Plaridel, Bulacan

Plaridel
Municipality
Map of Bulacan showing the location of Plaridel.
Country	Philippines
Region	Central Luzon (Region III)
Province	Bulacan
District	2nd District
Founded	1602
Barangays	19
Government
• Mayor	Anastacia R. Vistan
Area
• Total	32.44 km2 (12.53 sq mi)
Population  (2007)
• Total	99,817
• Density	3,100/km2 (8,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	3004
Income class	1st class; urban

Population Census of Plaridel

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1995	66,355	—
2000	80,481	+4.22%
2007	99,817	+3.01%

Plaridel is a 1st class urban municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 99,817 inhabitants in 16,596 households.

Built up area

With the continuous expansion of Metro Manila, the city is now included in Manila's built up area reaching San Ildefonso in its northernmost part.

History

The town of Plaridel was previously known as Quingua. This is where the Battle of Quingua was fought with Gregorio del Pilar in which Col. John Stotsenberg was killed during the Philippine-American War on April 23, 1899. A marker now stands at the site of the battle, in Barangay Agnaya.

The historic past of the town of Plaridel can be traced through records back to 1595, in the early years of the Spanish colonization, when the place was a vast undeveloped plain covered with thick forest and cogon grass, with the rivers Angat and Tabang running through it. The Angat River flowed directly in a snakelike wave to Calumpit meeting the Pampanga River. The Tabang river, a mere branch with adjoining intersections dividing the middle of the present Poblacion, flowed to Manila Bay passing the Guiguinto and Bulacan towns. The water of this river was called "Tabang" or fresh water.

Very few people lived here, and most were closely related. Each group had a leader called "tandis". Different groups spoke different dialects; Pampango, Pangasinan, Ilocano and Tagalog. From Calumpit, Spanish priests and missionaries of the Augustinian Order, led by the Rev. Fr. Bernardino de Leon, frequently visited the place, preaching the Catholic faith, using the "balsa" or bamboo raft as their means of transportation. The missionaries decided to clear the land and establish settlements, from which they could work to bring unity to the people. They needed ideas to bring this about so each "Tandis" drew up a plan to pursue. For seven years, the groups of people labored, so much so that when the priest returned they found the area completely cleared. They inquired among the natives for who should be credited and the Pampangos exclaimed, "Quing wawa". So every now and then, to every question of the friars, the people would reply "Quing wa". Thereafter, the place was called Quingua.

Like any other community, Quingua grew and prospered. The life of the people flourished and the population grew. One of them, Jose J. Mariano, who was then the "Alcalde" or town mayor, took the initiative of renaming the town. Congressman Pedro Magsalin, a friend of the Alcalde, sponsored a bill changing the name of the town from Quingwa to Plaridel. The bill was passed by the Philippine Congress and was approved by President Manuel L. Quezon. On December 29, 1936, amidst elaborate celebrations, the town was renamed 'Plaridel' in honor of the great hero of Bulacan, Marcelo H. del Pilar. The celebrations were attended by the political luminaries, Speaker Gil Montilla, Congressman Pedro Magsalin, Honorable Nicolas Buendia, Honorable Eulogio Rodriguez, Honorable Elpidio Quirino and Governor José Padilla, Sr.

In 1942, the Japanese troops occupied Plaridel, Bulacan.

Battle of Plaridel
Part of World War II
Date 1945 Location Plaridel, Bulacan Result Filipino Victory
Belligerents
Philippine Commonwealth * Philippine Commonwealth Army * Recognized Guerrilla Unit: Bulacan Military Area (BMA)	Empire of Japan * Imperial Japanese Army
Strength
28,700 Filipino troops 6,000 Bulaceño guerrillas	15,000 Japanese troops
Casualties and losses
1,700 killed 2,600 wounded	40,000 killed 70,000 wounded 6,000 captured

In 1945, in liberation of Plaridel, Bulacan entering the Philippine Commonwealth troops of the 31st, 32nd, 33rd, 35th and 36th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the recognized guerrillas of the Bulacan Military Area (BMA) attacked by the Japanese Imperial forces defeated by victorious of the Philippine Commonwealth troops and the guerrillas of the Bulacan Military Area (BMA) in the Battle of Plaridel during the Second World War.

Barangays

Plaridel is politically subdivided into 19 barangays. In 1954, sitio Mayamot in Barrio Banga was changed to Bagong Silang.

• Agnaya
• Bagong Silang
• Banga I
• Banga II
• Bintog
• Bulihan
• Culianin
• Dampol
• Lagundi
• Lalangan
• Lumang Bayan
• Parulan
• Poblacion
• Rueda
• San Jose
• Santa Ines
• Santo Niño
• Sipat
• Tabang

External links

• Miss Globe Official Website
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 2000 Philippine Census Information