Santa Maria ( , ), officially the Municipality of Santa Maria ( tgl, Bayan ng Santa Maria), is a 1st class
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
of
Bulacan
Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Metr ...
,
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 289,820 people. representing 7.8% of the population of the province.
Located on the banks of the
Santa Maria River, north of
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
, Santa Maria has been a thriving settlement for almost four centuries. It was founded as a ''
barrio
''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residenti ...
'' of
Bocaue
Bocaue, officially the Municipality of Bocaue ( tgl, Bayan ng Bocaue), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 141,412 people.
With the continuous expansion of Met ...
in the early 17th century until it was established as an independent municipality on November 26, 1793, by the
Spanish friar Francisco Dominguez Javier
OFM. Known before as ''Santa Maria de Pandi'' (), it is named under the patronage of the
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception.
It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...
(also known as La Purisima Concepcion). Its administrative center, the
Poblacion
''Poblacion'' (literally "town" or "settlement" in Spanish language in the Philippines, Spanish; ) is the common term used for the administrative center, central, downtown, old town or central business district area of a Philippines, Philippi ...
, forms as the historic core of the municipality. It is surrounded by four rivers and it still largely retains its 2.88 square-kilometer boundaries since the
Spanish Colonial Era.
Santa Maria, with a population of 289,820, remains by a significant margin the most populous
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in
Central Luzon
Central Luzon ( pam, (Reyun ning) Kalibudtarang Luzon, pag, (Rehiyon na) Pegley na Luzon, tgl, (Rehiyon ng) Gitnang Luzon, ilo, (Rehion/Deppaar ti) Tengnga ti Luzon), designated as Region III, is an administrative region in the Philippines, ...
, as well as the
5th most populous municipality in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. It is also the 2nd most populous local government unit in
Bulacan
Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Metr ...
next to
San Jose del Monte City
San Jose del Monte, officially the City of San Jose del Monte (abbreviated as SJDM or CSJDM; fil, Lungsod ng San Jose del Monte), is a 1st class component city in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a po ...
. As of 2015, Santa Maria's urban population is 254,056 out of the total population of 256,454. The said urban population represents 99.10% of the total population of Santa Maria.. The projected population for 2020 was 284,078 while the population for 2025 was projected to reach 305,668.
Its downtown area consists of three highly urbanized barangays: Poblacion,
Bagbaguin, and
Santa Clara. It is one of the biggest and busiest commercial centers in the province as it accounts for more than half of all economic activities in the municipality. It is also one of Bulacan's leading financial centers. According to the
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (; commonly abbreviated as BSP in both Filipino and English) is the central bank of the Philippines. It was established on July 3, 1993, pursuant to the provision of Republic Act 7653 or the New Central Bank Act ...
(BSP) and the
Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation
The Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation ( fil, Korporasyon ng Segurong Deposito ng Pilipinas, abbreviated as PDIC) is a Philippine government-run deposit insurance fund. It was established on June 22, 1963, by Republic Act 3591. It guarant ...
(PDIC), Santa Maria's total bank deposits reached
PHP
PHP is a general-purpose scripting language geared toward web development. It was originally created by Danish-Canadian programmer Rasmus Lerdorf in 1993 and released in 1995. The PHP reference implementation is now produced by The PHP Group ...
31.27 billion as of December 2021, this accounts for almost 75% of Eastern
Bulacan
Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Metr ...
's total bank deposits. Likewise, Santa Maria is the richest municipality in
Bulacan
Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Metr ...
with an assets totaling to
PHP
PHP is a general-purpose scripting language geared toward web development. It was originally created by Danish-Canadian programmer Rasmus Lerdorf in 1993 and released in 1995. The PHP reference implementation is now produced by The PHP Group ...
1.87 billion and revenues reaching an all-time high of
PHP
PHP is a general-purpose scripting language geared toward web development. It was originally created by Danish-Canadian programmer Rasmus Lerdorf in 1993 and released in 1995. The PHP reference implementation is now produced by The PHP Group ...
925 million as of the 2021 report from the
Commission on Audit (COA). It has a relatively high standard of living, with only 4% of the population living in poverty which is one of the lowest in the country (19 out of 1,489 municipalities).
