Provinces in Region III

Central Luzon

“Central Plains”

Bulacan

Bulacan is noted as the land of heroes, beautiful women, progressive cooperatives, small and medium-scale industries.

It is also known for excellent craftsmanship in making jewelries, leather crafts, buntal hats, pyrotechnics, bone in-laid furniture and garments. Bulacan also has emerged into a reputable resort haven of Luzon.

Just a few minutes north of Manila by car, Bulacan resorts provide an accessible and welcome respite from the pressures of city life.

• The first phase of the Philippine Revolution ended with the signing of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato in San Miguel in 1897 between the Filipinos and the Spaniards, after which Aguinaldo was exiled to Hong Kong.

• The second phase saw the drafting of the constitution of the first Philippine Republic by the Malolos Congress at Barasoain Church in 1898. The subsequently established republic had its capital at Malolos until President Emilio Aguinaldo transferred it to San Isidro, Nueva Ecija in 1899 when the Filipino-American broke out.

• When the Americans established a civil government in the Philippines, they held the first election in the country in the town of Baliuag on May 6, 1899. Bulacan is the home province of heroes like Francisco Baltazar (Balagtas), "The Prince of Filipino Poets", Marcelo H. Del Pilar, "The Great Propagandist" and Gregorio del Pilar, "The Hero of Tirad Pass".

Climate

Like the rest of Central Luzon, Bulacan's climate consists of two pronounced seasons: dry from

November to April and wet for the rest

of the year.

Language and Dialect

The language used in the province is predominantly Tagalog. Other dialects

used by the townsfolk are Waray, Ilocano, Bicolano and Kapampangan.

Major IndustriesThe province of Bulacan is veering

away from being an agricultural area to an industrialized one.

Its proximity to Manila gives it the advantage as a favored site of industrial establishment including leather tanning, cement bag making, ceramic textiles, food processing, shoe making, and many others.

The majority in the rural areas, however, are still dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. Rice is the principal crop, followed by corn, vegetables and fruits.

Pampanga

Pampanga• Pampanga is best known for its cuisine— a

rich blending of many racial influences (Malay, Chinese, Spanish) adapted to indigenous resources of land and water— and for the culinary expertise that its people proudly exhibit, earning for the province the appellation, “The Culinary Center of the Philippines.”

• No other people in this country are so palatably profuse in serving the fruits of their labor in celebration of not only the positive events in their lives (such as marriages, births, reunions, good harvests, and victories) but even life-challenging episodes (to honor the dead or to recall the lessons of defeat or calamity).

History• The earliest settlers of this province already called their thriving communities

Pampanga, after the river (that the Spanish colonizers only later named as the Rio Grande de la Pampanga) on the banks (pampang literally means “river bank”) of which the first Kapampangans (pioneering Malays and Indonesians) established and nurtured their way of life, industry, government— in short, civilization.

• During the Spanish regime Pampanga was already considered as one of the richest Philippine provinces. Even Manila and surrounding regions were then very much dependent on Pampanga’s agricultural, fishery, and forestry products as well as on the supply of skilled workers and breed of courageous, intelligent, spiritual, and artistic nation builders.

• Up to this day, Pampanga—the place, its people, and their passions—continue to make an indelible mark on the country’s unfolding social, cultural, and economic tapestry.

• The inhabitants of Pampanga are generally referred to as Kapampangans (alternatively spelled Capampañgan), Pampangos, or Pampangueños.

People

Climate

The province of Pampanga has two distinct climates, rainy and dry. The rainy or wet season normally begins in May and runs through October, while the rest of the year is the dry season. The warmest

period of the year occurs between March and April, while the coolest period is from December through February.

Major Industry• Farming and fishing are the two main

industries of the province. Major products include rice, corn, sugar cane, and tilapia. In addition to farming and fishing, the province also supports thriving cottage industries that specialize in wood carving, furniture-making, guitars, and handicrafts.

• Every year during the Christmas season, the province of Pampanga becomes the center of a thriving industry centered on handcrafted lighted lanterns called “parols” that displays a kaleidoscope of light and color. Other industries include its casket industry and the manufacturing of all Purpose Vehicles present in the Municipality of Sto. Tomas.

DelicaciesThe province is famous for its sophisticated culinary industry. Kapampangans are well known for their culinary creations. Well known food products range from the ordinary to the exotic.

Pampanga's Best and Mekeni Food are among the better known meat brands of the country producing Kapampangan favorites such as pork and chicken tocinos, beef tapa, hot dogs, and longanezas (Philippines-style sausages and cured meats.)

Tarlac

Tarlac is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region in the island of

Luzon. Its capital is Tarlac City. Tarlac borders Pampanga to the south, Nueva Ecija to the east,

Pangasinan to the north, and Zambales to the west.

Approximately 75% of the province is plains while the rest is hilly to mountainous.

