Composition
Bacolor
(Pop as of 2000: 16,147), Floridablanca (2005: 100,364), Guagua (2005: 106,939),
Lubao (2005: 132,049), Mabalacat (2000: 171,045), Magalang (2005: 85,000), Porac (2005: 89,702), Sta. Rita
(2000: 32,780), Sasmuan (2000: 23,359).
Significance
of the Area
The
towns generally lie within the lahar-affected areas of Pampanga and along the
Subic-Clark developmental corridor. The
member municipalities generally constitute areas in Pampanga that can accommodate
more industrial investments and commercial activities that are complementary to
the growth of Subic and
The
area is critical for various concerns of the national government that include:
1. Growth
strategy and programs along and around the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and
the Western section of the
2. Continuing
rehabilitation and alternative use of the lahar-affected agricultural land;
3. Flood
mitigation and environmental management in the lahar-affected areas of Pampanga;
4. Alternative food
terminals and food processing centers between Metropolitan Manila and the
5. Tourism that
is anchored to the development of Subic and
Objectives of
the Caucus/Group
- To
promote and live fully the spirit of the Local Government Code that
mandates the local government units to be active partners in national
development and implementers of programs and projects within their areas
of jurisdiction and responsibility.
- To
promote cooperation and establish effective coordination among member
local government units in addressing mutual cross-border concerns.
- To build
and beef up capabilities of member local government units to plan and
implement projects in relation to the above-mentioned concerns.
To
pursue its declared objectives, the Northwestern
Pampanga Development Caucus/Group will line up local projects for funding
by the national government. These projects
will be characterized by conscious and continuous build up of individual and
collective capabilities that will enable member local government units
implement component projects of national programs.
The
more important points regarding these undertakings shall be:
1. the local
government units themselves will implement the projects;
2. the involved
government units will assist each other as may be needed in order to carry out
the projects well;
3. and the
projects will be considered and assessed as collective accomplishment of the
Northwestern Pampanga Development Caucus/Group.
Member
Municipalities
1. BACOLOR
During the Philippine Revolution against
Barangays
Bacolor is politically subdivided into 21 barangays.
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Bacolor, known
also as Baculud, the Athens of Pampanga, was the capital of the
Historical
records show that Bacolor has been in existence as a prosperous settlement as
early as 1571. When the Spaniards under the leadership of Ferdinand Blumentrit
arrived that found "Baculud",
its original name meaning high level ground.
The first
settlers of Bacolor were believed to be Malayans that came from Atjeth Sumatra
led by Panday Pira. It is believed to have been founded by Monmon, first cousin
and sister-in-law of Malangsic, a son of Prince Balagtas. However, historians recorded the official
foundation of Bacolor to have occurred in 1574 through a landlord named
Guillermo Manabat, whose palatial house and resting place is now the site of
the San Guillermo Church, hence the church’s name.
The name Baculud
was changed to Bacolor when the Spaniards came to the place. It was recorded to
have been the first capital of Pampanga for two centuries (1698-1904) before
In the year 1762
after the fall of Manila to the English invaders, Governor General Simon de
Anda retreated and made Bacolor the seat of the Spanish Government. It was the
seat of government from October 6, 1762 to May 30, 1764 and practically served
as the Capital of the
The coming of
the American colonizers broke up the military form of government and instead
political and economic reforms were introduced. A civil form of government was
organized and was inaugurated on February 13, 1901 by Commodore William H. Taft
which took place in the old "Escuela de Artes y Officios de Bacolor",
(formerly named Pampanga School of Arts and Trade) now known as the Don Honorio
Ventura College of Arts and Trade. The first Provincial Civil Governor was Don
Ceferino Joven and the first Municipal President of Bacolor was Don Estanislao
Santos.
Pampanga was
acknowledged as the first province to have organized civil government in the
Bacolor’s festivity is
celebrated every 10th day of February and the La Naval Fiesta is
being held every 3rd Sunday of November.
