Calumpit, Bulacan

Calumpit
Municipality
Saint John the Baptist church
Seal
Motto: God bless Calumpit
Map of Bulacan showing the location of Calumpit
Calumpit Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 14°55′N 120°46′E / 14.917°N 120.767°ECoordinates: 14°55′N 120°46′E / 14.917°N 120.767°E
Country	Philippines
Region	Central Luzon (Region III)
Province	Bulacan
District	1st District
Founded	1572
Founded by	Gat Maitim Miguel Lopez de Legazpi Sargento Juan Morones
Barangays	29
Government[1]
• Mayor	Jessie P. De Jesus
Area[2]
• Total	56.25 km^2 (21.72 sq mi)
Population (2010)[3]
• Total	101,068
• Density	1,800/km^2 (4,700/sq mi)
• Poverty rate	5.2%
Time zone	PST (UTC+8)
ZIP code	3003
Dialing code	44
Income class	1st class municipality
Electricity	Manila Electric Company
• Consumption	35.30 million kWh (2003)
Website	www.calumpit.gov.ph

Calumpit is a first class urban municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 101,068 people.^[3]

Etymology

The name "Calumpit" comes from the tree "Kalumpít" (an indigenous hardwood species similar to apalit and narra, which grows abundantly in front of the St. John the Baptist Parish Church in the Población-Sucol area.

Geography

Fifty-four (54) kilometers north of Manila, lies the Municipality of Calumpit bounded on the north and west by Apalit and Macabebe, Pampanga, respectively; south-west, southeast and east by Hagonoy, Malolos, and Pulilan, Bulacan respectively.

Calumpit is sprawled over an area of 5,625 has. of flat terrain classified accordingly to use for agricultural (66.81%), residential (10.42%), industrial (2.48%), commercial, (0.89%) and other (1.05%) purposes. It occupies around 2.06% of the total land area of Bulacan. The municipality has 144.33 kilometers of concrete roads that easily link its 29 barangays.

Two distinct seasons characterize the town’s climate: rainy season which starts late May and ends around November; and dry season which begins November and lasts until April.

Calumpit has two (2) types of soil – the silt loam which is found in almost 90% of the entire municipality and the clay loam in the south east far end of the town. Both types are basically suited for agricultural purposes as per Department of Agriculture classifications.

Climate

The climate of Calumpit is similar to that of the rest of the other municipalities in the province of Bulacan. It is characterized by two (2) distinct seasons namely; the rainy and the dry. The rainy seasons starts from late May and ends around November, the dry season from December to April. The average annual rainfall is 255.3 millimetres (10.05 in) with the month of August having the highest month average rainfall, about 304 millimetres (12.0 in). The annual number of rainy days is 175 days.

Barangays

• Balite
• Balungao
• Buguion
• Bulusan
• Calizon
• Calumpang
• Caniogan
• Corazon
• Frances
• Gatbuca
• Gugo
• Iba Este
• Iba O'Este
• Longos
• Meysulao
• Meytu
• Palimbang
• Panducot
• Pio Cruzcosa
• Poblacion
• Pungo
• San Jose
• San Marcos
• San Miguel
• Santa Lucia
• Santo Niño
• Sapang Bayan
• Sergio Bayan
• Sucol

History

Pre Spanish era

Calumpit was already an established “barangay” under the leadership of Gat Maitim prior to Spanish contact.

Early Spanish Period

The defeat of Rajah Soliman at the Battle of Bangkusay Channel and the Fall of Kingdom of Tondo in 1571 paved the way for the Spaniards to establish their government in Manila. Due to the conquest of Luzon, Spaniards reached and pacified progressive and populous communities located several miles north of Tondo,afterwards Capitan Martin de Goiti and Sargento Mayor Juan Salcedo reached Calumpit and Malolos and reported it to Adelantado Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, the first Spanish Governor General of the Philippine Islands and on November 14, 1571 constituting them as Encomienda de Calumpit and Encomienda de Malolos, respectively. Encomienda de Calumpit was entrusted to Sargento Juan Moron.^[4] (Blair and Robertson, The Philippine Islands, volume 34, page 304-310, paragraph 3)

