Balanga, Bataan
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Balanga (pronounced ), officially the City of Balanga (; ), is a component city and capital of 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 ...
of Bataan,
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 104,173 people. Balanga was included the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
Global Network of Learning Cities in 2015.


Etymology

The word Balanga originates from the Kapampangan or Tagalog term ''balangâ'' ("clay pot"), which the town produced and which were among the best that can be found in the country. Compare with
Calamba, Laguna Calamba, officially the City of Calamba (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Laguna (province), Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popu ...
.


History

Balanga was formerly a village of Abucay before it was established as a mission of the
Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...
in the Provincial Charter of April 21, 1714, and later declared a vicariate on April 18, 1739, under the patronage of
Saint Joseph According to the canonical Gospels, Joseph (; ) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Eastern O ...
. Upon the establishment of Bataan as a separate province in 1754, Balanga was made its capital by Governor-General Pedro Manuel de Arandía Santisteban due to its favorable location at the heart of the new territorial jurisdiction. On December 30, 2000, Balanga was inaugurated as a city by virtue of Republic Act No. 8984, authored by Congressman Enrique "Tet" Garcia. The city has extended its urban fringe to the west of the Roman Superhighway, and a new growth center in Barangay Tuyo has been delineated in the Comprehensive Land Use Plan. During the past years, the city saw a high record of residential growth. Consequently, with the expansion of the physical limits of the urban core, as well as the expected large increases in population, and the city's attractiveness to commercial and employment activities, the City Government of Balanga decided to undertake a Master Planning exercise and to propose various developmental projects that would establish Balanga as a well-planned community with quality and character that is innovative and special, although this is currently hindered by an unreliable electricity supply.


Geography

Balanga City is primarily a residential-agricultural city, with a rapidly growing commercial sector. It has a total land area of , which comprises 8.13% of the total land area of Bataan. It is located at the eastern part of the province of Bataan and lies in the southwestern part of
Central Luzon Central Luzon (; ; ; ; ), designated as Region III, is an administrative region in the Philippines. The region comprises seven provinces: Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga (with its capital, San Fernando City serving as the re ...
. It is bounded inland by the municipality of Abucay in the north, Pilar in the south, the municipalities of Bagac and Morong in the west and
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 ...
in the east. Balanga is from
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 ...
by land and about by ferry to Manila.


Climate


Barangays

Balanga is politically subdivided into 25
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 puroks and some have sitios. * Bagumbayan * Cabog-Cabog * Munting Batangas (Cadre) * Cataning * Central * Cupang Proper * Cupang West * Dangcol (Bernabe) * Ibayo * Malabia * Poblacion Barcenas * Puerto Rivas Ibaba * Puerto Rivas Itaas * Puerto Rivas Lote * San Jose * Sibacan * Camacho * Talisay * Tanato * Tenejero * Tortugas * Tuyo * Bagong Silang * Cupang North * Doña Francisca


Demographics

The population of Balanga in the 2020 census was 104,173 people, with a density of .


Economy


Agriculture and Fisheries

The City of Balanga has a total area of of land classified for agricultural use. of irrigated land, and upland, are utilized for crops production. In 2017, of rice were produced. The city classified of land to be utilized for aquaculture. It is composed of of coastal marine area, of brackish water fishpond and of freshwater fishpond. A total of of marine products with an annual average of per hectare are produced from freshwater fishponds with tilapia is the most common specie cultured. For brackish water fishponds, are produced with an average of per hectare. Some of the species cultured in brackish water are bangus (milkfish), sugpo, vannamei shrimp and alimango (mud crab). Balanga is well known for its smoked and dried fish products under the One Town One Product (OTOP) program. For the year 2017, there are ninety-nine (99) fish processors in the city mostly located in villages of Tortugas, Sibacan, Puerto Rivas Ibaba and Villa Lina in Barangay Tenejero.


Commerce and services

The City of Balanga, while still predominantly agricultural is currently experiencing an accelerated growth in commercial sector. As capital of Bataan, it is the prime commercial hub in the province. Business enterprises are mainly wholesale and retail, servicing, construction, insurance, financing and manufacturing. Retail and trading comprise the largest number of business establishments in this city. Several shopping centers are located in the city, notably SM City Bataan, Vista Mall Bataan, Waltermart Balanga, Capitol Square, Galeria Victoria, Center Plaza Mall, Recar Commercial Complex and Ocampo's Megastore. While Robinsons Place Balanga City's construction is expected to start. In 2008, of the city's central district was declared as a "University Town" through City Ordinance No. 21, Series of 2008. It aims to encourage the development of Balanga as an emerging hub for start-ups and technology-related businesses in the Philippines.