Location

History• Tarlac's name is a Hispanized derivation from a talahib weed called "Malatarlak". Tarlac was originally a part of the

provinces of Pampanga and Pangasinan. It was the last province in Central Luzon to be organized under the

Spanish administration in 1874.

• During the Philippine Revolution of 1896, Tarlac was among the first eight provinces to rise against Spain. It became the

new seat of the first Philippine Republic on March 1899 when General Emilio Aguinaldo abandoned the former capital, Malolos, Bulacan. This lasted only for a month

before the seat was moved to Nueva Ecija in Aguinaldo's attempt to elude the pursuing Americans.

Like the rest of Central Luzon, the province has two distinct seasons: dry from November to April and wet for the rest of the year. It is the coldest province in the region, with an average of 24 °C (75 °F).

Climate

Spanish Influence is very visible in the province as shown by religious adherence. Roman Catholicism is professed by 83% of the population. Aglipayan is an important minority religion while some other Christian groups are also present. The St. Michael Archangel Parish Church was the oldest religious structure in the entire province until it was burned in 1997.

Economy• The economy of Tarlac is predominantly

agricultural.

• Principal crops are rice and sugarcane.

It is among the biggest producers of rice and sugarcane

Other major crops are :

Corn

Coconut

eggplant

garlic

onion

mango

Banana

calamansi.

Because the province is landlocked, its fish production is limited to fishponds but it has vast river systems and irrigation. On the Zambales boundary to its west, forest land provides timber for the logging industry. Mineral reserves such as manganese and iron can also be found along the western section

• Zambales Provinceis on the western coast of Central Luzon. It is bounded on the north by Pangasinan, on the east by Tarlac and Pampanga, on the south by Bataan and on the west by the South China Sea.

The land•The province has lowlands along the narrow coast where the town centers are located. •The northern part is basically swampy.•Mountain ranges, containing vast precious mineral deposits, as well as some volcanos, are found in the eastern portion. The recent eruption of Mount Pinatubo, on the the boundary between Zambales and Pampanga, has changed the landscape of the province. Certain parts are submerged under lahar and have somtimes given rise to lakes.•There are two pronounced seasons in the province: dry from November to April, and wet the rest of the year.

Commerce and Industry

• Zambales is basically an agriculture province. The chief products are rice, corn, vegetables and rootcrops. Major industries include farming, fishing and mining.

• The province's mineral resources include gold, copper and chromite.

• Olongapo, once the site of the biggest US naval base in Asia, is fast developing into an industrial and tourism zone under the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

Aurora is divided into eight municipalities and 151 barangays. It is classified as a 5th class province with one congressional district. Baler, the provincial capital, is about 232 kilometers from Manila.

President Manuel L. Quezon

First Lady Aurora Aragon - Quezon

Products

The basic economy of Aurora is agricultural. Copra, rice, rootcrops and banana are its principal agricultural products. Weaving, particularly of buntal hats, is a significant cottage industry.

Fishing production can be made greater in Dinagalan Bay and Casiguran Sound but it is believed to reduce because of over-fishing and sedimentation in Baler Bay.

Lumber, rattan and almaciga are its major forest resources. Its forest is under serious threats from cutting of trees for lumber by illegal loggers.

Aurora has the average weather condition characterized by rainfall, which is approximately without variation during the whole year. It is regularly beaten with heavy blows by cyclones coming from the Pacific Ocean.

The capital of Bataan is Balanga City and it is bordered by the provinces of Zambales and Pampanga to the north. The peninsula faces the South China Sea to the west and Subic Bay to the north-west, and encloses Manila Bay to the east.

• Bataan featured prominently during World War II. Prior to the 1941 Japanese invasion, the US Army stored nearly 1,000,000 US gallons (3,800 m3) of gasoline there.

• Shortly after the Japanese Army invaded the country in December 1941, the combined US and Filipino forces were being gradually overrun and General Douglas MacArthur moved his troops to the Bataan Peninsula in an attempt to hold out until a relief force could be sent from the US. Japanese forces started a siege of the peninsula on January 7, 1942, and launched an all-out assault on April 3, a few months after the Battle of the Points. The majority of the American and Filipino forces surrendered on April 9 and were forced to march more than a 100 kilometres (62 mi) from Bataan to Tarlac, which became known as the Bataan Death March.

The Battle of Bataanis famous in history as one of the last stands of American and Filipino soldiers before they were overwhelmed by the Japanese forces in World War II. The Bataan Death March was named for this province, where the infamous march started. This is also the location of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant located in the Municipality of Morong.

City: Balanga

Municipalities:

• First Abucay Catholic Church (The 411-year old Church, 3rd oldest church in the Philippines)

• Mount Samat - Shrine of Valor (Pilar, Bataan)• Zero Kilometre Death March Marker

(Mariveles)• Bataan First Line of Defense (Layac,

Dinalupihan)• Bataan Death March Marker (Orani)• Virgen Milagrosa Del Rosario del Pueblo de

Orani Shrine (Formerly Holy Rosary Parish Church) (Orani)