Bulacan

Explore Bulacan

Feel the heart and soul of the Philippines in Bulacan. Its history and tradition, its land, culture and its people. Truly a melting pot of the past and the present, the old and the new, the countryside and the urbane. Bulacan is noted as the land of heroes, beautiful women, progressive cooperatives, small and medium-scale industries. It is also known for excellent craftsmanship in making jewelries, leather crafts, buntal hats, pyrotechnics, bone in-laid furnitures and garments. Bulacan also has emerged into a reputable resort haven of Luzon. Just a few minutes north of Manila by car, Bulacan resorts provide an accessible and welcome respite from the pressures of city life.

History of Bulacan

The province’s name is derived from the Tagalog word ‘bulak’ meaning cotton, which was its former principal product. Bulacan started with small fishing settlements along the coast of Manila Bay and expanded into the interior with the arrival of the Spaniards. These settlements formed the nucleus of towns that were founded from 1572 (Bulacan and Calumpit) to 1750 (San Rafael). In 1848, the town of San Miguel was annexed to Bulacan from Pampanga. Bulacan was one of the first eight provinces to rise against Spanish rule. The first phase of the Philippine Revolution ended with the signing of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato in San Miguel in 1897 between the Filipinos and the Spaniards, after which Aguinaldo was exiled to Hong Kong. The second phase saw the drafting of the constitution of the first Philippine Republic by the Malolos Congress at Barasoain Church in 1898. The subsequently established republic had its capital at Malolos until President Emilio Aguinaldo transferred it to San Isidro, Nueva Ecija in 1899 when the Filipino-American War broke out. When the Americans established a civil government in the Philippines, they held the first election in the country in the town of Baliuag on May 6, 1899. Bulacan is the home province of heroes like Francisco Baltazar (Balagtas), “The Prince of Filipino Poets,” Marcelo H. Del Pilar, “The Great Propagandist,” and Gregorio del Pilar, “The Hero of Tirad Pass.” Bulacan is popularly known as the “Gateway to the Northern Philippines.”

Festivals and Attractions

Singkaban Festival – September 8-15
Kneeling Carabao in Pulilan – May 14-15
Fertility Dance in Obando – May
Baliwag Lenten Procession – Holy week
Calumpit Libad Festival – June 23-24
Feast of the Holy Cross of Wawa in Bocaue – 1st Sunday of July

Barasoian Church
Biak na Bato National Park
Meyto Shrine
Divine Mercy National Shrine
Vervidia Falls