MAJOR INDUSTRIES

Agricultural goods: rice, corn, onion, mango, banana, eggplant, and garlic. Fish ponds. 
Mineral deposits; copper and manganese, gold. 

SOURCE OF LIVELIHOOD

Farming/ Agri- business Production of palay, rice, vegetable, yellow corn, calamansi, 
super peanut, papaya, mango, ampalaya, eggplant, string beans, tomato, onion, garlic, 
guava and other root crops. Cabanatuan City being the center of trade and commerce 
suffers on market facilities which are adequate to serve the population. Banking, financing 
and credit facilities in Cabanatuan City are very amiable. There are more than 46 banks, 71 
financing and lending institutions and 3,980 registered business establishments in 
Cabanatuan City alone. 

LANGUAGES

Tagalog - 67.7%, Ilocano - 29.93%. Pampango, Pangasinan, Bicol, and Ilonggo. 

RELIGION
Iglesia Ni Cristo, Roman Catholic, Jesus is Lord, Assemblies of God, United Methodist 
Church, United Church of Christ in the Phils., Baptist Church, Apostilic Church, Iglesia 
Evangellica Methodista En Las Islas Filipinas, Sagrada Familia, Iglesia Edificada de 
Jesucristo, Seventh Day Adventist, Church of the Latter Day Saint, Victory Christian 
Fellowship, Ever Increasing Christian Faith Ministries 

FESTIVALS

- Taong Putik Festival of Aliaga At the crack of dawn, scores of mud-covered, barely 
dressed devotees make their appearance, asking for alms and candles from the town 
folks. This practice mimics a biblical myth about St. John the Baptist, who was said to have 
done the same thing in his lifetime. A special mass culminates the occasion, reinforcing its 
spiritual nature to the people of Aliaga. 

- Holy Week Rituals of Puncan The unique Holy Week rites of Puncan, one of the oldest 
towns in Nueva Ecija, are woven in folklore. Aside from the differing dialect, Pangasinense, 
widely used in Puncan, its distinct Lenten rituals include a hide-and-seek routine between 
the “Flagellante” and “Hudyo,” a children’s parade, and a choreographed version of 
Christian penitential rites in which participants with charcoal-smeared faces beat 
bamboos. 

ATTRACTIONS

- Minalungao Park Declared as a national park, it features a breathtaking view of the 

narrow but deep Penaranda River. On both sides of the riverbank are 16-meter-high 
limestone walls. The ridge formation of white sculptured limestone walls shows the might 
of the great river. 

- Gabaldon Falls The lure of Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija, located within the 200-hectare Sabani 
Estate Agricultural College. The ten-feet falls are surrounded by huge rock formations and 
rippling ice-cold water. 

- Pantabangan Dam The dam was built in 1974 along the Pampanga River to serve as 
reinforcement against floods, and provide irrigation, and additional electricity to the entire 
Luzon island. Pantabangan Dam is one of the most visited tourist spots in the province and 
offers a scenic view of the surrounding area. 

- Diamond Park (San Jose) Strategically located at the gateway to the Cagayan Valley, the 
park is a haven for people who want to go on picnics and sightseeing. Its hundred-step 
stairs leads to lamp-lit pagodas nestled on hilltops, offering a panoramic view of northern 
Nueva Ecija. 

- Camp Pangatian (Cabanatuan City) The camp was used as a military training camp for 
twenty years until it was converted into a concentration camp for allied prisoners of war 
during the Japanese occupation. A popular tourist destination among war veterans by way 
of the WWII Veteran’s Homecoming Program. 

POPULAR FOOD
Longganisa of Cabanatuan, Buro of Zaragoza, Dairy Products, Pancit Malabon, Abuos (also 
known as ant-egg caviar) 

HISTORY

Nueva Ecija was created as a military commandancia in 1777 by Governor General Narciso 
Claveria, with the capital at Baler (present-day capital of Aurora province). It was formerly 
part of the province of Pampanga. Spanish records in the Philippines recognize two 
Spanish countries in the Pacific--Las Islas Filipinas and Nueva Ecija. From 1777 to 1917, 
Nueva Ecija’s territory was however subdivided to give way to the creation of other 
provinces. The province of Tayabas (now Aurora and Quezon), including the Polillio 
Islands, the provinces of Palanan (now Isabela), Cagayan, the province of Nueva Vizcaya, 
the territory which became part of the province of Quirino, and the province of Manila, 
north of the province of Tondo in 1867, and the district of Morong (now Rizal) were among 
those created out of Nueva Ecija. The province was named after the old city of Ecija in 
Seville, Spain. In 1896, Nueva Ecija became one of the first provinces to revolt against 
Spanish rule, and one of the provinces which declared its independence in 1898. Nueva 
Ecija is the largest province and the biggest rice producer of Central Luzon, thus, often 
referred to as the “Rice Bowl of the Philippines.” 

GETTING THERE

The transport system is presently provided with a land transport consisting of major truck 
lines and arterial road system. The transport services plying the route from province to 
Manila are Baliwag Transit, Five Star, other transport services going to Pampanga and to 
the different towns and cities in Nueva Ecija are mini-buses, jeepneys plying to and from 
central transport terminal in Cabanatuan City and vice-versa. 
MODES OF TRANSPORTATION

Tricycles from different barangays/ sitios of each towns and cities in the province. 

MEDIA DIRECTORY

CRIME RATE

Data from Nueva Ecija Police Provincial Office as of July 20l6) Crime volume 5,724 – 2016 
5,522- 2015