Information Technology

The city is one of the twenty-five (25) emerging digital hubs identified by The Digital Cities 2025 program by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), and Leechiu Property Consultants, Inc. (LPC). It hosts several business process outsourcing (BPO) companies such as Genpact, Boston-based start-up Botkeeper, and Australia-based Yoonet.


Public-Private Partnership

To further improve its revenue generation capability, the City Government entered into several
public–private partnership A public–private partnership (PPP, 3P, or P3) is a long-term arrangement between a government and private sectors, private sector institutions.Hodge, G. A and Greve, C. (2007), Public–Private Partnerships: An International Performance Revie ...
(PPP) projects, such as the Galeria Victoria, the Plaza Property which develops the city's main plaza, and the Capitol Square mall.


Government


Local government

Pursuant to the
Local government in the Philippines In the Philippines, local government is divided into three levels: provinces and independent cities, component cities and municipalities, and barangays, all of which are collectively known as local government units (LGUs). In some areas, abo ...
", the political seat of the municipal government is located at the City Hall. In the
History of the Philippines (1521–1898) The history of the Philippines dates from the earliest Hominini, hominin activity in the archipelago at least by 709,000 years ago. ''Homo luzonensis'', a species of archaic humans, was present on the island of Luzon at least by 134,000 years ...
, the Gobernadorcillo is the Chief Executive who holds office in the Presidencia. During the period of American rule (1898–1946) ( History of the Philippines (1898-1946)), the elected Mayor and local officials, including the appointed ones, hold office at the Municipal Town or City Hall. The legislative and executive departments perform their functions in the Sangguniang Panglungsod (Session Hall) and the Regional and Metropolitan Trial Courts, respectively, and are located in the second floor of the City Hall and in the Halls of Justice.


Elected officials

*Mayor: Francis S. Garcia ( National Unity) *Vice Mayor: Vianca Lita V. Gozon ( National Unity) *Councilors:


Administration

The City administration envisions the City of Balanga as U-Town, a World Class University Town in 2020 (City Ordinance No. 21, Series of 2008, "Declaring the eighty point forty-two (80.42) hectares at the city's central district as University Town in the City of Balanga, Bataan"). Balanga listed a 'Record-Breaking' P6B Investments In 2012. Balanga City won the 1st Robredo ICT Awards.


Former mayors


Tourism


Parks and Public Spaces

* Balanga Wetland and Nature Park. In 2005, the 11-hectare Park, situated along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway in Barangay Tortugas was founded by Tet Garcia and the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, President Michael Lu. The site of the “Ibong Dayo” festival since December, 2010 became a community-based
ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...
zone per Republic Act 11365 or "Balanga Wetland and Nature Park Responsible Ecotourism Act" signed by
Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...
on August 8, 2019. * Plaza Major de Balanga - Poblacion * Bataan Capitol Center - San Jose * Bataan Tourism Park - Tenejero * Doña Francisca Public Park - Doña Francisca


Historical Places

* Surrender of Bataan Site Marker - Talisay * Bataan World War II Museum - Talisay


Churches

* Balanga Cathedral (Cathedral-Shrine and Parish of St. Joseph) * Divine Mercy Shrine of Diocese Balanga * Santo Cristo Parish Church - Paterno Street, Cupang West * San Roque Chapel - National Road, Tuyo * The Risen Lord Chapel - Cuaderno Street, Doña Francisca * Immaculate Conception Parish Church - Jose P. Rizal Street, Puerto Rivas Ibaba * Residencia Sacerdotal-Guadalupe Chapel - Fiscal Camacho Street, Tenejero * Poor Clare Monastery of the Holy Spirit- Upper Tuyo, Balanga City * Virgen Milagrosa del Rosario College Seminary Chapel- Upper Tuyo, Balanga City * Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Chapel- Bahay Puso Compound, Upper Tuyo, Balanga City


Transportation

List of accredited transport cooperatives as of January 2021: * Balanga-Orani Transport Service MultiPurpose Cooperative (BOTSMPC) * Bataan Jeepney Operators and Drivers Transport Service Cooperative * Bataan United Bus Transport Srvice Cooperative * Marbalolo Transport Service Cooperative * Roadline Transport Service Cooperative