Christianization

When the Provincial Chapter of the Augustinians in Tondo Church was established in May 3, 1572,Prior Provincial Fray Martin Rada, sent Augustinian missionaries to north of Tondo headed by Fray Diego de Herrera but shortly replaced by Fray Provincial Martin de Rada itself with Fray Diego Ordoñez de Vivar and their other companions. In March 1572 at Barangay Meyto and built a chapel made of nipa and bamboo, the Augustinian missionaries planted a Wooden Cross,later they moved Meysulao, then in Panducot, where they built another chapel under the advocacy of Our Lady of Presentation, subsequently the missionary headquarters was moved again to much higher place were a prominent tree called Kalumpit, as the original settlers named the place. Primarily, Meyto,Meysulao,Panducot and Calumpit was independent barangays under their own chief, it is same with Gatbuka and Iba ad other old settlement. In April 5, 1572 Meyto,Meysulao,Panducot,Calumpit,Candaba,Apalit,Macabebe el Chico,Agunoy and Malolos was became ministerios and visitas and those settlements where merge under single town named Calumpit, where Barangay Calumpit was the center, in this area also the church of the town was built under the patronage of San Nicolas de Tolentino renamed in December 1576 as San Juan Bautista. The first minister of Calumpit was Fray Diego de Herrera but shortly he is dispatched to Nueva Espana, and then Fray Provincial Martin de Rada (sometime written as Herrada) overtakes the town with the friars Diego Vivar and Alonso Alvarado as Parochial vicar.

Alcaldia de Calumpit

In April 5, 1572 Encomienda of Calumpit and Malolos wasme unified under the share administration of their encomenderos Marcos de Herrera and Sargento Mayor Juan Moron and on the same year Calumpit was created as one of the center of Augustinian mission in Luzon contemporary with Lubao y Betis. Alcaldia de Calumpit was established by the Superior Government in Manila and Marcos de Arce was appointed as the first Alcalde Mayor of Calumpit. The Augustinian officially founded the Town of Calumpit in 1572,with the visitas of Hagonoy,Malolos,Candaba,Macabebe and Apalit, the town was originally dedicated to San Nicolas de Tolentino but in December 1576 the Town was re-dedicated to the patronage of San Juan Bautista.^[5]

In December 28, 1575 Governor-General Francisco de Sande established Calumpit as an Alcaldia (Province) together with Calumpit (capital) and aggretates nearby settlements such as Malolos,Hagonoy,Macabebe,Candaba.Later in 1576 Macabebe transferred to the town of Lubao and Candaba separated as a full pledge town, then in June 11, 1580 Malolos gained its township. In 1581 Hagonoy had its own convent but still under the justice of Governor of Calumpit. And last in 1591 Apalit officially separated and established as an independent town and it was transferred in the reconfigured territory of Pampanga province. In Miguel de Loarca's document in 1581 called "Relacion delas Islas Filipinas" and the June 1591 document of Governor-General Luis Perez de Dasmarinas it is proven that Calumpit appears as an independent Alcaldia, independent of those o Bunglacan and Lubao y Betis.^[6] It was therefore established as an Encomienda and Alcaldia separate to Province of Bulacan. Contrary to popular belief, Calumpit was the first Town founded in Bulacan.

Alcaldia de Calumpit was eventually dissolved in 1612 and the towns of Calumpit and Hagonoy were ceded to the Province of Bulacan, while Apalit was ceded to Pampanga.

Philippine Revolution of 1896-1899

During the Philippine Revolution in 1896, the people of Calumpit participated in the battles launched by the Katipuneros against Spain, the town continues to battle against Spain and many notable Calumpitenos have ther big role in helping and supporting the eetablishment of Republica Filipina in Malolos and Calumpit serves as defense line due to its proximity to the new born capital of the Republic. When Philippine-American war broke, Calumpit become the headquarters of General Antonio Luna in 1898. In the bloody encounters at barrio Bagbag on April 25, 1899, many people joined the army of General Luna.

The Civil government under the American rule was established in Calumpit in April 1901 with Juan Galang as the first elected american-era mayor of the town.

American era and World War II

Calumpit played an important role at the outbreak of the War in the Pacific theater. The bridge of Calumpit, on the way to Bataan was demolished by the Engineering Battalion of the U.S., impeding movement of the Japanese forces on their way to Bataan. In January 1942, the Japanese Government occupied Calumpit for three years. Many citizens of Calumpit died during the war.

In the middle of 1943, the first part of the USAFFE guerrilla was established under the leadership of Luis Macam, with most of the members from Calumpit.

In June 1944, the 4th Battalion of the Del Pilar Regiment was established under the leadership of Major Francisco del Rosario. They continued fighting until the returned of the USAFFE under the leadership of Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

In January 1945, the combined Filipino and American forces arrived in the town, liberating it from the Japanese forces.

Demographics

Population census of Calumpit
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1990	59,042	—
1995	70,839	+3.47%
2000	81,113	+2.95%
2007	98,017	+2.65%
2010	101,068	+1.12%
Source: National Statistics Office[3]

Calumpit's current population is 101,068 as per the National Statistics Office (NSO) 2010 census. Historically, its population grew at an average of 3.71% per annum.

