Bongabon

Bongabon Santor
Municipality
Municipality of Bongabon
Municipal Hall
Seal
Nickname:  Onion Capital of the Philippines
Map of Nueva Ecija with Bongabon highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Bongabon Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 15°37′56″N121°08′41″E / 15.6321°N 121.1448°E / 15.6321; 121.1448
Country	Philippines
Region	Central Luzon
Province	Nueva Ecija
District	3rd district
Founded	1760
Barangays	28 (see Barangays)
Government   [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
•  Mayor	Ricardo I. Padilla
•  Vice Mayor	Christian P. Binuya
•  Representative	Rosanna V. Vergara
•  Municipal Council	Members Christian P. Binuya Victor P. dela Cruz Melodie G. dela Cruz Gregorio C. Pesa Hilario Bobby D. Mantile Alexander R. Guerrero Gina C. Morales Lope C. Valmonte
•  Electorate	46,364 voters (2022)
Area [2]
• Total	286.95 km2 (110.79 sq mi)
Elevation	76 m (249 ft)
Highest elevation	279 m (915 ft)
Lowest elevation	54 m (177 ft)
Population  (2020 census) [3]
• Total	66,839
• Density	230/km2 (600/sq mi)
•  Households	16,305
Economy
•  Income class	2nd municipal income class
•  Poverty incidence	5.47 % (2018) [4]
•  Revenue	₱ 237.1 million (2020)
•  Assets	₱ 675.4 million (2020)
•  Expenditure	₱ 317.3 million (2020)
•  Liabilities	₱ 412.5 million (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	Nueva Ecija 2 Area 2 Electric Cooperative (NEECO 2 A2)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	3128
PSGC	034902000
IDD  :  area code	+63 (0)44
Native languages	Ilocano Tagalog
Website	bongabon.ph

Bongabon, officially the Municipality of Bongabon (Ilocano : Ili ti Bongabon; Tagalog : Bayan ng Bongabon), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 66,839 people. ^[3]

It has an area of 28,352.90 hectares (70,061.5 acres), and is the leading producer of onion in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia. Each barangay in Bongabon has its own fiesta. The town fiesta, celebrated annually on the 1st to 2nd week of April, is known as the Sibuyasan Onion Festival.

Bongabon is 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from Palayan and 144 kilometres (89 mi) from Manila.

History

Spanish colonial era

The Augustinian missionaries who preached Catholicism in Pampanga extended their outposts into what is now the province of Nueva Ecija by following the Rio Grande dela Pampanga. Thus, Santol (present day Barangay Santor) was part of Pantabangan and established in 1659. In 1760, Bongabon was named as a town and parish under the patronage of St. Francis of Assisi.

Bongabon was the first capital of Nueva Ecija.

Immigrating settlers of the community were mostly Tagalog and Ilocanos from the provinces of Ilocos Region and Pangasinan with some Kapampangans from the provinces of Pampanga and Tarlac. ^[5]

Philippine revolution

When the Philippine Revolution began on 1896 to 1898 against Spain. The Philippine Revolutionary and Republican troops with the aid of Katipunero rebels invaded the municipal town of Bongabon and fought the Spanish Colonial forces and started the Siege of Bongabon. The Filipino revolutionary troops and Katipunero rebel fighters captured the municipal town after the siege forcing the Spanish troops to retreat.

American invasion era

With the outbreak of the Philippine–American War on 1899 to 1902, the town saw the arrival of American troops which fought the Filipino revolutionary troops and Katipuneros in the Battle of Bongabon on 1899. In the ensuing battle, the town was captured by the American troops.

Philippine independence

On April 28, 1949, Aurora Quezon, her daughter Maria Aurora "Baby" Quezon, then a law student at the University of Santo Tomas, her son-in-law Felipe "Philip" Buencamino (husband of "Nini" and brother-in-law of "Baby"), Quezon City Mayor Ponciano Bernardo, and retired Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Rafael Jalandoni were assassinated by Hukbalahap movement led by Luis Taruc in this town while traveling in Aurora's Buick sedan along the Baler–Bongabon Road connecting Baler with Nueva Ecija, which Aurora Quezon herself inaugurated in 1940, to open the Quezon Memorial Hospital in Baler, Aurora, hometown of Aurora & her cousin & husband Manuel Quezon, then a town of Nueva Ecija. ^[6]

Geography

Barangays

Bongabon is politically subdivided into 28 barangays.  ^[7] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

