Mabalacat, Pampanga

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Municipality of Mabalacat
Location
Map of Pampanga showing the location of Mabalacat.
Map of Pampanga showing the location of Mabalacat.
Government
Region Central Luzon (Region III)
Province Pampanga
District 1st District
Barangays 27
Income class 1st class
Founded 1712
Mayor Marino P. Morales
Official website mabalacat.gov.ph
ZIP Code 2010
Physical characteristics
Area 61.47 km²
Population

     Total

203,307
Population Census of Mabalacat
Census Pop. Rate
1995 129,990
—
2000 171,045 6.07%
2007 203,307 2.41%


Mabalacat is a 1st class municipality in the northern part of the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 203,307 people in 35,134 households.

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

The municipality was recently proposed to be a component city. If the plans are to go through, Mabalacat will join Angeles City and City of San Fernando as the province's third city.[1]

Contents

[edit] The Land of Balacats

Mabalacat became a town in 1712. It was named after the balacat tree (Zizyphus Zonulata Balaco), a fourth class timber. 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."

The town has a land area of 165.8 square kilometres - more than double that of Angeles City’s. Roughly three-fifths of the land area of Clark Air Base belong to Mabalacat (the rest to Angeles City, where Clark's main gate is located) whose boundary extend up to the Zambales Ranges. The soil is charcoal black and shiny, a sign of fertility, and is suitable for growing rice, sugarcane and other rootcrops. Before 1712 Mabalacat was a barrio (barangay) of Bambang, now Bamban, Tarlac. Like Porac, Santa Rita, Magalang, and Angeles City, this town never gets inundated by floods from heavy rain because it is situated on an elevated plain known as the "Upper Pampanga".

[edit] Barangays

Border gate to Mabalacat.
Dau as seen on Mc Arthur Highway.

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 road in Dau which leads to the North Luzon Expressway.

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.

The largest barangay is Dau, which became a barrio in 1936 by virtue of Presidential Proclamation Number 1. It is now a business nerve-center whose commercial input and output run parallel to that of downtown's. A former terminus of the North Luzon Expressway, it is the most urban area in Mabalacat.

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 town proper. Sapang Balen, with a population of 203 persons, is the smallest barangay.

[edit] Resources

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 Municipality of Mabalacat, 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.

There are thirty educational institutions in Mabalacat composed of one private College, two Secondary public, two private High Schools and twenty five public Elementary schools divided into two districts, Mabalacat North and Mabalacat South.

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 (originally from Bacolor but moved to Mabalacat after lahar struck the campus in Bacolor), Don Teodoro V. Santos Institute, 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.The first state college in Mabalacat and second in Region Three is Mabalacat National College.

The people of Mabalacat are peace-loving and God-fearing as well as hardworking and industrious. They speak the Kapampangan dialect which is very rich in vocabulary and culture.

[edit] The early settlers and the Spanish era

There is no official record on the foundation of Mabalacat, but according to folk tales that were passed through generations, the first settlers were purely negritos (also known as aetas or balugas). A baluga chieftain named Caragan led his tribe in the rich balacat forests and settled themselves within its plentiful resources. Caragan was later married to Laureana Tolentino, from whom he adopted his family name. Laureana became the first Cabeza De Barangay of Mabalacat, a title now equivalent to Barangay Captain.

Attracted by the fertile soil and the abundance of wild animals and fowls, lowlanders however, have driven back the negritos to the nearby mountains and hills and claimed the land for themselves.

[edit] The observance of the town fiesta

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

Our Lady Of Divine Grace Parish Church

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 town fiesta was observed on the second of February.

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, Mabalacat, Magalang, Porac, and Floridablanca 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.

[edit] 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."[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Isip, Rendy (2007-09-07). "Lawmaker proposes Mabalacat cityhood". Manila Standard Today. http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=regions3_sept7_2007. Retrieved 2007-11-17. 
  2. ^ Inquirer.net, Latin hymns sung in masses in Pampanga

[edit] External links


v • d • e
Component local government units of Pampanga

Highly urbanized city: Angeles City

(Administratively independent from the province, but grouped under Pampanga by the National Statistics Office)
Largest Municipalities of the Philippines
Rank Municipalities Province Population Rank Municipality Province Population
view • talk • edit
1 Bacoor Cavite 441,197 11 Santa Maria Bulacan 205,258
2 Cainta Rizal 289,833 12 Mabalacat Pampanga 203,307
3 San Pedro Laguna 281,808 13 Silang Cavite 199,285
4 Biñan Laguna 262,735 14 San Mateo Rizal 184,860
5 Taytay Rizal 262,485 15 Tanza Cavite 171,795
6 Imus Cavite 253,158 16 Marilao Bulacan 160,452
7 Binangonan Rizal 238,931 17 Lubao Pampanga 143,058
8 Rodriguez Rizal 223,594 18 Mexico Pampanga 141,298
9 General Trias Cavite 218,387 19 Jolo Sulu 140,307
10 Cabuyao Laguna 205,376 20 San Miguel Bulacan 138,839
Philippines 2007 Census

Coordinates: 15°13′N 120°35′E / 15.217°N 120.583°E / 15.217; 120.583

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabalacat,_Pampanga"