Santa Maria was the home town of
José Corazón de Jesús
José Cecilio Corazón de Jesús y Pangilinan (November 22, 1894 – May 26, 1932), also known by his pen name Huseng Batute, was a Filipino poet who used Tagalog poetry to express the Filipinos' desire for independence during the American occu ...
, a Filipino poet popularly known as "''Huseng Batute''", who started composing his verse as a child. Another native of Santa Maria is
Francisco Santiago
Francisco Santiago Santiago (January 29, 1889 – September 28, 1947) was a Filipino musician, sometimes called ''The Father of Kundiman Art Song''.
Life
Santiago was born in Santa Maria, Bulacan, Philippines, to musically minded peasant p ...
, a composer who wrote "''Nasaan Ka Irog''" and other kundiman songs. In the political arena, Santa Maria has produced three
Bulacan governors: Jose Serapio (1900–1901), Trinidad Icasiano (1912–1916), Fortunato Halili (1943–1944 and 1946–1951); and two representatives of the
second
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
and
fourth district: Rogaciano Mercado (1953–1992) and
Reylina Nicolas
Reylina Gustavo Nicolas (born December 19, 1945) is a Filipino politician. A member of Lakas-CMD, she has been elected to three terms as the Mayor of Santa Maria, Bulacan from 1992 to 2001 and three terms as a Member of the House of Representativ ...
(2001–2010).
Etymology
Santa Maria got its name from the Immaculate Conception (also known as La Purisima Concepcion).
History
Pre colonial (before 1521)
Before the
Spaniards
Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance peoples, Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of National and regional identity in Spain, national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex Hist ...
came to the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, Santa Maria was just a vast wilderness, inhabited by wild animals and covered by thick and lush rainforests.
Aetas and Dumagats are also known to inhabit the place a long time ago.
Spanish Era (1521–1898)
Santa Maria's existence can be traced as early as the year 1647 when it is still a ''barrio'' (village) of
Bocaue
Bocaue, officially the Municipality of Bocaue ( tgl, Bayan ng Bocaue), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 141,412 people.
With the continuous expansion of Met ...
. The ''barrio'' was believed to be established on the same period when the
Dominicans founded the vast Hacienda de Lolomboy that extends up to the
Angat river
The Angat River (also called Quingua River) is a river in the Philippines located in the province of Bulacan. It flows from the Sierra Madre mountain range to Manila Bay. Three dams are located along the river namely Angat, Ipo and Bustos. The c ...
on the north,
Bocaue river on the west,
Marilao river on the south and the Pulo River (Pulong Buhangin) on the east.
Santa Maria was founded as an independent town by the
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
Fray Francisco Dominguez Javier on November 26, 1793. He began constructing the church which was completed in the early 1800s by Fray Tomas Marti. The construction of the church was viewed as the foundation of the spiritual crusade in the said locality. Natives were converted into Christianity and more people began to inhabit the place. Civil affairs started to take shape and the appointment of the first Capitan del Barrio, Andres dela Cruz, paved way for the permanent establishment of Poblacion, which was the seat of Spanish colonial government. People in those days were just renting their pieces of land. They paid their rents to the friars who were stationed in what is now known as
Santa Clara, a barangay where at present one can see the ruins of a big convento of friars. People from other nearby places such as
Balagtas
Francisco Balagtas y de la Cruz (April 2, 1788 – February 20, 1862), commonly known as Francisco Balagtas and also as Francisco Baltasar, was a Filipino Tagalog litterateur and poet during the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is ...
,
Pandi, Santa Maria, and
San Jose del Monte
San Jose del Monte, officially the City of San Jose del Monte (abbreviated as SJDM or CSJDM; fil, Lungsod ng San Jose del Monte), is a 1st class component city in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a po ...
, paid their rents in this convento. Santa Maria at that time was then called "Santa Maria de Pandi". The people acquired their lands after paying certain sum to the friars and the land became "Lupang Tagalog".
There were 82 capitanes who served the Spanish colonial administration from 1793 to 1899.