Healthcare


Healthcare facilities

Access to health services in the city is adequate with the presence of one government owned general hospital and four private hospitals. * Bataan Doctors Hospital and Medical Center - Cuaderno Street, Brgy. Doña Francisca * Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center (a DOH regional hospital) - Manahan Street, Brgy. Tenejero * Isaac Catalina Medical Center - Calero Street, Brgy. Poblacion * Centro Medico de Santisimo del Rosario - Roman Superhighway, Tenejero * Saint Joseph Hospital and Medical Center - Don Manuel Banzon Avenue, Brgy. Poblacion - On December 15, 2023, the first A.I.-powered catheterization laboratory (CathLab) in the
Central Luzon Central Luzon (; ; ; ; ), designated as Region III, is an administrative region in the Philippines. The region comprises seven provinces: Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga (with its capital, San Fernando City serving as the re ...
region was inaugurated in this hospital, enhancing the capability in treating vascular, cardiac, oncologic, and neurological (VCON) problems. * Balanga Medical Center (formerly Bataan Women's Hospital) - Palmera Street, Brgy. San Jose * Balanga Medical Center-Four Lanes (under construction) - National Road corner E. Garcia Sr. Avenue, Tuyo The City of Balanga also has one City Health Office (CHO) and four (4) functional PhilHealth-accredited Rural Health Units (RHU). RHU 1 in San Jose houses the Basic Emergency Maternal and New Born Care Facility. While the Newborn Screening (NBS) facility is located in RHU 3 in Barangay Cupang Proper. RHU 4 in Barangay Tenejero is the newest, established in March 2017. These government-owned facilities provide free pre-natal, delivery and post natal services, family planning, women's health and safe motherhood counseling, control of diarrheal diseases, expanded program on immunization, control of acute respiratory illness, TB Dots clinic, diabetic clinic and STD AIDS social hygiene clinic. These are augmented by 22 smaller barangay health stations and one Dental Bus making health care more accessible to a greater number of the city residents. Numerous privately owned medical facilities can also be found all over the city. These include 19 medical and 19 dental clinics, 14 laboratory and diagnostic centers and 10 beauty and skin care facilities.


Comprehensive Smoke-Free Policy

Being a Hall of Fame Awardee of the Department of Health's Red Orchid Award, the City of Balanga is strictly implementing the Smoke-Free Policy. Regular anti–smoking campaign for colleges, university and schools, and orientation on health ordinances are conducted regularly across the city. The Comprehensive No Smoking Ordinance of the City of Balanga prohibits the sale, distribution, usage, and promotion of all tobacco products and electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) also known as "vape", within the declared University Town area and within the three (3) kilometers radius of the city. To ensure and expand the city's strong advocacy for 100% tobacco-free environment, the City Government launched the Tobacco-Free Generation (TFG) Campaign last December 2015. It is intended to secure the Millennials’ (those who were born from the year 2000 and onwards) commitment to not smoke. With this program, the City of Balanga was awarded with “World Health Recognition for Heath Cities Best Practice, Youth Engagement to Promote Tobacco Control” last August 29, 2016.


Education

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


Secondary schools

The city hosts the biggest public secondary school in the province, Bataan National High School. Other public secondary schools present are Balanga City National Science High School, City of Balanga National High School and the Bataan Integrated School. While private secondary schools in the city include the high school departments of Asia Pacific College of Advanced Studies, Bataan Infant Jesus School, Bataan Montessori School, Inc., Tomas del Rosario College and St. Joseph Colleges of Balanga.


Higher educational institutions

Balanga City is the educational center of the province of Bataan. It currently has one state-owned university and several private colleges offering
Baccalauréat The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...
degrees in accountancy, business administration, entrepreneurship, computer science and information technology, teaching, engineering, architecture, and health. Bataan Peninsula State University, a state-owned institution, has its two biggest campuses located in the city: the main campus in the capitol compound, and a satellite campus located in downtown area. Tomas del Rosario College is one of the oldest private educational institutions in the city. It is located in the Capitol Drive in
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 ...
San Jose. The other private colleges in the city include Asia Pacific College of Advanced Studies, Eastwoods Professional College of Science and Technology (formerly SOFTNET College of Science and Technology), Bataan Heroes Memorial College, Microcity Computer College and St. Joseph's College. Other higher educational institutions in the city of Balanga include: AMA Computer Learning Center, Philippine Women's University-CDCEC Bataan, Bataan Maritime Institute, and Proclesia International Incorporated.


