Baliuag


' or Baliwag, officially the ', is a of the Philippines| in the province of,. According to the, it has a population of people.
Baliuag was founded in 1732 by Augustinian friars and was incorporated by the Spanish Governor-General on May 26, 1733. The town was a part of Quingua before.
Through the years of Spanish domination, Baliuag was predominantly agricultural. People had to depend on rice farming for the main source of livelihood. Orchards and tumanas yielded fruits and vegetables, which were sold in the public market. Commerce and industry also played important contributions to the economy of the people. Buntal hat weaving in Baliuag together with silk weaving popularly known in the world as Thai silk; the manufacturer of cigar cases, piña fibers, petates, and Sillas de Bejucos all of the fine quality became known in many parts of the world. The local market also grew. During the early part of the 19th century, Baliuag was already considered one of the most progressive and richest towns in Bulacan. The growth of the public market has significantly changed the model of the economy of the town.
Baliuag is the major commerce, transportation, entertainment, and educational center of Northern Bulacan. With the continuous expansion of Metro Manila, the municipality is now part of Manila's built-up area which reaches San Ildefonso in its northernmost part.

History

Fr. Joaquín Martínez de Zúñiga, OSA, a friar, in his "1803 Historia de las Islas Filipinas" wrote that the Convent or Parochial house of San Agustin, in Baliuag, is the best in the whole Archipelago and that no edifice in Manila can be compared to it in symmetry and beauty amid its towering belfry, having been a viewing point of the town's panorama. The frayle further stated that the Convent was a repository of priceless parish records that dated to the founding of Baliuag as a pueblo or parrochia by the OSA or Augustinians in 1733. But the first convent was erected at Barangay Santa Barbara, Baliuag before the Parokya was formally established at the now Plaza Naning, Poblacion.
Fr. Joaquín Martínez de Zúñiga arrived in the Philippines on August 3, 1786 and visited Baliuag on February 17, 1802 with Ignacio Maria de Álava y Sáenz de Navarrete. Their host was Baliuag's Parish Priest, Fray Esteban Diez Hidalgo. Fr. Diez served as the longest cura parroco of Baliuag from 1789, having built the church and convent from 1790 to 1801.
Spanish records "Apuntes históricos de la provincia augustiniana del Santísimo Nombre de Jesús de Filipinas" reveal that Fr. Juan de Albarran, OSA was assigned Parish Priest of Baliuag in 1733. The first baptism in Baliuag Church was ordered by Fr. Lector and Fr. Feliz Trillo, Provincial of the Province on June 7, 1933 while Baliuag was founded and began its de jure existence on May 26, 1733. The pueblo or town was created in the provincial Chapter on May 15, 1734, with the appointment of Fr. Manuel Bazeta/Baseta as first cura parroco.
In 1769-1774, the Church of Baliuag was built by Father Gregorio Giner. The present structure was later rebuilt by Father Esteban Diaz using mortar and stone. The 1866 Belfry was also completed by Father Matias Novoa but the July 19, 1880 quake damaged the same which was later repaired by Father Thomas Gresa.
The earthquake of June 3, 1863, one of the strongest to ever hit Manila, destroyed the Governor's Palace in Intramuros. Malacañang then became the permanent residence of the head of the country. The massive quake also damaged the Baliuag Church. In 1870, the reconstruction began when a temporary house of worship, the “Provincial”, along Año 1733 street, emerged as a narrow, and simple edifice which later used by the RVM Sisters of the Colegio de la Sagrada Familia as the classroom. Antonio de Mesa, “Maestrong Tonio" fabricated the parts to have finished the Spanish-era Baliuag Church.