American Era and Japanese Occupation (1898–1946)
Under the Americans, the title "captain" was changed to "presidente". The first to hold the position was Maximo Evidente, who served from 1899 to 1900. Of the 12 others who succeeded him, the most popular were Agustin Morales (1928–34) and Fortunato F. Halili (1934–37). Morales was responsible for the construction of the first main water system in the town. Halili, who never drew his salary as executive, later on became Governor of Bulacan. It was during Halili's term as provincial governor when the Capitol building at
Malolos
Malolos, officially the City of Malolos ( fil, Lungsod ng Malolos), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to th ...
was heavily damage due to the aftermath of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. He decided to take over and resurge Casa Real de Malolos as a temporary Gubernatorial Office during the period when the Capitol building was severely damaged. It was his effort to rebuild and to reconstruct the Capitol building into its original structure.
During the Japanese Occupation, Dr. Teofilo Santiago, dubbed as ''Dr. Kamoteng Kahoy'' for his widespread campaign among the town's citizenry to plant cassava, became mayor of Santa Maria. Santiago was also responsible for the launching of the poultry industry – a livelihood project which earned for the town the distinction of being "The Egg Basket of the Philippines". He was also the "Father of Santa Maria Dairy Plant". After the Liberation, Capitan Ireneo Hermogenes was appointed Municipal Mayor from March 20, 1945, to October 1945. He was succeeded by Marciano Bautista.
From the American colonial rule until the restoration period after World War II, Santa Maria was administered by 12 Presidentes from 1899 to 1937 and 4 Alcaldes from 1938 to 1947.
Liberation period (1947–present)
The post-liberation period saw Conrado Ignacio as the first elected Mayor of Santa Maria (1947–1955). He was succeeded by prominent personalities in Santa Maria local politics such as Ricardo G. Nicolas Sr. (1956–1959/1964–1967), Eriberto Ramos, Sr. (1960–1963), Paulino M. Luciano Sr. (1968–1971), Ricardo D. Nicolas, Jr.(1972–1978) and Paulino Luciano, Jr. (1979–1986).
After the
People Power Revolution
The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...
in February 1986, President
Corazon Aquino
Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People P ...
appointed Dr. Alfredo Perez, who was then the vice mayor of the town, as Officer-in-Charge of the municipality until May 1986, when he was replaced by Ricardo Nicolas, Jr. In December 1986, however, Nicolas was appointed OIC Vice Governor of Bulacan and was succeeded by Benjamin G. Geronimo (1987–1988) and Atty. Ramon H. Clemente (1988).
During the 1988 elections, Eriberto Ramos was elected Mayor and served until June 30, 1992. On July 1, 1992, he was succeeded by Reylina G. Nicolas. Her three terms of leadership gave the municipality various awards and citations. On July 1, 1993, the municipality rose from third class to second-class municipality and July 1, 1996, the income level of the municipality rose again from second-class municipality to first-class municipality. In the 2001 elections, Nicolas ran for Representative of the 4th Congressional District of Bulacan and won a landslide victory with more than 80,000 votes over her closest rival. Nicolas was succeeded by
Bartolome R. Ramos.
During the 2004 elections, Jesus Mateo defeated the incumbent Ramos and became mayor of the municipality until 2007. One of Mateo's accomplishments as mayor of Santa Maria was the establishment of the
Santa Maria extension campus of the
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
, mottoeng = ''Light of the Nation''
, type = Public coeducational research higher education institution
, established = October 19, 1904
, closed =
, religious_affiliation = ...
in 2005. In
2007 elections
The following elections occurred in the year 2007.
* Electoral calendar 2007
* Elections in 2007
* 2007 United Nations Security Council election
Africa
* 52nd National Conference of the African National Congress
* 2007 Algerian legislative el ...
,
Bartolome R. Ramos defeated Mateo and became mayor of the municipality again.
Cityhood
Fourth District Congressman
Henry Villarica
Henry Resurreccion Villarica, also known as Atorni Henry, is a Filipino attorney and politician who is currently serving as City Mayor of Meycauayan. He previously served as Mayor from 2016 until 2019, and served as the member of the Philippine H ...
has pledged to file a house bill to convert Santa Maria into a component city.
Geography
![SMB Ricefields](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/SMB_Ricefields.jpg)
The municipality of Santa Maria lies north-east of
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
and is located at the eastern portion of Bulacan. The town is bounded on the north by the municipalities of
Angat and
Pandi; portion of
San Jose del Monte City
San Jose del Monte, officially the City of San Jose del Monte (abbreviated as SJDM or CSJDM; fil, Lungsod ng San Jose del Monte), is a 1st class component city in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a po ...
on the south;
Norzagaray
Norzagaray, officially the Municipality of Norzagaray ( tgl, Bayan ng Norzagaray), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 136,064 people.
