Bulakan

This article is about the municipality. For the province, see Bulacan.
Bulakan
Bulacan
Municipality

Town hall of Bulakan, Bulacan

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Map of Bulacan
Bulakan

Location within the Philippines

Coordinates: 14°47′35″N 120°52′44″E / 14.79306°N 120.87889°E / 14.79306; 120.87889Coordinates: 14°47′35″N 120°52′44″E / 14.79306°N 120.87889°E / 14.79306; 120.87889
Country Philippines
Region Central Luzon (Region III)
Province Bulacan
District 1st District
Founded 1572
Barangays 14
Government[1]
 • Mayor Patrick Neil F. Meneses (NUP)
 • Vice-Mayor Alberto G. Bituin (NUP)
Area[2]
 • Total 72.90 km2 (28.15 sq mi)
Highest elevation 30 m (100 ft)
Population (2010)[3]
 • Total 71,751
 • Density 980/km2 (2,500/sq mi)
 • Poverty rate Increase 5.7%
Time zone PST (UTC+8)
ZIP code 3017
Dialing code 44
Income class 1st class
Electricity Manila Electric Company
• Consumption 23.71 million kWh (2003)

Bulakan is a second class partially urban municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 71,751 people.[3] It is 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Manila. Bulacan, which is one of the oldest towns in the Philippines, became the encomienda or capital of the Provincia de la Pampanga, and later became the first capital of the Province of Bulacan before it was moved to Malolos shortly after the American occupation. With regards to whether to use the letters "c" or "k" to refer to the municipality of Bulakan, the New Provincial Administrative Code of Bulacan (Ordinance no. C-004) of 2007 states on Chapter 2, Section 15 that the word "Bulakan" stands for the municipality and first capital of the province while "Bulacan" refers to the province itself.[4]

Geography

The municipality of Bulakan lies in the south-western part of the province of Bulacan and is surrounded by a number of municipalities. It is bounded on the North by the Municipality of Guiguinto, on the South by the Manila Bay, on the East by the Municipality of Bocaue, on the West by the City of Malolos, on the Northeast by the Municipality of Balagtas and on the Southeast by the Municipality of Obando. It is about 35 kilometers away from the City of Manila. Approximately, 72.90 square kilometers or 2.7284% of the total land area of the entire Province. It ranks tenth (10th) in terms of land area among other municipalities in the province.

Barangays

Bulakan is politically subdivided into 14 barangays. NSO classified Barangay San Jose and Bagumbayan as urban barangay, the rest are rural.[2]

  • Bagumbayan
  • Balubad
  • Bambang
  • Matungao
  • Maysantol (Cupang)
  • Perez
  • Pitpitan
  • San Francisco
  • San Jose (Poblacion)
  • San Nicolas
  • Santa Ana
  • Santa Ines
  • Taliptip
  • Tibig

History

The name "Bulakan" is derived from the Tagalog word "bulak", which means "cotton". The town was named Bulacan due to the abundance of cotton plants growing in the region. The town is one of the oldest in the country.

The Augustinians founded Bulakan as one of the visitas of Convento de Tondo in 1575 under its minister Fray Alonzo Alvarado OSA and in 1578 it became Town Parish and Convent dedicated it under the patronage of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción with Caluya (became town in 1599) and Guiguinto (became town in 1641) as its visitas.[5] According to local records, Father Agustin del Alburqueque, OSA is the first Prior of the Town.[6]

In a census of June 1591, the Provincia of Bulacan had 1,200 tributes or 4,800 persons, one Augustinian convent, One Gobernadorcillo and one Alcalde mayor (present day governor) who had jurisdiction over the Towns of Bulakan (then capital) Malolos,Calumpit,Guiguinto,Caluya,Meycauayan.In the heart of the town stands the centuries-old adobe church of Our Lady of the Assumption (Nuestra Señora de la Asunción). In front of the church stands the municipal hall and a park named "Plaza del Pilar", which is dedicated to Revolutionary General Gregorio del Pilar who hailed from Brgy. San Jose, Bulakan.

The Parish Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, the second oldest Roman Catholic church in the province, and the longest and widest in terms of aisle length and span respectively. It has a baptismal book entry as early as 1578. On the first page of the book, written was the name of the barrio of the town of Bulacan, Bagio, Bulacan (Camino Real), Daan Estacion, Matungao, Cupang, Banban, Dapdap, Parian, Balubad, Pitpitan, Maysantor, Acsajo, Paniqui, San Nicolas, Nagdasig, Calungusan, Taliktik and Sta Ana.

