VEERING toward the right at the back is the orientally architectured Princess Urduja House, the Governor’s residence, one of the few buildings in the area at one time. Named after the legendary woman warrior who once was said to rule Pangasinan, it was built 50 years ago.

On the left on the same eyelevel, one could see behind the Capitol, WWII tank and a fighter plane much simpler than today’s F-A18 Hornet or the F22A Raptor, but it did fight in a war. After the Sison Auditorium is a clump of buildings, the Pangasinan State University. An interesting area is the expanse of the Narciso Ramos Sports Complex with running fields and Olympics size pools, and an outdoor grandstand where spectators can watch simultaneous sports events, given the chance, in national sports competition.

Named after Narciso Ramos, distinguished diplomat, five-time congressman of the 5th District, the organizer with Joaquin Elizalde of the First Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., he is also the father of President Ramos and Senator Shahani. A stone’s throw away is Maniboc where the famous Lingayen ‘bagoong’ or anchovies is cured in rows of clay jars lined behind ‘bagoong’ magnates’ nice homes. These same anchovies are exported to all pars of the world where Filipinos are found. In the same neighborhood, coconut candies called ‘bucayo’ are gathered from coconut palms facing the sea and cooked to the confectioning specialty food indigenous to Lingayen like ‘tulapo’ predating the Lapid chicharon, and the Spanish-legacy recipe of masa rich ‘tameles’ help the local economy. These staples are sought after by native Lingayen folks and often times find their way to their homes across oceans hand carried like precious precious nuggets of gold having had survived the scrutiny of immigration officials.

A secondary business trip is Artacho street named after a past governor. More commonly known by locals as "Puzon", the name of the store connotes the same street. Here stores, like a more recent doughnut shop, water filling stations, gas stations, cell phone places, driving schools, rental place for CDs and DVDs and OFW awareness places indicative of a way of life. Two old colleges, the Adelphi and the Memorial colleges have stood the test of time and academic standards the past 60 or more years, watching newer outfits grow within their ranks, as they themselves grew in measured advances. Attune to a city, although strange, we haven’t seen a notre house, not since the Joseph brothers operated one many years ago.

At the foot of Artacho one can turn right to Sto Niño Street where the medical clinic and hospital of Dr. Joselito Casipit one of number of doctors provide medical and surgical care. Ways down are a couple of very old Spanish houses leading to the first private school ran by Irish nuns, the St. Columban’s Academy, housed in an old Catholic convent built along the wharf. Since then the school has transferred beside the Lingayen Cathedral and has grown into a college, building at the outskirt of the school campus, the Columban Business Center where stalls are presently being portioned out to outfits like the Watson Drugstore and others. Facing the old town plaza, now a bustling, busy business center, typical of any city, shopping centers like the Magic Stores, chain food stores like Chowking, Jollibee, Mister Donut and others, but still holding on to her small town charms, where in front are small business entrepreneurs selling wares, baking over live cup-cake sized bibingka (rice cakes) across the centuries old Lingayen Cathedral built by Spanish friars, unmindful of the town’s new city face.

Across from the old Jose Rizal Park now turned business center is the new Town Plaza of Lingayen, all jazzed-up with neon lights and contemporary neon life-sized coconut trees lighting up the plaza. Popular singing Mayor Jonas Castañeda, a dynamic mayor has become synonymous with the progress of the town having been there for a long time before and after his wife, Mayor Iday Castañeda’s term. While holding office from across the plaza, still surrounded by the town’s bustling and energized commerce, the old courthouse stands still, the old jailhouse beside it, silent witnesses to when Lingayen was a small town.

A few steps away behind the old Steward Protestant Church where FVR was baptized, is the old ‘Baraka’ or Heroes street leading to the old Parian side during the Spanish war served families in the area, earning their keep by preparing hogfood from banana roots and trunks. This side of town faces the wharf where families own fishponds lying in bucolic serenity, witnesses to progress and how progress and nature can live in harmony each one holding on to their traditions.

A small compact city-to-be, it is a functioning, progressive city faithful to her name. As one drives out going to Binmaley, driving through Rizal Avenue, spilling out from the center are banks, the LandBank, Equitable PCI, MetroBank, PNB, gasoline stations, doctors’ offices, ‘boticas’, computer places, a Victory Liner Station and other bus stations, tricycles galore, old Spanish houses interspersed with modernity, one instinctively looks back.

‘Lingay’ in the dialect means to look back. Indeed, it is about time, that Lingayen gets a second look, this time as a city that she has become.