PAMPANGA
Pampanga, which derives its name from “pampang” or
“pampangan” (river bank), is a rich and fertile valley in Central Luzon.
On the western and northwestern side rise the foothills of the Zambales
range. To the west, covering almost one-fifth of the land, grow the thick nipa
groves of the Candaba swamps.
The French historian, J, Mallat, in his Les Philippines, (Paris, 1846) aptly
called this land of Pampanga “ plus ballet et plus riche de Philippines” (the
most beautiful and the richest in the Philippines). Except for the
majestic Mount Arayat, the land is one fertile plain. Its soul has made
it one of the principal sugar and rice producers in the country.
Plains and Valleys attract
civilized settlers, and colonizers are no exception. The Spaniards, who
came to the Philippines in 1521 no doubt, made a survey of this land, which is
accessible, both by land and by sea. Access from the sea is the navigable
delta which one enters from Manila, an older settlement, through southern
Pampanga. Until before the war steamboats plied this channel up to the
Guagua pier just a short distance from the town plaza.
Pampanga was the first
province in the island of Luzon inaugurated by the Spaniards. It was founded on
December 11, 1571 in the same year the City of Manila was established by
Spanish Governor Miguel Lopez de Legaspi as the seat of national government. For
governmental control and taxation purposes, the Spanish authorities subdivided
the province into towns (pueblos), which were further subdivided into districts
(barrios) and in some cases into royal and private estates.
In a report of Philippine encomiendas on June 20, 1591, Spanish Governor Gomez
Perez Dasmarinas reported to the King of Spain that La Pampanga's encomiendas
were Batan, Bitis y Lubao, Macabebe, Candava, Apali, Calompit, Malolos, Binto,
Guiguinto, Caluya, Bulacan and Mecabayan. The encomiendas of La Pampanga at
that time had eighteen thousand six hundred and eighty whole tributes, or
seventy-four thousand seven hundred and twenty souls.
Pampanga is now about
850 square miles (2,181 square kilometers) in land area and inhabited by about
1,636,000 people (per the 1995 Philippine National Census). As other Luzon
provinces were created due to increases in population, some well-established
Pampanga towns were lost to new emerging provinces in Central Luzon.
The old Pampanga towns
of Aliaga, Cabiao, Gapan, San Antonio and San Isidro were ceded to the province
of Nueva Ecija in 1848 during the term of Spanish Governor-General Narciso
Claveria y Zaldua. Claveria was best remembered for issuing memorable decrees
during his incumbency. One of Claveria's history-making decrees was issued on
August 16, 1844, which ordered that Tuesday, December 31, 1844 should be
officially considered as Wednesday, January 1, 1845 thus eliminating December
31, 1844 from the Philippine calendar. There were neither births nor deaths
officially registered in the Philippines on that date.
The Climate
Pampanga has two
distinct climates, a rainy season and a dry season. The rainy or wet season
normally starts in May and runs through October and the rest of the year is the
dry season. The warmest period of the year is from March to April while the
coldest period is from December through February of the following year.
Transportation
The province is
accessible by air transportation via the Diosdado Macapagal International
Airport (formerly called Clark International Airport) in the vicinity of
Angeles-Porac-Mabalacat area. It is also easily accessible by land
transportation. The railroad passes through the province. All bus lines linking
Manila with Baguio, Pangasinan, and Ilocos pass through Pampanga. Philippine
Rabbit, Pantranco North, and Victory Liner are some of the bus companies, which
have frequent departures. The expressway meets MacArthur Highway at Dau,
Mabalacat just north of Angeles City. Philippine Rabbit serves the provincial
capital (San Fernando) from Manila. Victory Liner links Angeles City and
Olongapo City. Baliwag Transit and E. Jose Transport operate cross-country
services from Olongapo City to Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija via San Fernando,
Pampanga. Arayat Express also serves the San Fernando-Cabanatuan route.
Industries
During the Spanish rule
in the Philippines from the early 16th century to the late 19th century,
Pampanga's fertile plains, forestland and rivers were the most productive area
in the Philippines. Manila and its surrounding region were then primarily
dependent on Kapampangan agricultural, fishery, and forestry products as well
as on the supply of tradesmen and other skilled workers.
The present primary sources of livelihood of the Kapampangan people are
farming, fishing, manufacturing, handicrafts, poultry and swine and food
processing industries. The fertile plains are suitable to sugar cane, rice,
corn, vegetables and fruit trees. Rivers, streams and fishponds abound with
milkfish (bangus), carps, catfish, shrimps, crabs and other marine products.
Availability of well-trained human resources, good roads and other
infrastructure, modern telecommunication systems, and abundant supply of raw
materials and power attract many manufacturing and commercial firms to base
their operations in this province. Many regional government offices and banking
institutions are strategically located in Pampanga.
