Balagtas, Bulacan

Balagtas

Bigaa
Balagtas Bigaa
Municipality
	Municipality of Balagtas
	New Municipal Hall of Balagtas
	Flag
	Map of Bulacan with Balagtas highlighted
	OpenStreetMap
	Balagtas Location within the Philippines
	Coordinates: 14°48′52″N 120°54′30″E / 14.81447°N 120.90847°E
Country	Philippines
Region	Central Luzon
Province	Bulacan
District	5th district
Founded	1596
Renamed	June 18, 1966
Named for	Francisco Balagtas
Barangays	9 (see Barangays)
Government
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• mayor of Balagtas[*]	Eladio E. Gonzales Jr. (NUP)
• Vice Mayor	Ariel C. Valderama (NUP)
• Representative	Ambrosio C. Cruz Jr. (Lakas-CMD)
• Municipal Council	Members
• Electorate	51,503 voters (2022)
Area
• Total	28.66 km2 (11.07 sq mi)
Elevation	8.0 m (26.2 ft)
Highest elevation	33 m (108 ft)
Lowest elevation	−3 m (−10 ft)
Population (2020 census)
• Total	77,018
• Density	2,700/km2 (7,000/sq mi)
• Households	19,461
Economy
• Income class	1st municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	14.78% (2021)
• Revenue	₱ 330.4 million (2020), 143.5 million (2012), 150.1 million (2013), 181.5 million (2014), 204.9 million (2015), 202.6 million (2016), 2,492 million (2017), 270.9 million (2018), 307.5 million (2019), 324.5 million (2021), 405.5 million (2022)
• Assets	₱ 601.6 million (2020), 198.8 million (2012), 211.5 million (2013), 271.1 million (2014), 354.1 million (2015), 339.6 million (2016), 511.9 million (2017), 543.7 million (2018), 630.5 million (2019), 649.7 million (2021), 789.4 million (2022)
• Expenditure	₱ 304.8 million (2020), 134 million (2012), 131.5 million (2013), 154 million (2014), 159.9 million (2015), 173.8 million (2016), 179.1 million (2017), 242.2 million (2018), 259.7 million (2019), 311.1 million (2021), 366.4 million (2022)
• Liabilities	₱ 165.3 million (2020), 56.12 million (2012), 59.66 million (2013), 90.42 million (2014), 127.5 million (2015), 85.35 million (2016), 185.6 million (2017), 196 million (2018), 237.4 million (2019), 176.1 million (2021), 260.6 million (2022)
Utilties
• Electricity	Meralco
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	3016
PSGC	031402000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)44
Native languages	Tagalog

Balagtas ([bɐlɐgˈtas]), officially the Municipality of Balagtas (Tagalog: Bayan ng Balagtas), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 77,018 people.^[4] The municipality is 30 kilometers (19 mi) from Manila and is 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) from Malolos City.

With the continuous expansion of Metro Manila, Balagtas is part of Manila's built up area which reaches San Ildefonso, Bulacan in its northernmost part.

The MacArthur Highway bisects the municipality of Balagtas as this national road cuts northward to the Cagayan Valley. At the southern approach of the town from Manila is a concrete bridge that crosses the Balagtas River. The river, navigable by banca and motor boats, empties into Manila bay after snaking through the town of Bulacan to the West which provides Balagtas' townsfolk with fish, shrimp, and other fresh water food.

At the foot of the bridge, along the highway towards the North, is the town hall. In front of the town hall is a park where the monument of its hero, Francisco "Balagtas" Baltazar is located. The town hall is surrounded by Spanish colonial type houses. Two hundred meters from the municipal hall is the barrio of Panginay, the birthplace of Francisco Balagtas, for whom also "Balagtasan", a form of debate in versified Tagalog, was named. In 1946 the Historical Society of the Philippines placed a marker at the birthplace of Balagtas. In reverence to the hero's deeds, the official name of Bigaa was changed to Balagtas through the legislative act sponsored by then Congressman, Teodulo Natividad.

Etymology

The town was formerly known as Bigaa. It was renamed in honor of Filipino poet Francisco Balagtas.