2. FLORIDABLANCA
The
town is located on the western part of Pampanga along the Zambales mountain
ranges and is bounded by the municipalities of Porac on the north, Lubao on the
south, Guagua on the east, Dinalupihan,
The
area is part of the inter-mountainous area of the Central Plains of
Deposits of non-metallic
minerals like construction materials and other metallic minerals are found in
Floridablanca, Pumice with a volume of 1,500,000 metric tons is known to exist
in barangay Pabanlag. C.M. Dizon gold mines and Kalahi Investment Incorporated
identifies gold (38.38 short ton), a very precious metal, to exist in Pabanlag
with 0.056 grade or analysis (oz.An/St.)
Abundant
supply of boulders, gravel and sand abound in the riverbeds of Porac, Gumain
and Caulaman rivers. These quarry sites are believed to be supplying significant
volume of the construction needs of the province and other projects in the
region and Metro-Manila.
Floridablanca
has 33 barangays.
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Floridablanca
has a total land area of 17,548 hectares. It has thirty-three (33) barangays
composing of 31 lowland and 2 upland barangays. It has four cultural minorities
settlements; namely Nabuclod, Mawacat, Malabni and Camatchiles. The Department
of Interior and Local Government (DlLG) recognizes only Nabuclod and Mawacat as
Barangays due to technicalities when Malabni and Camatchiles failed to field
candidates and therefore participate in the 1982 barangay elections.
According
to the Bureau of Soils in
The
soils of the Angeles series consist of pale brownish gray or ash gray to nearly
whitish gray in the surface layer. The subsoil is brownish-gray to light
reddish-brown sand with gravel. These soils have been developed from the
continual deposition of soil materials from the surrounding hills and uplands by
flowing rivers like the Porac Caulaman and
Angeles
fine sand and Angeles coarse sand consist the Angeles series. The soils of the
The
Porac-Gumain-Caulaman Rivers constitute a network of irrigation systems on the
area and provide irrigation water to the farm and some of the out-lying
municipalities. These also serve as the drainage of Floridablanca with the
inclusion of numerous rivers, streams and creeks. There are 3 known creeks in
Floridablanca; the Santo/ creek, Sapang Bayabas creek and the San Ramon or
Tugtugan creek.
A
study of the artesian aquifers in Floridablanca showed that the aquifers were
sand deposits which ranged in size from very fine to very coarse, with granule
sand pebbles up to one cm. generally sub-angular to rounded, of quarts,
adesite, decite, feldspar, chet and hornblendes and these aquifers cropped out
along the eastern slopes of the Zambales mountains.
The
most important climatic factor in Floridablanca is rainfall, It is well known
that the amount of rainfall at any given place and time is dependent upon
several factors. These factors include exposure, topography, altitude,
prevailing winds, ocean currents and latitude effects. During the months of
December, January, February, March and April rain fall in the municipality is
almost negligible. It has two distinct seasons. One season is characterized by being
relatively dry from December to April and wet during the rest of the year.
As
per result of the survey done by the enumerators hired by the Municipal
Government of Floridablanca to gather data in the preparation of a
Comprehensive Land Use Plan, Floridablanca has a total population of 84,052.
About 53.11 % of this is accounted for in the urban areas while those living in
the rural barangays comprise 46.89% of the total population of Floridablanca.
From
1990 to 1995, Floridablanca registered an annual growth rate of3.57%. In 1995,
Barangay Pabanlag, Palmayo, Cabangcalan, San Pedro, and Sta. Monica registered
lower growth rates primarily because of migration of residents to other
barangays or to resettlement areas after the eruption of
1995 a very low population
count was registered because of
In
the result of 1999 Surveys, Barangays Pabanlag, Palmayo and Sta. Monica
registered higher growth rates because of the BALIK BARANGAY PROGRAM which was
in preparation for the May 2000 Census of Housing and Population.
Although
the
The
Survey in 1999 showed a total of 16,422 households. Taking into consideration
the annual population growth rate of 1.02 in the municipality, the projected
number of households would have been 19,729 by the year 2005.
The
population density of the municipality in 1995 and 1999 was registered at 408
persons per sq. kilometer and this would have escalated to 586 persons by the
year 2005.
Like
the rest of the country, the young population in Floridablanca exhibited a
pyramidal age structure. The population between ages under 1 year old to 14
years accounted for 26,994 or 32.12% of the population aged under 1 year old up
to 75 years old and above in 1999. On the other hand, 49,366 or 58.73% belonged
to the 15-69 years old age bracket and only 1,795 or 2.14% were in the age
bracket of 70 years old and above.
