STA. BARBARA — This town has climbed to first class status from a mere fourth class classification 10 years ago due to self-reliance and industry of the townspeople.

Mayor Jinky Zaplan said that the town registered an average annual income for the last three years in the amount of P78 million which qualified it for first-class status.

The town is set to join other first-class towns of Pangasinan, such as Malasiqui, Bayambang, Mangaldan and Lingayen.

Zaplan expressed confidence that the town’s income will increase some more when she inaugurated the newly constructed second floor of the town’s public market that will allocate some 100 stalls to local traders.

She recalled that Sta. Barbara was only a fourth class town when here husband, former Mayor Carlito Zaplan, assumed the helm of the municipality in 1995 till 2004.

Mayor Zaplan replaced her husband as municipal executive.

She acknowledged that her husband started the first floor of the public market with a loan of P12 million from the Development Bank of the Philippines.

Under her administration, the loan is now almost paid, so a second floor of the public market was constructed in order to accommodate more traders.