Michael Angelo B.

Franco

1FM-1 History

THE HISTORY OF THE PHILIPPINE FLAG

Revolutionary beginnings

1898 – 1901

On May 28, 1898, days after the return of General Emilio Aguinaldo from exile in Hong Kong,
Filipino troops were once again engaged in a battle against Spanish forces in Alapan, Cavite. It
was in this skirmish that the Philippine flag was first unfurled as the revolutionary standard.
Sewn in Hong Kong by Filipino expatriates and brought to the country by Aguinaldo, the flag
was a tri-color featuring red and blue with a white triangle framing three yellow stars and an
anthropomorphic eight-rayed sun.

Half a month later, on June 12, 1898, following the proclamation of independence from Spain,
the same flag was waved by at Aguinaldo’s residence in Kawit, Cavite, as the Marcha Nacional
Filipina played.

Throughout the Filipino Revolutionary War until the capture of Aguinaldo that precipitated the
end of the Philippine-American War, the flag of the same design was flown with the red field on
top to denote a state of war. Aguinaldo wrote about this unique feature of the Philippine flag in a
letter to Captain Emmanuel A. Baja dated June 11, 1925:

Several press representatives called on me then to inquire as to how the Flag

should be flown. I answered them that it should be always hoisted with the blue
stripe up in time of peace. But on the battlefields and in camps during the past war,
first with Spain and then with the United States of America later, our National Flag
had been hoisted with the red stripe up.

Upon Aguinaldo’s capture, the Philippine Republic was abolished; the American Insular
Government, under the jurisdiction of the U.S. War Department, was established. With the war
over and Philippine leaders officially accepting American sovereignty over the islands, the
Philippine flag was flown with the blue field on top. It was to be displayed that way henceforth
during peacetime.
 1901 – 1907

American Occupation and the Commonwealth Government

For six years, the Philippine flag and other banners and emblems of the Katipunan continued to
proliferate. In response, the Philippine Commission, dominated by Americans, passed Act No.
1697 or the Flag Law of 1907, which outlawed the display of the Philippine flag and replaced the
country’s flag to the stars and stripes of the United States of America. The same law prohibited
the playing of the national anthem.

1919 – 1936

It took 11 years until the Philippine Legislature, finally in the hands of elected Filipino
representatives and senators, repealed the Flag Law, through the efforts of Governor-General
Francis Burton Harrison, and reinstated the Philippine flag as the official standard of the nation.
Modifications were made to Aguinaldo’s flag: The sun no longer had anthropomorphic features,
and its rays were stylized. This design would be used from 1919 until the inauguration of the
Commonwealth of the Philippines in 1935.

From 1919 to 1941 Flag day was celebrated on October of every year by virtue of Proclamation
No. 18, issued by Governor-General Francis Burton Harrison in commemoration of the day the
Flag Law was repealed.

Months after the inauguration of the Commonwealth, President Manuel L. Quezon

issued Executive Order No. 23, s. 1936, instituting the description and specifications of the
Filipino flag, which would remain in effect until the Second World War. Throughout this period,
the American and Philippine flags flew side-by-side.

President Manuel L. Quezon, in 1941, moved the commemoration of Flag Day from October to
June 12. This marks the first instance that June 12, the date of Aguinaldo’s proclamation, was
commemorated.

1936 – 1941

The Second Republic and the Second World War

Bombing attacks on the Philippines and the American naval base at Pearl Harbor plunged the
United States of America into war with Japan and the Axis powers. President Quezon
issued Executive Order No. 386, s. 1941, mandating all Philippine flags to be flown with the red
field on top to signify a state of war.

1941 – 1945

Meanwhile, the Second Philippine Republic was established in the islands under the auspices of
the Empire of Japan, with Jose P. Laurel serving as president. The flag was raised by former
President Emilio Aguinaldo and General Artemio Ricarte during the inaugural of the Second
Republic on October 14, 1943. Laurel issued Executive Order No. 17, s. 1943, which essentially
brought back the Aguinaldo design of the Philippine flag. This flag would eventually be
displayed with the red stripe up in 1944, when the Second Republic declared that it was under a
State of War.

1943 – 1944

From 1943 until the end of the War in the Pacific, two versions of the Philippine flag existed: the
Commonwealth flag used by the Government-in-exile based in Washington D.C., as well as
by guerrillas in the islands, and the Aguinaldo flag used by the Japanese-sponsored government.
Following the surrender of Japan and the liberation of the Philippines, the latter’s use would be
discontinued with the dissolution of the Second Republic.

In the aftermath of World War II, the Commonwealth of the Philippines was restored and with it
the specifications of the Philippine flag in accordance with Executive Order No. 23, s. 1936. On
July 4, 1946, Philippine independence was recognized by the United States, giving birth to the
Third Republic of the Philippines. In ceremonies held at what is now Luneta, United States High
Commissioner to the Philippines Paul V. McNutt and Philippine President Manuel Roxas
lowered the American flag for the last time and in its stead rose the Philippine flag to henceforth
fly alone on Philippine soil, except in military bases still held and occupied by the United States
Armed Forces. Starting May 1, 1957, the Philippine flag was raised beside the U.S. flag in U.S.
military bases in the Philippines.

Third, Fourth, and Fifth Republics

 1985 – 1986

Commonwealth-era specifications, in accordance with Executive Order No. 23, s. 1936, would

remain in effect throughout the Third and Fourth Republics until 1985, when President
Ferdinand E. Marcos issued Executive Order No. 1010, s. 1985, changing the shade of blue of the
Philippine Flag from navy blue to light blue. The change was due to a longstanding debate
among historians concerning the original shade of blue used in the national flag. Debates
centered on whether Cuban blue (since the flag was patterned on some aspects of Cuba’s
national flag), or sky-blue (based on written accounts by some revolutionaries as well as a
watercolor from the era), or navy blue (based on the colors of the American flag) was used.
Ocampo says the actual color used—pale sky blue—owed less to historical precedent and more to
available cloth supplies at the time.

The change in color proved unpopular. After the EDSA revolution of 1986, President Corazon C.
Aquino restored the pre-martial law specifications of the National flag through Executive Order
No. 292, s. 1987, yet again in accordance with Commonwealth regulations. Under her term, the
Philippine Senate rejected the Bases Treaty with the United States, thus putting an end to more
than 90 years of American military presence in the Philippines—in particular, the sprawling
naval base in Subic Bay and the Clark Airfield in Pampanga. As the American flag was lowered
in these areas, it marked the last time a foreign flag would fly in Philippine territory.