As
expected, Pampango (Kapampangan) is spoken generally in Floridablanca. The rest
of the non-Pampango speaking households readily understand the dialect. Its
Kapampangan speaking population has gradually. accommodated the increasing
share of the segments of the population speaking other dialects on account of
migration.
The
Roman Catholic religion has remained deeply rooted in the
The
literacy rate in the
A
breakdown showed that 30.73% completed the 6th grade, 29.85 % were high school
graduates, 8.32 % were academic degree holders and a measly 0.01% had post
baccalaureate degrees.
In Floridablanca it was assessed that 5,748 households
or 35% of the total households fall within the poverty magnitude.
The
economy of Floridablanca is principally anchored on agriculture. It is
estimated that 40% of the total households rely on farming as their means of
livelihood. All of the 33 barangays are basically agricultural areas; twenty
(20) of these are covered by CARP and represent the Floridablanca Agrarian
Reform Community. The Floridablanca ARC is composed of 1,998 farm households.
Crops
that are predominantly produced are rice, sugarcane, vegetables and root crops.
Aside from farming, there are farm families and individuals engaged in
agro-based industries such as poultry and livestock raising, fishpond and other
related small scale agro-based business endeavors.
Since
Other
related businesses have included some 18 hollow-block and concrete product
manufacturers.
Among
those who are gainfully employed are seasonal laborers, who dominate in number.
Seasonal labor is mainly agricultural in nature, depending on the labor
requirements of some agricultural activities such as planting, cultivation and
harvest of different types of crops. This type is closely followed by the
regular laborers comprising about 17.2%, 14.99% of whom are fanners. There are
more than 3,000 business commercial/industrial establishments in the municipality.
Floridablanca
has a young population with 53.73% of its population belonging to the 1-24
years of age. About 61.71% of its total inhabitants are between the ages of 15
to 60 years old. These figures represent
the potential labor force.
The
strength and development advantage of Floridablanca lie on its vast
agricultural lands suitable for food production.
Among
the major threats and weaknesses is erosion, undirected mining activities and
land grabbing.
Floridablanca
in terms of area is largely classified as rural based although 53.11 % of its
population is residing in the urban barangays. Considered urban barangays are
Apalit, Bodega, Basa, Fortuna, Mabical, Paguiruan, Palmayo, Pandaguirig,
Poblacion,
Row
settlements are located along roads and arterial roads. The main settlements
are those clustered around the Poblacion namely barangay Solib, Del Carmen, San
Nicolas, Maligaya,
The
Basa Air Base is the home of the Philippine Air Force in the
There
are four (4) existing upland settlements in Floridablanca which are inhabited
by Aetas. These are Nabuklod, Mawacat, Camachile and Malabni. These settlements
have a total population of 2,037 individuals as of 1999 and are principally
located at the hilly portions of Floridablanca.
Some
barangays were buried by lahar after
The
Farmers
begin to use a combination of two or more compatible practices to minimize pest
production to non-destructive level without the use of farm chemical.
Establishment of observation stations serve as early detection of the presence
of pests and diseases. So farmers use a system known as Integrated Pest
Management.
Farm
Demonstration for production and distribution was done and selection of adapted
and high yielding varieties and viable seeds is one factor being considered to
increase farm income.
Responsibility
in the initiation, promotion, organization and supervision is strengthening the
cooperative movement. Livestock production and dispersal through loans and
grant contributed a lot in the integrated system of farmers which give
additional income to clientele.
Increase
of fishpond areas gave a dynamic increase of farm income.
The
methods of farming being used by the farmers in the
Palay
being the main crop is cultivated both in irrigated and rain-fed fields. The
total area devoted to this crop is about 3,780.36. Irrigated fields constitute
3,446.36 hectares while rain-fed fields have 334 hectares for its share. Other
secondary agricultural crops having a real share of hectares include root
crops, fruit trees and sugarcane with the latter as a basic commercial crop in
the municipality. On the other hand, corn and such vegetables as fruit
vegetables, legumes, and leafy vegetables are planted extensively in the area
on an intercropping basis in between rice planting and harvesting.
