Balagtas, Bulacan

Balagtas

Municipality

Municipal Hall of Balagtas

Seal

Map of Bulacan showing the location of Balagtas

Balagtas

Location within the Philippines

Coordinates: 14°48′52″N 120°54′30″E / 14.81447°N 120.90847°ECoordinates: 14°48′52″N 120°54′30″E / 14.81447°N 120.90847°E

Country

Philippines

Region

Central Luzon (Region III)

Founded

1596

Barangays

Government

• Mayor

Eladio Gonzales, Jr.

• Vice Mayor

Alberto Carating II

Area

• Total

28.66 km² (11.07 sq mi)

Population (2015 census)

• Total

73,929

• Density

2,600/km² (6,700/sq mi)

• Poverty rate

4.2%

Time zone

PST (UTC+8)

ZIP code

3016

IDD : area code

+63 (0)44

Income class

1st

Electricity

Manila Electric Company

• Consumption

49.61 million kWh (2003)

Balagtas is a first class urban municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 73,929 people.

With the continuous expansion of Metro Manila, the municipality is now part of Manila's built up area which reaches San Ildefonso in its northernmost part.

Formerly known as Bigaa, it was renamed in honor of Filipino poet Francisco Balagtas. The MacArthur Highway bisects the municipality of Balagtas as this national road cuts northward to the Ilocos region. At the southern approach of the town from Manila is a modern, first class concrete bridge that crosses the Balagtas River. The river, navigable by banca and motor boats, empties into Manila bay after snaking through the town of Bulacan to the West which provides Balagtas' townsfolk with fish, shrimp, and other fresh water food.

At the foot of the bridge, along the highway towards the North, is the town hall. In front of the town hall is spacious park where the monument of it hero, Francisco Balagtas is located. The town hall is surrounded by Spanish colonial type houses. Two hundred meters from the municipal hall is the barrio of Panginay, the birthplace of Francisco "Balagtas" Baltazar, for whom also "Balagtasan", a form of debate in versified Tagalog, was named. In reverence to the hero's deeds, the official name of Bigaa was changed to Balagtas through the legislative act sponsored by then Congressman, Teodulo Natividad.

In 1946 the Historical Society of the Philippines placed a marker at the birthplace of Balagtas, which reads: "Here in Barrio Panginay, Bigaa, Bulacan, Francisco Baltazar (Balagtas) was born on April 2, 1788. Son of Juan Baltazar and Juana de la Cruz, he is the father of Tagalog language and the author of the deathless "Florante at Laura." He died in Udyong, Bataan on February 20, 1862."

Originally known as Caruya/Caluya as per as the history records regarding the early years of the establishment of Bulacan Province, Caruya was one of the Encomiendas of the vast region La Pampanga falls under the Alcalde Mayor of Bulacan. Encomienda de Caruya was Encomienda of the King of Spain which appeared in Miguel de Loarca's Relacion delas Isla Filipinas in 1582 and the Report of Governor- General Luis Perez de Dasmariñas of June 21, 1591 document. The propagation of catholic instructions in Caruya initially belongs to Bulakan Convent and it was directly administered by Alcalde Mayor of Bulacan but it was transferred to Malolos Convent at uncertain date. Bigaa is one of the ancient towns of the Province together with Calumpit 1571 (became Town in 1575) Bulakan 1575 (became Town in 1578) Meycauayan 1578, Malolos 1571 (became Town in 1580) and Binto 1581 (a former visita of Malolos became Town renamed as Binto y Quingua 1602) later known as Plaridel. The Catalogo of 1591 indicates the existence of Guiguinto y Caruyan with 4,800 souls and it was administered by a religious from Bulacan Convent. In 1608 Historia dela Provincia Agustiana mentioned Caruyan as pueblo and convent. The Catalogo of 1612 says that Caruyan had 2 sacerdos, 800 Tributos, 2,400 Almas. (Historia de La Provincia Agustiana del Santisimo Nombre de Jesus de Filipinas Vol.1 of Isacio Rodriguez OSA)

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