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1 Brief History of San Luis

The municipality of San Luis in the province of Pampanga

in the Philippines was initially created from a land area
under the original geographical jurisdiction of the town of
Santa Ana, one of the early permanent settlements in
Pampanga. Until the middle part of 17th century, San
Luis was a part of the town of Pinpin (now Sta. Ana) and
was known then by the name of “San Nicolas Cabagsac”.
“Cabagsac” is a contraction of “Cabag, bagsac” or
“bagsacan cabag” in Kapampangan meaning the place
where plenty of fruit bats are catch. The name San Nicolas
was in honor of its first parish priest, Fr. Nicolas de
Orduno.
The town of Santa Ana which was originally known as
Pinpin used to be one of the municipalities of Pampanga
with the largest land areas in the province. As new settlers
kept on migrating to the town, there was a pressure to
increase the agricultural production and to enhance the
Figure 1. Inside the St. Alloysious Gonzaga Church economic development of the community. Hence, the
town people who foresaw the economic needs of the
growing population cleared the wilderness area in the southern part of the town. These pioneers planted
rice, corn, cacao, sugar cane, vegetables, etc. The community was blessed with economic prosperity.

As the population kept on multiplying, the visionary leaders of the new community led by Jose Sugui,
Miguel Bruno Panlilio, Sebastian Tigad, Diego Mangulabnan, Lorenzo de Ocampo, Vicente de Guevara,
Mariano Dantis, Nicolas Pangilinan and Juan Mangalus Lacanilao initiated a petition to establish a new
municipality separate and independent from the town of Santa Ana. The petition was submitted to the ad
interim Spanish Governor General of the Philippines, Miguel Lino de Espeleta on January 12, 1760. The
proposed township was initially called Cabagsac (bagsacan cabag) due to the presence of numerous bats
in the local community.

On petition of the inhabitants and consequently upon the recommendation of Fiscal General Don
Sebastian Martinez and Assessor Commissioner Juan Joseph Itra, this southern section of the town was
separated from Pinpin. In February 14, 1761, by virtue of an Executive Order (EO) issued by Miguel de
Espeleta, the Spanish Governor General of the Philippine Island, the Municipality of San Luis was then
created. The previous name San Nicolas Cabgsag was then changed to San Luis, after the name of the
Patron Saint Alloysius de Gonzaga whose feast day is celebrated by the town on the 21st day of June
every year.

When there were already about three hundred taxpaying-residents who could support financially a new
municipality, the villages were reorganized into eight settlements with barrio San Isidro in the center.
Augustinian missionaries were assigned in the new settlements to take care of the spiritual needs of the
local people. About three decades later or about in 1793 the people in the central area built the now old
church and convent and was constructed under the supervision of Don Tomas Manankil. The Church is
one of the oldest and most durable edifice in the Philippines.