The
total yield I production of palay in 1999 was pegged at 340,250 cavans. The
average yield per hectare was then 90 cavans for the irrigated fields and 80
cavans for the rain-fed ones. Likewise, the total yield for all its secondary
crops, both regular and rotational, in the same year was 13,205.43 metric tons.
In terms of existing irrigation facilities the sources include an irrigation
canal (NIA), communal well, rivers, creeks and private deep wells.
Fishing
is another lucrative industry in the
Livestock
and poultry has been relatively a thriving and promising enterprise in the
municipality. The number of livestock in 1999 included carabao with 2,300
heads, cattle with 780 heads, goats and sheep with 2000 and 2,700 heads and
hogs with 17,785 heads.
Likewise,
poultry production in the same year included chicken (broilers and layers) with
362,500 heads, ducks with 3,000 heads and turkey with 500 heads.
3. GUAGUA
"Wawa" which
means "mouth of a river" or "alua or bukana" in the
vernacular, was the original name of the town of
Guagua was already a prosperous settlement way before the Spaniards came to
take control of the town in the year 1561. Indeed, there were archeological
artifacts excavated in a nearby town which affirmed a pre-historic community in
Guagua.
Early inhabitants opted to stay in the town because it was here that they could
engage in barter trade with people from different islands, along with other
means of livelihood like fishing and farming. The navigable river with which
the town was endowed allowed shipping vessels to transport commodities to and
from other chief localities, particularly the imperial
In 1892, when the Manila-Mabalacat railroad was inaugurated, Guagua was
virtually the port of embarkation to and from
The Chinese people have long been part in Guagua's social and economic
mainstream. In the 18th century, they sought refuge in the town to escape
Spanish atrocity in
The town took significant part in the revolutionary struggles against the
foreign intruders. A house near the catholic church was made a secret cell of
the Katipuneros in August 1897. In March 1898, all Spaniards in Guagua were
murdered marking the end of Spanish colonialism, and the outset of American
rule. Moreover, during the Philippine-American War and the ensuing 2nd World
War, Guagua became an important battleground.
At the turn of the 20th century, a new system of education was introduced and
made popular and available to the Filipinos. The
At the rebirth of the Philippine democracy in 1986, the local government
carried out the "Integrated Approach Towards Sustainable Development"
to rectify its destitute state. The program gained several outstanding
citations for its momentous achievement. From a mere "third class"
standing in 1986, Guagua has grown to become a "first class"
municipality. The sound fiscal status and effective governance brought
forwards, translated to better and effective public service, and made Guagua a
consistent recipient of several "Most Outstanding LGU" awards.
Guagua is widely known for delectable dishes.
Many visitors from different parts of the country, as well as foreigners, take
extreme delights in local foods and delicatessen, like tocino, longaniza,
crablets (talangka), chicharon, and many others. Local restaurants have gained
wide popularity for simple yet sumptuous cuisine.
Other attractions for visitors include the country side in the northwestern region
of the town, the remnants of lahar flows, intricate woodcarvings and furniture,
and aged-old Catholic buildings.
The
Located on the western part of the province, Guagua is about 9.5 kilometers off
the City of
For political and economic purposes, its 31 barangays are grouped into
four (4) sectoral areas:
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Pangulo Area |
Locion Area |
Betis Area |
The town is almost flat and is suitable
to any phase of development; agricultural, industrial, commercial and others. The
general slope is south and southeast toward the
4. LUBAO
Prior
to the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the
Lubao
which was once also called Baras
derived its present name from a Kapampangan word meaning "outside of the
narrow sea between two isles", is typically rural and it is
endowed with fertile land and water resources very rich in marine life. Farming
and fishing are the main sources of livelihood of its industrious people. Its
current geographical area is situated in the southwestern part of Pampanga
bounded in the north by the
Lubao
catapulted to international prominence when one of its favorite sons, President
Diosdado P. Macapagal was elected to the presidency of the Republic of the
His
dedication to public service is carried on by his three offsprings namely,
former Pampanga Vice Governor Cielo Macapagal-Salgado, former Undersecretary of
Finance Diosdado Macapagal, Jr and former Senator and Vice President and now
President of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Second
to the town of
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Barangays of
Lubao |
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Balantacan |
Remedios |
San Nicolas 2nd |
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Bangcal Pugad |
San Agustin |
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Santa Lucia |
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Bangcal Sinubli |
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Baruya |
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San Pedro Palcarangan |
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Calangain |
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San Pedro Saug |
Santa Rita |
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San Roque Arbol |
Santa Teresa 1st |
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Del Carmen |
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San Roque Dau 1st |
Santa Teresa 2nd |
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De la Paz |
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San Roque Dau 2nd |
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Don Ignacio Dimson |
San Matias |
San Vicente |
Santo Cristo |
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San Miguel |
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Prado Siongco |
San Nicolas 1st |
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Santo Nino |
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Santo Tomas |
This
peaceful and prosperous first-class municipality showed its love and human
compassion to thousands of Kapampangans who became unwilling victims of the
eruption of
Lubao
has an annual income of more than fifty million pesos to run the municipal
government and to finance the town's carefully planned capital projects such as
concrete roads, school classrooms, barangay halls, artesian wells and other
projects.