The Kapampangan People
Based on the findings of
modern-day linguistic researchers and archeologists, the ancestors of original
Kapampangans came from China via Taiwan. However, the old traditional belief
that early Kapampangans have started migrating to the Kapampangan region as
early as 300 to 400 A.D, and many of them arrived in the 11th to the 12th century
is still carried on from generation to generation.
Based on oral
traditions, Kapampangans were descendants of Malayan adventurers from the Malay
Peninsula and Singarak Lake in West Sumatra. They settled along the river banks
of the Rio Grande de la Pampanga in the Island of Luzon covering a large
territory, which extended to the Gulf of Lingayen in the North, to the Zambales
mountains in the West, to the Sierra Madre range in the East and to Manila Bay
in the South. These Kapampangan-speaking pioneers transplanted their own
dynasty based on the social foundations of liberty and economic prosperity.
Like their other Malayan brothers who settled in other parts of the world, they
belonged to the brown race, of medium height, slim but sturdy in physique, dark
brownish eyes, black hair and with almost hairless bodies. They brought their
culture and introduced industries such as smelting and manufacture of copper
and iron tools and armaments, making of pottery with decorative designs, art of
weaving cloth on a hand loom, manufacture of beads, bracelets, necklaces and
other ornaments. They resided in houses made of bamboo and wood, with roofs of
palm leaves. They wore clothes of woven fabrics and decorated themselves with
jewels of gold, beads, pearls and colored stones and glasses. Their armaments
included bolos, daggers, swords, bows and arrows, blowguns and spears. Their
adaptability and resiliency made it possible for them to adjust themselves to
Philippine environmental conditions and amplified their culture - arts,
customs, government, law, religion, sciences, society and traditions.
The Kapampangan Language
Together with their rich
culture and excellent traditions, the early settlers in Pampanga perpetuated
their unique language now called either as Pampangan or Kapampangan or
Pampango. This language is one of the Austronesian languages and according to
the Dictionary of Languages by Andrew Dalby, as of 1998, there are 1,850,000
Kapampangan speakers. Kapampangan was once written in a native script, a descendant
of the Brahmi script of India. This remained in use until the late 19th century
when the Spanish era was about to end. However, printing in Kapampangan - in
Latin script - commenced as early as the year 1618. Spelling was at first close
to that of Spanish. A new orthography, similar to Tagalog orthography was
introduced in 1965. Many old and traditional writers and poets in Kapampangan
have switched since then to this newly adopted orthography.
PAMPANGA TOWNS &
CITIES
1. ANGELES
CITY, Pampanga. Angeles City became a chartered city in 1964.
Much of its economy then depended on trade and services that catered to U.S.
Air Force personnel based in Clark Field. Today local commerce, culture, and
cuisine color life in Angeles City. It now hosts first class hotels,
recreational establishments, restaurants, food processing businesses, furniture
and manufacturing factories, shopping malls, financial institutions, and
schools of higher learning.
2. APALIT, Pampanga The
town of Apalit is renowned for its weaving and metal industries. It is also the
site of the annual colorful traditional fluvial parade (since 1844) in honor of
St. Peter, its patron saint. The shrine of the ivory image of St. Peter, called
'Apung Iru,' is venerated by the townspeople the whole year round. The
parochial church, strikingly baroque, is also a source of pride among the local
folk.
3. ARAYAT, Pampanga. Arayat
is nestled at the foothills of Mt. Arayat, home of the beautiful fairy,
'Mariang Sinukuan,' who, according to legend, protects the mountain's flora and
fauna. At the foot of the mountain is the Arayat National Park, whose
recreational hall, picnic sheds, and swimming facilities are frequented by
tourists all year round.
4. BACOLOR,
Pampanga. Bacolor is home to the oldest vocational school in
the Far East the Escuela de Artes y Oficios de Bacolor, which was established
on November 4, 1861. The school is now the present-day Don Honorio Ventura
College of Arts and Trades. Also, one of the Philippines's oldest churches, the
San Guillermo Parish Church, was built in this town in 1754. The town's
contribution to the the province's famous culinary treats are the incomparable
'pansit luglug' or 'pansit palabok,' the 'tamales,' 'suman bulagta,' 'puto seco,'
and 'sopas' (special mamon).
5. CANDABA,
Pampanga. Candaba is known for its rich farmlands, where sweet
watermelons are grown, and for its wide and scenic swamps, the habitat of
mudfish and gigantic catfish. Citizens of this locality make use of Candaba
swamps as fishponds during the rainy season and watermelon and rice fields
during the dry season.Migrant wild ducks and various bird wildlife escape
winter winds from China and Siberia making Candaba their yearly sanctuary.