After 400 long years, changes have been made to the old barrios that consist the town, Bagio become part of Bagumbayan in 1731, Tibig exist in 1735, Dapdap was renamed Sta. Ana in 1741, Nagdasig become part of Tab-Ang in 1744 and now San Francisco, Parian was renamed Sta. Inez in 1765, Bulacan (Camino Real), Daan Estacion, Paniqui and Calungusan was created into one barrio and was named San Jose, Barrio Pitpitan occupied Acsajo, Cupang was joined to Maysantor now Maysantol, Banban became Bangbang and now Bambang, Perez exist as separate Barrio of Taliktik now Taliptip, and with the same old name of Barrio's San Nicolas, Matungao and Balubad.

The early Bulaqueños, the residents of Bulakan, were engaged in farming, fishing and handicrafts, especially weaving.

The town of Bulakan, being the first capital of the province, gave the name to the province as customary to the other provinces of the early Philippines (like Cavite, Cavite; Tayabas, Tayabas (now Quezon) or Batangas, Batangas). It was the hub of economic activities and the inhabitants enjoyed excellent trade with Manila, primarily due to its proximity to the city and accessibility through its wide and navigable river.

Bulakan was also the scene of battle between the Spaniards led by Simón de Anda y Salazar and the British led by Captain Slay during the short British occupation of Manila. The British sent an expedition of 400 British, 300 Malabar Negroes and 2,000 Chinese allies. The Spaniards with the native of Bulacan made a gallant stand but were defeated. Captain Slay eventually took over the town but did not last long. A huge group of about 8000 Filipino guerillas led by Spanish Jose Pedro Busto made a nine long days battle in front of the church up to the foot bridge against Captain Slay. They made Captain Slay to retreat to Manila. On this fight Bulakeños have shown for the first time an extraordinary martyrdom. The British attempt of conquering the rest of the country was gone astray because of the marvelous fight made by Bulakeños.

The Church of Nstra Snra de la Asuncion is the birth place of Flores de Mayo, a feast for the Virgin Mary, held throughout the Philippines in the month of May. it is also the birthplace of the traditional song, Dalit: a poetic chant for the patrons of a certain barrio or town. For centuries, the Church of the Our lady of the Assumption served as the bastion of the Catholic faith all over the province. it served as the central church: a cathedral-like church serving as a primus inter pares among the poblacion churches of Bulakan. after the erection of the Diocese of Malolos, its former glory slowly faded as the focus turned to the Cathedral of the neighboring town, Malolos: a church erected 2 years later in 1580. As the former capital of the secular rule, as well as the fortress of christianity, it is due to give honor to this century-old church. thus, the faithful along with the incumbent parish priest, Rev. Fr. Manuel Manicad, petitioned a request to the bishop, His Excellency Jose Francisco Oliveros, Bishop of Malolos, to declare the church as a Diocesan Shrine. Up until now, there is no response from the Diocesan Curia. The town still enjoys trade and commerce with the neighboring towns and Manila with whom she shares a coastline, a place that is replete with historical and glorious past.

Demographics

Population census of Bulakan
YearPop.±% p.a.
1990 48,770—    
1995 54,236+2.01%
2000 62,903+3.23%
2007 72,289+1.94%
2010 71,751−0.27%
Source: National Statistics Office[3]

The National Statistics Office 2010 census shows that the Municipality of Bulakan has a total population of 71,751. Barangay Bambang is the most densely populated with 13,566. It is followed by Barangay Matungao and Barangay Sta. Ana with 9,699 and 7,685 respectively, on the other hand, the least populated barangay are Barangay Perez and Barangay Santa Ines with 2,152 and 2,682 respectively.[3]

Compared with the Municipality's population in 1995 which was 54,624, it shows an increase of 10,060 persons from 1995 to 2004. An annual growth rate of 1,117 or an average increase of 18.42% in the span of nine (9) years.

The highest percentage changes in population from 1995-2004 was exhibited in Barangay Perez, Pitpitan, Sta. Ines, Tibig, Bagumbayan with an increase of 56.33%, 54.74%, 39.73%, 34.66%, and 33.46% respectively.

On the other hand, barangays that shows the least percentage change in population are Barangay San Francisco, Matungao, and Bambang with only an increase of 0.4%, 2.95% and 7.57% respectively.

Number of households

The Community Base Monitoring System (CBMS) survey as of January 2005 showed a total of 14,523 household. In comparison with the total number of household of 12,488 in 2002 an increase of 2,035 households from 2002-2005 is realized.

Sex and age structure

Like the rest of the country, the population in Bulakan exhibits a pyramidal age structure. The population between the age 0-14 accounts for 18,586 or 35% of the total population. On the other hand, 31,963 or 61% belongs to the 15–64 years old age bracket and only 2,103 or 4% are in the age bracket of 65 years old and above.

In terms of sex distribution the female population slightly out numbered the male population by .47% in 2002 Census on Population. There were 31,553 male population as against the 31,702 female population which results to sex ratio of 1 male is to 1.004 female comparatively.