5. MABALACAT
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 balacat”.
The town has a land area of 16, 580
hectares - more than double that of
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,
Today, a first class municipality,
Mabalacat has a population of 129,990, based on the 1995 census, with 25,545
households. It has an annual growth rate of 1.3 per year and a population
density of 7.8 persons per hectare. It now has a total of 27 barangays as
follows:
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Atlu-bola |
Bical |
Bundagul |
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Cacutud |
Calumpang |
Camachiles |
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Dapdap |
Dau |
Dolores |
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Duquit |
Lacandula |
Mabiga |
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Mamatitang |
Mangalit |
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Mawaque |
Paralayunan |
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Poblacion |
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Santa Ines |
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Santo Rosario |
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Sapang Balen |
Sapang Biabas |
Tabun |
The largest barangay is Dau, which
became a barrio in 1936 by virtue of Presidential Proclamation Number 1. Dau,
now with a population of 46,696 and a business nerve-center whose commercial
input and output run parallel to that of downtown's, is categorized by the
National Census and Statistics Office as a rural area while 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.
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
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.
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.
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. During the
Spanish era, the town's vast agricultural lands were owned by a few families
such as the Tiglaos, Dizons, Guecos, Ramoses, Dominguezes and the Castros.
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 Niño Jesus (some say it's the image of the Blessed
Virgin).
On February 2, the statue was presented
by Caragan as a gift to Padre Maximo Manuguid, the priest of the early
In 1860 a military command was
established by the Spanish authorities due to lawlessness and depredations
perpetrated by the balugas. The Pampanga towns of Bamban, Capas,
Clark Special Economic Zone (CZES),
said to be a phoenix risen from the ashes of the abandoned
Further more, The town’s legislative
body had declared other special economic areas, comprising of six barangays
with 800 hectares, strategically located, and contiguous, as possible site for
investments. These areas namely Barangays Paralayunan, Bundagul,
Not only Morales but every Mabalaqueño
is confident that Mabalacat will become a city in this millenium.
6. MAGALANG
Like the
inspiring natural beauty of Magalang, the history of Magalang, planned and
executed by men and great vision, is also beautiful. As early as 1660, Magalang
was one of the 15 towns in Pampanga that had an Augustinian convent.
The same
information was given in the 1738 and 1763 reports of the Augustinian Order.
In 1660 the
peaceful townspeople of Magalang were agitated by Francisco Maniago in his
rebellion against the Spaniards and again, in the same year, the people of Magalang
were scattered by the coming of the army of Andres Malong led by Melchor de
Vega.
The clearer
historical beginning of Magalang is given in the research work and
the map
prepared by the late scholar-historian Mariano A. Henson, published in the Magalang,
Centenary Celebration souvenir program in 1963, and in the tablet
prominently
located in the
Established by
the Augustinian Macapsa in 1605. Scene from encounter bet.
