Apalit

Last updated
Apalit
Municipality of Apalit
Capalit23jf.JPG
Municipal Hall
Ph seal pampanga apalit.png
Mottoes: 
Pampanga's Gateway to Manila
The Blacksmith Capital of Pampanga
Ph locator pampanga apalit.png
Map of Pampanga with Apalit highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Apalit
Philippines location map (square).svg
Red pog.svg
Apalit
Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 14°56′58″N120°45′31″E / 14.949561°N 120.758692°E / 14.949561; 120.758692
Country Philippines
Region Central Luzon
Province Pampanga
District 4th district
Barangays 12 (see Barangays)
Government
[1]
  Type Sangguniang Bayan
   Mayor Oscar D. Tetangco Jr.
   Vice Mayor Pedro C. Nucom
   Representative Anna York P. Bondoc
   Municipal Council
Members
   Electorate 62,083 voters (2022)
Area
[2]
  Total61.47 km2 (23.73 sq mi)
Elevation
7.0 m (23.0 ft)
Highest elevation
35 m (115 ft)
Lowest elevation
−2 m (−7 ft)
Population
 (2020 census) [3]
  Total117,160
  Density1,900/km2 (4,900/sq mi)
   Households
27,391
Economy
   Income class 1st municipal income class
   Poverty incidence
4.70
% (2018) [4]
   Revenue 324.1 million (2020)
   Assets 341.9 million (2020)
   Expenditure 282.9 million (2020)
   Liabilities 95.38 million (2020)
Service provider
  ElectricityPampanga 3 Electric Cooperative (PELCO 2)
Time zone UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code
2016
PSGC
IDD : area code +63(0)45
Native languages Kapampangan
Tagalog

Apalit, officially the Municipality of Apalit (Kapampangan : Balen ning Apalit; Tagalog : Bayan ng Apalit), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 117,160 people. [3]

Contents

The town is famous for its Apung Iru Fluvial Procession, which is listed as one of the most significant water-based intangible cultural heritage of the Philippines. The festival happens every June 28–30.

Etymology

The town got its name after a big sturdy tree with the scientific name Pterocarpus indicus also known as Narra, known by Kapampangan as Apalit.

History

Apalit received official recognition as a separate town in 1582, while Gonzalo Ronquillo de Penalosa was the country's governor-general at the time. Apalit's town was mostly made up of four encomiendas: Apali (Pale), La Castilla, Cabambangan, and Capalangan. San Juan Nepomuceno was the new name given to the enconmienda "La Castilla" once it had been transformed into a town proper (Poblacion).

After severing ties with the Parish of Calumpit, The Apalit Parish of Saint Peter was established in 1597.

Capitan del Pueblo Don Pedro Armayan-Espiritu y Macam created the customary fluvial parade of Saint Peter on June 28, 1844, commonly known as "Libad ng Apung Iru," which is still observed today in Apalit during its town festival.

It is thought that the son of a specific Gatbonton named Pangpalung, who was once known as Macapagal, built Barrio Capalangan, which takes its name from the Kapampangan word "Palang" meaning machete or bolo.

This Barrio was the home of Panday Pira, the first well-known Filipino maker of cannons, and got its name from the Kapampangan word "Palang," which means Bolo or Machete. It is said to have been founded by the son of a particular Gatbonton named Pangpalung, who in his youth also went by the name "Macapagal." After the Spanish conquest of Manila, he worked under Adelantado and Governor General Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, producing "Lantakas" cannons for Rajah Soliman's army.

During the reign of Capitan del Pueblo Don Joaquin Arnedo de la Cruz y Tanjutco and his heiress wife, Dona Maria de la Paz Sioco y Carlos, viuda de Tanjutco, Puerto Sulipan was once regarded as a haven for big businesses, politics, and "high society" in the Philippines from the 1850s until the 1910s. [5]

Geography

Apalit is surrounded by Macabebe, Masantol, Minalin and San Simon in Pampanga, and Calumpit, Pulilan, and Baliuag in Bulacan.

