Balagtas, officially the Municipality of Balagtas ( tgl, Bayan ng Balagtas), 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 state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

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 Me ...

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 77,018 people. With the continuous expansion of

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 seat of government and one of three defined metropolitan areas in ...

, the municipality is now part of Manila's built up area which reaches San Ildefonso in its northernmost part. Balagtas is from

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 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 ...

. Formerly known as Bigaa, it was renamed in honor of Filipino poet

Francisco 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 ...

. The

MacArthur Highway The MacArthur Highway, officially the Manila North Road (MNR or MaNor), is a , two-to-six lane, national primary highway and tertiary highway in Luzon, Philippines, connecting Caloocan in Metro Manila to Aparri in Cagayan. It is the second l ...

bisects the municipality of Balagtas as this national road cuts northward to the Ilocos region. 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.

History

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 Perez de Dasmariñas of June 21, 1591 document. The propagation of catholic 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 A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglic ...

. 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, 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 2nd district along with Baliuag, 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

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, all classified as urban:

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Balagtas, Bulacan, was 77,018 people, with a density of .

Economy

;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 * Construction of new Balagtas to Baliwag road connection *Construction of the Balagtas Station of

North–South Commuter Railway The North–South Commuter Railway (NSCR), also known as the Clark–Calamba Railway, is a urban rail transit system under construction in the island of Luzon, Philippines. Running from New Clark City in Capas to Calamba, Laguna with 36 sta ...

Government

2022-2025 Municipal Officials: *Mayor: Eladio "JR" E. Gonzales Jr. ( PDP-Laban) *Vice Mayor: Ariel C. Valderama ( PDP-Laban) *Councilors: ** Alberto "Bobby" G. Carating II ( PDP-Laban) ** Julius Daniel G. Abarzosa ( PDP-Laban) ** Mikee Jane "Monay" A. Payuran ( NUP) ** Babby "Bobby" L. Estrella ( NUP) ** Charles Louie B. Galvez ( PDP-Laban) ** Gilbert "Obet" L. Galvez ( PDP-Laban) ** Fernando "Fernan" K. Galvez ( PDP-Laban) ** Alejandro "Andy" P. De Guzman ( PDP-Laban)

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 Agricultural School, Pulong Gubat, Balagtas (Main Campus) * Balagtas Agricultural School, Borol 1st, Balagtas (Annex) * Children's Mindware School, Borol 2nd, Balagtas 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

Regine Velasquez Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez ( ; born April 22, 1970) is a Filipina singer, actress, and record producer. She is considered one of the most influential figures in Philippine popular culture and is known for her vocal range and beltin ...

– Multi-awarded singer, actress and record producer

Gallery

File:0752jfMacArthur Highway Wawa Proper Hall Balagtas Bridge River Bulacanfvf 04.jpg, World War 2 USAFFE Veterans of Balagtas Marker at the Municipal Hall File:Balagtas,Bulacanjf9650 19.JPG, Francisco Balagtas Monument at the Francisco Balagtas Memorial Elementary School File:Balagtas birth place historical marker in Panginay, Balagtas, Bulacan.jpg, Francisco Balagtas Birthplace Marker File:0816jfMacArthur Highway Wawa Panginay Road Hall Balagtas Church Bulacanfvf 01.jpg, St. Lawrence Deacon & Martyr Parish Church File:0652jfSaint Peter the Apostle Church Balagtas Bulacan Roadfvf 20.jpg, St. Peter the Apostle Parish Church File:FvfPanginayChurchB9079 03.JPG, St. Joseph the Worker Parish Church File:FvfPanginayChurchB9079 24.JPG, St. Joseph the Worker Parish Pastoral Center File:0375jfBalagtas Chapel Roads Welcomes Santol Bulacanfvf 30.JPG, Santo Niño Chapel File:BigaaBalagtasBulacan9233fvf 17.JPG, Old Bigaa Train Station File:Bulacanjf9835 13.JPG, Constantino Bahay na Bato Ancestral House File:0554jfCollege of Saint Lawrence BalagtasfBulacanfvf 12.jpg, College of Saint Lawrence File:BalagtasBulacanjf9710 17.JPG, La Consolacion School File:0454jfMacArthur Highway Balagtas Bulacan business centerfvf 07.jpg, Balagtas Town Center File:0326jfMacArthur Highway Balagtas Bulacan business centerfvf 07.jpg, Fortune Wet and Dry Market and NewStar Mall

References

External links

* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census Informationbulacan.gov.phBalagtas Bulacan