Villa de Bacolor, Pampanga
| Bacolor | ||
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| Municipality | ||
| Municipality of Bacolor | ||
The half-buried San Guillermo Parish Church
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| Etymology: Villa de Baculud | ||
| Nickname(s): Athens of Pampanga | ||
 Map of Pampanga with Bacolor highlighted |
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.svg)
 Bacolor
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| Coordinates: 15°00′N 120°39′E / 15°N 120.65°ECoordinates: 15°00′N 120°39′E / 15°N 120.65°E | ||
| Country |
 Philippines
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| Region | Central Luzon (Region III) | |
| Province | Pampanga | |
| District | 3rd District | |
| Founded | 1574 | |
| Barangays | 21 (see Barangays) | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Sangguniang Bayan | |
| • Mayor | Jose Maria O. Hizon | |
| • Electorate | 43,843 voters (2016) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 71.70 km2 (27.68 sq mi) | |
| Population (2015 census) | ||
| • Total | 39,460 | |
| • Density | 550/km2 (1,400/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+8) | |
| ZIP code | 2001 | |
| PSGC | 035404000 | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)45 | |
| Climate type | tropical monsoon climate | |
| Income class | 3rd municipal income class | |
Bacolor, officially the Municipality of Bacolor, (Kapampangan: Balen ning Baculud), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 39,460 people.
Don Guillermo Manabat, a rich landlord, is believed to be the founder of Bacolor. Historical records show that Bacolor has been in existence as a proposed settlement as early as 1571. When the Spaniards arrived they found "Baculud"; its original name meant "level ground" because the site was formerly part of the Luzon coastline until eruptions from ancestral Mount Pinatubo raised it above the ocean floor.
The first settlers of Bacolor were believed to be Malays that came from Atjeth Sumatra led by Panday Pira. It is believed to have been founded by Monmon, first cousin and sister-in-law of Malangsic, a son of Prince Balagtas. However, historians recorded the official foundation of Bacolor to have occurred in 1574 through a landlord named Guillermo Manabat, whose palatial house and resting place is now the site of the San Guillermo Church, hence the church's name.
The name Baculud was changed to Bacolor when the Spaniards came to the place. It was recorded to have been the first capital of Pampanga for two centuries (1698 to 1904) before the provincial seat was transferred to San Fernando in July 1904. In 1757, the provincial building, Casa Real, was constructed at the place where the Bacolor Elementary School is now located.
During the British Occupation of the Philippines, when Manila fell to the British, it became capital of the exiled government of Governor General Simón de Anda y Salazar from October 6, 1762 to May 30, 1764. The provincial offices were temporarily moved to Factoria (now San Isidro, Nueva Ecija). It remained the former capital town of Pampanga until the provincial seat of government was transferred to neighboring San Fernando in 1904. Through a decree of the King of Spain on November 9, 1765, Bacolor became "Villa de Bacolor", one of the only three villas in the Philippines and was granted a special coat of arms. Simón de Anda organized an army of natives for the defense of Bacolor and with the aim of recapturing Manila.
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Wikipedia