It is 55 kilometres (34 mi) from Manila, 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from the provincial capital, San Fernando, and 28 kilometres (17 mi) from Angeles.

Barangays

Apalit is politically subdivided into 12 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Climate

Climate data for Apalit, Pampanga
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)28
(82)
29
(84)
31
(88)
33
(91)
32
(90)
31
(88)
30
(86)
29
(84)
29
(84)
30
(86)
30
(86)
28
(82)
30
(86)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)20
(68)
20
(68)
21
(70)
23
(73)
24
(75)
24
(75)
24
(75)
24
(75)
24
(75)
23
(73)
22
(72)
21
(70)
23
(72)
Average precipitation mm (inches)6
(0.2)
4
(0.2)
6
(0.2)
17
(0.7)
82
(3.2)
122
(4.8)
151
(5.9)
123
(4.8)
124
(4.9)
99
(3.9)
37
(1.5)
21
(0.8)
792
(31.1)
Average rainy days3.32.53.66.617.722.225.223.723.217.99.25.2160.3
Source: Meteoblue [6] (Use with caution: this is modeled/calculated data, not measured locally.)

Demographics

Population census of Apalit
YearPop.±% p.a.
1903 12,206    
1918 11,880−0.18%
1939 14,330+0.90%
1948 14,576+0.19%
1960 25,408+4.74%
1970 36,138+3.58%
1975 41,283+2.71%
1980 48,253+3.17%
1990 62,373+2.60%
1995 65,720+0.98%
2000 78,295+3.82%
2007 97,296+3.04%
2010 101,537+1.56%
2015 107,965+1.18%
2020 117,160+1.62%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [3] [7] [8] [9] [10]

In the 2020 census, the population of Apalit, was 117,160 people, [3] with a density of 1,900 inhabitants per square kilometre or 4,900 inhabitants per square mile.

Religion

Most inhabitants of Apalit are Christian, with a majority professing Catholicism, due to Spanish colonialism and imperialism from the 15th to 19th centuries. Other prominent Christian groups include Members Church of God International (MCGI, more popularly known for its program, Ang Dating Daan).

Catholicism

1590 San Pedro Apostol Parish, San Juan, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando. Saint Peter the Apostle Church in Apalit, Pampanga.jpg
1590 San Pedro Apostol Parish, San Juan, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando.
Interior Sanpedrochurchjf.JPG
Interior

Apalit was first established as one of the visitas (mission chapel) under the administration of Convento de Calumpit. In 1597, the Augustinian chapter accepted Apalit as House of Order under the advocacy of San Pedro Apostol where Fray Pedro de Vergara OSA as its first parish priest In conjunction with the annual town fiesta, the Libad was established by the Capitan del Pueblo, Don Pedro Armayan-Espíritu y Macam, on June 28, 1844.Libad fluvial procession also reaching Calumpit even today to signify the old relationship of Apalit to its mother town Calumpit where San Juan Bautista is the patron of the Town. [11]

The first church and convento was constructed under the tenure of Fray Juan Cabello as parish priest from 1641 to 1645. Fray Simón de Alarcia built another church made of concrete and tile in 1854–1860, but it was destroyed by a strong earthquake in 1863. The present neo-classical church was built under Fray Antonio Redondo, who was assigned to Apalit from 1873 to 1886.

Father Gallende wrote in La Iglesia de Apalit:

"Father Antonio Redondo, parish priest of Apalit from 1873 to 1886 laid the foundations of a new one in January 1876, following the plans of Don Ramón Hermosa, assistant officer to the minister of public works. The foreman was a certain Mariano Santos, a native of Guagua. After seven years of work, the church was finally completed in 1883. It was "the pride of Pampanga, an indelible tribute to Fr. Redondo and the people of Apalit.'"

