''Poblacion'' (literally "town" or "settlement"
in
Spanish; ) is the common term used for the administrative center, central,
downtown,
old town or
central business district area of a
Philippine city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
or
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 ...
, which may take up the area of a single
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 metropolita ...
or multiple barangays. It is sometimes shortened to Pob.
History
During the
Spanish rule, the colonial government founded hundreds of towns and villages across the archipelago modeled on towns and villages in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
. The authorities often adopted a policy of
Reducción, for the
resettlement of inhabitants in far-flung scattered
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 metropolita ...
s to move into a centralized ''cabecera'' (town/district capital) where a newly built church and an ''ayuntamiento'' (town hall) were situated.
This allowed the government to defend, control and
Christianize
Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...
the indigenous population, to conduct
population counts, and to collect
tributes
A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conq ...
.
Features
The ''población'' is considered the commercial and industrial center of the city or municipality. Most citizens of a city or municipality residing in the outlying barangays and satellite ''
sitio
A ''sitio'' (Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own barangay if its popu ...
s'' flock to the ''población'' on market days (which is set by a
local ordinance of the
local government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loc ...
) because most local products and goods from the
barrios are brought to the public market located in the ''población''. In this way their products could be sold faster by a wide range of buyers, though there are instances where some citizens would choose to go to another town's ''población'' because it is closer to their residences. In some cities and towns, the ''población'' (usually the areas surrounding the parish church) doubles as an
old town district that features one or more of
a few remaining Spanish-built structures in the country.
The ''cabecera'' (or the ''población'' of a ''municipio''/''pueblo'') has a basic plan, with a ''
plaza mayor'', church and attached ''
convento'', civic buildings such as the
town hall, and houses of prominent Spaniards.
Other features include the public
market, the central
elementary school and
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
, police station, and hospital.
File:Inbound807053493928591831.jpg, Balanga city plaza showing the church
File:Loboc Bohol 1.jpg, The ''población'' of Loboc, Bohol, showing structures typical to most town centres: the plaza, town hall, gazebo, and arena
File:05411jfBonifacio Park Church Palaris San Carlos Pangasinanfvf 10.JPG, '' Bonifacio Park'' at Palaris (Poblacion), San Carlos, Pangasinan
File:Plaza at Guiuan, Eastern Samar.JPG, Plaza at Guiuan, Eastern Samar with the church in the background
File:ZAMBOANGA CITY Asia's Latin City City Hall and Plaza Rizal (Ayunamiento y Plaza Rizal).jpg, ''Plaza Rizal'' at Zamboanga City showing houses with Spanish Colonial architecture
See also
*
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 metropolita ...
*
Purok
*
Sitio
A ''sitio'' (Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own barangay if its popu ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poblacion
Barangays of the Philippines
Spanish words and phrases