WhereIsAtlas · Pangasinan

Where Is Alaminos?

The Pangasinan city of the Hundred Islands — named after a Spanish general and home to one of the Philippines' great natural wonders.

Alaminos is a component city in Pangasinan, Philippines, population about 100,430, best known for the Hundred Islands National Park off the coast of Lucap. It was named after Spanish general Juan Alaminos y Vivar and became a city in 2001.

A city of the Hundred Islands

Alaminos is a component city in the province of Pangasinan, on the northwestern coast of the Philippines. About 247 kilometers from Manila, it is a coastal and agricultural city with a 2024 population of roughly 100,430. It is best known globally as the home of the Hundred Islands National Park, a collection of more than a hundred islands scattered off the coast of Barangay Lucap.

The Hundred Islands are the city's great natural treasure — a beloved destination for beaches, boat tours, and island-hopping that draws visitors from across the country.

The name and its origins

Alaminos was not always called Alaminos. The area began as a barrio known as Casborran, which became part of the larger town of Bolinao. People relocated there in 1737, and by 1747 it had become its own independent town. It endured setbacks — burned twice by conflict — before settlers found refuge on a plateau that became the city's center.

In 1872 the town was renamed Alaminos, in honor of Spanish general Juan Alaminos y Vivar, who had visited the thriving town in 1860 and was much loved by its residents. He later served as governor-general of the Philippines.

From town to city

Alaminos remained a municipality for more than a century. On March 5, 2001, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed Republic Act 9025, converting the municipality into a component city. A plebiscite on March 28, 2001 ratified the change, after more than 85 percent of voters favored it, and Alaminos officially became a city.

A place that shaped history

Alaminos holds a surprising place in Philippine political history: the Communist Party of the Philippines was founded in the remote barangay of Dulacac on 26 December 1968, by Jose Maria Sison. The city has also faced the forces of nature — in May 2009, Typhoon Emong badly damaged many homes in the city, including the roof of its main church.

Where Alaminos is now

Alaminos is a thriving provincial city and the gateway to the Hundred Islands. It is a place where centuries of history — from colonial-era conflicts and a Spanish namesake to the founding of a political movement and a devastating typhoon — meet the natural beauty of the Philippine archipelago. For a 'where is it' answer, Alaminos lies in Pangasinan, a short drive from Manila and the home of one of the country's greatest island wonders.

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