|GENERAL INFORMATION (BULACAN)
- The province's name is derived from the Tagalog word bulak, meaning “cotton,” the former principal product. Others claim that it originated from bulaklakan meaning “flower garden.”
- Juan de Salcedo explored Bulacan in 1571 and the Augustinians started Christianizing and founding towns.
- From 1745 to 1746, there was an agrarian uprising in Hagonoy which was quelled by government troops
- During the British interlude, a battle was fought in Malolos between 8,000 Filipino guerillas of Col. Jose Pedro Busto and 1,800 British, Sepoy and Chinese troops under Capt. Slay on January 17, 1763.
- Busto besieged Malolos and expelled the British on February 8.
- Bulacan was one of the first eight provinces to rise up against Spain in 1896.
- San Jose was captured on October 10, 1896.
- On November, 1896, Gen. Anacleto Rodriguez and 2,000 Katipuneros were cor.ed and massacred by Spanish troops inside San Rafael Church.
- On December 1, 1896, Mariano Llanera scored two victories in the Battles of Baling Kupang and Sibul.
- On June 1, 1897, Gregorio del Pilar landed in Kay Luntaw, established his headquarters in Matungao and started the siege of Bulacan.
- On June 6, 1897, a bloody battle was fought by Filipino forces led by Gen. Mamerto Natividad Jr. at San Rafael.
- Bulacan was liberated on June 24, 1897
- On September 7, 1897, Paombong was captured by del Pilar and his men.
- Biak-na-Bato Cave was Aguinaldo's headquarters for about six months in 1897.
- The Biak-na-Bato Republic was set up on July 7, 1897 and a constitution was approved by 52 revolutionary leaders on November 1.
- On December 14, 1897, a peace agreement, the Pact of Biak-na-Bato was signed with the Spanish government.
- Malolos was made the capital of the revolutionary government on September 9, 1898 and was the site of the Revolutionary Congress which framed the constitution and inaugurated the First Philippine Republic on January 23, 1899.
- On October 15, 1898, during the Philippine-American War, Filipino forces under Pablo Tecson attacked American forces in Baliuag.
- On March 4, 1899, the U.S. ship Bennington bombed and razed Malolos.
- On March 31, 1899, Malolos fell to U.S. forces under Gen. Arthur MacArthur
- On April 22, 1899, Filipino riflemen under Gen. Gregorio del Pilar repulsed the cavalry charge of Maj. J. Franklin Bell and killed Col. John M. Stotsenberg in Quinqua (now Plaridel).
- The fierce Battle of Bagbag River was fought on April 25, 1899 and, the next day, Calumpit fell into American hands.
- The first local election under the American flag was conducted on May 7, 1899 by Gen. Henry W. Lawton in Baliwag.
- The province was created on March 10, 1917 by virtue of Philippine Legislative Act No. 2711.
- During World War II, Ipo Dam in Norzagaray was the site of a major battle where Japanese were forced out of their caves by heavy napalm bombing and by U.S. troops and Filipino guerillas.
- On November 8, 1975, the town of Valenzuela was incorporated to the National Capital Region by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 824.
The climate is largely controlled by topography. The western portion is shielded by the northwest monsoons and tradewinds by the Sierra Madre Mountains. The eastern portion is characterized by an even distribution of rainfall throughout the year. It is dry from November to April and wet for the rest of the year with occasional storms. Average annual rainfall is 96.3 inches.
|Location and Topography|
This densely populated and fertile farming province measures 50 kilometers from north to south, 60 kilometers from east to west and is located quite close to the coast on the southeastern part of Central Luzon. It is bounded on the north by Nueva Ecija, on the east by Quezon, on the west by Pampanga, on the southwest by Laguna de Bay and on the south by Rizal. The western half of this 2,637.67 sq. km. province is generally flat farmland drained by the Angat, Ipo and Novaliches Rivers which are also sources of water irrigation and power for industrial and domestic use. Part of the western boundary touches the extensive Candaba Swamp, which marks a pronounced depression in range, along the boundary with Pampanga. The southern part is hilly and mountainous. The towns of Bulacan, Hagonoy, Malolos, Obando and Paombong are located on the limited low and swampy coastline along Manila Bay. The eastern half, on the boundary with Quezon, Nueva Ecija and Rizal, rises towards the foothills of the Sierra Madre, where the province's highest peak, the 1,170-m. high Mt. Oriol, is located.
- Capital: Malolos City
- Area (sq. kms.): 2,774.85
- Population (2007): 2,826,926 Bulakeños
- No. of Barangays: 569
- Income Class: First
- No. of Towns: 21
- No. of Cities: 3
- No. of Districts: 4
- First District: Bulacan, Calumpit, Hagonoy, Paombong, Malolos City and Pulilan
- Second District: Balagtas, Bocaue, Bustos, Guiguinto, Pandi and Plaridel.
- Third District: Angat, Baliuag, Doña Remedios Trinidad, Norzagaray, San Idelfonso, San Miguel de Mayumo and San Rafael.
- Fourth District: Marilao, Meycauayan City, Obando, San Jose del Monte City and Sta. Maria
About 96% of the people speak what many consider as the pure Tagalog.
|How to Get There|
Bulacan is reachable through three routes; MacArthur Highway, North Expressway and off the North Expressway at the Santa Rita Junction and then through the Cagayan Valley Road. All Dagupan Bus, Dangwa Tranco, Farinas Transportation Maria de Leon, Pangasinan Five Star, Panther Express, Philippine Rabbit, Times Transit and Victory Liner buses bound for Northern Luzon pass through Bulacan. Philippine National Railways also serve points in Bulacan and this together with the MacArthur Highway, links towns bypassed by the North Luzon Expressway. Jeepneys also run to Obando and some of the closer communities
|Tourist Information Center|
- Provincial Tourism Office - Hiyas Convention Center, Capitol Compound, MacArthur Highway, Malolos City (tel: 662-7635, 662-4928, 791-7335, 791-0487 & 791-2490, fax: 791-9103, website: www.bulacan.gov.ph)
- Bulacan Association of Travel Agencies - Hiyas Bldg., Hiyas Convention Center, Capitol Compound, MacArthur Highway, Malolos City (tel: 663-7919 & 662-1160)
- Bulacan Association of Resort Owners MacArthur Highway, Brgy. Mabolo, Malolos City (tel: 791-0378 & 662-0044)
- Provincial Planning and Development Office - Malolos City (tel: 791-0901).