It is the location of A ...
and other portions of San Jose del Monte on the east; and the municipalities of
Marilao
Marilao, officially the Municipality of Marilao ( tgl, Bayan ng Marilao), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 254,453 people.
With the continuous expansion of ...
and
Bocaue
Bocaue, officially the Municipality of Bocaue ( tgl, Bayan ng Bocaue), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 141,412 people.
With the continuous expansion of Met ...
on the western side. Santa Maria is away from
Malolos City
Malolos, officially the City of Malolos ( fil, Lungsod ng Malolos), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 261,189 people.
It is the capital city ...
, the provincial capital, and from
San Fernando, Pampanga
San Fernando, officially the City of San Fernando ( pam, Lakanbalen ning Sampernandu; fil, Lungsod ng San Fernando), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, ...
, the regional centre of
Central Luzon
Central Luzon ( pam, (Reyun ning) Kalibudtarang Luzon, pag, (Rehiyon na) Pegley na Luzon, tgl, (Rehiyon ng) Gitnang Luzon, ilo, (Rehion/Deppaar ti) Tengnga ti Luzon), designated as Region III, is an administrative region in the Philippines, ...
.
Santa Maria has a land area of about . The town is generally plain although hilly at the northern portion. It has a lone body of water – the Santa Maria River.
The topography of Santa Maria is generally flat, however, it is becoming hilly towards the north. This area covers the barangays of Silangan, Mag-asawang Sapa, Pulong Buhangin and some parts of Balasing with landscape ranging from 8 to 18 percent slope. The rest of the barangays have a slope range from level to undulating.
Most of the barangays in the municipality of Santa Maria have low susceptibility to flooding. Those with portion with moderate to high susceptibility to flooding are located along the Santa Maria River and near or adjacent to creeks that are tributaries of the Santa Maria River.
There are 18 barangays with low susceptibility to flooding in the municipality (Manggahan, Santa Cruz, Caypombo, Caysio, Pulong Buhangin, Magasawang Sapa, Silangan, Balasing, Parada, Tumana, Mahabang Parang, Bulac, Catmon, San Vicente, Camangyanan, Santo Tomas, Buenavista and San Gabriel). The barangay centers and populated areas in the barangays have low susceptibility to flooding. The portions of the barangays usually inundated are the generally low-lying areas and catchment areas of the barangays and near active creeks and rivers.
Santa Maria is the part of the 4th district of Bulacan along with Marilao, Meycauayan, and Obando from 1987 to 2022. It was moved to 6th district since 2021 along with neighboring municipalities Angat and Norzagaray.
Land use
Basically agricultural, about or 30.54% of the town's land area is devoted to crop production. Approximately of riceland in Santa Maria are rain-fed and are irrigated. An area of are classified as non-productive agricultural area or open grasslands.
Mineral resources
The town has rich deposits of gravel and sand and volcanic tuff or ''adobe.'' Quarrying has been a good source of livelihood among the citizens.
Climate
Due to its location near
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...
, rainfall and climate in Santa Maria is almost similar to the country's capital
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
. The location of Santa Maria in the western side of the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
made
(PAG-ASA) to classify its weather scheme as ''Type I''. Wind coming from the Pacific Ocean is generally blocked by the
Sierra Madre mountain range, a few kilometers east of the municipality.
Its proximity to the equator tends to make its temperature to rise and fall into very small range: from as low as to as high as . The
Köppen climate system classifies Santa Maria climate as
tropical monsoon (''Am'') due to its location and precipitation characteristics. This means that the municipality has two pronounced seasons: dry and wet seasons. The municipality's driest months are from November to April where it receives less than of rainfall. On the other hand, maximum rain period is from June to September where it receives not more than of rainfall. Hail and snow is not observed in the municipality.
Humidity
Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present.
Humidity depe ...
levels are usually high in the morning, especially during June to November, which makes it feel warmer. Lowest humidity levels are recorded in the evening during wet season. Discomfort from heat and humidity is extreme during May and June, otherwise it is higher compared to other places in the country. Average sunlight is maximum at 254.25 hours during April and minimum at 113 hours during July, August and September.
