Abucay, officially the Municipality of Abucay, (), is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Bataan Bataan (, , , ; ) , officially the Province of Bataan, is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the entire Bataan Peninsula ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 42,984 people.

History

The first printing press in the archipelago was found in this town. Tomas Pinpin, the first Filipino printer, learned the art from Fray Francisco Blanca de San Jose and Juan de Vera, a Chinese printer at the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...

. On June 23, 1647, a fierce battle was fought between the Dutch invaders and the Pampango defenders in the near the Abucay church area. Nearly 200 Pampangos were put to death and 40 others together with

Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga (; ; ), is a province in Central Luzon in the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, ...

’s Spanish ''alcalde mayor'' (town mayor) Antonio de Cabrera. Dominican priests Father Geronimo Sotomayor and Father Tomas Ramos were taken to Batavia.admin (2012-06-25)
"Abucay Church (Parish of St. Dominic de Guzman), Bataan"
. Philippine Churches. Retrieved on 2014-12-18.

Geography

The Municipality of Abucay borders Balanga (the capital city) to the south, Samal to the north and northwest, Morong to the west, and the

Manila Bay Manila Bay (; ) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the Manila, capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Philippines and ...

to the east. The town is accessible via the Bataan Provincial Expressway, off Exit 25, or the parallel National Road in Bataan. Its westernmost elevated section is located within the Bataan National Park. According to the

Philippine Statistics Authority The Philippine Statistics Authority (; PSA) is the central statistical authority of the Philippine government that collects, compiles, analyzes, and publishes statistical information on economic, social, demographic, political affairs, and gene ...

, the municipality has a land area of constituting of the total area of Bataan. The topography of Abucay varies from the mountainous terrain of Mount Natib caldera in the west to the coastal areas of the province along the shore of

. Six rivers with a combined length of originate from the mountain flowing in the west-to-east direction. Abucay is situated from the provincial capital Balanga, and from the country's capital city of

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

Climate

Barangays

Abucay is politically subdivided into 9

barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

s. Each barangay consists of

purok A ''purok'' () is an informal division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a ''purok'' often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay. ''Pur ...

s and some have

sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish language, 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 bar ...

Demographics

In the 2020 census, Abucay had a population of 42,984. The population density was . Most of the people of Abucay speak the

Tagalog language Tagalog ( ,According to the ''OED'' anMerriam-Webster Online Dictionary ; ''Baybayin'': ) is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by the ethnic Tagalog people, who make up a quarter of the population of the Philippines, and as ...

. There are also residents who speak "Kapampangang Hilaw," a dialect variation of the

Kapampangan language Kapampangan, Capampáñgan, or Pampangan, is an Austronesian language, and one of the eight major languages of the Philippines. It is the primary and predominant language of the entire province of Pampanga and southern Tarlac, on the southern p ...

, in Barangay Mabatang.

Economy

The mainly agricultural and fishing town is situated on the northeastern portion of the

Bataan Peninsula Bataan (, , , ; ) , officially the Province of Bataan, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga, Bataan, Balanga while Mariveles, ...

, along

, with a total land area of . It is basically an agricultural and fishing town. Besides Manila Bay, existing fishponds cover an area of of which are under intensive use while the rest are non-functioning but available for utilization. These fishponds are rich with commercial species like milkfish, tilapia, pla-pla and

shrimp A shrimp (: shrimp (American English, US) or shrimps (British English, UK)) is a crustacean with an elongated body and a primarily Aquatic locomotion, swimming mode of locomotion – typically Decapods belonging to the Caridea or Dendrobranchi ...

s. Agricultural lands in Abucay produces rice, corn, root crops, legumes, vegetable and various kinds of fruits as well as forest-grown bamboo and buho.. My Bataan. Retrieved on 2014-12-25. Most of the ''walis tambo'' (local brooms) sold in

Baguio Baguio ( , , ), officially the City of Baguio (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

come from Abucay.

Government

The political seat of the municipal government is located at the Municipal Hall (also called Town Hall). During the Spanish colonial period, the ''Gobernadorcillo'' was the chief executive who held office at the town hall, then called the ''Presidencia''. During the American period from 1898 to 1946, the elected Mayor and local officials, including the appointed ones hold office at the Municipal Town Hall. The executive and legislative departments perform their functions at the

Sangguniang Bayan The Sangguniang Bayan () is the local legislative branch of the municipal governments in the Philippines. It is responsible for passing ordinances and resolutions for the administration of a municipality. Its powers are defined by the Local Go ...

