Cuyapo is 53 kilometres (33mi) from Cabanatuan, 67 kilometres (42mi) from Palayan, and 169 kilometres (105mi) from Manila.
Etymology
Cuyapo is named after the water cabbage (Pistia stratiotes) which is known in Pangasinense as kuyapo. The district of Quiapo, Manila is also named after the same plant, this is the Tagalog counterpart, modern spelling kiyapo.
Pangasinenses from Paniqui, Tarlac who used to pasture their cattle, other Pangasinenses from Calasiao and San Carlos, Pangasinan, Ilocano foresters from Santa Maria & Narvacan, Ilocos Sur; Paoay and Batac in Ilocos Norte; and some Tagalogs from Bulacan and southern Nueva Ecija settled in great number in the town. It is said that the exodus, particularly from Ilocos Sur, was due to the forced labor enforced by the Spaniards in the construction of the church in Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur[citation needed]. Cuyapo was declared a Barrio of Rosales (now a municipality of Pangasinan) on September 25, 1849, with Senor Santiago Vergara as its first Teniente del Barrio. It was in 1901 under the American civil administration that Rosales, together with Balungao, Umingan, San Quintin, were segregated from Nueva Ecija and became parts of Pangasinan.
Founding
On October 29, 1859, Cuyapo was separated from Rosales, Pangasinan and made a full-fledged town with Don Juan Pangalilingan as the first Gobernadorcillo. It was during his term that the first Catholic Church and convent was constructed. The old road to Guimba, passing through what is now Barangay Maycaban was constructed. On October 29, 1959, Cuyapo celebrated the centennial of its creation as a town.
Revolutionary period
Apolinario Mabini Monument
On June 19, 1898, two to three hundred Cuyapenos, under Teniente Isabelo del Valle of Paniqui, Tarlac, answered the call of duty and ambushed a heavily armed contingent of Spanish Cazadores who came from Rosales en route to Tarlac in Bessang (now part of Barangay Maycaban. The Cuyapenos then had only fifteen (15) Remington rifles and the rest armed with bolos. On July 1, Gen. Mariano Llanera, then Military Governor of Nueva Ecija, appointed Don Marcelo Garcia, last Capitan Municipal during the Spanish Regime, as Presidente Municipal with Don Mariano Flores, last Teniente Mayor, as Vise Presidente Municipal. Later, under the supervisional government, election of municipal officials was held. This revolutionary period of government existed until the American forces came in November of the same year. It was during this period when the people showed their patriotism and loyalty to the cause of the revolution.
Local Government
The municipal government of Cuyapo is headed by a mayor, vice mayor, and members of the Sangguniang Bayan, who are elected by residents in local elections as part of the Philippine system of local governance.
Following the 2025 Philippine local elections, Jose Santiago Hidalgo Jr. was elected as the municipal mayor of Cuyapo. Hidalgo, a retired police general who previously served for several decades in the Philippine National Police, assumed office on June 30, 2025, beginning his three-year term from 2025 to 2028.
Before entering politics, Hidalgo built a long career in law enforcement, rising through the ranks of the Philippine National Police and eventually retiring as a Police General after more than three decades of public service. His background in public safety and security became a significant aspect of his mayoral campaign, emphasizing governance, peace and order, and community development in Cuyapo.
Since taking office, Mayor Hidalgo has promoted several advocacies focused on peace and order, community welfare, cultural promotion, and local development. Drawing from his long career in law enforcement, one of his primary priorities has been strengthening public safety and security in the municipality. His administration has emphasized maintaining peace and order in barangays, improving coordination with local law-enforcement units, and encouraging community participation in crime prevention initiatives.
Festivals and Cultural Events
In 2026, the municipal government of Cuyapo introduced the Warek-Warek Festival, highlighting a local delicacy known as warek-warek, a pork dish similar to dinakdakan or sisig that is associated with the town's culinary culture. The first Warek-Warek Festival was held from March 3 to March 8, 2026, as part of the annual town fiesta celebration.
The festival was initiated during the administration of Jose Santiago Hidalgo Jr., who was elected mayor in the 2025 Philippine local elections and assumed office on June 30, 2025. Under his leadership, the festival was introduced as a cultural and tourism initiative intended to promote local cuisine, strengthen community identity, and attract visitors to the municipality.
The celebration featured food exhibitions, cooking competitions centered on the warek-warek dish, community events, and activities connected with the town fiesta. The launch of the festival marked the first time the warek-warek dish was formally celebrated as a cultural symbol of Cuyapo, reflecting the municipal government's effort to highlight local traditions and promote tourism in the town.
Geography
Barangays
Cuyapo is politically subdivided into 51 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
Apolinario Mabini Marker (Cuyapo) - Site of the arrest of Philippine hero Apolinario Mabini, known as “the sublime paralytic,” by the Americans on December 10, 1899.
Armando's Garden Resort and Villas
Colosboa Hills - Tagged as the “New Zealand of Cuyapo” the “Colosboa Hills” is a vast green mountain range perfect for camping, photoshoots, and a biking destination. located at Barangay Colosboa in the Municipality of Cuyapo. Colosboa Hills, Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija.
Mount Bulaylay Zipline - located at Brgy. Landig, Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija. Mt. Bulaylay and Mt. Bangkay. These towering mounds of rock and soil hold another new adventure destination in Nueva Ecija. Mt. Bulaylay, towering at 286 meters above sea level, is a multi-peak mountain with zipline equipment that can whisk a tandem ride
Paitan Lake - located at Paitan Sur, Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija. A serene lake that holds a mystical past poise as a next tourist destination too – that is Paitang Lake discovered by Don Cornelio Sumangil in 1885. Roughly about 15-18 kilometers from Cuyapo's town proper.
Education
St. Pius X Institute Inc.
The Cuyapo Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools.
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