Bulacan
This article is about the province. For the municipality, see Bulacan, Bulacan. Bulacan is a
province of the
Philippines located in the
Central Luzon region. It has two cities namely San Jose del Monte City and Malolos City, which is its capital. Bulacan is located immediately north of
Metro Manila. Bordering Bulacan are the provinces of
Pampanga to the west,
Nueva Ecija to the north,
Aurora and
Quezon to the east, and
Rizal to the south. Bulacan also lies on the northern shore of
Manila Bay.
Bulacan figures prominently in
Philippine History. Many national heroes and political figures were born in Bulacan. The province was also one of the first to revolt against
Spain. However, Bulacan is most noted for being the capital of the
first Philippine Republic in the now city of
Malolos as well as its
Malolos Constitution.
Population. According to the May 2000
census, there are a total of 2,234,088
Bulaqueños, making Bulacan the fourth most populous province in the country. It is also the fifth most densely populated province at 851 people per square kilometer. There are 463,886 households in the province with an average size of 4.81 persons, significantly lower than the national average of 4.99.
Languages. Tagalog is the predominant language of Bulacan because of its proximity to
Manila. Inhabitants also speak
Kapampangan, which is the language of neighboring
Pampanga.
Industries. The province of Bulacan is steadily becoming
industrialized due to its proximity to
Metro Manila. Many corporations put up industrial plants and site in Bulacan. Some of the industries include
leather tanning,
cement bag making,
fireworks manufacturing,
ceramics,
textiles, food processing, and
shoe manufacturing.
Agriculture. The rural areas still mostly depend on
agriculture as a source of income. Some of the major crops are
rice,
corn,
vegetables, and
fruits such as
mangoes.
Transportation. Bulacan is linked with
Metro Manila primarily through the
North Luzon Expressway, which crosses the province into
Pampanga.
Political
Bulacan is subdivided into 22
municipalities and 2
cities.
Cities
*
Malolos City*
San Jose del Monte CityMunicipalities
*
Angat*
Balagtas (Bigaa)
*
Baliuag*
Bocaue*
Bulacan*
Bustos*
Calumpit*
Doña Remedios Trinidad*
Guiguinto*
Hagonoy*
Marilao*
Meycauayan*
Norzagaray*
Obando*
Pandi*
Paombong*
Plaridel*
Pulilan*
San Ildefonso*
San Miguel*
San Rafael*
Santa MaríaPhysical
Terrain. Bulacan lies in the southern portion of the fertile plains of Central Luzon. The area is drained by the
Angat and
Pampanga rivers. The
Sierra Madre mountain range forms the highlands of Bulacan in the east.
Angat Lake, which was formed by the
Angat Dam is located in that area. The highest point in the province at 1170 meters is Mount Oriol, part of the Sierra Madre.
Climate. November to April is generally dry while wet for the rest of the year. The northeast
monsoon (
amihan) prevails from October to January bringing in moderated and light
rains. From February to April, the east trade winds predominate but the
Sierra Madre (Philippines) mountain range to the east disrupts the winds resulting to a dry period. From May to September, the southwest monsoon (
habagat) prevails and the period is characterized by numerous storms and
typhoons.
The hottest month is May having an average temperature of 29.7°C while the coldest is February with an average temperature of 18.1°C.
The history of the province from the Spanish occupation has been replete with events worthy of recollection. As early as the time of the coming of Legaspi to conquer Manila with two of his subordinate officers, Martin de Goiti and Juan Salcedo, the Bulakeños through their seafaring brothers from Hagonoy showed their instinctive love of country by helping Raja Soliman, King of Manila, fight the Battle of the Bangkusay Channel.
The history began when a small settlement of fishermen lived along the coast of Manila Bay before the coming of the Spaniards. Later on, these settlers became farmers after moving inwards as they discovered that the land in the interior part was fertile and very much drained by the network of rivers and streams. These settlers grew and flourished into large and prosperous settlement now known as the province of Bulacan. It is believed that flowers bloomed in the region when the Spaniards came. Because of these sprawling green orchards, vegetables and profusely flowering plants, as well as beautiful women, this lovely land had come to be called Bulacan as sort of shortened term for "bulak-lakan" and/or a derivative of the word "bulak" (kapok) which abound in the province even before the Spaniards came.
The signing of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato in 1897 was a brilliant chapter in the history of Bulacan. However, the crowning glory among the series of historical events in the province was the establishment of the Capital of the First Philippine Republic in Malolos. The Malolos Church and the Barasoain Church will be both remembered as the executive headquarters of President Aguinaldo and as the Legislative, from September 10, 1898 to March 29, 1899. It was also in Malolos that the famous and historical document, the Malolos Constitution, was drafted and ratified.
Bulacan is also the cradle of noble heroes, of great men and women. The early people of Bulacan, being descendants of a freedom-loving race, had also risen in revolt like their brothers in other parts of the country. Bulacan was one of the eight provinces, which rallied behind the Katipunan's call for an all-out insurrection against the Spanish tyranny in the late 19t h century. It produced the del Pilars, Balagtas, Tecson, Valenzuela, Torres, Estrella, Ponce, Sandico, Panganiban and many others. The Bulakeños take fierce pride in their history and tradition and they live by these glories. By these glories, they are quick to display leadership and seek fullest commitment to national goals.
* Governor: Josefina "Josie" dela Cruz
* Vice Governor: Rely Plamenco
Malolos Cathedral Basilica in
Malolos the church that served as the first Presidential Headquarters of the
First Philippine Republic under Gen.
Emilio Aguinaldo.
Barasoain Church in
Malolos was the site of the
congress which drafted the
first Philippine Constitution and established the
first Philippine Republic.
Calumpit Church - the oldest church in the whole province of Bulacan (built in 1575)
Sta. Monica Church in
Angat is over 400 years old.
Meycauayan Church in
Meycauayan over a century-old church.
Divine Mercy National Shrine in
Marilao.
Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto (San Jose del Monte).
Festivals:*Singkaban Fiesta (Linggo ng Bulacan)
*Bocaue River Festival (Pagoda Festival)
*Obando Festival Carabao Festival (Pulilan)
*Sambuklod Festival (San Jose del Monte)
*
Official Website of the Provincial Government of Bulacan*
Bulacan Chamber of Commerce and Industry