History

American infantry firing at Filipino insurgents at Balagtas, 1899

Originally known as Caruya/Caluya as per the historical records regarding the early years of the establishment of Bulacan Province, Caruya was one of the encomiendas of the vast region La Pampanga falls under the Alcalde Mayor of Bulacan. Encomienda de Caruya was Encomienda of the King of Spain which appeared in Miguel de Loarca's Relacion de las Isla Filipinas in 1582 and the Report of Governor-General Luis Pérez Dasmariñas of June 21, 1591, document. The propagation of Vatholic instructions in Caruya initially belongs to Bulakan Convent and it was directly administered by Alcalde Mayor of Bulacan, but it was transferred to Malolos Convent at an uncertain date. Bigaa is one of the ancient towns of the province together with Calumpit 1571 (became Town in 1575), Bulakan 1575 (became Town in 1578), Meycauayan 1578, Malolos 1571 (became Town in 1580), and Binto 1581 (a former visita of Malolos became Town renamed as Binto y Quingua 1602) later known as Plaridel. The Catalogo of 1591 indicates the existence of Guiguinto y Caruyan with 4,800 souls and it was administered by a religious from Bulacan Convent. In 1608 Historia de la Provincia Agustiana mentioned Caruyan as pueblo and convent. The Catalogo of 1612 says that Caruyan had 2 sacerdos, 800 Tributos, 2,400 Almas. (Historia de La Provincia Agustiana del Santisimo Nombre de Jesus de Filipinas Vol.1 of Isacio Rodriguez OSA)

On other data, the Center for Bulacan Studies in their "La Primera Provincia" published in 2010 p.138 mentioned that Bigaa came from Malolos as its matrix with an independence date of 1621. It could be assumed that Bigaa was later transferred to Malolos Cathedral Convent in uncertain date but La Primera did not mention that Bigaa originally came from Bulakan town but instead in Malolos.

A long time before the construction of the church at Poblacion, the original location of the town center where the hermitage and the base of Spanish instruction in Bigaa were at Barrio Dalig where Sitio Caruyan was located.

It is very unclear when Caruya was formally organized into an administrative town with its own Gobernadorcillo. It was renamed Bigaa sometime in the 1700s. Bigaa suggests a kind of plant which is Taro o Gabi.

During the Philippine revolution the "insurrectos" and the "Guardia civiles". Many people died, further decimating the town, which has suffered from a cholera epidemic and nearly wiped out the population 20 years before. When the Americans established civil government in 1903, Bigaa and Bocaue were integrated with each other and in 1911,^[6]^[7] it was separated again and in the same year, the former Hacienda de Pandi, which included in the geographical jurisdiction of Town of Bigaa. In 1946, during the tenure of Bigaa Mayor Manuel Santos, Pandi was detached from Bigaa shortly after the Philippines gained political freedom from the United States and Pandi was established as a municipal entity by virtue of legislative fiat.

Geography

Balagtas was part of the 1st district until 1972 and 2nd district along with Baliwag, Bocaue, Bustos, Guiguinto, and Pandi from 1987 to 2022. It was moved to 5th district along with Bocaue, Guiguinto, and Pandi.

Barangays

Balagtas is politically subdivided into 9 barangays, all classified as urban. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

PSGC	Barangay	Population			±% p.a.
		2020^[4]		2010^[8]
031402002	Borol 2nd	9.4%	7,243	7,801	▾	−0.74%
031402003	Borol 1st	13.2%	10,190	10,179	▴	0.01%
031402004	Dalig	2.5%	1,949	1,832	▴	0.62%
031402005	Longos	3.6%	2,779	2,607	▴	0.64%
031402007	Panginay	16.3%	12,578	12,461	▴	0.09%
031402008	Pulong Gubat	10.0%	7,701	4,141	▴	6.40%
031402009	San Juan	13.2%	10,158	9,238	▴	0.95%
031402010	Santol	22.1%	17,050	12,465	▴	3.18%
031402011	Wawa	6.5%	4,985	4,716	▴	0.56%
	Total		77,018	65,440	▴	1.64%

Climate

Climate data for Balagtas, Bulacan
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	29 (84)	30 (86)	32 (90)	34 (93)	33 (91)	31 (88)	30 (86)	29 (84)	29 (84)	30 (86)	30 (86)	29 (84)	31 (87)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	20 (68)	20 (68)	21 (70)	23 (73)	24 (75)	25 (77)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	22 (72)	21 (70)	23 (73)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	7 (0.3)	7 (0.3)	9 (0.4)	21 (0.8)	101 (4.0)	152 (6.0)	188 (7.4)	170 (6.7)	159 (6.3)	115 (4.5)	47 (1.9)	29 (1.1)	1,005 (39.7)
Average rainy days	3.3	3.5	11.1	8.1	18.9	23.5	26.4	25.5	24.5	19.6	10.4	6.4	181.2
Source: Meteoblue^[9]

