Pampanga Overview: Ridge to Reef

Pampanga is a first class province some 84 kilometers northwest of Manila, located at the crossroads of the Central Luzon region. It is bounded by the region’s other provinces: Nueva Ecija in the north-northeast; Tarlac in the north; Zambales in the west; Bataan in the south; and Bulacan in the east.

It has a total land area of 218,068 hectares of mainly flat terrain and its active volcano, Mt. Arayat, is the only distinct mountain. The other mountainous areas are along the Pampanga-Zambales border. It has 19 municipalities and three cities. Pampanga remains agricultural with 53,644 hectares planted with rice, 11,433 hectares planted with corn and 2,622 hectares with vegetables. About 6,536 hectares are devoted to orchards while 34,466 hectares are for fishponds. The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist said the province yielded 47,921 metric tons of rice in 2013.

Pampanga has thriving cottage industries in wood carving, furniture-making, guitars, casket making, manufacture of all-purpose vehicles, and production of processed meat that has penetrated the markets of Metro Manila and other provinces. One of the municipalities in Pampanga is the town of Magalang. Magalang, officially the Municipality of Magalang, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. Magalang is part of the First Congressional District of Pampanga where Angeles City and Mabalacat City are also included. In the 2015 census, the population of Magalang, Pampanga, was 113,147 people, with a density of 1,200 inhabitants per square kilometre or 3,100 inhabitants per square mile.

Magalang is politically subdivided into 27 barangays, listed here with its population as of May 1, 2010, with total of 103,597 and 55,061 registered voters; Camias, Dolores, San Antonio, San Agustin, Navaling, La Paz, Escaler, San Francisco, San Ildefonso, San Isidro, San Jose, San Miguel, San Nicolas 1st (Pob), San Nicolas 2nd, San Pablo (Pob), San Pedro I, San Pedro II, San Roque, San Vicente, Sta. Cruz (Pob), Sta. Lucia, Sta. Maria, Sto. Nino, Sto. Rosario, Bucanan, Turu, Ayala. Magalang was mentioned as visita of nearby town of Arayat in December 29, 1598. During the tenure of Mayor Pastor Z. Guiao, Magalang was awarded as one of the cleanliest municipality in the Philippines. Mayor Maria Lourdes P. Lacson was sworn as mayor of Magalang in June 30, 2016; the first woman mayor of Magalang.

The town was also known as the “Sweet Tamarind Capital of the Philippines”. Magalang, Pampanga is nestled at the foot of the fabled Mount Arayat, this bucolic town is embarking on a serious promotion as another tourism hot spot with its heritage, cultural and ecotourism sites. The town has potential in tourism, not only as a Holy Week destination for pilgrims at “Banal na Bundok” (Holy Mountain), where the 14 Stations of the Cross are built, but also a year-round destination for tourists.

In terms of economic, the town is the sources of fingerlings (tilapia) of the fishpond owners in Pampanga, it is well known for its confectionaries (sweets) particularly the incomparable pastilla de leche, a popular item for gift-giving and a table dessert on fiestas and social gatherings. The Magalang sweets are distinct in their unique taste because of the quality of the milk from water buffalo (carabao) that feed on green grass growing on the fresh well-irrigated pastureland of the agricultural section of the town. And large amount of land is Corn or Rice Grain.

There is no ridge to reef continuum in the Municipality of Magalang, but the town has initially done a lot of researches commenced by the Local Government of Magalang and Pampanga State Agricultural University and some of these are already being started and implemented.

Lacson vowed to work on programs on health, peace and order, infrastructure, environmental protection, cleanliness, business development, arts and culture, education, protection of women and their children, senior citizens, tourism, and others. The University also introduced five research papers addressing the sustainable agriculture in the municipality which was in favor with taking care the environment. They are the Alternative Low Input Agriculture System (ALIAS): A Sustainable Agricultural System Model of PSAU-CL, Philippines, Women in Vegetable Production and Climate Change Adaptation in Magalang, Pampanga, Tropical Organic Vegetable Varieties for Organic Vegetable Gardens in Central Luzon, Utilization of ICRISAT-Bred Sweet Sorghum SPV422 as Fodder for Native Crossed Bulgarian Buffaloes, and Coffee and Native Chicken Integrated Farming System.