Obando, officially the Municipality of Obando (), 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 ...
of
Bulacan
Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan (; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on ...
,
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 59,978 people.
History
Obando was likely originally called "Binuwangan" according to 18th century maps. In the 1734 map of the Philippine islands by Pedro Murillo Velarde, the places labeled "Vinuangan", "Polo" (currently Valenzuela), and "Maycauayan" were indicated separately and proximate to one another.

In the 18th century, the present-day town of Obando formed part of
Meycauayan
Meycauayan , officially the City of Meycauayan (), is a 1st class component city in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 225,673 people.
The place got its name from the Tagalog words ''m ...
, alongside the present-day cities of
Valenzuela
Valenzuela may refer to:
Places
* Valenzuela, Paraguay
* Valenzuela, Metro Manila, Philippines
* Valenzuela, Spain
* Valenzuela de Calatrava, Spain
* Valenzuela, Louisiana
Other uses
* Valenzuela (surname), including a list of people with the ...
(formerly Polo) and
San Jose del Monte
San Jose del Monte, officially the City of San Jose del Monte (abbreviated as SJDM or CSJDM); ; ; ; ; ), is a component city in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 651,813 people, maki ...
. The towns of Polo and Obando formed a barrio called Catanghalan. In the year 1623, the municipality of Polo was organized which included the present-day territories of the Town of Obando. By virtue of a
decree
A decree is a law, legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, monarch, royal figure, or other relevant Authority, authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislativ ...
promulgated during the time of
Governor and Captain General of the Archipelago,
Francisco Jose de Obando y Solis, the town was created and separated from its mother town Polo on May 14, 1753. Upon the Governor's untimely death at the hands of the British during the Seven Years' War, the creation and establishment of the town was made and attended by the Alcalde Mayor of the province, Don Francisco Morales y Mozabe, the Provincial Minister, S. Gregorio, Rev. Fr. Alejandro Ferrer, together with numerous religious devotees. The minister who was chosen to administer the town was Rev. Fr. Manuel De Olivencia. On October 8, 1903, Obando merged with
Polo
Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...
by virtue of Act No. 932.
On August 10, 1907, Obando was made an independent town of Bulacan.
Then through the untiring efforts of municipal officials, a portion of Gasak
Navotas
Navotas, officially the City of Navotas (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Philippine census, 2020 census, it ha ...
was reclaimed to form a part of Obando. The municipal officials, believing that this portion was once a part of the municipality but was adopted by Navotas in the course of time, effortlessly pushed through its claim to regain the area. The concerted action of all those concerned paid off when on January 30, 1975, by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 646, a portion of approximately 1.78 square kilometers of Gasak, Navotas was returned to Obando. This parcel of land is mostly fishpond and sandy beach and it is expected that, when fully developed, it would serve as a tourist attraction. By a resolution of the municipal council in 1975, the area was made into a barangay and named
Nuestra Señora de Salambao in honor of one of its patron saints.
[
]
Geography
Obando is bordered by Valenzuela
Valenzuela may refer to:
Places
* Valenzuela, Paraguay
* Valenzuela, Metro Manila, Philippines
* Valenzuela, Spain
* Valenzuela de Calatrava, Spain
* Valenzuela, Louisiana
Other uses
* Valenzuela (surname), including a list of people with the ...
to the east, Navotas
Navotas, officially the City of Navotas (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Philippine census, 2020 census, it ha ...
and Malabon
Malabon, officially the City of Malabon (), is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 380,522 people. Located just north of the city of Manila, Malabon is ...
to the south, Bulakan
Bulakan, officially the Municipality of Bulakan (), is a municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 81,232 people.
Bulakan, which is one of the oldest towns in the Philippines ...
to the north, and the waters of 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 west. It is away from the Philippine capital 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 ...
and is part of Manila's conurbation
A conurbation is a region consisting of a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ...
which reaches San Ildefonso in its northernmost part.[''Obando, Bayang Pinagpala!'' (Obando, Blessed Town!), ''Pamahalaang Bayan ng Obando'' (Local Government of Obando), 2006/2007]
Flat and low-lying coastal plains characterize the general topography
Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps.
Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...
of Obando. The area was formerly an estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...
, but it filled up partially from the peripheral parts of sand bars and sand spits and formed up into the current area that mainly consists of a commercial district, partly industrial district, residential area and fishpond. Within the municipality are two rivers and three creeks, namely the Meycauayan River in the north, the Pinagkabalian River in the south, and Paco Creek, Hulo Creek and Pag-asa Creek traversing the town parallel to the provincial road.[
Obando, just like the other towns of Bulacan, has two pronounced seasons: dry and wet. The wet season is from May to October and the dry season is from November to April. The rainfall of the wet season accounts for about 80% of the annual rainfall, which is due to monsoons and typhoons.][
]
Barangays
Obando is politically subdivided into 11 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, as shown in the matrix below. Each barangay consists of 7 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 ...
. There are 8 urban and 3 rural barangays.
Barangays Binuangan (ancient "Binwangan" mentioned on the Laguna Copperplate Inscription
The Laguna Copperplate Inscription is an official acquittance ( debt relief) certificate inscribed onto a copper plate in the Shaka year 822 ( Gregorian A.D. 900). It is the earliest-known, extant, calendar-dated document found within the Phil ...
, which is the oldest written document of Philippines inscribed in Indianized script
Script may refer to:
Writing systems
* Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire
* Script (styles of handwriting)
** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handw ...
, dating back to 900 CE) and Salambao are located along the Paliwas River, and can be reached only by means of motorized boats.[
]
Climate
Demographics
In the 2020 census, the population of Obando, Bulacan, was 59,978 people, with a density of .