Hunting birds in the swamp is a tourist attraction.The popular unimitatable
'burong isda,' a distinct Kapampangan fermented delicacy, is made from the best
catfish or mudfish as only Candaba can produce.
6. FLORIDABLANCA,
Pampanga. Floridablanca is the second largest producer of rice
in the province. It is also noted for its sugar farms. Pampanga Sugar Mills,
Inc. is located here. The town also hosts Basa Air Base of the Philippine Air
Force.
7. GUAGUA, Pampanga. Guagua
is the hub of trade and commerce in the second district of Pampanga. It is also
the seat of learning in the said district, with a considerable number of
schools, both private and public, offering elementary, high school, college,
and vocational education.The Guagua Public Market, one of the biggest and most
developed in the province, is requented even by people from neighboring towns
who come to purchase and trade. The town is also quite popular among Metro
Manilans, who come to buy 'chicharon,' 'tocino,' 'longganisa,' and especially
crablets ('talangka') when in season.
8. LUBAO, Pampanga. Lubao
is noted for rice, sugar cane, fish, and sampaguita. The first printing press
in the country was set up in the town by the Augustinian friars. At one time it
was a nucleus of the Philippine movie industry because of many Lubenian leading
actors, directors, producers, screen writers, and cinematographers. Many
Lubenians also made their mark as artists, writers, and poets, especially in
the propagation of Kapampangan culture.
9. MABALACAT,
Pampanga. Mabalacat became a first class municipality in July
1996. One barangay, Marcos Village, is inhabited by Negritos who live in
bungalow houses and speak broken English. Its land of 15,262 hectares is more
than double that of Angeles City's. Two-thirds of the land area of Clark Air Base
was taken from Mabalacat. Its people 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.
10. MACABEBE,
Pampanga. Macabebe is historically known throughout the
archipelago for its cloth traders and for the bravery of its soldiers under
Rajah Soliman. It has a total land area of 44.05 square kilometers and is 17.0
kilometers away from the capital City of San Fernando.
11. MAGALANG,
Pampanga. Magalang prides itself of having one of the oldest
agricultural school, a weather observatory and research station established by
the Spaniards in the late 19th century. The Pampanga Agricultural College is
located at the foot of Mt. Arayat. This state-owned college is the center for
agri-based education in the province.
12. MASANTOL,
Pampanga. Masantol used to be called San Miguel and was once a
part of Macabebe. It is predominantly a fishing town.
13. MEXICO, Pampanga. Mexico
is located 4.5 kilometers from the capital City of San Fernando. It has a total
land area of 117.41 square kilometers. Sweet chico fruits abound in this
town.
14. MINALIN,
Pampanga. Minalin is dubbed as the 'Egg Basket of Luzon'
because of its large-scale poultry industry, producing millions of chickens and
eggs that reach millions of Philippine homes and restaurants. Minalin is also
noted for its Aguman Sanduk: 'Belles of Minalin' New Year's parade of men
dressed as beauty queens.
15. PORAC, Pampanga. Located
in the northwestern part of Pampanga, Porac is geographically the largest
Pampanga town (343.12 square kilometers). It is 26 kilometers from the capital
City of San Fernando. The town is a mineral tamping ground and primary source
of granite.
16. CITY OF SAN
FERNANDO, Pampanga. The City is famous for its original
Christmas lanterns brought about by the creativity and craftsmanship of the
Fernandinos. Aside from the colorful lanterns, the City of San Fernando takes
pride in being known for its delicious Kapampangan cuisine, as well as its meat
products, most popular of which are the 'tocino' and 'longaniza.' The city is
also the site of the annual re-enactment of the Crucifixion of Jesus
Christ.
17. SAN LUIS,
Pampanga. San Luis is located 13.0 kilometers away from the
capital City of San Fernando. The predominantly agricultural town has a total
land area of 56.83 square kilometers.
18. SAN SIMON,
Pampanga. Although San Simon is primarily a farming town, it
attracts business and investments because of the presence of important four
industrial corporations.
19. SASMUAN,
Pampanga. Sasmuan, which used to be known as Sexmoan, is an
historic town. It is one of the oldest communities and the site of the first
church in the province built by Augustinian priests (Sta. Lucia Parish
Church).
20. STA ANA,
Pampanga. Residents of Sta. Ana are known for their spiritually
and kindness. They are ready to help anyone more that they can afford. The town
is basically a farming area, with 3,056.20 hectares of its total land area
dedicated to farming.
21. STA RITA,
Pampanga. Sta Rita is popular for the turones de casoy
delicacy. It is chiefly a farming town.
22. STO TOMAS,
Pampanga. Sto. Tomas, which used to be a portion of San
Fernando, had its Catholic Church erected in 1767. It is known for its pottery
industry, its beautiful women, the delicious food they prepare, and for their
joyful 'Sabado de Gloria' celebration.
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