Commonwealth regulations were maintained until 1998, when Republic Act. No. 8491 or the
“Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines” was enacted, changing the shade of blue once again
from navy to royal, viewed as a suitable historical compromise to settle earlier debates. These
are the specifications in use today.

1998 – present
List of Municipalities, Towns and Cities in Nueva Ecija

Nueva Ecijas a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its
capital is the city of Palayan. The province is nationally known as the Rice Granary of the
Philippines, producing the largest rice yield in the country.

 Aliaga 3111
 Bongabon 3128
 Cabanatuan City 3100
 Cabiao 3107
 Carrangalan 3123
 Central Luzon State University 3120
 Cuyapo 3117
 Fort Magsaysay 3130
 Gabaldon 3131
 Gapan 3105
 Gen. M. Natividad 3125
 Gen. Tinio 3104
 Guimba 3115
 Jaen 3109
 Laur 3129
 Licab 3112
 Llanera 3126
 Lupao 3122
 Muñoz 3119
 Nampicuan 3116
 Palayan City 3132
 Pantabangan 3124
 Peñaranda 3103
 Quezon 3113
 Rizal 3127
 San Antonio 3108
 San Isidro 3106
 San Jose City 3121
  San Leonardo 3102
 Sta. Rosa 3101
 Sto. Domingo 3133
 Talavera 3114
 Talugtog 3118
 Zaragoza 3110

Gapan
Gapan is nicknamed the "Footwear Capital of the North", and it is an inseparable part of the Rice
Granary of the Philippines.
Old records called the town Ibon.[citation needed] Gapan was founded by the Spanish curates
and officials who, in their early occupation, exercised great influence over the people and the things
they were doing. History places Gapan as one of the first towns of Pampanga founded sometime in the
middle part of the sixteenth century. Records of the first Catholic mission to the far east indicated that
in 1595, Fathers Contres Tendilla, Caballo and Salazar were responsible for clearing the forest which
later became a pueblo. In this pueblo, a church, presedencia and residential houses made of bricks and
lime were constructed, now the age-old landmarks of the city.

Its foundation in 1595 makes Gapan the oldest town in Nueva Ecija and one of the oldest in the
Philippines. It was likewise a big pueblo embracing an area as far as Cabanatuan City in the north, which
was its barrio with the name Cabanatuan before it separated in 1750: the Sierra Madres in the East, San
Miguel, Bulacan in the south and Candaba, Pampanga in the West. Gradually as the Spanish power
waned and economic progress caught up in the area, the pueblo disintegrated into many pueblos until it
remained to comprise only the towns of Peñaranda, General Tinio and San Leonardo (formerly called
Manikling) all of Nueva Ecija province. In fact the Patron Saint Divina Pastora had its origin or residence
in Barrio Callos, Peñaranda.

In 1942, the occupation by the Japanese forces in Gapan, Nueva Ecija, In 1945, entering by the
Filipino troops of the 2nd, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 25th & 26th Infantry Division of the Philippine
Commonwealth Army took Gapan together with the Novo Ecijano guerrilla resistance, Hukbalahap
Communist rebel forces and the American liberation military forces of the United States Army at the end
of World War II.

By virtue of Republic Act No. 9022 and its ratification in a plebiscite subsequently held on August
25, 2001, Gapan was converted into a component city of Nueva Ecija. Ernesto L. Natividad became the
first city mayor of Gapan.

Cabanatuan City
Cabanatuan was founded as Barrio of Gapan in 1750 and became a Municipality and
capital of La Provincia de Nueva Ecija in 1780. CabanaCabanatuan City Maptuan is the site of
the historical “Plaza Lucero” and the Cabanatuan Cathedral, where General Antonio Luna was
ambushed on his way to Palanan. Cabanatuan lost the title of provincial capital in 1850 when
the capital of Nueva Ecija was moved to San Isidro, another historic town. It was only in 1917,
when the Administrative code was enacted, that Cabanatuan was restored as capital of the
Province. However, in 1965, Congress created Palayan City, which has been the capital ever
since.

During World War II, the occupying Japanese built Cabanatuan Prison Camp, where
many American soldiers were imprisoned, some of whom had been forced to endure the
infamous Bataan Death March. In January 1945, elements of the U.S. Army 6th Ranger Battalion
marched 30 miles (48 km) behind enemy lines to rescue the prisoners in what became known
as the Raid at Cabanatuan. As a result of the raid, on January 30, 1945, victorious Filipino
guerrillas and American troops of the U.S. Army 6th Ranger Battalion celebrated having
obtained the freedom of 500 American POWs.

Palayan City
Palayan City was just a Government Stock Farm before it was named on its present
name. It was within Laur and Bongabon. The city was one of the 6 cities of the Philippines
(namely Manila, Baguio, Quezon City, Trece Martires, Island Garden City of Samal, and Palayan)
whose creation was specifically planned by the local leaders and approved by the Congress.
It was on March 25, 1952 that the leaders of Nueva Ecija comprising of congressman,
board members and all mayors of Nueva Ecija called a meeting with the desire to talk and plan
about the transfer of the capital of Nueva Ecija from Cabanatuan to other municipality. There
are several locations suggested, some of which are Gapan, San Jose, Santa Rosa, Guimba,
Talavera, General Tinio, Baloc (present-day Santo Domingo), Muñoz, and the Government Stock
Farm (present-day Palayan City). After the meeting, the majority agreed that the Government
Stock Farm be made as the capitol site.
On June 19, 1965, congress of the Philippines enacted RA 4475 creating Palayan City as
the new capital of Nueva Ecija. While the stock farm is not virtually rice land, ”Palayan” was
chosen as its name, the province being dubbed as the Rice Granary of the region and the
country. Finally, the city government of Palayan was constituted December 5, 1965 with then
Governor Eduardo L. Joson as its Ex-Officio Mayor while the Board Members Constituted its first
City Council.

San Jose City

San Jose, years before it became a town was a wilderness, a veritable hunting ground
for wild animals by the inhabitants of its neighboring towns. The earliest inhabitants were
known as Negritos (Baluga) headed by Kapitan Danding, a Negrito convert residing in
Pinagcuartelan. These early inhabitants depended mostly on hunting and fishing for their
livelihood. Some hunters from the neighboring towns found San Jose as a good place for
settlers due to its wide and uncleared agricultural land. The first group of settlers made some
clearings (kaingin) in the outskirts of the present town.

