Candaba, Pampanga

Candaba
Municipality
Municipality of Candaba
Downtown area
Seal
Etymology: Vizal Sto. Cristo Candaba
Map of Pampanga with Candaba highlighted
Candaba Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 15°05′36″N 120°49′42″E / 15.09333°N 120.82833°E / 15.09333; 120.82833Coordinates: 15°05′36″N 120°49′42″E / 15.09333°N 120.82833°E / 15.09333; 120.82833
Country	Philippines
Region	Central Luzon (Region III)
Province	Pampanga
District	4th District
Barangays	33 (see Barangays)
Government [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Danilo Baylon
• Electorate	62,718 voters (2016)
Area [2]
• Total	176.40 km2 (68.11 sq mi)
Population (2015 census)[3]
• Total	111,586
• Density	630/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	2013
PSGC	035405000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)45
Climate type	Tropical monsoon climate
Income class	1st municipal income class
Revenue (₱)	196,026,101.73 (2016)
Native languages	Kapampangan Tagalog
Website	www.candaba.gov.ph

Candaba, officially the Municipality of Candaba, (Kapampangan: Balen ning Candaba; formerly Candawe), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 111,586 people.^[3]

Geography

Candaba represents the lowest point in Central Luzon Region of Luzon Island. The neighboring municipality of San Miguel (San Miguel de Mayumo) in Bulacan province used to be part of Candaba until San Miguel became a municipality itself.

Candaba's municipal boundaries are: Municipality of Arayat, Pampanga, and Municipality of Cabiao, Nueva Ecija, to the north; Municipality of San Miguel, Bulacan, and Municipality of San Ildefonso, Bulacan, to the east; Municipality of Baliuag, Bulacan, to the south; Municipality of San Luis, Pampanga, and Municipality of Santa Ana, Pampanga, to the west.

Demographics

In the 2015 census, the population of Candaba, Pampanga, was 111,586 people,^[3] with a density of 630 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,600 inhabitants per square mile.

Religion

St. Andrew Parish Church

Roman Catholic 60%, Members Church of God International 3.5%, Iglesia ni Cristo 3%, Evangelicals 32%, others (includes Islam, Buddhism and other religions) 1.5%. The Saint Andrew church serves as one of the Roman Catholic parish churches inside the municipality.

The most popular religious site in Candaba is in the barangay "Pulong Gubat". It pulls many pilgrims who believe that Nuestra Señor dela Pacencia will cure their illness or grant their wishes.

Local government

Town hall

Mayor of Candaba is Baylon Danilo, and vice mayor is Michael V. Sagum, replacing Rene Maglanque and Babes Evangelista respectively after the 2016 mayoral elections.

Economy

Candaba market

The Candaba Swamp (Pinac, Pinak) absorbs most of the flood waters that flow from the western slopes of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range. During the rainy season, the Pampanga River overflows and the swamp is submerged. But it is relatively dry during the dry Season, hence making the land suitable for a variety agricultural production.

Candaba is noted for its production watermelon, that are sold worldwide. The swamps are communal fishing grounds encompassing some 430 km² of highly arable farmlands. Candaba swamps are very fertile due to its sustained deposits of humus and decaying plant residues. Migrant wild ducks and various wildlife bird from Siberia, New Zealand, Mongolia and other parts of Asia use Candaba as their yearly sanctuary.

Infrastructure

Drainage System

Candaba-San Miguel road is known for being flooded when a typhoon hits Candaba. The drainage system or rip-rap, which is a part of Mayor Jerry Pelayo's road cementing project, was built on both sides of every cemented roads made so the rainwater from other parts of Pampanga will just flow on it and not on the road.

Bird sanctuary

Eastern marsh harrier (Circus spilonotus), Candaba Marsh

On January 2008, a Philippine record of 17,000 birds (in the 24-hour count) visited the 32,000-hectare Candaba Swamp, sanctuary for migratory birds. Michael Lu, president of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP), stated that 80 species of migratory birds were sighted at the 100-hectare fishpond of Mayor Jerry Pelayo in Barangay Doña Simang and in Barangay Paralaya. The rare birds spotted were: the Shrenck’s bittern, great bittern, gadwall, coot, Philippine mallard or ducks, and Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia). Robert S. Kennedy’s book A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines lists endemic and migratory birds which visit the Philippines. Pelayo organized the Ibon-Ebon Festival (“birds and eggs”) on February 1–2. The WBCP recorded three rare species in Candaba swamp: the purple swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio), Chinese pond heron (Ardeola bacchus) and the black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax).^[9]

References

Bibliography

• Gatbonton, Manuel, Ing Candawe, excerpts, 1933.
• Henson, Mariano A., Pampanga and Its Towns (AD 1300-1965), Angeles: 1965.
• Licuanan, Virginia Benitez and Jose Llavador Mira, The Philippines Under Spain: A Compilation and Translation of Original Documents, Quezon City: 1993.
• Pangilinan, Michael Raymon M. (Siuala ding Meangubie), Five Thousand Years of Antiquity: A Timeline of Candaba History, Kapampangan Magazine, ed. by Elmer G. Cato, ISSN 1656-5592, Year 2004, Issue XV, pp. 11–12.
• Pangilinan, Michael Raymon M. (Siuala ding Meangubie), Candaba: Timelessly Mystical, Kapampangan Magazine, ed. by Elmer G. Cato, ISSN 1656-5592, Year 2004, Issue XV, pp. 16–17.
• San Agustin, Gaspar de, Conquistas de las Islas Filipinas; 1565–1615, 1st Bilingual Edition, Intramuros: 1998.
• The Historical Data Papers, Candaba, Bureau of Public Schools, 1953
• The Contemporary Chinese Dictionary (Chinese-English Edition), Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, Beijing 2002.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Candaba, Pampanga.

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System