• Antipolo
• Ariendo
• Bantug
• Calaanan
• Commercial (Poblacion)
• Cruz
• Digmala
• Curva (J. Tomacruz)
• Kaingin (Poblacion)
• Labi
• Larcon
• Lusok
• Macabaclay
• Magtanggol (Poblacion)
• Mantile (Poblacion)
• Olivete
• Palo Maria (Poblacion)
• Pesa
• Rizal (Poblacion)
• Sampalucan (Poblacion)
• San Roque (Poblacion)
• Santor
• Sinipit (Poblacion)
• Sisilang na Ligaya (Poblacion)
• Social (Poblacion)
• Tugatug
• Tulay na Bato (Poblacion)
• Vega Grande

Climate

Climate data for Bongabon, Nueva Ecija
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	29 (84)	30 (86)	31 (88)	33 (91)	33 (91)	31 (88)	30 (86)	29 (84)	29 (84)	30 (86)	30 (86)	29 (84)	30 (87)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	19 (66)	19 (66)	20 (68)	22 (72)	23 (73)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	22 (72)	21 (70)	20 (68)	22 (71)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	4 (0.2)	6 (0.2)	7 (0.3)	12 (0.5)	61 (2.4)	89 (3.5)	96 (3.8)	99 (3.9)	81 (3.2)	88 (3.5)	37 (1.5)	13 (0.5)	593 (23.5)
Average rainy days	2.5	3.0	4.1	6.3	15.8	19.4	22.5	21.6	20.1	17.5	9.6	4.0	146.4
Source: Meteoblue [8]

Demographics

Population census of Bongabon

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1903 3,923 —     1918 4,532 +0.97% 1939 11,885 +4.70% 1948 14,958 +2.59% 1960 20,854 +2.81% 1970 25,434 +2.00% 1975 29,932 +3.32% 1980 32,451 +1.63%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1990 39,616 +2.02% 1995 44,856 +2.35% 2000 49,255 +2.03% 2007 63,639 +3.60% 2010 59,343 −2.51% 2015 64,173 +1.50% 2020 66,839 +0.80%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [9] [10] [11] [12]

Religion

The majority of the people of the municipality are Roman Catholic. The members of the Iglesia ni Cristo are growing in number and are second to the Catholics in membership. Other sects in the municipality are the Methodists, Iglesia ng Dios, Seventh-day Adventists, etc.

Tourism

• Sibuyas Festival is celebrated as a form of thanksgiving every 10 April, and a way to promote and show their town as one of the largest producers of onion in Asia.
• Ilog Jordan at Barangay Olivete – This place is a popular Lenten destination for people seeking spiritual rejuvenation and healing.
• Falls Deepsap at Barangay Labi – A good place to visit during summer, the falls offers a cold shimmering water perfect to beat heatwaves. Its water comes from the untainted Sierra Madre Mountain.
• Mount Labi Peak at Barangay Labi.
• The first leg of the UCI Gravel World Series was held in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija, Philippines on April 3, 2022.

Healthcare

Bongabon District Hospital, a government hospital located at Barangay Curva, Bongabon, Nueva Ecija

Education

Most are public schools from primary to secondary. Bongabon National High School is located at Barangay Sinipit, Bongabon, Nueva Ecija, Philippines. Many of the students are going to Cabanatuan to continue their college.

References

1.   Municipality of Bongabon | (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. 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. History of Laur (Laur was a barrio of Bongabon)
6. "The Town Where Time Stands Still". Aurora, Philippines:News. BizNews Asia & Aurora.ph. December 2004. Retrieved May 3, 2008.
7. "Province: Nueva Ecija". PSGC Interactive. Quezon City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved 12 November 2016.
8. "Bongabon: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
9. Census of Population (2015). "Region III (Central Luzon)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved 20 June 2016.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. "Province of Nueva Ecija". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
13. "Poverty incidence (PI):". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
14. "Estimation of Local Poverty in the Philippines" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 29 November 2005.
15. "2003 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 23 March 2009.
16. "City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates; 2006 and 2009" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 3 August 2012.
17. "2012 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 31 May 2016.
18. "Municipal and City Level Small Area Poverty Estimates; 2009, 2012 and 2015". Philippine Statistics Authority. 10 July 2019.
19. "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.

External links

• Official website
• Bongabon Web Services – Nueva Ecija
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System