It was officially inaugurated with solemn ceremonies held successively during the town fiesta from 28 to 30 June of the same year. The chronicler remarks that when there was no more sand or bricks, Fr. Redondo would ask the fiscal (sacristan) to go around town pealing the bells. Preceded by the town bands, he would lead the way towards the riverside with an azafate (a basket or hamper) on his head. Unquestioning, the whole town would follow him, and in less than two hours, the masons would have enough sand for two months. "The whole town of Apalit helped either with monetary donations, personal service, or with their good wishes." The church measures 59 meters long and 14 meters wide. The painting was done by a native of Apalit, an industrious pupil of Alberoni. The church possesses the qualities of good construction: "solidity, capacity, light and artistic beauty."

The towers were completed under the guidance of Rev Toríbio Fanjul in 1896. In 1989, a major church renovation was initiated by Monsignor Rústico G. Cuevas. [12]

Feast of Saint Peter

The Libad, a fluvial procession in honour of the town's patron saint Peter the Apostle (known locally Apung Iru), is annually from 28 to 30 June. The event, where a centuries-old ivory image of the apostle is paraded along the Pampanga River, is one of the more famous religious processions in Pampanga.

History of the image
178th year "Libad" (Apung Iru Festival - 426th Apalit Town Fiesta) with seated 1700s image of "Apung Iru" Apung Iru Festival Apalit Town Fiesta (Apalit, Pampanga; 06-30-2023) E911a 20.jpg
178th year "Libad" (Apung Iru Festival - 426th Apalit Town Fiesta) with seated 1700s image of "Apung Iru"

The life-sized, seated image of "Apung Iru" is an heirloom of the Armayan-Espíritu y Macam clan of Sitio Alauli , San Vicente, Apalit. The image, with its ivory face and hands, dates from the last quarter of the 1700s. Family tradition has it that Don Pedro Armayan-Espíritu y Macam (d. 1904)–or his parents Don Calixto Armayan-Espíritu and Doña María Macam, acquired the image from an aunt, Doña Máxima Santos–in exchange for a considerable parcel of agricultural land in Apalit. During the Spanish colonial era, Spanish friars shrewdly assigned the ownership of the town's patron saint to wealthy families, so that the former could be spared the expenses of its upkeep and annual fiesta. The first Libad was held in 1844.

Custody of the image of Apung Iru has passed to the direct descendants of Don Pedro Armayan-Espíritu y Macam, who married three times: first to Doña Dorotea Arnedo; then Máxima Santa Rita; and finally Ysabel Dungo y Nocom. Don Pedro originally bequeathed the image to his favourite, his youngest daughter Doña Ysidora "Orang" Espíritu y Dungo (later Mrs Jesús Justo González), but she did not want the responsibility of being the image's camarera (custodian). She passed it on to her elder, spinster sister Doña Aurea "Ondeng" Espíritu y Dungo. After Doña Aurea's early death, Don Pedro's eldest daughter Doña María "Maruja" Espíritu y Dungo (later Mrs Macario Arnedo) became the image's camarera. In 1928, Doña María translated the image of Apung Iru from the Armayan-Espíritu ancestral home in Sitio Alauli in Barangay San Vicente to her house in Barrio Capalangan, where it has remained since.

Doña María died in 1934, and her second daughter Doña Ysabel "Tabing" Arnedo y Espíritu (later Mrs Fernando Dueñas Reyes) became the image's "camarera" until her own death in 1970. Doña María's third daughter, Doña Rosario Lucia "Charing" Arnedo y Espíritu (later Mrs Augusto Diosdado Sioco González ) became camarera until her death in May 1977. The youngest daughter, Doña Elisa Juana "Ising" Arnedo y Espíritu (later Mrs Fortunato Kabiling Sazon) became the next camarera until her death in May 1987. Doña Elisa's eldest daughter, Dr. Erlinda Crispina "Linda" Arnedo Sazon (later Mrs Enrique Espíritu Badenhop) succeeded her mother as camarera from until her own death in February 2008. Augusto Marcelino "Toto" Reyes González III, Doña Rosario's grandson from her eldest son, Augusto Beda, is the current camarero of Apung Iru, following a stipulation that Doña Rosario and Doña Ysidora made to the family in 1970.

