Pampanga is 444 years old on Dec. 11

• Source:http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/pampanga-is-444-years-old-on-dec-11/
• Thursday, December 10, 2015

By Ashley Manabat (Correspondent)

ON Friday (December 11) Pampanga celebrates its 444th birthday since she was reorganized as a province by the Spaniards on December 11, 1571.

Since that time, Pampanga has evolved into a modern province hosting the country’s next premier international gateway—the Clark International Airport (CIA). With the full development of the CIA and with its strategic location in the Southeast Asian region, Pampanga is now on the world map as a most suitable place for trade and commerce.

Already, the Clark Freeport Zone (CFZ) on its northwestern section has been a magnet of foreign investors currently employing more than 100,000.

Home of presidents

PAMPANGA is known as the home of presidents.

Beginning with the country’s ninth president, Diosdado Pangan Macapagal, the province was a fountain of human resources. A native of Lubao, Macapagal’s legacy of land reform saw the start of the emancipation of farmers from the bondage of the soil.

The poor boy from Lubao was followed by Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino, the first elected woman president in the Philippines and Asia. She was catapulted to the presidency by the People Power Revolution in 1986. She hailed from Paniqui, Tarlac, which in ancient times was part of the Capampangan region.

In 1998 the first female vice president was elected in Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, daughter of President Macapagal. Three years later she assumed the presidency from ousted President Joseph Estrada and was elected president in 2003 as the country’s 14th president.

In 2010 incumbent President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III was elected as the 15th president of the Philippines under the Liberal Party. He was the son of President Cory Aquino and martyred national hero Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., who hailed from Concepcion, Tarlac, also a part of the Capampangan region during the Spanish Era.

Rising from the ashes

PAMPANGA was on its way to becoming a modern province when Mount Pinatubo erupted in June 1991, and buried communities and villages, causing major devastation to the province.

Then-Gov. Bren Z. Guiao rallied the Capampangans with his famous quote: “Eko magmalun, mibangun ya ing Pampanga [Don’t worry; Pampanga will rise again].”

At present, Pampanga is fast developing as an alternative modern metropolis from the heavily congested Metro Manila, some 80 kilometers to the south.

With the presence of the CFZ, Pampanga is now a beehive of economic activities contributing substantially to the GDP.

The province’s wide-open spaces (total land mass of 206,247 hectares) is suitable for further development, especially with its relatively flat terrain.

Its lone distinct mountain, the majestic Mount Arayat, has become a symbol of the province.

‘Nanay Baby’

Under Gov. Lilia “Nanay Baby” G. Pineda, Pampanga has made leaps and bounds with its sand-quarrying revenue, totaling more than P1.5 billion so far with a target of P2 billion total collections next year.

Sand, ejected by Mount Pinatubo during its violent eruptions, has helped the province abundantly.

Pineda has sponsored various programs to make life more comfortable for its constituents.

Notable Capampangans

ASIDE from four Capampangan-nurtured presidents, the province also nurtured some notable successes: tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan; Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr.; real-estate developer and former Sen. Manny B. Villar Jr.; Ruperto Cruz, a noted furniture maker, owner of the Grand Palazzo Royale, as well as the Royal Garden Golf and Country Club and chair of the advocacy group Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement; Liberato P. Laus, chairman and CEO of the Laus Group of Companies; Prudencio Garcia, president of Mekeni Foods Corp.; Lolita O. Hizon, owner of Pampanga’s Best; and popular businessman, sportsman and kingmaker Rodolfo Q. Pineda, Pampanga’s First Gentleman.

Capampangan cuisine

“LUTUING Kapampangan” includes sisig, morcon, menudo, caldereta, estofado, embotido, asado, lengua, lechon, chicharon, afritada, bringhi (paella), taba ng talangka (crab meat), bulanglang or pork soup made from guava juice, tocino or pindang and the native longganisa. Its exotic foods include betuteng tugak or stuffed frog, adobong camaru or sautéed mole crickets, calderetang barag or spicy monitor lizard stew, kubang asu or spicy dog stew and tidtad or blood stew.

Tourist attractions

PREDOMINANTLY Roman Catholics, Pampanga has some of the most beautiful churches in the Philippines, including the Saint James the Apostle Parish Church in Betis, Holy Rosary Parish in Angeles City, San Agustin Church in Lubao and the Santa Monica Parish Church in Minalin.

During Christmas, Pampanga becomes the core of a thriving industry centered on handcrafted lighted lanterns called parols that display a kaleidoscope of lights and colors.

The Ligligan Parul or Giant Lantern Festival, which draws thousands of spectators, is held in an annual competition of the best giant lantern from among the participating barangays in the City of San Fernando.

The name La Pampanga was given by the Spaniards, who found the early natives living near the riverbanks. The town of Bacolor in the province served as the capital of the archipelago for two years, from 1762 to 1764, during the British invasion of Manila.

The word pampang, from which the province’s name originates, means riverbank. Its creation in 1571 makes it the first Spanish province in the Philippines.