In 2002, Obando had an estimated population
Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
of 58,245 wherein 49% were male and 51% were female. Of the current population, about 14% live in rural barangays while the rest constitute the urban population. There are 12,349 households. The average monthly income of a household is , slightly below the minimum for a family of 6 threshold set by Department of Social Welfare and Development
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD; ) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the protection of the social welfare of rights of Filipinos and to promote social development.
History
In 1915, ...
.[
]
Economy
Radio
Obando is also the transmitter site of some AM stations, primarily broadcasting the Mega Manila area. Among them are:
* Super Radyo DZBB 594 (GMA Network
GMA Network (an acronym of its legal name, Global Media Arts and commonly known as GMA) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine commercial broadcast network, serving as the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network (company), ...
)
* DWIZ 882 (Aliw Broadcasting Corporation
Aliw Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is a Philippine broadcasting company. Its corporate office and studios are located at the 20th floor of Citystate Centre, 709 Shaw Blvd., Brgy. Oranbo, Pasig. It is one of the broadcast media assets of the A ...
)
* DZMM Radyo Patrol 630
DZMM (630 AM broadcasting, AM) Radyo Patrol is a radio station owned by Philippine Collective Media Corporation and operated conjointly with ABS-CBN Corporation under Media Serbisyo Production Corporation. The station's studios is located at t ...
(Philippine Collective Media Corporation
Philippine Collective Media Corporation (PCMC; officially known in their documents as Philippine CollectiveMedia Corporation) is a Media in the Philippines, Philippine broadcast media company. Its headquarters are located in Barangay South Tri ...
/ABS-CBN Corporation
ABS-CBN Corporation is a Mass media in the Philippines, Filipino Media conglomerate, media company based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is the largest entertainment television and film production, Broadcast syndication, progra ...
)
* DZIQ Radyo Inquirer 990 ( Trans-Radio Broadcasting Corporation, defunct)
* DZEC Radyo Agila 1062 (Eagle Broadcasting Corporation
Eagle Broadcasting Corporation (EBC), doing business as NET25, is a Philippine media company based in Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. Named after the national bird, the Philippine eagle, it is primarily involved in radio & television broa ...
)
* INC Radio DZEM 954 (Christian Era Broadcasting Service International
Christian Era Broadcasting Service International, Inc. (CEBSI), known as Christian Broadcasting Service from 1969 to 1994 and Christian Era Broadcasting Service, Inc., from 1994 to 2014, is a Philippine television network, television and radi ...
)
* DZME 1530 ( Capitol Broadcasting Center)
Government
Elected officials
* Mayor: Leonardo D. Valeda ( PFP)
* Vice Mayor: Arvin E. dela Cruz ( NUP)
* Municipal Council:
** Rowell S. Rillera ( PFP)
** Drandren R. de Ocampo (Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States
* Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
)
** Felipe F. dela Cruz ( PFP)
** Lawrance R. Banag ( PFP)
** Evangeline B. Bautista ( PFP)
** Crina Babes P. Ramos ( PFP)
** Michael L. dela Paz ( PFP)
** Aries Joseph C. Manalaysay ( NUP)
List of mayors
* Antonio Joaquin (OIC 1986 - 1989)
* Bienvenido Evangelista (1989–1992)
* Conrado Lumabas Jr. (1992–2001)
* Onesimo Joaquin (2001–2004)
* Zoilito Santiago (2004–2007)
* Orencio Gabriel (2007–2013)
* Edwin C. Santos (2013–2022)
*Leonardo Valeda (2022–Present)
List of vice mayors
Vice Mayors of Obando:
* Remigio Dela Cruz (1988–1992)
* Gaudioso Espinosa (1992–1995)
* Romerico Roque Santos (1995–1998)
* Onesimo Joaquin (1998–2001)
* Zoilito Santiago (2001–2004)
* Jose Correa (2004–2007)
* Leonardo Pantanilla (2007–2010)
* Danilo de Ocampo (2010–2013)
* Zoilito Santiago (2013–2016)
* Arvin Dela Cruz (2016–Present)
Gallery
File:San Pascual Baylon Church, Obando, Bulacan.jpg, San Pascual Baylon Parish Church
File: JfPublicMarketRiverObandoBulacanfvf 03.JPG, Obando Public Market
File:JfPaliwasFishPortObandoBulacanfvf 05.JPG, Municipal Fishport
File:Colegio de San Pascual Baylon, Obando, Bulacan, March 2023.jpg, Colegio de San Pascual Baylon
File:Obando School of Fisheries, March 2023.jpg, Obando School of Fisheries
File:Bulacan Polytechnic College - Obando Campus, March 2023.jpg, Bulacan Polytechnic College - Obando Campus
File:Paco Catholic Cemetery, Obando, Bulacan, March 2023.jpg, Paco Catholic Cemetery
File:Mangroves in Obando, Bulacan, March 2023.jpg, Mangroves beside Paliwas Road
File:Sunset in a fish pen in Obando, Bulacan.jpg, A fish pen in Obando
File:Obando People's Park, Bulacan, Aug 2024.jpg, Obando People's Park
File:Plaza Magsaysay, Obando, Bulacan, Aug 2024.jpg, Plaza Magsaysay
See also
* Obando Fertility Rites
* Obando Church
* Colegio de San Pascual Baylon
References
External links
Obando Bulacan
elgu2.ncc.gov.ph
* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census Information
{{Authority control
Municipalities of Bulacan
Populated places on Manila Bay