At the early part of the American regime, peace and order were enjoyed by the
inhabitants of the town for a short period of time. In 1902, there was an uprising by an
organization named "Sta. Iglesia" headed by a notorious bandit, "Apo Ipe" (Felipe Salvador)
who hid in the environs of San Jose. The aim of this organization was the nightmare of the
town until Sgt. Gregorio Cadhit of the constabulary detachment of San Jose killed the notorious
bandit leader.
Muñoz City
Muños City was called before as Sitio Papaya. In 1886, the name was changed into
‘Muñoz’ to honor Don Francisco Muñoz, the province’s alcalde mayor, and the community’s
first appointed gobernadorcillo. Muñoz was annexed as a barrio of San Juan de Guimba
municipality. Settlers trickled in from Bulacan and the Ilocos Region. In 1911, Factoria (now San
Isidro town), the provincial capital, was totally flooded. Muñoz was then considered a possible
new capital of the province.
At about the same time, the people of Barrios Muñoz and San Antonio, also in San
Juan de Guimba town, and Palusapis in Sto. Domingo municipality, together with Sitios
Kabisukulan, Rang-ayan, Mataas na Lupa, Siniguelas, Purok Agrikultura, and Pulong Maragul in
Talavera town, were organizing themselves to be separated from their three respective
municipalities to become a new independent municipality. They were prepared to construct a
municipal hall and a school building for the emerging town.
In July 1992 with the administration of Engineer Efren L. Alvarez, Muñoz municipality
he envisioned the total development and transformation of the place into a center of Science
and Technology, trade commerce and Agro-Industry. Eventually the place was declared as
Muñoz Science Community by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on
September 3, 1993 due to its emerging science and art, research facilities.

Then on June 1995, the master plan of Muñoz Science Community was finalized. The
author of the said plan was Dr. Rodolfo C. Undan, the current President of CLSU. President Fidel
V. Ramos visited Muñoz on April 15, 1997 and publicly announced his support and approval for
the creation of Muñoz Science City.

Aliaga

History has it that Aliaga was originally called “Pulong Bibit” because it was a
dumping place for human skeletons. Upon its establishment as a town in February 8, 1849 it
was name after Aliaga, a town in Spain and the birth place of its first governadorcillo, Don
Aniceto Ferry. With Ilocanos as its first inhabitants, Aliaga was one of the most beautiful and
progressive town in Nueva Ecija during Spanish regime. The town of Zaragoza, Quezon, and
Licab were formerly barrios of Aliaga, It had fine roads, long lines of bazaars, an imposing
Catholic Church, a beautiful public plaza etc. For this reason, it earn the name “Maynilang
Munti” (little Manila). But in 1873, during the administration of Governadorcillo Don Anastacio
Dimaliwat, there occurred an unusual strong typhoon followed by a big flood that wrought to
building, roads, bridges, farm crops, etc. In 1878, Don Alejandro Santiago was then the
Governadorcillo, the river which served as drainage of town was closed by frequent floods. As a
sad result, the water changed its course. It flooded the town year in and out. Because of the
annual floods Aliaga came to be known as the “Venice of Nueva Ecija”. After the flood, the sand
and dust in the street was almost knee deep. Hence, the name Sahara Desert of the
Philippines". The floods deposited several inches of mountain soil to the town each year, so
much that the buildings were gradually buried.

Bongabon
Looking back at History, before the creation of the province of Nueva Ecija in 1705,
Bongabon was part of the province of Pampanga.
During the seventeenth century, 1637 to 1700, the Augustinian missionaries were
given the task of establishing missions to bring the Catholic Faith to the people of central and
Northern Luzon from Manila to the Pacific coasts. They followed the routes to these part of
Luzon along the Pampanga and Santor Rivers. ( Santor is at present a barrio of Bongabon). The
Missionaries followed the route along the river banks from Bacolor, to Sexmoan, Macabebe,
Arayat, Gapan and Santor. In 1638. Fray Gaspar Lopez an eminent orator, was brought to a
mission of the Augustinian in Santor and Gapang in 1641. Finding Santor to be an ideal site for
the headquarters of the missions, they constructed a church and convent in the place. From
this base, the missionaries worked for the conversion of the people of Gapang (Gapan),
Pantabangan and Baler. In 1700, the missions were quite successful and they established the
village of Bongabon which was three kilometers from Santor.
Bongabon was quite populous and it was not long after that it became municipality
making Santor one of its barrios. In 1760 and the Parish Patron become Saint Francis of Assisi.
Years Later, it became the Capital of Nueva Ecija.
At this age of pre-stressed concrete structures and the pre-fabricated buildings, still
some brick houses and brick wall yards are a common sight in Bongabon. They are the mute
testimonies of the glorious past.
Basic information. Bongabon is chiefly an Agricultural town. Its soil is fertile and
mostly sandy loam. It is very much suited to rice, corn, onions, cabbage, pechay and other
vegetables. Asides from rice and corn, vegetables like onions, cabbage and pechay are raised in
large commercial scale and sold in Manila and neighboring provinces. Bongabon onions and
cabbage are well known in the in the markets of Metro Manila. The GMTFM (Greater Manila
Trade and Food Market) has station in Bongabon which helps the farmers sell their products at
good price.
Poultry and Swine raising are also engaged in by many residents of the municipality,
they stock raised are also sold in Cabanatuan City and Manila.

