Bambang, officially the Municipality of Bambang (; ; ), 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 ...

Nueva Vizcaya Nueva Vizcaya, officially the Province of Nueva Vizcaya (; ; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Nueva Vizcaya''; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital and largest town is Bayo ...

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 censusus, it has a population of 55,789 people.

Etymology

The name "Bambang" is an Isinay word meaning "''to dig''". The municipality is known for its salt springs at the

Salinas Natural Monument The Salinas Natural Monument is a natural monument comprising saline springs and forested mountains in southern Cagayan Valley in the Philippines. It is one of four protected areas in the landlocked province of Nueva Vizcaya spanning an area o ...

History

Bambang was originally inhabited by the

Igorot The indigenous peoples of the Cordillera in northern Luzon, Philippines, often referred to by the exonym Igorot people, or more recently, as the Cordilleran peoples, are an ethnic group composed of nine main ethnolinguistic groups whose domains ...

and Panuypuyes ( Aritao), the Ilongots (Dupax and Bambang), and the lgorot in the area west from the present native population of Dupax, Aritao, and Bambang came about by the inter-marriages of the tribes mentioned above and the merging of settlements by the Spanish. Bambang itself was officially recognized as a town by the Spanish on July 5, 1747. Located initially in the present-day village of San Fernando, it was moved to its present location in 1777. According to the town's history, the warring Ilongots and Igorots buried their weapons nearby a pit ("bang-bang") to symbolize the end of their tribal feuds, and so birthed the name of the town Bambang. In 1988, the town's mayor, Benjamin Cuaresma, was abducted and assassinated by the

New People's Army The New People's Army (; abbreviated NPA or BHB) is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It acts as the CPP's principal organization, aiming to consolidate political power from what it sees as the present "bourgeo ...

on the eve of

local elections Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...

. He was then succeed by his widow,

Luisa Lloren Cuaresma Luisa "Banti" Lloren Cuaresma (born January 18, 1955) is a Filipina politician who currently serves as the representative of the Legislative district of Nueva Vizcaya, lone district of Nueva Vizcaya since 2016. Previously, she served as governo ...

, who went on to become governor and representative of Nueva Vizcaya.

Geography

Bambang is situated from the provincial capital

Bayombong Bayombong, officially the Municipality of Bayombong (; ; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality and capital of the Philippine Province, province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population ...

, 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 ...

Barangays

Bambang 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

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 ...

. * Abian * Abinganan * Aliaga * Almaguer North * Almaguer South * Banggot (Urban) * Barat * Buag (Urban) * Calaocan (Urban) * Dullao * Homestead (Urban) * Indiana * Mabuslo * Macate * Magsaysay Hill (Urban) * Manamtam * Mauan * Pallas * Salinas * San Antonio North * San Antonio South * San Fernando * San Leonardo * Santo Domingo Proper (Tabangan) * Santo Domingo West

Climate

Demographics

Economy

Culture

''Panggayjaya'' festival, which is celebrated from late April to May yearly. Part of its celebration is the annual Miss ''Panggayjaya'' (Bambang) and the counterpart Mister Bambang which started in 2016. Along with the celebration of its patron, Saint Catherine of Siena.

Tourism

On April 23, 2000, then President Joseph Ejercito Estrada issued a proclamation that declared Salinas Forest Reserve and Deer Refuge in the Municipality of Bambang, including two municipalities in the Province of Nueva Vizcaya, as a protected area pursuant to Republic Act No. 7589 and shall be known as Salinas Natural Monument. As of now, Salinas Natural Monument has yet to be developed as a tourist destination. The Municipality of Bambang has a lot of tourist spots like the Salinas Salt Spring, Manamtam Salt Spring, Manamtam River, Laguerta Falls, Abian Falls, Pallas Cave, the Bambang Cross, and the Bambang Agri Tourism Learning Site. Recently, the Municipality of Bambang successfully launched "Paskuhan sa Bambang."

