Belen fernandez dagupan city biography of mahatma

PEACE-MAKER

Last Jan. 9, 2025, the people of Dagupan City, led by the indefatigable Mayor Belen T. Fernandez, commemorated a pivotal moment in our nation’s history – the 80th anniversary of the landing of General Douglas MacArthur in Dagupan City, Pangasinan, during the final months of World War II.

This historic event was not only a turning point in the liberation of the Philippines but also an indelible chapter in the story of our beloved city.

There is still a debate among historians where the great World War II General actually landed in the Lingayen Gulf area but we are certain he stormed ashore our hometown Dagupan as confirmed by the fact that he set up a command post at what was then the Economics Building of Dagupan Elementary School, now known as West Central Elementary School, where we studied.

As we have mentioned in our earlier columns, we actually saw the legendary American general.

We were then nine years old. The