Cabiao
Derived its name from its vandalized Malay origin kabyawan (gilingan[same Malay
meaning]) in previous Malay form: karyawan- meaning writer at present) meaning grinding
tools that used for crushing. The abundance of sugar during the pre-Spanish era is evident in a
wide area of kabyaw including the area going to the foot of Mount Arayat. The kabyawan
became familiar to the neighboring places due to the concentration of kabyawan in the place
where it was located and was identified as Kabyawan and later shortened to "Kabyaw" and
eventually altered the spelling due to the influence of the foreign alphabet letters. The used of
kabyawan then is prevalent among the natives constituting mainly the ancient tribes of tagalogs
that hails from Bulacan and capampangan of which they came in waves of migration from
mainland Malay origin as evident from their language similarity. The Kabyawan tools might
have been brought by the exploring Malays and later improved by the natives settling in the
island of Luzon however there are findings that most of the antiquated wooden kabyawan tools
at present can be found in Ilocos where the early Sumatran and Melanesian explorers had
embarked earlier than the Malays. Similarly, during that period, the natives of the mountain
province whose origin is from mainland China might have been the one responsible in
introducing the said crushing tools which we know now as the KABYAWAN. The settlement that
has been known as Sinipit, Plasinan, Pantalan, Pinaglamoan, Kandumpa, Kambabalo, Longalong,
Mayayade, Tinalan, Makabaklay, Saklang and Palanas were words and terms taken from Malay
and the tribal dialect in existence during that period. Cabiao as termed today was a just
balangay of the once prosperous of empire of the campampangan settlement named Candaba,
as it was discovered by the exploring Spanish conquistadores in 1590. The visita of Cabiao was
perhaps established somewhere between 1765 and 1767 by the Jesuit Missionary before they
were sent back to Spain under the order of King Charles III of Spain to recall all the Society of
Jesus religious order to return to Spain thereby banishing them from all the Spanish dominions.
Cabiao gain its full township of Pampanga in 1797 under the term of Governor General Rafael
Maria de Aguilar y Ponce de Leon* with the recommendation of the returning order of the
Augustinian in the Province of Pampanga and elevates the Visita of St. John Nepomucene that
was established by the Jesuits into a regular Parish Church. It was established as one of the
municipality of Nueva Ecija in February 9, 1848 upon the order issued by Governor General
Narciso Claveria Y Zaldua and upon the recommendation made by the Governor General
Marcelino Oraa. The growth of Cabiao during that time maybe attributed to its vast marsh and
inland water that serves as inland fishery of the area. The Poblacion comprising the three pillars
of Spanish governance of the Spaniard namely the Casa Municipal, Casa dela Iglesia and Casa
Judicial were erected in 1838 under the term of Don Josef Kabigting as the Gobernadorcillo (the
present location of the church, the central school and the intervening residential area between
the central school and the church).
The desire of the populace of Cabiao to be free from Spanish domination and tyranny
resulted in the uprising in September 2, 1896. Numbering around 700 men (461 listed in the
Tablet of Heroes in the Municipal Compound), the townsfolk of Cabiao and the Cabiao Brass
Band under the leadership of their Capitan Municipal Mariano Nuñez Llanera together with the
people of the neighboring towns of Arayat, Deliquente (San Antonio) & Jaen led the siege
against the colonizing Spaniards stationed at the Factoria of San Isidro. This event was marked
as the First Cry of Nueva Ecija. It did not take too long that the Spanish Colonial Government,
succumbed to cede the Archipelago of Philippines to the United States on December 10, 1898
that brought about the Treaty of Paris, and once again the Philippines was under colonial rule
this time by the American. In the last days of the Spanish occupation, the Cabiao heroes
participated in the declaration of Philippine Republic in Malolos on January 23, 1899. During the
Philippine–American War, Cabiao was one of the fiercely battled terrains of the American
forces in pursuit of General Aguinaldo’s Forces however most of the populated areas of Cabiao
have been saved from the encounter. General Pio del Pilar hold out in the marshes of San
Vicente and Sta. Rita to delay the intruding Forces of General Elwell Stephen Otis under the
command of General Henry Ware Lawton.
In 1903, the Americans established schools in Cabiao and used the English language
as a medium of instructions. Pedro Oreta was elected as the first chief executive of the town
under American civil regime followed by the then Mun. President Jose Crespo who established
and organized the Presidencia (township hierarchy and organizational plan) constituting the
different executive department of the municipality. American occupation in Cabiao has not
been as cruel as their Spanish predecessor, however, the people of Cabiao were already afraid
to trust the new colonizer. Thomasites missionaries arrive in Cabiao in the early part of 1902 as
a part of educating the people of Cabiao and in 1903, the Americans established schools in
Cabiao and used the English Language as the medium of instruction. Some rural folks used to
study individually in the Spanish methods of learning on arithmetic and reading in their native
tongue Tagalog. From 1907-1909, Cabiao was placed under jurisdiction of San Isidro and the
executive power was then held by the Municipal President of San Isidro. It was in the term of
Office of Municipal President Gonzalo Del Leon that the seat of Municipal Town Hall was
erected on the land donated by the Romero family. It was during the term of Jose Lapuz that
Judge Bonifacio Ysip was elected as delegate to the constitutional convention held in Manila.
 After almost three decades of peace, Japan invaded the Philippines, and the people
of Cabiao once again play an important role in the liberation of our country, HUKBALAHAP
(Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon) or People’s Anti-Japanese Army, was then established in Sitio
Bawit,San Julian, Cabiao on March 29, 1942. When the Allies between the combined U.S. and
Filipino troops finally liberated the Philippines and as soon as the Central Government was
established in Manila, Mariano Guevarra was appointed Mayor of Cabiao. He was the chief
executive of the town in 1945. Prudencio Ortiz Luis succeeded Guevarra who occupies the
position for only a few months. In the later part of 1945 after the liberation, most of the people
of Cabiao were still in the far flung areas of Cambabalu, Saclang Capampangan, Saclang Tagalog
and Dumanas and it was during this time that the mayor of this town has been appointed by
the late President Manuel Roxas by the name of Ambrosio Aligada. He was appointed as the
Chief Executive of the town from 1945-1947. The town of Cabiao was placed under the military
government under Pablo Aligada. It was also during the time of Aligada that the Sitio of
Palasinan (Presently San Gregorio) comprising the property owned by Don Ramon Fernandez
were repopulated by the people coming from said the places whereas the area of Bagong Silang
were repopulate by the people coming from Buliran, Guyong-guyong, Luyos of which most of
them are Tagalogs. The people of Cabiao were governed by Aligada through coercive and
dictatorial rule that is being manifested by the force labor construction of the Cabiao High
School which is the monumental relic of his tenure. Isaias Manalastas seated as the progressive
mayor through the support HUKBALAHAPs that during that time is at its height from which they
fielded their party named Prente Popular however it did not last long due to the suspicion of
the military of an imminent grabbing of power where these party is the political front of the
Huks. Nieves Pablo, a woman, was the fourth appointed mayor in that same year.

