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Overview
© PPDO (2025)
Coastal Area
Coastal Area
Pangasinan is comprised of 44 municipalities, 4 cities and 1,364 barangays. It has six (6) Congressional Districts with Lingayen as the Provincial Capital.
The province has fourteen (14) coastal municipalities/cities comprising of 123 barangays, with the Municipality of Anda having the longest coastline covering an approximately 55.794 km or about 19.5% of the total province’s coastline.
Population
Population
Based from the 2020 census of population, Pangasinan registered a total population of 3,163,190 and ranks sixth in the country.
As per the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) survey, poverty incidence among families in Pangasinan continue to decrease from 16.9% in 2015 Annual Poverty Incidence and further reduced to 9.3% in 2018. The annual per capita poverty threshold of the province increased from P22,799 (CY 2015) to P27,828 (CY 2018).
The employment rate of the province is 92.09%, while the unemployment rate and underemployment rate is 7.91% and 17.81% respectively. Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate of Pangasinan is 62.17%, which comprises the total employed and unemployed population.
Pangasinan is a major fish supplier in Luzon and a major producer of salt in the Philippines. Its coastal sector remains a major economic pillar, with municipal fisheries, mariculture, and marine tourism contributing to a 110% fish sufficiency level and supporting local enterprises such as cold-storage facilities, seafood trading, and beach-island tourism in the Lingayen Gulf.
Biophysical Setting and Marine Habitats
The coastal-marine areas of Pangasinan are characterized by scattered patches of mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral communities, mostly concentrated along the north-western coast, reflecting fragmented but vital habitats under strong human pressure.
These areas receive runoff from major rivers such as the Agno, Bued, Sinocalan, and Balingasay, making these downstream habitats highly dependent on watershed condition; degraded uplands and riverbanks can intensify sedimentation and pollution in mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs.
Ecosystem Services
Provisioning Services
Provisioning Services
Fisheries Production
Marine fish, shellfish, seaweeds harvested from Lingayen Gulf and municipal waters
Supports coastal livelihoods and local food security
Salt and Coastal Raw Materials
Traditional salt-making areas (e.g., salt pans in coastal municipalities)
Regulating Services
Regulating Services
Coastal Storm Protection
Mangroves reduce storm surges and wave energy during typhoons
Coastal Erosion Control
Seagrass beds and coral reefs stabilize sediments and buffer wave action
Water Quality Regulation
Mangroves and seagrasses filter pollutants and trap nutrients before entering open water
Carbon Sequestration (“Blue Carbon”)
Mangroves and seagrasses store carbon at high rates, contributing to climate mitigation
Cultural Services
Cultural Services
Marine Ecotourism
Hundred Islands National Park, island-hopping, snorkeling, diving
Beaches and coastal caves as tourism assets
Cultural & Culinary Identity
Bangus industry tied to marine heritage
Festivals, coastal fishing traditions, community identity centered on the sea
Recreation & Well-being
Swimming, paddling, boating; community recreation linked to healthy coasts
Supporting Services
Supporting Services
Nursery Habitat for Fisheries
Mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs provide juvenile habitat for commercially important fish
Nutrient Cycling in Lingayen Gulf
Seagrass-mangrove-reef continuum drives high marine productivity
Habitat Formation & Biodiversity Support
Maintain structural complexity essential for diverse marine life
Sediment Trapping by Mangroves
Mangrove roots trap sediments, maintaining water clarity needed for reefs and seagrasses
References
References
Alaminos Government. (2025). The Hundred Islands National Park. Alaminoscity.gov.ph. https://www.alaminoscity.gov.ph/ecological-profile/content/chapter2/hundred_islands_national_park.html
Oliver, J., Howells, L., & Conte, M. P. (2025). Coral destruction in the Philippines. Sustaining The Environment. https://coraldestructionphilippines.weebly.com/sustaining-the-environment.html
Pangasinan Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO). (2025, February 6). Provincial Ecological Profile 2021 - Pangasinan Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO). https://ppdo.pangasinan.gov.ph/provincial-ecological-profile-2021/
Philippine Geoportal. https://www.geoportal.gov.ph
The Philippine Star. (2022). Local fishermen use the traditional method of fishing called “kalukor” at a beach in Binmaley, Pangasinan. The Philippine Star. https://bit.ly/3g7OzE9
Vera-Ruiz, E. (2025). “Emong” makes landfall over Pangasinan — PAGASA. Manila Bulletin. https://mb.com.ph/2025/07/24/emong-makes-landfall-over-pangasinan-pagasa
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