Notable personalities

* Albert Garcia - 24th Governor of Bataan, former representative of Bataan's Second District, and former Mayor of Balanga. *Cesar Banzon Bautista - was the 13th Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Kingdom and was the Secretary of Trade and Industry from 1996 to 1998. * Chito Jaime - Filipino professional basketball player who plays for the Muntinlupa Cagers of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League and the
Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines, composed of twelve company-branded Franchising, franchise teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia ...
. * Elisse Joson - Filipina actress, endorser, model and businesswoman * Janine Tugonon -
Miss Universe 2012 Miss Universe 2012 was the 61st Miss Universe pageant, held at the PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on December 19, 2012. The contest was won by Olivia Culpo of the United States, who was crow ...
1st runner-up * Jose Enrique S. Garcia III - current representative of Bataan's Second District, and former Mayor of Balanga. * Jose Acuzar - also known as "Jerry" Acuzar, is a prominent real estate businessman. He founded and owns New San Jose Builders, Inc, Manuel L. Quezon University in
Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...
, and the renowned heritage resort Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. On July 29, 2022, newly elected President
Bongbong Marcos Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. (, , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials BBM or PBBM, is a Filipino politician who has served as the 17th president of the Philippines since 2022. He is the second child ...
appointed him as Secretary of Housing Settlements and Urban Development. * Jose Isidro Camacho - economist who served as the Philippines' Secretary of Energy and later on as Secretary of Finance under President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (; born April 5, 1947), often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 2001 to 2010 ...
. He is also a member of the Group of Experts of the ASEAN Capital Markets Forum, Singapore's Securities Industry Council, and the International Advisory Panel of the Securities Commission of Malaysia. * Julian Banzon - Filipino biochemist and National Scientist of the Philippines. *Leonila dela Fuente Dans - is a medical researcher and consultant. Her book, "Painless Evidence-Based Medicine", which she co-wrote with husband Dr. Antonio L. Dans and Dr. Maria Asuncion A. Silvestre, is a bestseller among rheumatologists. Her researches include “Randomized Controlled Trial and Cost Benefit Analysis-Zinc Implementation for Acute Diarrhea” for children less than five years old, and the “Utilization of Clinical Practice Guidelines in the Philippines.” * Luz Magsaysay - wife of
Philippine President The president of the Philippines (, sometimes referred to as ) is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in- ...
Ramon Magsaysay and the seventh First Lady of the Philippines. * Miguel Cuaderno Sr. - was the 17th Finance Secretary of the Philippines under Manuel Roxas and the first Governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines from 1949 to 1960. He was also a constitutionalist being one of the “Seven Wise Men” who drafted the
1935 Philippine Constitution The Constitution of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'') is the supreme law of the Philippines. Its final draft was completed by the Constitutional Commission on October 12, 1986, and ra ...
. * Norberto Gonzales - was the Secretary of National Defense (July 2, 2007 – August 7, 2007), and National Security Advisor (February 2005 – July 2, 2007) *Orlando Banzon Vea - commonly known as Doy Vea in the tech sector, co-founded Smart Communications along with David Fernando in 1991. He has since moved to several positions, including chief executive officer, President and Director of PLDT Communications and Energy Ventures as well as CEO, President and Director of DigiTel (Sun Cellular). * Oscar V. Cruz - Fourth Archbishop of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan (July 15, 1991 – September 8, 2009) *Oscar Joson - was the youngest Filipino to receive the US
Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and highest civilian award in the United States, alongside the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is bestowed by vote of the United States Congress, signed into law by the president. The Gold Medal exp ...
for bravery and sacrifice of own life. He was a 14-year old Boy Scout who died in Balanga during the early days of World War II. * Pedro Tuason - was the Solicitor General of the Philippines (1921), he also served as Justice Secretary during the administration of President Ramon Magsaysay. * Romi Garduce - first Filipino to climb the Seven Summits. * Teodoro Bacani Jr. - First Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Novaliches (January 16 – November 25, 2003).


See also

* Roman Catholic Diocese of Balanga


References


External links

* * * Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census Information
{{Authority control 1714 establishments in the Philippines Cities in Central Luzon Populated places established in 1714 Populated places in Bataan Populated places on Manila Bay Provincial capitals of the Philippines Component cities in the Philippines