Cuyapo
Cuyapo comes from the Pangasinan word “kuyapo”, “kiapo” or “quiapo” in Tagalog;
“lul-luan”, in Ilocano; (Pistia stratiotes), a water plant that looks like a flower. According to the
Kulantong, or Cronologia written by Cirilo R. Sumangil, a native of Cuyapo, who, for over forty
years, was the Parish Priest of the Philippine Independent Church of Cuyapo. Said aquatic plant
was so abundant particularly in a place which is now owned by the Monteros, situated along
Rizal Street near the Municipal Cemetery. It was at this place that lured cow tenders from
Paniqui, Tarlac to pasture their herds or flocks.
Pangasinenses from Paniqui, Tarlac who used to pasture their cattle, foresters from
Sta. Maria, Narvacan, Ilocos Sur; Paoay and Batac in Ilocos Norte; and Pangasinenses from
Calasiao and San Carlos, Pangasinan, settled in great number in the town. It is said that the
exodus, particularly from Ilocos Sur, was due to the forced labor enforced by the Spaniards in
the construction of the Catholic Church in Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur. Cuyapo was declared a Barrio
of Rosales on September 25, 1849, with Senior Santiago Vergara as its first Teniente del Barrio.
Rosales was then a part of Nueva Ecija. It was in 1901 during the American Civil Commission
that Rosales, together with Balungao, Umingan, San Quintin, were segregated from Nueva Ecija
and became parts of Pangasinan.
On October 29, 1859, Cuyapo was separated from Rosales, Pangasinan and made a
full-fledged town with Don Juan Pangalilingan as the first Gobernadorcillo. It was during his
term that the first Catholic Church and convent was constructed. The old road to Guimba,
passing through what is now Barangay Maycaban was constructed. On October 29, 1959,
Cuyapo celebrated the centennial of its creation as a town.

Gabaldon
Gabaldon was the site of the Sabani estate, the largest hacienda in Nueva Ecija during
the second half of the 19th century, with 3,000 heads of cattle and occupying more than 6,000
hectares. The entire area was then part of the township of Laur. In 1950, the barrios of Bitulok,
Bantug, Bitulok Saw Mill, Cuyapa, Macasandal, Pantok, Calumpang, Malinao, Tagumpay,
Bugnan, Bagong Sicat, Ligaya, Calabasa, Bateria and Pintong Bagting, then belonging to the
town of Laur, were separated to constitute the new town of Bitulok. The name was later
changed from Bitulok to Sabani. Finally, through Republic Act 1318, approved June 16, 1955, its
name was changed from Sabani to Gabaldon.

General Natividad
In 1957, the barrios of Mataas na Kahoy, Balangkare Norte, Balangkare Sur, Sapang
Kawayan, Magasawang Sampaloc, Talabutab Norte, Talabutab Sur, Platero, Belen, Pecaleon,
Piñahan, Kabulihan, Pasong-Hari, Balaring, Pulong Singkamas, Panaksak, Bravo, Sapang Bato,
Burol, Miller, Tila Patio, Pula, Carinay, and Acacia, in the City of Cabanatuan separated from the
said city and constituted into a separate and independent municipality known as General
Mamerto Natividad.

General Tinio
According to the story passed on from one generation to another, the town got its
name because of miscommunication between the natives and the Spanish colonizers. A native
settler when asked by a Spanish soldier "Llama el pueblo?" replied "Papaya" referring to the
particular fruit tree growing abundantly in the place (not understanding the Spanish language).
The name stuck to the Spanish colonizers and the place from then on was called "Papaya".
Papaya was a sitio of Bo. Mapisong which was then a barrio of Gapan (now Gapan City).
Bo. Mapisong became a town in 1851 changing its name to Peñaranda after a Spanish engineer
Jose Maria Peñaranda. Papaya became one of its barangays. Papaya became a town on January
1, 1921, through the collaborative efforts of Capitan Mamerto Padolina who was then the
Secretary of the Governor of the Province, Judge Segundo Bernardo and Francisco Padolina.
Congressman Celestino Juan sponsored a congressional act changing the name of
Papaya to General Tinio in honor of General Manuel Tinio, a noble and prominent revolutionary
leader against the Spaniards who hailed from the Nueva Ecija. The act was signed into law on
June 20, 1957 as Republic Act No. 1665.[4] The new name of the town was inaugurated days
later, on August 19, 1957.
Recently, the municipal council approved a resolution to rename the town back to its
original name, "Papaya".

Guimba
What is now the town of Guimba was once a vast ecological rainforest which was part
of the Central Luzon Rainforest during precolonial time, before the arrival of the Spanish. The
area is believed to be inhabited by no permanent communities, rather, it is inhabited by hunter-
gatherer societies, mainly Ilonggots. The area was once part of the huge territory that the
Empire of Tondo, with its capital in a much forested Manila. In the collapse of the Empire of
Tondo after the subjugaton of Brunei, the area was transitioned into a free zone once again,
where hunter-gatherers abounded. The area is also believed to once have been visited by
migrating Aetas, Cordillerans, Ilokanos, and Ilonggots.
The first Ilocano settlers, arriving in wooden carts and horsebacks, cleared the thick
forests and planted the first rice seeds in February 20, 1865, according to an old and brownish
record found by Guimba's former Parish priest, Rev. Agustin "Gus" Polong, MSC. They called the
area 'San Juan de Guimba' in honor of the patron saint the settlers brought from Ilocos, San
Juan, and combined it with the pot-making industry called 'gebba' which they used to do in the
old land. Since then, rice became the primary agricultural crop in the area. Due to this, it
became the province of Nueva Ecija's traditional top rice-producing area in the 20th century.
More settlers arrived mostly from the old towns of Bacarra, Paoay, and Candon of the
Ilocos provinces. Among the families who came were the Galapons, Mateos, Cudals, Padres,
Cayogs, Romanos, Silvestres, Capinpuyans, Batangans, Faigals, Ramoses, Sumawangs, and
Catabonas. What would be the town of Guimba is a relatively organized community when the
Spanish colonialists arrived and appointed Don Luis De Ocampo as the first Gobernadorcillo,
and later, Don Pablo Ramos and Santiago Cudal.
The Spanish left and the Americans came and in 1912, the town's name was abbreviated
to Guimba with Don Alfonso Faigal as the first Alcalde Mayor. St. John the Evangelist though
remains to be its patron saint. The first municipal hall was also built during this year in what is
now known as Faigal Street. The Plaza Municipal evolved and what will become the public
market started its commerce.
 A foot bridge was constructed during the administration of the late Agustin Vigilia,
Alcalde Mayor. This foot bridge was constructed across the Binituran River leading to the
northern barrios like San Andres, Balbalino, Gueset, Baybayabas, Cinence, Nangabulan to
barangay Talugtug from the Parairo Street.