With a total land area of 5,625 has. the number of households of 13,923 the population density rate per hectare is 12.59, and the average number of persons per household is 5.

The barangay with the largest population is Bgy. Iba Oeste with 10,610 people and the smallest is Bgy. Sucol with 1,410 people.

Calumpit has a relatively young population, with the age group 1–19 years old constituting 46.01% of the total population. The rest consists mainly of the working group between the ages of 20 to 59 years old accounting for about 47.96% and the elderly comprising 6.02%.

In terms of sex distribution, males exceeded the number of females very slightly with a count of 35,710 and 35,087, respectively.

Language

Calumpit is predominantly a Tagalog speaking town with about 96.3% of its people being fluent speakers. Others speak Kapampangan.

Religion

Having been the very first town in Bulacan province that being christianized by the Spaniards in 1572, the majority of the people are of the Roman Catholic faith about 80% of the total population. After Philippine-American war in the 1902, protestantism started gaining a foothold in the municipality. Significant minorities include contemporary sect such as Iglesia ni Cristo, Dating Daan, Iglesia Filipina Independiente and other non-catholic denominations are exist in the town.

Labour and Employment

As of 1995, Calumpit had a relatively big labor force of 24,095 persons or 66% of population consisting of people ages 20–59. Around 35% of these are accounted to possess varying degrees of skills and are employed in their respective occupations; 28% are housewives but nevertheless have found occasional employment as farmhands, vending farm-produced in the market and doing marginal odd jobs. Others are unclassified and consist mostly of students, out-of-school youth and the unemployed.

Total households income per year is P705M, annual average household income is P 66,600.00 and per capita income annually is P 12,198.00.

Literacy

The high literacy rate (98.5%) is maintained by its twenty four (24) elementary schools and six secondary or high schools. The Bulacan Manpower and Livelihood Training Center (BMLTC), based at the heart of the town, offers vocational courses and serves as the training ground for both unskilled and highly skilled workers. As a result, most Calumpiteños have acquired and maintained skills suited for employment especially in the agri-industrial field.

Economy

Major Industries: Industrial Estates, Paper, Garments, Ceramics/Pottery, Flowers/Ornamental Plants, Food/Food Processing, Gifts/Houseware/Decors

Major Products: Handicrafts, Pottery, Religious Articles

Industrial Estates: Bulacan Agro-Industrial Subdivision

Education

Calumpit have plenty of primary and secondary schools, it has also some private colleges mostly the Colegio de Calumpit established in 1940. Calumpit doesnt have huge Universities and most their people go the nearby Malolos where the Bulacan State University and other universities located. This is a partial list of secondary schools in Calumpit, Bulacan.

Calumpit Central School
Bio Kinetics Learning School
Pascual O. Cruz Memorial Elementary School (POCMES) at Sta. Lucia
Colegio de Calumpit, Inc. (formerly, Calumpit Institute)
Dampol2nd N H S Annex (Sta. Lucia)
Frances High School
Ecclesiastical Christian Institute
Frances Elementary School
Harvesters Mission Christian Academy
Meysulao Adv. Elem. Sch.for Meysulao S D A Multigrade Sch.
Petras Christian School
San Marcos National High School
Caniogan High School
Shalom Christian Academy of Bulacan
Shepherds Ways Academy of Bulacan
St. Anthony Academy of Bulacan
St. John the Baptist Catholic School (SJBCS) at Poblacion
Sta. Lucia High School
Meyto Elementary School
Montessori de Enriquez School, Inc.
Arsenio Santos Memorial Elementary School
Francisco Mendoza Memorial Elementary School
San Jose Elementary School
Rabbi Vinirosa Academy
Linagit Primary School

Tourism

Calumpit River

This river has for centuries shaped the lives of Bulakeños. The longest river system in Bulacan, Calumpit River traverses the towns of Calumpit, Pulilan and Plaridel on the east, Paombong and Hagonoy in the West and winds up through Apalit, Macabebe and Masantol, Pampanga. It was the major route for trade and commerce in this part of the Luzon making Calumpit an established barangay prior to the coming of Spanish conquistadors. The Pampanga and Quingua Rivers^[7] served as arteries through which goods coming in and going out of Calumpit passed. At present, the river is a valued resource as a rich fishing ground and providing farmers with irrigation.

