Mabalacat

Mabalacat City Lakanbalen ning Mabalacat Lungsod ng Mabalacat
—  Component City  —
City of Mabalacat
Map of Pampanga showing the location of Mabalacat
Mabalacat City Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 15°13′N 120°35′E
Country	Philippines
Region	Central Luzon (Region III)
Province	Pampanga
District	1st District
Founded	1712
Incorporated	July 21, 2012 (city)
Barangays	27
Government
• Mayor	Marino P. Morales
Area
• Total	83.18 km2 (32.12 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Total	215,610 citizen (2,447 business industries and 43,122 household)
Time zone	PST (UTC+8)
ZIP code	2010
Dialing code	45
Income class	1st class
Website	mabalacat.gov.ph

Mabalacat is a first class city in the northern part of the province of Pampanga, Philippines. The former municipality was officially converted into a city following a referendum on July 21, 2012 and became the third city of Pampanga after Angeles City and City of San Fernando. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 215,610 people.

The city's name is derived from the ancient "balacat" trees which were found abundantly in the area.

Mabalacat has a land area of 83.18 square kilometres (32.12 sq mi). Roughly 60% of the Clark Special Economic Zone is located in Mabalacat, with the rest in Angeles City (where Clark's main gate is located). The soil is charcoal black and shiny, a sign of fertility, and is suitable for growing rice, sugarcane and other rootcrops. Like Porac, Santa Rita, Magalang, and Angeles City, this city never gets inundated by floods from heavy rain because it is situated on an elevated plain known as the "Upper Pampanga".

Barangays

Mabalacat is politically subdivided into 27 barangays.

• Atlu-Bola
• Bical
• Bundagul
• Cacutud
• Calumpang
• Camachiles
• Dapdap
• Dau
• Dolores
• Duquit
• Lakandula
• Mabiga
• Macapagal Village
• Mamatitang
• Mangalit
• Marcos Village
• Mawaque (Mauaque)
• Paralayunan
• Poblacion
• San Francisco
• San Joaquin
• Santa Ines
• Santa Maria
• Santo Rosario
• Sapang Balen
• Sapang Biabas
• Tabun

The largest barangay is Dau, which became a barrio in 1936 by virtue of Presidential Proclamation Number 1. It is now a business center whose commercial output runs parallel to that of downtown. A former terminus of the North Luzon Expressway, it is the most urban and most populous area in Mabalacat, home to roughly 23% of the city's population.

San Francisco, the second largest barangay, along with San Joaquin, Santa Ines, Poblacion, Calumpang and other barangays are categorized as urban in view of their proximity to the city proper. Sapang Balen, with a population of 166 persons, is the smallest barangay.

History

Before 1712, Mabalacat was a barrio (barangay) of Bambang, now Bamban, Tarlac. It became a town in 1792, and was named after the balacat tree (Ziziphus talanai), a fourth class timber tree whose bark has been proven to have antimicrobial properties. Then, a settlement of a negrito tribe, the area was a virtual forest of balacat trees. "Ma-balacat" in the native Kapampangan dialect means "full of balacats."

In 1853 Mabalacat had a population of 2,611 and four barangays, namely, Babangdapu, Duquit, Malabni, and Paglimbunan. In 1903 its population increased to 7,049 and already had 19 barangays. These were Bical, Bundagul, Dapdap, Dau, Dolores, Iba, Mabiga, Mamatitang, Mangalit, Matas, Mawaque, Paralayunan, Poblacion, Quitangil, San Joaquin, Santa Ines, Santa Maria, Sapang Balen, and Sapang Biabas. In 1948, its barangays increased to 20 with the addition of Fort Stotsenburg. Barangay Quitangil was renamed San Francisco.

