 1607. The Dominicans, who held sway in central Pangasinan, established the San Jose Mission in Maliongliong in 1732. Concurrently, the Augustinians, originating from Ytuy and Baler in the Pampanga River delta and Sierra Madre region, established the San Nicolas de Tolentino Mission in Ambayabang under the young Augustinian friar Agustin Barriocanal in the late 1730s to early 1740s.

Ilocano Migration

During the latter part of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, there was a significant migration of Ilocano families to Pangasinan, driven by factors such as rapid population growth and limited land availability for habitation and cultivation. While Ilocano migration to San Nicolas likely began in the early to middle part of the 18th century, it was not until around 1800 that a substantial influx occurred. This led to the establishment of a settlement near the San Nicolas de Tolentino mission. This settlement grew rapidly, which led to the elevation of San Nicolas from a mission to a visita and then to a pueblo civil in 1810. Bernardo Alimorong was appointed as the first gobernadorcillo. In 1817, San Nicolas was transferred to the civil jurisdiction of Pangasinan. In 1818, the town held its first election, with Nicolas Patricio y Mejia becoming the first elected gobernadorcillo.

By the mid-nineteenth century, San Nicolas had developed significant infrastructure, including a state house, a schoolhouse, and a growing population. In 1845, San Nicolas sought to elevate its status from a pueblo visita to a pueblo parroco. Led by the governadorcillo Don Domingo Basilio, a petition for this change was submitted to the insular government in Manila. The petition received support from the alcalde mayor, the bishop of Nueva Segovia, and finance officials in Manila. Governor General Narciso Claveria y Zaldua issued a Royal Decree on June 18, 1846, officially separating San Nicolas from its mother parish of Tayug. This decree, marked San Nicolas's formal elevation to a "pueblo parroco" and, by extension, affirmed its status as a civil township. Don Mateo Miranda served as the incumbent governadorcillo at the time of the decree, with P. Jose Manso appointed as the first curate by the Dominican Province.

Despite its independence in ecclesiastical matters, San Nicolas continued to experience jurisdictional shifts between civil provinces. In 1851, along with Tayug, it was separated from Pangasinan and incorporated into the province of Nueva Ecija. This move was part of a larger plan by the Spanish government to create a new province, Nueva Cuenca, which ultimately did not materialize. San Nicolas's inclusion in Nueva Ecija was primarily based on its historical ecclesiastical ties to Tayug and its status as an Augustinian parish.

Efforts to return San Nicolas to Pangasinan's civil jurisdiction were pursued, culminating in a successful petition in 1863. Gobernadorcillos Don Raymundo Sumaguing of San Nicolas and Don Julio de Tolosa of Tayug spearheaded this endeavor, leading to San Nicolas's permanent inclusion in Pangasinan.

Famine struck the town in 1872, followed by epidemics of cholera epidemics in 1901 and 1902, smallpox in 1905; and Spanish flu in 1918 and 1919. The town's convent, schoolhouse and tribunal were burned down in the Philippine-American war of 1899, while devastating floods occurred in 1935.

Japanese Period

During the Second World War, the town became a base of operations for guerilla movement against Japan. The Battle of Villa Verde Trail was fought between the Japanese Imperial Forces under the command of Lt. General Tomoyuki Yamashita and the US Army 32nd Infantry Division's 127th Infantry Regiment under the command of Maj. Gen William H. Gill, aided by Filipino guerillas and Igorots. The 32nd Infantry Division advanced along the Villaverde Trail beginning on January 30, 1945. Igorot laborers were employed to carry supplies and evacuate wounded as the rough terrain on the trail made it impossible for vehicles to enter. US forces declared victory on January 26, 1945.

In 119 days of fighting, the 32nd lost 1,051 killed, 3,201 wounded and 14 missing - a total of 4,266 casualties. The division killed 9,000 Japanese soldiers and took 50 prisoners. A memorial for them was built at the Salacsac Pass.

Geography

San Nicolas is located in north-eastern part of Pangasinan. It borders Tayug to the south, San Manuel to the west, Santa Fe to its northeast, Itogon to the north, and Natividad and Carranglan to its southeast.

San Nicolas is 85 kilometres (53 mi) from Lingayen, 201 kilometres (125 mi) from Manila, and 96 kilometres (60 mi) from Bayombong.

Barangays

The Municipality of San Nicolas is politically subdivided into 33 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Out of the 33 barangays, only four are in urban area (Casaratan, Nagkaysa, Poblacion East, Poblacion West), the rest belongs to the rural areas.

Boundary Dispute

San Nicolas currently has a boundary dispute with Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya over the territory of barangay Malico. The Nueva Vizcaya provincial board passed a resolution on September 21, 2022, urging San Nicolas officials to respect a memorandum of agreement between the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), Pangasinan, and Nueva Vizcaya about twenty years ago. On the same day, the Nueva Vizcaya provincial board held a special session in Malico and issued a resolution requesting San Nicolas officials to refrain from building infrastructure projects within the barangay's boundaries. It also instructed San Nicolas officials to "respect the boundary" of Santa Fe as well as "the rights of the Kalanguya tribe and their ancestral domain rights." Santa Fe cites RA 8686 as the law that created Malico as one of its barangays. Both municipalities in both provinces claim to have a barangay named Malico. The Pangasinan Provincial Board, in its first out-of-town session held in Malico on March 20, 2023, declared the said village as the "Barangay Summer Capital of Pangasinan" upon request by the municipal council through Resolution 88-2020 two years prior; a move that "strengthen the position and consolidate and reinforce the claim of barangay Malico as a territory of Pangasinan."

Climate

Demographics

Population Census of San Nicolas

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1903	9,780	—
1918	12,628	+1.72%
1939	16,088	+1.16%
1948	18,218	+1.39%
1960	19,080	+0.39%
1970	21,687	+1.29%
1975	23,377	+1.52%
1980	23,243	−0.11%
1990	27,415	+1.66%
1995	29,058	+1.10%
2000	31,418	+1.69%
2007	33,419	+0.86%
2010	34,108	+0.75%
2015	35,574	+0.80%
2020	39,778	+2.22%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

Economy

Poverty incidence of San Nicolas

5 10 15 20 25 30 2006 25.30 2009 18.88 2012 13.91 2015 13.05 2018 12.87 2021 15.72 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

Government

Local government

San Nicolas, belonging to the sixth 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
(2022–2025)

Position	Name
Congressman	Marlyn L. Primicias-Agabas
Governor	Ramon Guico III
Mayor	Alicia P. Enriquez
Vice-Mayor	Alvin O. Bravo
Councilors	Maricon Vindy A. Operaña
	Francisco O. Bravo Jr.
	Jairus Thom Dulay
	Amorsolo Pulido
	Carpio Bibat
	Jose M. Serquiña Jr.
	Rosewill P. Descargar
	Leomar Saldivar

Tourism

San Nicolas has many waterfalls from the Caraballo Mountains and rivers that serve as resting grounds for visitors.

Located at the upper part of the municipality, Barangay Malico is popular for its historical monuments from World War II such as the Sherman Tank, the barangay is also popular for its cold climate.