Mabalacat

Mabalacat
Component City
City of Mabalacat
From top, left to right: Welcome Arch, Montessori de Xevera, Sanctuario de San Angelo, Dau Bus Terminal, City Hall
Seal
Map of Pampanga with Mabalacat highlighted
Mabalacat Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 15°13′N 120°35′E / 15.22°N 120.58°E / 15.22; 120.58Coordinates: 15°13′N 120°35′E / 15.22°N 120.58°E / 15.22; 120.58
Country	Philippines
Region	Central Luzon (Region III)
Province	Pampanga
District	1st District
Founded	1712
Cityhood	July 21, 2012
Barangays	27 (see Barangays)
Government [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Panlungsod
• Mayor	Crisostomo Garbo
• Vice Mayor	Christian Halili
• Congressman	Carmelo Lazatin II
• Electorate	95,901 voters (2016)
Area [2]
• Total	83.18 km2 (32.12 sq mi)
Population (2015 census)[3]
• Total	250,799
• Density	3,000/km2 (7,800/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	2010
PSGC	035409000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)45
Climate type	Tropical monsoon climate
Revenue (₱)	1,117,424,108.70 (2016)
Native languages	Kapampangan Mag-antsi language Tagalog Taglish Swardspeak
Website	mabalacatcity.gov.ph

Mabalacat, officially the City of Mabalacat, (Kapampangan: Lakanbalen ning Mabalacat; Filipino: Lungsod ng Mabalacat), or simply referred to as Mabalacat City, is a class city in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 250,799 people.^[3]

The former municipality was officially converted into a city following a referendum on July 21, 2012 and became the third in Pampanga after Angeles City and San Fernando.

The city's name is derived from indigenous Negrito word mabalacat meaning "forest of balacats".

Mabalacat has a land area of 83.18 square kilometres (32.12 sq mi). Roughly majority of the Clark Freeport Zone is located in Mabalacat, the rest in nearby Angeles City, where the main gate is located. The Clark International Airport, as well as the numerous hotels, casinos, golf courses, and resorts in Clark Freeport, are mostly situated in Mabalacat City.^[4]

The soil is charcoal black and shiny, a sign of fertility, and is suitable for growing rice, sugarcane and other rootcrops. Like the neighbouring cities of Angeles and San Fernando and the towns/municipalities of Porac, Bacolor, Santa Rita, Mexico, Magalang and Arayat, this city rarely gets inundated by floods from heavy rains and typhoons because it is situated on an elevated, well-drained part of the Central Luzon plains known as the "Upper Pampanga".

Mabalacat is 93 kilometres (58 mi) from Manila, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Angeles, and 27 kilometres (17 mi) from the provincial capital, San Fernando.

Barangays

Mabalacat is politically subdivided into 27 barangays.

The largest barangay is Dau, which became a barrio in 1936 by virtue of Presidential Proclamation Number 1. It is now a business center whose commercial output runs parallel to that of downtown. A former terminus of the North Luzon Expressway, it is the most urban and most populous area in Mabalacat, home to roughly 23% of the city's population.

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 city proper. Sapang Balen, with a population of 166 persons, is the smallest barangay.

History

Prior to 1712, Mabalacat was a barrio (barangay) of Bambang, now Bamban, Tarlac. It became a town in 1792, and was named after the abundant Balacat tree (Ziziphus talanai), a fourth class timber tree with bark that possess antimicrobial properties. Once a settlement of an Aeta tribe, the area was a virtual forest of balacat trees. "Ma-balacat" in the native Kapampangan language means "full of Balacats." Mabalacat in Maranao is "Mababaapalaqat" (Palacat), which means "maiksing hagdan" in Tagalog.

In 1853 Mabalacat had a population of 2,611 and four barangays, namely, Babangdapu, Duquit, Malabni, and Paglimbunan. By 1903 its population increased to 7,049 in 19 barangays. These were Bical, Bundagul, Dapdap, Dau, Dolores, Iba, Mabiga, Mamatitang, Mangalit, Matas, Mawaque, Paralayunan, Poblacion, Quitangil (later renamed to San Francisco), San Joaquin, Santa Ines, Santa Maria, Sapang Balen, and Sapang Biabas. In 1948, Mabalacat's barangays increased to 20 with the addition of Fort Stotsenburg.

In 1860 a military command was established by authorities of the Spanish Governor-General due to the lawlessness and depredations perpetrated by the negritos (Aetas, or derogatorily called balugas). The Pampanga towns of Bamban, Capas, Concepcion, Victoria, Tarlac, Magalang, Porac, and Floridablanca and Mabalacat were created into what was called a "Commandancia Militar". However, in 1873 the Military Command returned Mabalacat together with the towns of Magalang, Floridablanca, and Porac to the parent province, Pampanga.

Demographics

Climate

Economy

Mabalacat has an average annual income of P504,149,053.16 as of 2011 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 Mabalacat City, consisting of 79 manufacturers mostly involved in sash factory, iron works, ceramics, bakery and 1,806 trading companies. The financial needs are served by eleven banks, mostly concentrated in Dau.

Public utilities include the Mabalacat Water System, Pampanga Electric Corporation II (PELCO II), three telephone companies namely, Datelcom Corporation (DATELCOM), Smart Communications (SMART) and Digital Telecommunications Philippines, Incorporated (DIGITEL) and one cable television network (PRO-SAT) which runs solely for Mabalacat.

The city is also a major transportation hub; a number of major road networks including the North Luzon Expressway, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, and MacArthur Highway cut across the region. At the southern part of the city is the Dau Bus Terminal, which caters to passengers bound for Metro Manila and provinces in Northern Luzon such as Tarlac, Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Nueva Ecija, La Union, Bataan, and Zambales.

City Fiesta

Xevera Fountain.

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 Blessed Virgin Mary with baby Jesus sitting on her lap. On February 2, the statue was presented by Caragan as a gift to Padre Maximo Manuguid, the priest of the early Mabalacat Church that was made of sawali and cogon grass. From then on, the city fiesta was observed on the second of February.

Education

There are 31 educational institutions in Mabalacat: one state college, one private college, one technical training school, two secondary public, two private high schools and 25 public elementary schools divided into two districts, Mabalacat North and Mabalacat South. Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) accredited institutions offering vocational-technical skills abound in the area.

Gallery

• 
  Welcome arch
• 
  Entering Mabalacat
• 
  Centre of Mabalacat
• 
  Robinson's Supermarket
• 
  Our Lady of Grace Parish
• 
  The Town Hall prior to its establishment as a city

References

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Mabalacat.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mabalacat.

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