In 1975, Doña Ysidora, Doña Rosario, and the latter's son Brother Andrew Benjamin González, F.S.C., established Saint Peter's Mission, Inc. with the stipulation that Apung Iru and his feast be maintained by the generations to come.

Members Church of God International

ADD Convention Center ADD Convention Center - Front.JPG
ADD Convention Center

The 60-hectare Ang Dating Daan (ADD) compound in barangay Sampaloc is the headquarters of Members Church of God International in the Philippines. [13] It houses the ADD Convention Center where major church gatherings are held and the chapel, a multipurpose venue for the community prayer, indoctrination sessions, prayer meetings and worship services. Other structures inside the compound include the baptistry, administration office, museum, transient home, orphanages, mini-hospital, dormitories for church officers and volunteers, houses for church ministers and workers and school buildings of La Verdad Christian College. [14] [15]

Government

Local government

Facade of town hall Dapalit23jf.JPG
Facade of town hall

Like other towns in the Philippines, Apalit is governed by a mayor and vice mayor who are elected to three-year terms. The mayor is the executive head and leads the town's departments in executing the ordinances and improving public services. The vice mayor heads a legislative council (Sangguniang Bayan) consisting of councilors from the Barangays or Barrios.

Elected officials

Municipal council (2022-2025):

List of chief executives

Infrastructure

Transportation

Major roads and bridges:

Sulipan44jf.JPG
Panorama of the river and roads

Public transportation

Public transportation within the municipality, like in most of the urban areas in the Philippines, is facilitated mostly using inexpensive Tricycles, jeepneys, and buses. Motored boats (or Bancas) are used to transport goods and bring people to the lowest land in case of flood in other barangays, Tricycles are used for short-distance travel. Various jeepney routes also ply the roads between Apalit and neighboring towns in Pampanga (municipalities of Macabebe, Masantol, San Simon, Minalin and City of San Fernando), in Bulacan (Calumpit, Malolos City and Balagtas). While the "FX" and "L300" van taxis, from their terminals, and Provincial Buses ( Victory Liner and First North Luzon Transit), which passes through the MacArthur Highway, takes passengers to key places in Bulacan (Calumpit, Malolos City to Guiguinto Tabang Toll Plaza) the "Metro" (Monumento in Caloocan; Cubao in Quezon City; Divisoria in Manila; and Pasay) and to northern provinces (Lubao, Floridablanca, Guagua, City of San Fernando in Pampanga; and as far as Olongapo City in Zambales).

Hospitals

ASCCOM De La Salle Friendship Hospital Abapalit23jf.JPG
ASCCOM De La Salle Friendship Hospital

Telecommunication

Landline telephone systems are being provided by the Digitel, Datelcom and PLDT. Mobile telephony services are provided by Smart Communications, Globe Telecom and Dito Telecommunity. Internet services are provided through DSL and Cable broadband coverage is provided by PLDT, Digitel and Globe Broadband; and Wireless broadband is provided by (Smart Bro) Smart Communications. Cable Television are provided by DATELSAT.

Education

Paaralang Bayan Jose Escaler Escalerjf.JPG
Paaralang Bayan Jose Escaler
La Verdad Christian College Laverdadjf.JPG
La Verdad Christian College

For elementary and high school education, Apalit has numerous schools.

Private Schools

Public schools

Colleges

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulacan</span> Province in Central Luzon, Philippines

Bulacan, officially the Province of 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pampanga</span> Province in Central Luzon, Philippines

Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga, is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, Manila Bay to the central-south, Bataan to the southwest and Zambales to the west. Its capital is the City of San Fernando. Angeles City is the largest LGU, but while geographically within Pampanga, it is classified as a first-class, highly urbanized city and has been governed independently of the province since it received its charter in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulakan, Bulacan</span> Municipality in Bulacan, Philippines

Bulakan, officially the Municipality of Bulakan, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 81,232 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floridablanca, Pampanga</span> Municipality in Pampanga, Philippines

Floridablanca, officially the Municipality of Floridablanca is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 135,542 people. Floridablanca is a part of the province of the Pampanga located in Central Luzon lying north of Dinalupihan, Bataan and south-southwest of San Fernando, Pampanga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Fernando, Pampanga</span> Capital of Pampanga, Philippines