The followers
of Andres Malong led by Melchor de Vera and the Spaniards troops in 1660. Moved
to San Bartolome in 1734. Swepr by the
According to
the testimony of Zoilo Hilario who researched the National Archives in 1938,
Barrio San Pedro is the town proper of Magalang prior to December 13, 1963
where it was transferred from Macapsa in1700. When the
Magalang is
located at the Northeast of the
Magalang has a total land area of 9,731,2576 hectares. Existing general land use is broken down
into: Agricultural - 7,217.1940 has.;
Residential - 506.6034 has.; Commercial - 198.8437 has.; Industrial - 320.3151
has.; Institutional - 1,386.0780 has.; Open Space - 51.9659 has.; Forest
(rolling hills) - 50.00 has..
Magalang
has 27 barangays.
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7. PORAC
Porac is one of
the oldest towns of Pampanga. It is found on land sprawling from the mountains
of Pinatubo and Abo which extends up to the border of Zambales. It is bounded
on the north by
The town’s
center is located by the banks of
Porac is politically subdivided into 29 barangays.
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8. STA. RITA
Sta.
Rita is a small town on the fringe of bustling Guagua, the center for
Manila-Pampanga-Bataan trade since colonial times (via cascos or barges plying
the
First records of
Sta. Rita were known in 1697. It was stated that Sta. Rita was once a part of
the
The town was
also earlier referred to as Sta. Rita de Lele or neighboring Sta. Rita
and Sta. Rita de Baculud due to its proximity to the ancient town of
It is
so quiet a town, in fact, that it was another reason why it was called Sta.
Rita de Lele (tabi-tabi or peripheral). And yet, it is exactly this seeming
insignificance that gives its residents a sense of pride – where continuity is
still a virtue and the goodness of community still counts. To put it simply,
there is pride of place. It is this persistence of tradition that gave rise to
its gastronomic fame: The duman; or the equally famous turrones de casuy and its incomparable sans rival.
The
town of
Duman is a seasonal
rice cereal still produced the old way in our town. This may have been in
existence in pre-Hispanic Kapampangan society since duman was already
mentioned by Fray Diego Bergaño – “El grano
True
enough, the tradition of duman-making does seem like a birthright to the
citizens of Sta. Rita. There is a long unbroken effort of sustaining the
tradition that no matter what, there will be duman come Christmastime.
Nowadays, the duman-makers
are families in the barrios of Sta. Monica and San Agustin but time was when
barrio
On the
cultural side, the now famed Artistang Santa Rita Foundation, or ArtiSta.Rita
for short, started some 5 years ago when the local parish choir was gathered
together to stage a Christmas eve concert, under the directorial guidance of
Andy Alviz (resident choreographer of the Miss Saigon productions in Manila,
Singapore and Hong Kong), and the musical directorship of Recy Pineda and Randy
del Rosario, all natives of Sta. Rita. The three realized there were a lot of
gifted young people in their town, but only a few lucky ones get to hone their
talents and get the break they deserve. Most, however, were left undiscovered.
From this observation was born the dream to help discover, cultivate and
showcase talent, and hopefully pave the way for a child’s bigger dream.
Santa Rita is politically subdivided into 10 barangays:
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9. SASMUAN
The Town of
Guagua; in the
east by the towns of Masantol and macabebe; in the west by the town of
At present, it
has a population of more or less twenty three thousand (23,000) and with
approximately land area of 9,175 hectares. Sasmuan is unique in that it is the only
town of
Sasmuan is politically subdivided into 12 barangays.
- Batang 1st
- Batang 2nd
- Mabuanbuan
- Malusac
- Santa Lucia (Pob.)
- San Nicolas 1st
- San Nicolas 2nd
- San Pedro
- Santo Tomas
- Sebitanan
Long before
the coming of the Spaniards in the
of the town
was Sasmuan which was derived from the old Pampango word sasmo meaning pitabnuan,
meaning meeting place. From the
Spanish regime
to the American occupation the name of the town
was changed by
usage from Sasmuan to Sexmoan because of mispronunciation by the foreign colonizers. For obvious reasons, Sasmuan was again used
as the town’s official name as soon as its responsible leaders had their
chance.
After the overthrow
of the Spanish colonizers in the
One of the
oldest churches of the
Selected as
the patron saint of the town by the Augustinian fathers was Santa
Lucia
(Lovingly called Apu Lucia) a virgin martyr who was daughter of a religious
and humble
peasant family of