There were several conflicting accounts of the origin of the towns name. Historians suggest that the name Pozorrubio was suggested by Rev. Fr. Asencio to honor Governor-General Carlos Maria de la Torre y Navacerrada, who was the Count of Pozor at the time and is instrumental to the establishment of the municipality of Pozorrubio . Others believe came from the Spanish words; “pozo” which means heart, and “rubio” which means red.
Pozorrubio was once called Claris, named after Juan de la Cruz Palaris, a local hero who led the revolt of 1762 that resulted in a short-lived independence of Binalatongan (now San Carlos City) along with other towns in Pangasinan against the Spanish empire. Claris was a small settlement that later became a barrio of San Jacinto.
On June 19, 1868, influential locals filed a petition to the Governor-General Carlos Maria de la Torre y Navacerrada that will establish Barrio Claris into an independent town. Spain granted the petition on November 3, 1869, and on January 13, 1870, the Municipality of Pozorrubio was established.
Pozorrubio is part of the fifth congressional district of the province of Pangasinan. It is 60 kilometers from the capital town Lingayen. Pozzorrubio has a total land area of 13,460 hectares and a population of 74,729 people as per the 2020 census.
Pozorrubio’s famous product is “patupat,” a native delicacy made from sticky rice and wrapped in finely woven coconut leaves. With the popularity of the town’s patupat, the local leaders launched a festival in 2012 to give credit to the town’s well-loved native delicacy. Since then, the celebration became the main highlight of the annual fiesta celebration which is held in January.
If there is one thing that Pozorrubio can be proud of is the fact that a world-class sword producer hails from Brgy. Palac-palac, one of the villages of the town. Knives, swords, battle axes, katana, kris, and kampilan can be bought at Neneng’s Cutlery which is owned by spouses Filomeno and Bernardita de Guzman. Their swords were reported to have been used in Hollywood films like Braveheart, Excalibur, King Arthur, Joan the Arc, 300, and Gladiator.
Officials
Mayor
Kelvin Chan
Vice Mayor
Ernesto Snooky Salcedo
Councilors
Dennis Uy
Maximiano Balelo
Miguel Abalos
Jovito Estaris
Mark Lee Francisco
Lester Bermudez
Orlando Guillermo
Edwin Bautista