Barangays
Santa Maria is composed of 24
barangay
A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...
s, the smallest administrative unit in the municipality. A barangay is equivalent to American village and British
ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
, and is headed by the barangay captain (''punong barangay'') and his council (''kagawad'') duly elected by the residents.
Demographics
In the 2020 census, the population of Santa Maria, Bulacan, was 289,820 people, with a density of . It is the largest among the municipalities in the Central Luzon Region in terms of population.
According to the 2010 Census, the population of Santa Maria grew by 74,069 from 144,282 in 2000 to 218,351 in 2010, making it the third biggest LGU in Bulacan in terms of population. The municipality had a population density of 2,401.44 persons per km
2 in 24
Barangay
A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...
s.
Religion
The majority of the population are Christians.
Roman Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
is the dominant religion with 91%
of the populace professed themselves as Roman Catholics. Santa Maria is under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Malolos. There are seven parishes and two quasi-parishes in Santa Maria namely: Minor Basilica and Parish of La Purisima Concepcion – Poblacion, Santa Maria, Bulacan; Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish – Pulong Buhangin, Santa Maria, Bulacan; Santo Niño Parish – Parada, Santa Maria, Bulacan; St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish – San Gabriel, Santa Maria, Bulacan; Holy Family Parish – Catmon, Santa Maria, Bulacan; St. John the Apostle and Evangelist Parish – Bagbaguin, Santa Maria, Bulacan; Blessed Sacrament Parish – Cay Pombo, Santa Maria, Bulacan; San Isidro Labrador Quasi-Parish – Partida, Pulong Buhangin, Santa Maria, Bulacan and Diocesan Shrine & Quasi-Parish of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist & Grace -San Vicente, Santa Maria, Bulacan. The majority of villages in each barangays have their own chapel and patron saint.
Other religious groups with strong presence in the municipality are the following:
Members Church of God International
Member may refer to:
* Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon
* Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set
* In object-oriented programming, a member of a class
** Field (computer science), entries in ...
,
Iglesia ni Cristo,
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...
,
The Church of God,
Jehovah's Witness
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ev ...
,
Jesus Is Lord Church
Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide (JILCW), or more commonly known as Jesus Is Lord Church (JIL), is a Christianity in the Philippines, Christian megachurch based in the Philippines. It describes itself as a Full Gospel, Christ-centred, and Bible-ba ...
and other evangelical or "born-again" groups,
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement ,
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
, and others.
The
Members Church of God International
Member may refer to:
* Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon
* Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set
* In object-oriented programming, a member of a class
** Field (computer science), entries in ...
, or popularly known as
Ang Dating Daan
''Ang Dating Daan'' (English: The Old Path, Portuguese: ''O Caminho Antigo'', Spanish: ''El Camino Antiguo'') is a religious radio and television program produced by the Members Church of God International. It is primarily hosted by Brother El ...
, has multiple coordinating centers or locales in the municipality, namely: Poblacion, Balasing (located in Pulong Buhangin near their border), Bulac, Cay Pombo, Caysio, Gardenville (Pulong Buhangin), and Parada. Although a locale is named after a barangay, members come from the barangay itself and neighboring barangays. For example, the locale of Bulac has members from nearby Catmon and Sapang Palay Proper (
San Jose Del Monte
San Jose del Monte, officially the City of San Jose del Monte (abbreviated as SJDM or CSJDM; fil, Lungsod ng San Jose del Monte), is a 1st class component city in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a po ...
City).
UNTV Public Service channel and
Members Church of God International
Member may refer to:
* Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon
* Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set
* In object-oriented programming, a member of a class
** Field (computer science), entries in ...
has provided many public service activities to Santa Maria such as tree planting, blood letting, free medical missions and free legal consultations. Thousands of residents have benefited from the charity events.
Residential
There are about 45 subdivisions in the municipality of low, medium and high density category. The existing residential hub occupies 1,360 hectares (13.60 km
2) of land distributed unevenly in its 12 barangays. These subdivisions used to occupy the stretch of the roads but now they are now developing the inner portions of their
barangay
A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...
s. It is expected that within the next ten years, land use development in Santa Maria will represent the sub-urban mix which means that the government will provide development where the level of accessibility is very high. This will provide for the clustering of lower density land uses to help meet housing, employment and public services needs of the people.
