Basista Prepares for her 61st Anniversary

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

BASISTA, Pangasinan – The young mayor of this local government unit (LGU) met for the second time his vice mayor, department heads, chief of police, and other officials to map out for the forthcoming 61st anniversary of the central Pangasinan’s town on September 6.

“Upang talakayin at mapaghandaan ang mga aktibidad para sa nalalapit na Ika-61 anibersaryo ng pagkatatag ng munisipyo, “ the Facebook Page of Mayor Jolly Roque “JR” Resuello announced.

BASISTA MAYOR Jolly Roque “JR” Resuello presides the second round of the meeting with his vice mayor, department heads, chief of police, and other officials of the local government unit to map out the forthcoming 61st anniversary of the central Pangasinan’s town on September 6.

Basista was founded in September 5, 1961 when President Carlos P. Garcia issued Executive Order No. 446 creating the rustic municipality. It is composed of 13 barrios. Four years after, however, the Philippine Supreme Court declared the town's creation as without legal basis citing their ruling in the "Emmanuel Pelaez vs. Auditor General "that "municipalities created under Executive Orders are void".
But the District's Congressman Jack L. Soriano immediately filed a bill in Congress and was eventually signed by the President into law through Republic Act No. 4866 that minted it as a de jure local government unit after it was chartered in May 8, 1967.
The former village of the then town’s San Carlos, now the site of the town proper or poblacion, was once the biggest and one of the progressive barrios located in the far south of the mother town (now a city).
According to Wikipedia, as early as the year 1918, some of the most influential and prominent families of barrio Basista came together and made the first attempt to petition the municipal government and the provincial board of San Carlos and Pangasinan, respectively, to grant its township.
Prominent politicians during that time volunteered their help in making representations with the proper authorities, but their request was not granted. The proponents then were General Mamaril, Don Valeriano Perez, father of then speaker Eugenio Pérez, Buenaventura de Vera, Telesforo de Vera, Gregorio Malicdem, Cayetano Perez, Gaudencio Padua, Gregorio Valdez, Ramon Valdez, Don Roque de Vera, Domingo Resultay, Bernardo Resultay, Liberato Frias, Hipolito Cayabyab, Alejandro de Guzman, Pascual Resultay, Raymundo de Guzman, Vicente de Guzman, Domingo de Guzman, Vicente Frias, Florentino Malicdem, Faustino Monzon.
The 2020 census said Basista has a population of 37, 679.
The two –term’s Mayor Resuello told Northern Watch Newspaper that the 4th class town has an annual appropriation budget of P P167, 673, 690.00 this year.