In 1860 a military command was established by the Spanish authorities due to lawlessness and depredations perpetrated by the negritos (also known as balugas or aetas). The Pampanga towns of Bamban, Capas, Concepcion, Victoria, Tarlac, Magalang, Porac, and Floridablanca and the city of Mabalacat were created into what was called a "Commandancia Militar". However, in 1873 the Military Command returned Mabalacat together with the towns of Magalang, Floridablanca, and Porac to the mother province, Pampanga.

It became a city after the president signed the Republic Act 10164 and winning the yes votes held on a plebiscite last July 21, 2012.

Economy

Road from the North Luzon Expressway.

Mabalacat has an average annual income of PhP 56,698,280.87 derived mostly from municipal license fees, land tax, Internal Revenue allotment, roads and bridges fund. In 1997, there were 2,447 business establishments registered in the Mabalacat City, consisting of 79 manufacturers mostly involved in sash factory, iron works, ceramics, bakery and 1,806 trading companies. The financial needs are served by eleven banks, mostly concentrated in Dau.

Public utilities include the Mabalacat Water System, Pampanga Electric Corporation II (PELCO II), three telephone companies namely, Datelcom Corporation (DATELCOM), Smart Communications (SMART) and Digital Telecommunications Philippines, Incorporated (DIGITEL) and one cable television network (PRO-SAT) which runs solely for Mabalacat.

Population Census of Mabalacat
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1995	129,990	—
2000	171,045	5.64%
2007	203,307	2.5%
2010	215,610	1.98%

Education

There are thirty one educational institutions in Mabalacat composed of one state college,one private College, one Technical Training School, two Secondary public, two private High Schools and twenty five public Elementary schools divided into two districts, Mabalacat North and Mabalacat South. TESDA-accredited institutions offering Vocational-Technical skills abound in the area.

Private schools in Mabalacat listed with the Department of Education are: Athena's Cradle Center, Inc., Brightstone Learning Center, Children of Fatima School, Inc., Dee Hwa Liong College Foundation, Don Bosco Academy Pampanga (originally from Bacolor but moved to Mabalacat after lahar struck the campus in Bacolor) which is run by the Salesians of St. John Bosco, Don Teodoro V. Santos Institute, Doña Asuncion Lee Integrated School, Great Shepherd Christian Academy, Immanuel Montessori School, Inc., Jose C. Feliciano College, Mabalacat Christian Academy, Mary Help of Christians School, Inc., Montessori School of St. Nicholas, Nehemiah Christian School, Inc., School of the Infant Jesus, Shield of Victory Christian School, St. Anthony College of Technology,St. Mutien Marie College and Divine Grace Academy. Listed with and accredited by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is the Asian Institute of Computer Studies (AICS) a private technical school offering 2-year I.T. courses to students who has finished at least a high school education. AICS however will be offering 4-year and 5-year degree programs in the year 2011.

City fiesta

The Our Lady of Divine Grace Parish Church as of 2009.

Legend tells us that when the early settlers were clearing the forests, Cabezang Laureana’s workers found, hidden among the bushes, a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and on her lap the Niño Jesus.

On February 2, the statue was presented by Caragan as a gift to Padre Maximo Manuguid, the priest of the early Mabalacat Church made of sawali and cogon grass. From then on, the city fiesta was observed on the second of February.

Pastorella

The pastorella (Misa de Pastores in honor of the shepherds at the birth of Jesus Christ - a set of Latin hymns of the 9-day Christmas Masses), ceased in Pampanga towns for 40 years after Vatican II. In Mabalacat, however, at Our Lady of Divine Grace Parish, pastorella lived on: in the 4:30 a.m. mass on Monday, the pastorella repertoire included the Kyrie (Lord, Have Mercy), Gloria (Glory to God in the Highest), Credo (Apostle's Creed), Sanctus (Holy) and Agnus Dei (Lamb of God). The hymns were in Latin, except for Kyrie, which was in Greek."

Downtown

References

3. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/164123/finally-mabalacat-gets-lawmakers%E2%80%99-nod-to-become-city

External links

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 1995 Philippine Census Information
• 2000 Philippine Census Information
• 2007 Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System