Jaen
During the Spanish Era, the municipality was only a component barrio of Gapan.
When San Isidro became a town and was separated from Gapan, the town and San Antonio
became one of its component barrios. When San Antonio itself became a town, the area was
still its component barrio called San Agustin. By 1865, Jaen was known by its old name "Ibayong
Ilog", and because there were many people in the river port in what is now Barangay Langla,
the town became a centre for trade.
When the place improved and its population grew to no less than 5,000 people, it
became a town through a petition filed by the inhabitants through the initiative of two early
leaders, Kabesang Prudencio Esquivel and Kapitan Antonio Embuscado. On June 18, 1865, Jaen
itself partitioned from San Antonio, and retained Saint Augustine of Hippo as its patron saint.
The Spanish officials signed the papers granting the petition that "Ibayong Ilog" be a town in
Factoria (now San Isidro) which was then the capital of Nueva Ecija. The declaration was
brought to Governor-General Juan de Lara e Irigoyen in Manila, and afterwards was submitted
to the Vice-General of the Philippines in the person of Rev Gregorio Martínez. Father Martínez
marked the document as approved but later wrote in his own wish that the name "Ibayong
Ilog" be changed to the name of his birthplace of Jaén, Spain.
In coordination with Rev Estanislao B. Moso, Kabesang Prudencio and Kapitan Antonio
led the establishment of the first Catholic church (the present-day parish church). Jaen is in
Central Luzon, in the southern part of Nueva Ecija. About 100 km from Manila via the old
Cagayan Valley Road, the town has other road networks connecting it to Nueva Viscaya,
Isabela, Pampanga, Olangapo and Bataan. In the olden days, Pampanga River was once the only
and the fastest way of transportation in going to Manila and other places.
On August 24, 1896, its people revolted against the Spaniards and in September of the
same year, armed with bolos and spears, ambushed and killed forty Spanish soldiers in
Lumanas (now a Sitio of Barangay Sto. Tomas South). This successful attack made Lumanas a
historical site called "Pinagtambangan", where a marker was erected in memory of the event.

Licab
Formerly a “sitio” and part of the town of Aliaga, known as “Pulong Samat”. It was a
vast, forested unoccupied area surrounded by rivers wherein thirty families composed of
Ilocanos, Tagalog and Kapampangan. In 1853, the group of Don Dalmacio with his brother
came and settled in this area.
 Led by Don Dalmacio, his brothers and the rest of the residents toiled to scrape off the
flowing thick leaves, grasses and trees, cleared the place using hoes, ax, and bolos. The place
became productive of fruits and vegetables.
As the town progresses and population increases, Don Dalmacio organized “GUNGLO”,
a group which served as council or government of Pulong Samat. This group started changing
the name of this barrio into “LICAB” after an Ilocano saying; “Nagsayaat ti pagay, kaskada
“AGLIKKAB” iti panag-ani ti pagay da”. Due to the very rich fertile soil that made an abundance
of harvest of palay and vegetables that this saying became a byword of the residents.
Year 1882 when a committee was formed under the leadership of Don Dalmacio whom
together with leaders of Sta. Maria, Licab, Bantog and different “sitios” filed a petition to Civil
Administration to grant them the establishment of a new town independent from Aliaga.
Ten years later, after the conditions given by Spanish Government in the Philippines have been
met by the petitioners, in the incumbency of Governor General Ramon Blanco, the petition was
approved and Licab became a town on March 28, 1894.
On March 28, 2008, Licab celebrated it’s 114th Foundation Anniversary. As a fitting
tribute to Founding Father a historical seremony and a heroes reinternment took place. The
remains of Don Dalmacio were transferred from the former site of the First Catholic Church to
the foot of its monument in Liwasang Dalmacio which Mayor Willy S. Domingo caused to be
built.

Llanera
During World War II, the local military establishment of the main general headquarters
and main camp base of the Philippine Commonwealth Army was active from 1942 to 1945 and
the 2nd Constabulary Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary was founding again on 1944 to
1946 and they military stationed at the town of Llanera. From the engagements of all clearing
operations of the Anti-Japanese Imperial Military Operations in Central Luzon included the
province of Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Bulacan, Zambales and Northern Tayabas (now.
Aurora) on 1942 to 1945 and anding various guerrilla groups and the American liberation forces
of the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Air Forces and fought against the Japanese Imperial forces.

Lupao
During the Spanish rule, the territorial jurisdiction of the province of Nueva Ecija
extended to as far south at Cabiao and the towns of San Quintin, Rosales, Balungao and
(H)umingan in the north, which later on formed part of the province of Pangasinan. Lupao was
a component barrio of Umingan. It remained so until 1871 when some residents led by a Señor
Calderon petitioned the Governor General for the segregation of Lupao as a barrio of Umingan
and the eventual creation of Lupao as “Tenencia Absoluta” to be headed by a Teniente
Absoluto. On September 28, 1871, the Govierno Superior Civil de Filipinas decreed the creation
of Lupao as Tenencia Absoluta. It signified the formal segregation as barrio and the eventual
creation as “pueblo” of the province of Nueva Ecija. Under the Spanish rule, a pueblo is created
through the Laws of the Indies and represented a local government unit. The pueblo was an
agency of the Central Government.
Salvacion was the first barrio of Lupao. Its initial territory also included Barrio Cabaritan
now known as San Jose City. Barangay San Roque was known as Odiao and San Isidro as
Macaniaoed. Among the first leaders of the municipality during the twilight years of Spanish
Rule were Benito Romualdo as “Capitan Municipal” and Celestino Jabalde as ‘Juez de Paz”.
In 1898, soon after the Treaty of Paris (1898) was signed and the payment of 20 million
pesetas for the possession of the Philippines, the United States Military Government (USMG)
issued General Order No. 43 proclaiming the establishment of municipal governments. The
Second Philippine Commission (the Taft Commission) acting as the upper house of a bicameral
legislature then issued Act No.82 in 1901, “The 1901 municipal code” provided for popularly
elected presidents (mayor), vice presidents (vice mayor), and councilors to serve on municipal
boards.
It was only in 1913 that Lupao became a town mainly through the concerted efforts of
Gen. Manuel Tinio and Assemblyman Isauro Gabaldon of the Philippine Assembly (lower
house). Its founding fathers were Victoriano Joanino, Calixto Laureta, Felix Carpio, Juan Briones,
Anacleto Ganareal, Luis Mamaligsa, Gregorio Babagay, Sicto Baclig, Remigio Blas Caoile and
Candido Mata.
During the Second World War, Japanese Imperial forces was occupied and entering the
invaded the towns of Lupao in 1942.
In 1945, the combined U.S. and Philippine Commonwealth military ground troops was
liberated and re-invasion the towns at Lupao and defeats Japanese Imperial forces started the
Battle of Lupao and ended World War II. The established of the main headquarters of the
Philippine Commonwealth Army and United States Army was active on 1945 to 1946 and
stationed in Lupao, Nueva Ecija after the Battle of Lupao on 1945 between the Japanese and
the combined Filipino-American troops.