First Municipio

Baliuag had 30 curates : Fr. Esteban Diez Hidalgo and Fr. Fausto Lopez served 40 and 24 years, respectively. Fr. Lopez had 6 children with a beautiful native, Mariquita: Dr. Joaquin Gonzalez, Francisco, the former Assemblyman Ricardo Lloret Gonzales, and Jose the eldest who was widely known as “Pepeng Mariquita", inter alia. Spanish cura parroco, Fr. Ysidoro Prada served in Baliuag during the last decade of the Spaniard regime.
The Philippine-American civil and military authorities supervised the first municipal elections, having chosen Baliuag as the site of the first Philippine elections of May 7, 1899. The Filipinos gathered at the plaza of the St. Augustine Church after the Holy Mass, and thereafter the officials were selected based on the qualifications for voters set by the Americans.
The first town Gobernadorcillo of Baliuag was Cap. Jose de Guzman. He was assisted by the Tribunal's teniente mayor, juez de ganadas, juez de sementeras and juez de policia. In the History of the Philippines, the 1893 Maura Law, the title of Gobernadorcillo became "capitan municipal" and that of each juez to teniente. From Baliuag's independence from Quingua, now Plaridel, Bulacan to 1898, 49 served as capitan, 13 alcalde and 92 as Gobernadorcillo. Felix de Lara and Agustin de Castro were the 1st alcalde and Gobernadorcillo, respectively. Municipal President Fernando Enrile, in 1908, honored some of these officials, even naming some of Baliuag calles in their honor, later. But all these political officials remained under the thumbs and the habito, of the autocratic Augustinian friars, the Baliuag Kura Parokos.
The local government of Baliuag used as first Municipio under the American regime the Mariano Yoyongko Principalia in Poblacion, which it bought from Yoyongko.
On September 15, 1915, Baliuag municipality bought the heritage mansion and a lot of Dr. Joaquin Gonzalez. The Gonzalez old mansion served as Lumang Municipio for 65 years. It is now the Baliuag Museum and Library.
Baliuag produced not less than 30 priests, including 3 during the Spanish-Dominican, and 2 Jesuits during the American regimes.
Jeorge Allan R. Tengco and Amy R. Tengco, philanthropists, owners of Baliwag Transit and other chains of business establishments had been conferred the Papal Orders of Chivalry October 3, 2000 Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice and the 2012 Dame of the Order of St. Gregory the Great awards.

Don Mariano Ponce

was a native of Baliwag. He was a founding member of the Propaganda Movement together with José Rizal and Marcelo del Pilar; a former assemblyman of the second district of Bulacan to the Philippine Assembly; and the co-founder of La Solidaridad with fellow co-founder Graciano López-Jaena. His most common names are Naning ; Kalipulako, named after the Cebuano hero Lapu-Lapu; and Tagibalang or Tigbalang, a supernatural being in Filipino folklore.

Barangays

Baliwag is politically subdivided into 27 barangays.

Climate

Demographics

In the, the population of Baliuag, Bulacan, was people, with a density of.

Religion

Baliuag at present has five parishes, a sub-parish and a quasi-parish under the administration of Diocese of Malolos.

Economy

Baliuag Town Proper

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2017 Financial Highlights

List of former mayors

Attractions

;Baliuag Clock Tower: Baliuag is the home of the first self-supporting clock tower in Bulacan, which is a heritage attraction in the town.
;Lenten Processions: Baliuag is known for its Semana Santa processions, which are among the longest religious processions in the Philippines. As of 2019, the procession hosts a record 124 carros or carrozas with life-sized santos joined in the parade showcasing events from the life and passion of Christ.
;Buntal Hat Festival: from Baliuag
Buntal Hat Festival is a celebration of the culture of buntal hat making in the town that is simultaneously celebrated with Mother's Day annually. Colorful and grandiose decorations and street dancing are the highlights of this celebration.

Other attractions

Public transportation in Baliuag is served by provincial buses, jeepneys, UV Express AUVs, and intra-municipal tricycles.
Baliwag Transit, Inc., one of the largest bus transportation system in the Philippines, is headquartered in Barangay Sabang. It mainly services routes to and from Metro Manila and Central Luzon.
There are three major transport lines in the municipality: The Baliuag-Candaba road going to Pampanga, the Old Cagayan Valley road and the Dona Remedios Trinidad Highway going to Manila and Nueva Ecija. The town is located 52 kilometers north of Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

Education

Baliuag has several private colleges and universities.

Tertiary Education