Government

Local government

Bambang is part of the lone congressional district of the province of

. It is governed by a mayor, designated as its local chief executive, and by a municipal council as its legislative body in accordance with the Local Government Code. The mayor, vice mayor, and municipal councilors are elected directly in polls held every three years.

Elected officials

Former Mayors of Bambang

*Luisa Lloren Cuaresma: 1989–1998 *Dr. Pepito D. Balgos M.d.: 1998–2007 *Benjamin L.Cuaresma III: 2007–2010 *Atty. Flaviano D. Balgos, Jr.: 2010–2019 *Dr. Pepito D. Balgos M.d.: 2019–2022 *Benjamin L.Cuaresma III: 2022–Present

Education

The Schools Division of Nueva Vizcaya governs the town's public education system. The division office is a field office of the

DepEd The Department of Education (DepEd; ) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for ensuring access to, promoting equity in, and improving the quality of basic education. It is the main agency tasked to manage and go ...

Cagayan Valley Cagayan Valley (; ), designated as Region II, is an Regions of the Philippines, administrative region in the Philippines. Located in the northeastern section of Luzon, it is composed of five Provinces of the Philippines, Philippine provinces: ...

region. There are two schools district offices which govern all the public and private elementary and high schools throughout the municipality. These are Bambang I District Office, and Bambang II District Office.

Primary and elementary schools

* Abian Elementary School * Abinganan Elementary School * Aliaga Annex Primary School * Aliaga Elementary School * Almaguer North Elementary School * Almaguer South Elementary School * Aurora Christian School Foundation * Bambang Central School * Bambang East Elementary School * Bambang North Central School * Bambang West Elementary School * Barat Elementary School * California Academy * Camella SNV Montessori School * Dullao Elementary School * Indiana Elementary School * Kiddie Kingdom International School * Labni Elementary School * Mabuslo Elementary School * Macate Elementary School * Mauan Elementary School * Nangcalapan Primary School * Pallas Elementary School * Saint Catherine's School * Salicpan Elementary School * Salinas Elementary School * San Antonio North Elementary School * San Antonio South Elementary School * San Fernando Elementary School * San Leonardo Elementary School * Sto. Nino Primary School

Secondary schools

* Bambang National High School * King's College of the Philippines (formerly: Eastern Luzon Colleges) * Saint Catherine's School * Salinas High School * Sto. Domingo Integrated School * Philippine Science High School Cagayan Valley Campus

Higher educational institutions

* Advocates College * King's College of the Philippines (formerly: Eastern Luzon Colleges) *

Nueva Vizcaya State University Nueva Vizcaya State University is a public university in the Philippines. It is mandated to provide advanced instruction and professional training in agriculture, arts, science, technology, education and other related fields. It is also mandate ...

Notable people

, politician *

Marina Summers Adrian Matthew Guinto Alabado (born November 28, 1996), known professionally as Marina Summers, is a Filipino drag performer best known for competing on the first season of ''Drag Race Philippines'' and the second series of '' RuPaul's Drag Rac ...

, drag performer * Xyza Cruz Bacani, photographer *

Darren Espanto Darren Lyndon Espanto (born May 24, 2001) is a Filipino singer, actor, and television personality. He made his first television appearance on YTV (Canadian TV channel), YTV's reality TV competition, ''The Next Star,'' in 2012 and rose to pro ...

, actor

Gallery

File:BambangHalljf3683 06.JPG, Bambang Municipal Hall File:ST CATHERINE'S PARISH CHURCH.jpg, Saint Catherine of Siena Parish Church File:BambangHalljf3530 17.JPG, Bambang Gymnasium File:Bambangjf3658 10.JPG, Bambang (agriculture) Monument File:Bambang,Nueva_Vizcayajf3877_03.JPG, Welcome Lion Monument

References

External links

Philippine Standard Geographic Code The Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC) is a systematic classification and coding for geographic areas in the Philippines. It classifies areas based on the country's four levels of administrative divisions: regions, provinces, municipalities ...

br>Philippine Census InformationLocal Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Municipalities of Nueva Vizcaya