Pantabangan
The place was discovered on November 30, 1645, by Fr. Juan Alonzo de Abarca, an
Augustinian priest who with the 29th Spanish mission in the Philippines.
The village grew into a settlement and was officially included in the map of the
Philippines in 1747. In 1900, Pantabangan formally became a town.
In early 16th to 17th centuries, the “Id-dules” (Aetas or Baluga) and Egongots (Ilongots)
tribe inhabited the southern Sierra Madre and Caraballo Mountains. Based on Mr. Elito V. Circa,
a folk visual artist and a writer who wrote most of the Pantabangan-Egongot arts and culture
and interviewed some of the Egongot chieftains from Aurora province. He discovered that
Pantabangan (Pantabanganan in early 18th century) came from the root Ilongot word
"Sabangan or Sabanganan" that means "junction of water streams". It was learned that most of
the places in Central Luzon were derived from Ilongot word like Caanaoan, Puncan, Cadanglaan
(now Carranglan), Kabaritan (Now San Jose City) and others. Bungamong (Bongabon) and
Cadanglaan was formerly sitio of Pantabangan and Kabaritan also part of Pantabangan.
When the Second World War broke out, Japanese Imperial forces occupied the town
municipality of Pantabangan in 1942 under the Japanese Occupation. During the Liberation,
combined military forces of the Filipino troops under the Philippine Commonwealth Army and
Philippine Constabulary units and the American troops of the United States Army and the U.S.
Army Air Forces came, invaded and recaptured the town of Pantabangan and defeated
Japanese soldiers in the Battle of Pantabangan and ended World War II.

Peñaranda
The area was originally called Mapisong, and it was a part of the municipality of Gapan.
The area was organized into a municipality by José Maria Peñaranda, a Spanish engineer, and
subsequently named after him.
Peñaranda was once known for its high quality crop called ikmo, a plant used by older
Filipinos as a chewing substance. Recently however, the crop is on the brink of extinction. Rice
remains a flourishing farm produce.
In 2012, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the ICHCAP of
UNESCO published Pinagmulan: Enumeration from the Philippine Inventory of Intangible
Cultural Heritage. The first edition of the UNESCO-backed book included Nueva Ecija's Arakyo,
signifying its great importance to Philippine intangible cultural heritage. The local government
of Nueva Ecija, in coopration with the NCCA, is given the right to nominate the Arakyo in the
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.

Rizal
Historically, two groups were known to have settled in the area. The main group consisted
entirely of the pioneer-settlers who were Ilocanos, while others, who arrived later, were of
different tribes with different dialects. They merged and formed a new neighborhood, originally
called Bunobon after the bunobon seedlings that thrived in the soil. It became a sitio of
Cabucbucan under the jurisdiction of Bongabon municipality.
In 1904, sitio Bunobon became a barrio called Nazareth. Because of the steady arrival of new
settlers, a council of elders was formed. Selected as head was Apo Juliano Paraiso, one of the
eldest within the group, who headed the request to the government to convert Nazareth into
an independent town. Through the help of Governor Manuel Tinio and Assemblyman Isauro
Gabaldon, the request of the elders was approved in 1908.
On December 26, 1912 Vice Governor Newton signed the act and simultaneously issued a
proclamation creating the town of RIZAL. The town was named after Doc. Jose Rizal. On January
1, 1913, Don Julian Paraiso took his oath as the first Alcalde of the Municipality. In 1917 and
1918, the Bureau of Land surveyed the Municipality into homestead and residential lots. In
1930, Barangay Paco Roman became barrio thru the leadership of the late Mr. Florentino
Castelo, separating it from Barangay Estrella. Sometime in 1940, General Luna became a barrio
of which the area was taken from barangay Canaan and in 1954 Villa Paraiso was created into a
barrio separating it from Barangay Canaan and was named in honor of late Mayor Gaudencio V.
Paraiso.
San Antonio
The present name of the town was given in 1843 in honor of the patron saint, San Antonio
Abad, by Father Leocadio Luis, the first priest of the town. Before its organization and
recognition as a town by means of a decree promulgated during the Spanish regime, this was a
barangay of Gapan and was known as Barrio Delinquente.
San Antonio was previously called as the barrio of Delinquente as old residents claimed that the
name Delinquente originated by the sinking of a Casco (big boat / banca ) fully loaded with
palay in Pampanga River.
It was partitioned from the town of Gapan in 1843 by the order of Governor General Marcelino
Oraa, along with the town of San Isidro. The movement of the separation of Barrio Delinquente
from the town of Gapan, and its organization as an independent municipality that was ignited in
1839.The petition of the residents of Barrio Delinquente was finally approved in November
1842 but the definite separation from the town of Gapan took place in 1843.
It is bounded by the towns of Jaen to its eastern side, Zaragosa is to the north, Cabiao and San
Isidro, and Concepcion in the Province of Tarlac is at its western border. From Manila the
popular route going to San Antonio is via the North Luzon Expressway(NLEX), exiting at San
Simon and head on to Jose Abad Santos Avenue turning right towards Arayat, Pampanga.
Reaching the town of San Isidro, turn left to the road leading to San Antonio. The other route is
to exit the NLEX at Santa Rita and traverse the Pan-Philippine Highway across the length of the
Province of Bulacan up to Gapan City in Nueva ecija and turning left on the Gapan-Olongapo
Road.