Demographics

Population census of Balagtas
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1903	8,000	—
1918	9,875	+1.41%
1939	12,037	+0.95%
1948	8,085	−4.33%
1960	10,280	+2.02%
1970	17,109	+5.22%
1975	21,422	+4.61%
1980	28,654	+5.99%
1990	42,658	+4.06%
1995	49,210	+2.71%
2000	56,945	+3.18%
2007	62,684	+1.33%
2010	65,440	+1.58%
2015	73,929	+2.35%
2020	77,018	+0.81%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^[10]^[8]^[11]^[12]

In the 2020 census, the population of Balagtas, Bulacan, was 77,018 people,^[4] with a density of 2,700 inhabitants per square kilometer or 7,000 inhabitants per square mile.

Economy

Poverty incidence of Balagtas

2.5

5

7.5

10

12.5

15

2006
4.70

2009
5.48

2012
4.18

2015
6.94

2018
3.38

2021
14.78

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^[13]^[14]^[15]^[16]^[17]^[18]^[19]^[20]

Major Industries

Ceramics/Pottery
Furniture
Garments
Gifts/Houseware/Decors
Metalcraft
Poultry

Major Products

Furniture/Agricultural Products
Balot and Penoy Industry
Recruitment Agency
Fruit Dealership
Tilapia
Tricycle Parts

Future Developments

Construction of North Food Exchange
Opening of Balagtas Tollgate^[21]
Construction of new Balagtas to Baliwag road connection^[22]
Construction of the Balagtas Station of North–South Commuter Railway
Construction of St. Lawrence of Balagtas Medical Center

Government

Local government

2022-2025 Municipal Officials:

Mayor: Eladio "JR" E. Gonzales Jr. (NUP)
Vice Mayor: Ariel C. Valderama (NUP)
Councilors:
- Alberto "Bobby" G. Carating II (NUP)
- Julius Daniel G. Abarzosa (NUP)
- Mikee Jane "Monay" A. Payuran (PFP)
- Babby "Bobby" L. Estrella (NUP)
- Charles Louie B. Galvez (NUP)
- Gilbert "Obet" L. Galvez (NUP)
- Fernando "Fernan" K. Galvez (NUP)
- Alejandro "Andy" P. De Guzman (NUP)

Education

Tertiary:

College of St. Lawrence (Formerly St. Lawrence Academy), Borol 1st, Balagtas
Garden Angels Integrated School, Borol 1st, Balagtas
STI College Balagtas, Campus, Borol 1st, Balagtas
Colegio de Roma, San Juan, Balagtas
Our Lady of Manaoag Montessori College, (OLMA) San Juan, Balagtas
A-Z Country Day School
Bulacan Merchant Marine Academy

Secondary:

La Consolacion School, Longos, Balagtas
Balagtas National Agricultural Highschool, Pulong Gubat, Balagtas (Main Campus)
Balagtas National Agricultural High School, Borol 1st, Balagtas (Annex 1)
Children's Mindware School, Borol 2nd, Balagtas
Gat. Francisco Balagtas High School, Santol, Balagtas (Formerly Annex 2 of Balagtas National Agricultural High School)

Elementary (Public):

Balagtas Central School
Francisco Balagtas Memorial School
San Juan Elementary School
Longos Elementary School
Borol 1st Elementary School
Borol 2nd Elementary School
Sulok Elementary School
Marciano C. Rivera Elementary School
Santol Elementary School
Dalig Elementary School
Balagtas Heights Elementary School
Northville VI Elementary School

Notable personalities

Francisco Balagtas, poety
Regine Velasquez, Multi-awarded singer, asia song bird vocal voice, actress and record producer

Gallery

World War 2 USAFFE Veterans of Balagtas Marker at the Municipal Hall
Old municipal hall
Francisco Balagtas Monument at the Francisco Balagtas Memorial Elementary School
Francisco Balagtas Birthplace Marker
St. Lawrence Deacon & Martyr Parish Church
St. Peter the Apostle Parish Church
St. Joseph the Worker Parish Church
St. Joseph the Worker Parish Pastoral Center
Santo Niño Chapel
Old Bigaa Train Station
Constantino Bahay na Bato Ancestral House
College of Saint Lawrence
Balagtas Town Center
Francisco Baltazar in new Town Hall
Metrolink Bus Corp. Terminal
St. Lawrence of Balagtas Medical Center ongoing construction