Economy
![GovFFHaliliAvenue](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/GovFFHaliliAvenue.jpg)
Santa Maria is one of the municipalities in Bulacan with a high population growth rate due to in migration. Its rapid population growth contributes largely to the establishment of more commercial and trading activities as some people see this as an opportunity for business. Industries in Santa Maria include
agribusiness
Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy,
in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise.
The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit w ...
,
food processing
Food processing is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or of one form of food into other forms. Food processing includes many forms of processing foods, from grinding grain to make raw flour to home cooking to complex industr ...
, cottage making, banking, fireworks making, rubber, and textile making.
The public market at Poblacion and the private market in Pulong Buhangin are the major areas for the exchange of goods and services.
On March 3, 2003, President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House Deputy Spe ...
issued Presidential Proclamation No. 337 designating the Santa María Industrial Park as a Special Economic Zone (Ecozone).
There are 28 pyrotechnics manufacturers, 5 textile, 87 garment factories, and 9 rubber industries operating in the municipality.
Agriculture
Rice, orchard products, corn, vegetables, hogs, cattle, and poultry, and freshwater fish are the major agricultural products of the municipality.
Food processing
There are about 36 food processing establishments in Santa María.
Agro-industrial sector
Industrial activities in Santa María are mostly agro-based. For the past two decades, there has been a great boom in its poultry and hog raising industries. Presently, there are around more than 150 poultry and piggery farms.
The boost in agri-business necessitated the establishment of feed mills and feed trading centres. There are eight commercial feed mills and 15 feed trading centres operating in the town.
There are 20 rice mills in Santa María that accommodate the milling and storage needs of the farmers for their palay harvest.
Cottage industry
There are 10 furniture-making establishments in the town.
Shopping
Santa Maria has one public wet and dry market, the ''Pamilihang Bayan ng Santa Maria'', in Poblacion and several private wet and dry markets (one each in
Cay Pombo and in
Pulong Buhangin).
The mall has a supermarket (
Waltermart Supermarket), Kiosks (Jr. Memoxpress), department store (mi Department Store), school and office supplies store Expressions, bookstore (
National Bookstore
National Book Store, Inc. (also spelled National Bookstore and abbreviated as NBS) is a retail company based in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. It operates a bookstore and office-supplies store chain of the same name. It is the largest bo ...
), drugstore (
Mercury Drug
The Mercury Drug Corporation, better known as Mercury Drug, is a Filipino pharmacy chain. A subsidiary of the Mercury Group of Companies, it is headquartered in Bagumbayan, Quezon City. The chain was founded in Santa Cruz, Manila in 1945, making ...
), 3 state-of-the-art cinemas, hardware (Handyman), and several restaurants (
Jollibee
Jollibee is a Filipino chain of fast food restaurants owned by Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC). As of December 2021, JFC had a total of about 1,500 Jollibee outlets worldwide, with restaurants in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, East Asia ...
,
KFC
KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with 2 ...
,
Chowking,
Mang Inasal
Mang Inasal Philippines, Inc., also known as Mang Inasal, ( Hiligaynon for "Mr. Barbecue") is a barbecue fast food restaurant chain in the Philippines, established in Iloilo City in 2003.
History
The company was started by Edgar "Injap" Sia ...
,
Greenwich, etc.). Convenience stores can also be found in the neighborhoods of the municipality.
Government
Like other municipalities in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, Santa Maria is governed by a mayor and vice mayor who are elected to three-year terms. The mayor is the executive head who leads the municipality's departments in the implementation of municipal ordinances and in the delivery of public services. The vice mayor heads a legislative council that is composed of 10 members: 8 councilors and two ''ex-officio'' officers: one for the
Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President, representing the youth sector, and one for the
Association of Barangay Chairmen
The Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas (League of Barangays in the Philippines) and the Asosasyon ng mga Kapitan ng Barangay (Association of Barangay Captains) or ABC are formal organizations of all the barangays in the Philippines. Presently, al ...
President as the barangay sectoral representative. The council is in charge of creating the municipality's policies in the form of ordinances and resolutions.
Santa Maria is part of the
6th District of
Bulacan
Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Metr ...
.