Sta. Lucia Church

One of the oldest barangay in the town of Calumpit established in 1575, Sta. Lucia is very popular and famous because of its miraculous Patron Saint Sta. Lucia and its festival street decoration called banderitas. During the month of December, the whole street of the village is covered by banderitas, especially the front of the church. Many people from different places visit this barangay to witness the two day celebration on December 12–13. Every year, starting December 4 up to the festival day December 13, the people of Sta, Lucia has an everyday Mass and Novena in honor of the Patron Saint and also they have a magnificent fireworks display during the opening and closing day.

Bagbag Bridge

Bagbag Bridge was the site of the longest battle between the Americans and Filipinos led by General Gregorio del Pilar which took place on April 25, 1899 for the defense of the Philippine forces. The bridge now serves as a reminder of the valor displayed by the Filipino who triumphed against the American forces.

Meyto Shrine

This is the cradle of Christianity in western Bulacan, where the Wooden cross and first Catholic Mass was held by the Augustinian friars in May 1572 when they set foot in Calumpit. When the Philippine Revolution came and right after the exodus of the Spanish friars,the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (a sect separated from Roman Catholicism) took over the Meyto chapel.

Libad Festival

A fluvial procession of well-decorated pagodas is held on the river every 23 June on the eve of the feast of St. John the Baptist. Townsfolk sing, dance and douse water to "baptize" passers-by, recalling the saint's characteristic act. But due to the construction of the Calumpit Bridge and its new design, the Libad Festival may not be able to pass through the traditional route again. Libad reenacts the old fluvial procession when Apalit and Hagonoy was under the auspices of the town of Calumpit.

San Juan Bautista Church

The St. John the Baptist Parish Church is one of the oldest churches in Bulacan. constructed under the supervision of Augustinian priests Martin de Rada and Diego Vivar,initially made of nipa and bamboo and gradually built into stone in 1700.The church has been a mute witness to the Filipinos' struggle against spanish, american and japanese rule. Inside the church is a tunnel that, as legend would have it, was used by priests during the Spanish regime to serve as way out and easy to escape from Chinese and Moro attacks. It is declared Diocesean Shrine of the Diocese of Malolos.^[8]

List of Cultural Properties of Calumpit

Cultural Property wmph identifier	Site name	Description	Province	City/Municipality	Address/Location	Coordinates	Image
	San Juan Bautista Parish Church	18th-century Baroque church	Bulacan	Calumpit		14°54′58″N 120°46′08″E / 14.916091°N 120.768777°ESan Juan Bautista Parish Church)
	1930 Calumpit Municipal Hall	Art Deco style building	Bulacan	Calumpit		14°54′51″N 120°45′53″E / 14.914042°N 120.764792°E
	Calumpit Railway Station	Late 19th century train station	Bulacan	Calumpit		14°54′58″N 120°45′58″E / 14.916191°N 120.765986°ECalumpit Railway Station)

Prominent Calumpiteños

Servants of God Dionisia de Santa María Mitas Talangpaz (1691–1732) and Cecilia Rosa de Jesús Talangpaz (1693–1731), founders of the Beaterio de San Sebastián, whose beatification process is now in progress are known for their exemplary lives of prayer, self-denial, service to the Church and apostolate that attracted young Filipinas.

Kalumpiteño José Zabala-Santos was one of the most popular cartoonists in the Philippines during the 1950s for characters such Popoye, Sianong Sano, and Lukas Malakas.^[9]

Gallery

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  PNP Calumpit, Bulacan

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  Calumpit Public Library

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  Calumpit Water District

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  Labangan bridge

Notes

1. "Official City/Municipal 2013 Election Results". Intramuros, Manila, Philippines: Commission on Elections (COMELEC). 11 September 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
2. "Province: BULACAN". PSGC Interactive. Makati City, Philippines: National Statistical Coordination Board. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
3. "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. "The Spaniards' First 50 Years in the Philippines, 1565-1615 - A Sourcebook". philippinehistory.net.
5. Administracion espiritual de los Padres Agustinos calsados de la Provincia del Duche Nombre de Jesus de las islas Filipinas, Valladolid, Imprenta de H. Roldan, Mayo de 1833, p. 47
6. E. H. Blair (14 October 2004). "The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898". gutenberg.org.
7.  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Calumpit". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
8. "Things to Do and see in Bulacan...". WOW Philippines. Archived from the original on 2007-07-12. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
9. Sianong Sano by Jose Zabala Santos 1950's. Comicartfans.com (2009-07-07). Retrieved on 2011-05-25.

External links

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• All About Calumpit Bulacan
• Philippine Census Information
• Bulacan Provincial Website
• LGO:Municipality of Calumpit
• Municipality of Calumpit
• Samahang Calumpit - Canada
• Former Calumpit, Bulacan town mayor, Ramon Pagdanganan gunned down