12/11/2025
NOVEMBER 13: A HOLIDAY HONORING THE FATHER OF DAGUPAN CITY
Every November 13 is a special public holiday in Pangasinan to commemorate the birth anniversary of Speaker Eugenio Padlan Perez, author of the law that converted Dagupan into a city. The holiday was declared under Republic Act No. 6721, signed by President Corazon Aquino in 1989.
Born on November 13, 1896 in Sitio Obong, Basista (then part of San Carlos), Perez served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1946 to 1953 and co-founded the Liberal Party. A proud Pangasinense, he championed major national programs and remains honored as the “Father of Dagupan City.”