Religion

The Roman Catholic, remained the dominant religion since its propagation in the town 1572. Out of the 64,684 total population in 2004, 56,436 or 87.25% were Roman Catholics. Other Christians faith that have found their way in the town are Members Church of God International more known as Ang Dating Daan, Iglesia ni Cristo, United Methodist Church, United Church of Christ in the Philippines, and many others.

Language

Generally the town of Bulakan is a Tagalog speaking town. About 86.8% speak Tagalog while the rest speak Kapampangan.

Literacy rate

The 2005 Community Based Monitoring System Survey shows that the Population of 10 years old and above are around 38,164 persons and about 37,822 have a literacy rate of 99.10 percent.

The 2005 Community Based Monitoring System Survey also shows that there are only 219 licensed professionals here, the lowest in the whole province.

Municipal government

Education

Every barangay has its own day-care for pre-elementary pupils and an elementary school. There are also many private elementary schools situated in different barangays.

The municipality has two public high schools: Taliptip National High School and Doña Candeleria Meneses Duque Memorial High School, and five private high schools: Assumpta Academy, Doña Trinidad Mendoza Institute, Bulacan Montessori School, Bulacan Methodist School San Francisco Xavier High School. Each barangay has public elementary school and several private elementary school like St. Stephen School of Bulacan, ICSM Annex located at Barangay Bambang, San Lorenzo Ruiz Montessori School at Barangay Matungao.

On tertiary level education, the Bulacan State University - Meneses Campus is a satellite campus of Bulacan State University, situated in Barangay Matungao.

Our Lady of Assumption Church

The facade of the Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion Parish Church

The parish church of the town, Our Lady of the Assumption Church, under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Malolos,[7] is one of the oldest and largest churches in the Bulacan Province. It is the site where Gregorio Del Pilar distributed the pamphlets made by his uncle, Marcelo H. Del Pilar who is a member of the Propaganda Movement. The National Historical Commission of the Philippines installed a historical marker in 2007 that declared the Bulakan Church as a Marked Historical Structure.

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines marker installed in front of the Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion Parish Church in 2007

Notable people

Fiestas and festivals

Date Event
January 21 Feast of St. Agnes (Brgy. Sta. Ines)
January 20 Feast of St. Sebastian (Dulo, Brgy. Taliptip)
March 19 Feast of St. Joseph (Brgy. San Jose)
May 1 Anak Pawis Parade
May 3 Feast of Sto. Cristo (Brgy. Maysantol)
May 15 Feast of San Isidro Labrador Parish (Brgy. Bambang)
3rd Sunday of May Feast of Sto. Cristo (Brgy. Perez)
June 24 Feast of St. John the Baptist (Brgy. Balubad)
July 26 Feast of St. Anne (Brgy. Sta. Ana)
August 15 Feast of the Nuestra Snra de la Asuncion Parish and Foundation of Bulakan town and Provincial Foundation Day(Town Fiesta)
August 30 Marcelo H. del Pilar Festival (Celebration for the birthday anniversary Marcelo H. del Pilar)
September 10 Feast of St. Nicolas of Tolentine (Brgy. San Nicolas)
September 14 Feast of Sto. Cristo (Brgy. Bagumbayan,Brgy. Matungao and Brgy. Maysantol)
September 22 Feast of St. Thomas of Villanova (Brgy. Pitpitan)
October 7 Feast of Our Lady of Rosary (Brgy. Tibig)
3rd Sunday of October Feast of Our Lady of Rosary a (Brgy. Taliptip)
November 14 14 de Nobiembre Festival (Celebration for the birthday anniversary of Gen. Gregorio del Pilar)
November 27 Feast of Our Lady of Miraculous Medal (Secondary patroness of Parish-Bulakan)
December 3 Feast of St. Francis Xavier (Brgy. San Francisco)
December 27 Feast of St. John the Evangelist (Parish and Brgy. Balubad)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Official City/Municipal 2013 Election Results". Intramuros, Manila, Philippines: Commission on Elections (COMELEC). 11 September 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Province: BULACAN". PSGC Interactive. Makati City, Philippines: National Statistical Coordination Board. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay: as of May 1, 2010" (PDF). 2010 Census of Population and Housing. National Statistics Office. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  4. ↑ "New Provincial Administrative Code of Bulacan" (PDF). Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  5. ↑ Administracion espiritual de los Padres Agustinos Calzados de la provincia del dulce Nombre de Jesus, by R. P. Fr. Fracisco Villacorta, Imprenta de H. Roldan Valladolid, Mayo 1833 p. 39
  6. ↑ Catalogo de los religiosos de N.P.S. Agustin de la Provincia del Smo Nombre de Jesus de Filipinas, Imp. De Ramirez Y Giraudier, Manila 1864. p. 11
  7. ↑ Roman Catholic Diocese of Malolos

External links

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