San Fernando, officially the City of San Fernando, is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 354,666 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bacolor</span> Municipality in Pampanga, Philippines

Bacolor, officially the Municipality of Bacolor, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 48,066 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guagua</span> Municipality in Pampanga, Philippines

Guagua, officially the Municipality of Guagua, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 128,893 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macabebe</span> Municipality in Pampanga, Philippines

Macabebe, officially the Municipality of Macabebe, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 78,151 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magalang</span> Municipality in Pampanga, Philippines

Magalang, officially the Municipality of Magalang, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 124,188 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masantol</span> Municipality in Pampanga, Philippines

Masantol, officially the Municipality of Masantol, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 57,990 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porac</span> Municipality in Pampanga, Philippines

Porac, officially the Municipality of Porac, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 140,751 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Simon, Pampanga</span> Municipality in Pampanga, Philippines

San Simon, officially the Municipality of San Simon, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 59,182 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calumpit</span> Municipality in Bulacan, Philippines

Calumpit, officially the Municipality of Calumpit, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 118,471 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hagonoy, Bulacan</span> Municipality in Bulacan, Philippines

Hagonoy, officially the Municipality of Hagonoy, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 133,448 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joaquín González (politician)</span>

Joaquín González was a Filipino politician and a member of the Malolos Congress that wrote the Malolos Constitution, the first Philippine constitution, after the country declared independence from Spain in 1898. He was one of two elected delegates representing the province of Pampanga, the other being José Rodríguez Infante. Along with Felipe Calderón y Roca, the main author of the constitution, Dr. González was on a committee that debated over each article of the charter from October 25 to November 29, 1898.

Saint Vincent's Academy of Apalit, Pampanga, Inc., formerly known as Saint Vincent's Child Study Center, is a non-sectarian school founded in 1985 through the efforts of the late Ms. Magdalene E. Lugue.

Bulacan is a province of the Philippines. It was established on 15 August 1578.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Pedro Apostol Church (Apalit)</span> Roman Catholic church in Pampanga, Philippines

Apalit Church is a Neo-Renaissance-style Roman Catholic church located at Apalit, in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. The additional construction of the two towers beside the church served as reinforcements to improve the structural integrity of the church. Also, the church houses bells manufactured by the Sunicos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Juan Bautista Church (Calumpit)</span> Roman Catholic church in Bulacan, Philippines

San Juan Bautista Parish Church,, is a 17th-century, Roman Catholic, baroque church located in Calumpit, Bulacan, Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Miguel Arcangel Church (Masantol)</span> Roman Catholic church in Pampanga, Philippines

The San Miguel Arcangel Parish Church, also known as Masantol Church, is an early 20th-century Renaissance-style Roman Catholic church located at Barangay San Nicolas, Masantol, Pampanga, Philippines. The parish church, under the patronage of Saint Michael the Archangel, is under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando.

References

  1. Municipality of Apalit | (DILG)
  2. "2015 Census of Population, Report No. 3 – Population, Land Area, and Population Density" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. Quezon City, Philippines. August 2016. ISSN   0117-1453. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Census of Population (2020). "Region III (Central Luzon)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  4. "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  5. Sison, Louie (July 13, 2022). "Apalit". Where In Pampanga. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  6. "Apalit: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  7. Census of Population (2015). "Region III (Central Luzon)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  8. Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region III (Central Luzon)" (PDF). Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. National Statistics Office . Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  9. Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region III (Central Luzon)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. National Statistics Office.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. "Province of Pampanga". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  11. "History of Pampanga Towns". Archived from the original on 2009-02-28.
  12. Capiling, Alejandro S. "Pampanga's Churches".
  13. "Ang Dating Daan: an unbeaten path". Newsbreak-knowledge.ph. Archived from the original on 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  14. "Free Education". UNTVweb.com. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
  15. "La Verdad Christian School delivers first batch of K-12 scholars" . Retrieved 2018-04-26.