Elected officials
List of chief executives
Tourism
Santa Maria is home to ten resorts located in barangays
Pulong Buhangin, Balasing, Catmon, Bulac, Mahabang Parang, Tumana and Lalakhan. These resorts have become the main destinations of the residents from
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...
and Santa Maria's nearby towns for their leisure and summer experience. Facilities like swimming pools, convention/seminar rooms, hotel, cottages, and spacious parking spaces that could accommodate fifty buses at a time equipped these resorts. Some resorts accommodate local and foreign tourist for live-in accommodations.
In 2005, over 138,000 tourists visited the resorts in Santa Maria. Sitio Lucia Resort situated in
Pulong Buhangin attracted 36 percent of the total volume of resort visitors. 4K Garden Resort of Barangay Catmon came next with 29 percent share. The Summer Resort in Barangay Mahabang Parang settled at the bottom with 2 percent contribution.
Historical places
![Santa Maria Bulacan CHURCH](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Santa_Maria_Bulacan_CHURCH.png)
*
La Purísima Concepción Parish Church
* Huseng Batute Marker
* Francisco Santiago Marker
Festivals
The town fiesta of Santa Maria in honor of its Patroness, the Purisima Concepcion is a month-long celebration in February which clearly shows the Marian devotion of the town. The movable feast is held on the Thursday after February 2 which tradition refers to as La Candelaria. It is preceded by the traditional novena of Masses before the feast and High Masses and processions on the Sundays of the month.
Throughout the month several other events are held such as musical variety shows led by popular personalities, outdoor sports exhibitions of nationally acclaimed players, concerts by well known bands and cultural shows.
Most notable during the month of February is the availability of "''Tuge''", a ready to eat root crop sold by vendors that signify the ambiance of the festivity together with the cool breeze which last right after the celebration of the town fiesta.
The joyous celebration of February takes on a somber mood as the liturgical calendar moves on to Cuaresma or Lent.
Apparently, the devotion was brought by the Franciscans who evangelized the town where the principal celebrations before the War was celebrated at the Lourdes Church which was then in Intramuros. Lost during the War, it was revived by the Hermandad y Cofradia de la Sagrada Pasion y de Maria Santisima de la Esperanza, a confraternity organized in 1999 to spearhead the revival and promotion of the Lenten traditions of Santa Maria from the Jubilee Year 2000 onwards. Incidentally, the Hermandad de la Sagrada Pasion has been an affiliate of the Hermandad de la Macarena in Seville, Spain since 2008 making it the twenty first confraternity to be recognized, the second outside of Spain and the first in Asia.
Sports and recreation
The
Philippine Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena at
Ciudad de Victoria
Ciudad de Victoria (Spanish for "City of Victory" or "Victory City") also known as the Philippine Arena Complex is a 140-hectare tourism enterprise zone in the towns of Bocaue and Santa Maria in Bulacan, Philippines. It is located north of Metro ...
, a 75-hectare tourism enterprise zone located in the towns of Santa Maria and
Bocaue, Bulacan. With a capacity of up to 55,000, it was the centerpiece of the
Iglesia ni Cristo's (INC) centennial, which was celebrated on July 27, 2014.
Sports and recreation activities in the locality are usually basketball, softball, bowling, badminton, tennis and chess. The most common sports and recreational facilities in the town are basketball courts located in school compounds and in other part of 24 barangays. These courts also serve as multi-purpose pavements. A tennis court and a gymnasium named after the late Ricardo D. Nicolas, Jr. was constructed at the
FFHNAS campus in
Barangay Guyong. There are also two badminton courts in the town.
Infrastructure
![SantaMariaWelcomeArch](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/SantaMariaWelcomeArch.jpg)
Bridges
As of 2004, Santa Maria has a network of ten bridges passing rivers and other waterways of the town. All are made of reinforced concrete design girders which are in good condition and passable.
Communications
Communication facilities in Santa Maria are provided by government telegraph (BUTEL), postal system, the Philippine Long Distance and Telephone Company (
PLDT), Radio City Telephone Company (RACITELCOM),
Digitel telephone Company,
Converge ICT, the three major cellular companies (
Smart Communications
Smart Communications Inc., commonly referred to as Smart (and officially stylized/ self-styled as SMART), is a wholly owned wireless communications and digital services subsidiary of PLDT Inc., a telecommunications and digital services provid ...