(Session Hall) and Municipal Trial Court, respectively, which are located at the Municipal Hall. Members of the Abucay Municipal Council (2022-2025): * District Representative (1st Legislative District, Bataan): Geraldine B. Roman * Municipal Mayor: Ruben C. Tagle * Municipal Vice Mayor: Roberto "Wangbu" Pasbustan * Municipal Councilors: ** Dante Baluyot ** Tikboy Soriano ** Ato Dulay ** Khristine Dela Fuente ** Mer Canare ** Arturo Mungcal ** Gil Lingad ** Ruben Valencia The eight Sangguniang Bayan members led by the Vice Mayor hold office at the Abucay Sangguniang Bayan Session Hall.

Tourism

Saint Dominic de Guzman Parish Church

One of the oldest in the Philippines, the first Abucay Church was established in 1587 and was administered by the Dominicans in 1588. The present church was built sometime in the early 1600s, the exact year is still unknown. The Church was badly damaged by the earthquake of September 16, 1852, and again by a fire in 1870. Father Jose Diego Pelaez rebuilt the church. The church still houses the bells donated in 1839 and 1859. The five bells of the Abucay Church were restored on January 17, 1978, by U.S. Naval Base Facility in

Subic Bay Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about northwest of Manila Bay. An extension of the South China Sea, its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility, U.S. Naval Base Subi ...

Zambales Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales (; ; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is Iba, Zambales, Iba, which is located in t ...

province according to a historical marker in the church. The Parish of Saint Dominic de Guzman has a population of 19,501 Catholics. Its patron saint is Saint Dominic de Guzman and the town's feast day is August 8. The present parish priest is Rev. Fr. Milver R. Cruz succeeding Rev. Fr. Josue Enero in June 5, 2023. The church belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Balanga under the Vicariate of Saint Dominic de Guzman.

Other attractions

Landmarks include the following: * Tomas Pinpin Monument — a memorial to Tomas Pinpin, the "Patriarch of Filipino Printing" in barangay Ibayo. The monument stands at the center of Tomas Pinpin Memorial Elementary School, the central and the biggest public elementary school in Abucay. * Maria Canon Statue — In Barangay Sibul, a tower was erected by the Mie-ken Daiichi Shiēseo of the Japanese Sohyōshin Sports in 1978 to invoke the repose of dead souls from the World War II period. * Pasukulan Falls — located in west Abucay in the forested valley of Mount Natib. The place is ideal for picnics. * Sibul Springs — located in western Abucay featuring sulfuric swimming pools with a wide area for outdoor recreation. Its main attraction is the natural spring believed to provide muscle pain relief. * Christmas Village in Mabatang — Christmas celebration in Mabatang extends to the streets of every sitio in the barangay, which are lavishly adorned to rejoice the season. * Abucay Cockpit

Infrastructure

Electric power for Abucay is served by the Peninsula Electric Cooperative (PENELCO). A sanitary landfill in Sitio Macao in Barangay Capitangan is the first of its kind in the province of Bataan.

Education

The Abucay Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools.

Primary and elementary schools

* Abucay North Elementary School * Bangkal Elementary School * Bangkal Resettlement Elementary School * Capitangan Elementary School * Hacienda Elementary School * Hoffman Academy * Jesus Reigns Christian Learning Center * Jose Abejar Memorial Elementary School * Kabukiran Elementary School * Mabatang Elementary School * P. Rubiano Elementary School * Salian Elementary School * T. Pinpin Memoria Elementary School * Wawa Elementary School * Woodfield Academy of Bataan

Secondary schools

* B. Camacho National High School * Bangkal High School * Mabatang National High School * SOFTNET Information Technology Center

Higher educational institutions

* Colegio de San Juan de Letran - the Abucay campus of the

Colegio de San Juan de Letran The Colegio de San Juan de Letran (), also referred to by its acronym CSJL, is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution owned and run by the friars of the Order of Preachers in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. I ...

is situated in Dominican Hills, west of town center of Abucay, on the slopes of Mount Natib at about in elevation. * Bataan Peninsula State University-Abucay campus - formerly the Bataan National Agricultural School (BNAS) now part of the

state university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

in Bataan. * Eastwoods College of Science and Technology

References

External links

* Philippine Standard Geographic Code {{Authority control Municipalities of Bataan Populated places on Manila Bay 1587 establishments in the Philippines Populated places established in 1587