Bulacan

Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan (Tagalog: Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Metro Luzon Urban Beltway Super Region.^[1]

Etymology

The name Bulacan was named after the town Bulakan which is derived from the Tagalog word bulak, which means cotton in the English language. It is due to the abundance of cotton plant growing in the region.^[1]

Spanish colonial period

The conquest of the area comprising present-day Bulacan traces to the first years of the Spanish in the Philippines. Upon the defeat of the Macabebe and Hagonoy forces led by Bambalito in the Battle of Bangkusay on June 3, 1571, Martín de Goiti to proceeded north, first to Lubao in September 1571.^[1]

American colonial period

The Americans established a local Philippine government in the Philippines when they held the first municipal election in the country in Baliwag on May 6, 1899. At the beginning of the American rule, 1899–1900, Malolos became the headquarters of the Military Governor of the Philippines at Casa Real. On February 27, 1901, the Philippine Commission officially transferred the seat of government to Malolos, and the Casa Real de Malolos was the seat of the Provincial Governor from 1900 to 1930 until the completion of the capitol building at Guinhawa, Malolos.^[1]

Japanese occupation

In 1942, at the height of World War II, the Japanese Imperial Army occupied Bulacan and made Casa Real de Malolos its headquarters. In 1945, combined Filipino and American forces and local guerrillas attacked the Japanese Imperial Forces and liberated Bulacan.^[1]

Martial law era

The beginning months of the 1970s marked a period of turmoil and change in the Philippines, as well as in Bulacan. During his bid to be the first Philippine president to be re-elected for a second term, Ferdinand Marcos launched an unprecedented number of foreign debt-funded public works projects. This caused the Philippine economy took a sudden downwards turn known as the 1969 Philippine balance of payments crisis, which in turn led to a period of economic difficulty and a significant rise of social unrest.^[1]

Move of Valenzuela to Metro Manila

Through Presidential Decree № 824, Bulacan was partitioned on November 7, 1975, to form the National Capital Region. The municipality of Valenzuela (formerly Polo) was excised to form the new region, while the other 25 towns remained in Bulacan.^[1]

Geography

Bulacan covers a total area of 2,796.10 square kilometers (1,079.58 sq mi) occupying the southeastern section of the Central Luzon region. The province is bounded by Nueva Ecija (San Isidro, Gapan, General Tinio) on the north, Aurora (Dingalan) on the northeast, Quezon (General Nakar) on the east, Rizal (Rodriguez) on the southeast, Metro Manila (Valenzuela City, Malabon, Navotas, Caloocan and Quezon City) on the south, Manila Bay on the southwest, and Pampanga (Candaba, San Luis, Apalit, Macabebe, Masantol) on the west.^[1]

Terrain

Bulacan lies in the southern portion of the fertile plains of Central Luzon. The area is drained by the Angat and Pampanga rivers. The Sierra Madre mountain range forms the highlands of Bulacan in the east and is a protected area known as the Angat Watershed Forest Reserve.^[1]

Climate

November to April is generally dry while wet for the rest of the year. The northeast monsoon (amihan) prevails from October to January bringing in moderated and light rains. From February to April, the east trade winds predominate but the Sierra Madre (Philippines) mountain range to the east disrupts the winds resulting to a dry period.^[1]

Location

Bulacan is based in Central Luzon, Bulacan, Bulacan.^[2]

Online presence

Bulacan works in local government and places. Its website is bulacan.gov.ph.^[2]