,
Globe Telecom,
Dito Telecommunity) and two
MVNO: (
Talk N' Text,
Sun Cellular
Digitel Mobile Philippines, Inc., doing business as Sun Cellular (or simply known as Sun), was a wholly owned subsidiary of Digital Telecommunications Philippines (Digitel), which in turn was owned by PLDT and is one of the Philippines’ large ...
and
Touch Mobile
TM (formerly known as Islacom, Touch Mobile, and Republika ng TM and also known as TM Tambayan) is a Filipino cellular service brand of Filipino telecommunications company Globe Telecom.
History
TM was launched on September 12, 2001, as Touch Mo ...
).
Water
Water supply is provided by LWUA (Local Water Utilities Administration) through the Santa Maria Water District.
Electricity
The
Manila Electric Company (Meralco) is the sole electric distributor in Santa Maria.
Basic services
Health
Santa Maria has one government-run hospital and seven private hospitals.
Animal health
Santa Maria also have veterinary clinics and an animal pet corner center.
These veterinary clinics handle farm animals and pets. Services range from simple to major surgeries, microchip implantation, vaccinations, laboratory works, confinements, emergency cases, and grooming.
Peace and order
Santa Maria is generally peaceful being served by 51 policemen and 15 firemen. The backlog of manpower requirement is complemented with 480 ''
barangay
A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...
tanods'' coming from 24 barangays. Crime incidence is low with 37 cases reported and 33 case were solve resulting to 89.19% crime solution efficiency.
Education
![FvfPUPSantaMaria0447 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/FvfPUPSantaMaria0447_02.JPG)
Santa Maria is part of Division of Bulacan under the Department of Education (DepEd). There are 32 public elementary schools and 5 public secondary schools in the municipality. The public schools are divided into three educational districts for representative purposes. Private schools can also be found in the municipality.
There are two tertiary institutions in the municipality. The
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
, mottoeng = ''Light of the Nation''
, type = Public coeducational research higher education institution
, established = October 19, 1904
, closed =
, religious_affiliation = ...
operates a campus in Santa Maria.
Notable people
*
José Corazón de Jesús
José Cecilio Corazón de Jesús y Pangilinan (November 22, 1894 – May 26, 1932), also known by his pen name Huseng Batute, was a Filipino poet who used Tagalog poetry to express the Filipinos' desire for independence during the American occu ...
(1896–1932), ''Huseng Batute'' – Filipino poet
*
Francisco Santiago
Francisco Santiago Santiago (January 29, 1889 – September 28, 1947) was a Filipino musician, sometimes called ''The Father of Kundiman Art Song''.
Life
Santiago was born in Santa Maria, Bulacan, Philippines, to musically minded peasant p ...
(1889–1947), Ama ng Kundiman
*
Jolina Marie B. Reyes (born 1996), A child actress, also known as Krystal Reyes
*
Angel Locsin (born 1985), actress, commercial model and host
*
Alfred Vargas
Alfredo Paolo Dumlao Vargas III (born October 24, 1979), professionally known as Alfred Vargas, is a Filipino politician, actor, and model serving as the representative of Quezon City's 5th district since 2013. He previously served as a city ...
(born 1981), actor
*
Maine Mendoza (born 1995), also known as "Yaya Dub" and one of the co-hosts of
Eat Bulaga!
Sister cities
Santa Maria is twinned with:
*
Milton
Milton may refer to:
Names
* Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname)
** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet
* Milton (given name)
** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...
, Ontario, Canada (since July 6, 1999)
See also
*
Fortunato F. Halili Avenue
*
Legislative districts of Bulacan
*
Pulong Buhangin National High School
Pulong Buhangin National High School (Filipino: ''Pambansang Mataas na Paaralan ng Pulong Buhangin'') or PBNHS is a government secondary education institution located at Pulong Buhangin, Santa Maria town, Bulacan province, Philippines. Noted for ...
Notes
References
External links
Official website (archived)NSCB – ActiveStats – PSGC Interactive – Municipality: SANTA MARIAPhilippine Census Information*
Philippine Standard Geographic Code
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
*
{{Authority control
Populated places established in 1792
1792 establishments in the Philippines
Municipalities of Bulacan