San Isidro
San Isidro was the capital of Nueva Ecija from 1852 to 1912. In 1896, the first cry against the
Spanish colonial government was made. 2,000 revolutionaries under General Mariano Llanera
sieged San Isidro.
In March 29, 1899, General Emilio Aguinaldo declared San Isidro as the capital of the
Philippines after the revolutionary capital Malolos, Bulacan was captured by the Americans;
this, however, was short-lived. It was also in San Isidro that General Frederick Funston planned
the capture of Aguinaldo to end the Philippine-American War. San Isidro Central School
The Wright Institute, established in 1903 in San Isidro, was the first high school established
outside Manila during the American period.
The town was occupied by Japanese troops in 1942, during the second world war. The
combined U.S. and Philippine Commonwealth ground forces liberated San Isidro and defeated
the Japanese forces in 1945 during the end of the war.
San Leonardo
During World War II, Japanese Occupation forces entered San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija on
1942 during the Japanese Invasion and Occupation. Novo Ecijano and Hukbalahap Communist
guerrilla resistance groups from 1942 to 1944 in San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija for the sieges and
invasions to attack the Japanese Imperial forces was found retreated and before the liberation
on 1945 from the Allied troops.
On January to April 1945, the joint and combined military force of Filipino soldiers and
officers under the Philippine Commonwealth Army and Philippine Constabulary units and the
American soldiers and officers under the United States Army units was recaptured and they
liberated the town municipality of San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija and they helped the Novo Ecijano
and Hukbalahap Communist resistance groups and defeat the Japanese soldiers and officers
under the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces and the Makapili soldiers and begins the Battle of
San Leonardo and the Battle of Gapan between the Japanese and the combined American and
Philippine Commonwealth troops on January to April 1945 and ended World War II.

Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa, according to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, was
founded as a municipality on August 1, 1878 through a Spanish decree. In his letter dated
March 9, 2017, NHCP OIC-Chairman Rene Escalante said the Spanish decree was retrieved from
the Archivo Historico Nacional in Madrid, Spain and is entitled "Creacion de un pueblo civil
formado por al barrio de Sta. Rosa en la provincia de Nueva Ecija".
In his book, "Nueva Ecija: 1896-1946", Cesar Baroman wrote that Santa Rosa was a mere
"bisita" of Cabanatuan before while Cabanatuan was a "barrio" of Gapan.
During the American occupation, the Philippine Commission enacted Act. Number 933
("An Act reducing the 23 municipalities of the province of Nueva Ecija to fifteen") on October 8,
1903 which merged Santa Rosa with Cabanatuan.
In 1907, Act Number 1687 ("An Act to increase the number of municipalities in the
province of Nueva Ecija from 14 to 15, by separating from Cabanatuan the former municipality
of Santa Rosa, reconstituting the latter as a municipality, and giving to each the territory it
comprised prior to the passage of Act 933") was enacted by the Philippine Commission which
separated Santa Rosa from Cabanatuan. According to Act #1687, the Municipal President would
receive P400 per year while the Municipal Treasurer would get a salary of P300/year.
Santo Domingo
During the last quarter of the 17th century, Ilocos and Bulacan natives migrated to Sto.
Domingo. They found in the settlement buri palms. Therefore, these people called the site,
Pulong Buli. Sto. Domingo de Guzman became their Patron saint. The settlement became a
Municipio but was later demoted to a mere barangay of Talavera, Nueva Ecija in 1903. It was
later reverted to the political status of Municipality. The Alejos, Juans, Samatras, Salamancas,
Andreses, Pascuals and Tomases were the descendants of the founders of the town.
During the Japanese Occupation from 1942 to 1945, various local guerrillas and
Hukbalahap communist groups fought side by side at Santo Domingo, aided by the Filipino
soldiers of the Philippine Commonwealth Army units. Following the Allied liberation in 1945,
over 4,500 Filipino soldiers and guerrillas had been killed or wounded, and 29,000 Japanese
troops killed or captured in action.

Talavera
Present-day Talavera was formerly a barrio of Cabanatuan City. It was called “Katugian”
which means a place abundant in “Tugue,” an edible root crop.
The distance between Cabanatuan's town center and Katugian was critical during the
early phase of its development although it was only 15 kilometres (9.3 mi). The parish-curate at
that time recommended to the Spanish administrators a separate and independent
administration of Katugian.
By a royal decree issued on November 12, 1852, the plan making Katugian a town was
approved. There was no formal inauguration of the new town in accordance with the royal
decree. However, the Augustinian parish-curate of Cabanatuan, Fr. Gregorio Crisostomo,
appointed the first officials of the town by sending his co-adjutor, a certain Pedro Estanislao
Pascual, to handle the religious phase of the administration of the new town during Sundays
and Holidays only.
The first barrios that composed the new town were La Torre, Pulong Buli (Now Sto.
Domingo),Concepcion and Valle. Based on the petition presented to the Alcalde Mayor
(governor) of Nueva Ecija, forwarded to the governor general in Manila, the “Talavera of the
Crown of the Princess” was approved on February 17, 1853, by the Governor General.

Talugtug
The Municipality of Talugtug got its name from its location. It means “top”.There used
to be a Balite tree on a hill top near the Cuyapo-Muñoz trail. Under this Balite tree, travelers
and good shepherd in the good old days, used to rest, enjoying the cool moon breeze and the
beautiful view of the surrounding areas. Eventually, the people referred to the place as
“Talugtug- Balite” which later on became a barrio of the Municipality of Cuyapo in 1917. Its first
barrio lieutenant was the last Councilor Simeon Ramos. The Municipality of Cuyapo
administration built the first the school house which was later on neglected.
Zaragoza
Founded in 1878, Zaragoza was born as Bario San Vicente upon recommendation of Don
Francisco to Governor Cillos. Later, Municipal President Cirilo Acosta moved the town hall
building to the present site where the Post Office and Comelec extension offices are located.
Mayor Pascual Linsangan completed the building. Mayor Francisco Ramirez added the
Sangguniang Bayan Session Hall, with Plaza stage, fountain and fenced the site in 1971. Then
Mayor Lydia Pagaduan improved the Town Hall in 2010.