Bataan, officially the Province of Bataan, is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the entire Bataan Peninsula on Luzon, Bataan is bordered by the provinces of Zambales and Pampanga to the north. The peninsula faces the South China Sea to the west and Subic Bay to the north-west, and encloses Manila Bay to the east.
Balanga, officially the City of Balanga, is a 4th class component city and capital of the province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 104,173 people. It is south of San Fernando, Pampanga and northwest of Manila. Balanga joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in 2015.
The Archdiocese of Manila is the archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Metro Manila, Philippines, encompassing the cities of Manila, Makati, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Pasay, and Taguig. Its cathedral is the Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, also known as the Manila Cathedral, located in Intramuros, which comprises the old city of Manila. The Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title Immaculate Conception, is the principal patroness of the archdiocese.
Abucay, officially the Municipality of Abucay,, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 42,984 people.
Dinalupihan, officially the Municipality of Dinalupihan, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 118,209 people.
Hermosa, officially the Municipality of Hermosa, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 77,443 people.
Limay, officially the Municipality of Limay, is a first-class municipality in the province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 78,272 people.
Pilar, officially the Municipality of Pilar, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 46,239 people.
The Diocese of Balanga is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, established on March 17, 1975, by Pope Paul VI. The diocese has jurisdiction over the whole province of Bataan, with 38 parishes, 5 diocesan shrines, one minor basilica, chaplaincy, quasi-parish, national shrine and chapel, and 4 vicariates. The Cathedral-Shrine Parish of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary in Aguire Street, Poblacion, Balanga, serves as the seat of the diocese. It is part of the Ecclesiastical Province of San Fernando, Pampanga. The titular patron of the diocese is Saint Joseph, whose feast day falls on March 19. The city fiesta is celebrated on April 28.
The Cathedral-Shrine of Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary, commonly known as Balanga Cathedral, in Balanga, Bataan, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Balanga which comprises entire of the civil province of Bataan, Philippines. Currently, Noel Niguid and Alwin Bobis serve as the cathedral priests. On March 19, 2015, the cathedral was formally declared a diocesan shrine, changing its status from cathedral-parish to cathedral-shrine.
Sócrates "Soc" Buenaventura Villegas O.P. is a Filipino prelate, and a professed member of the Dominican Order. He is the fifth and current Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan in Pangasinan, and is the former president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, from December 1, 2013 to December 1, 2017, when he finished his second and final term as president of the said conference. He was also the vice president of the episcopal conference from 2011 to 2013.
Binondo Church, formally known as the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz and also as Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish, is located in the district of Binondo, Manila fronting Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz, in the Philippines. This church was founded by Dominican priests in 1596 to serve their Chinese converts to Christianity. The original building was destroyed in 1762 by British bombardment. A new granite church was completed on the same site in 1852 however it was greatly damaged during the Second World War, with only the western façade and the octagonal belfry surviving.
The Minor Basilica and Shrine Parish of Our Lady of the Rosary of Orani, commonly known as Orani Church, is a Roman Catholic minor basilica built in the Neoclassical style located in the center of Orani, Bataan, in the Philippines. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Balanga.
Honesto "Nes" Flores Ongtioco is a Filipino bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the first and only Bishop of Cubao, and also served as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Malolos from May 12, 2018 to August 21, 2019.
The Diocesan Shrine and Parish of San Andres, commonly known as Masinloc Church, is an 18th-century Baroque Roman Catholic church located at Brgy. South Poblacion, Masinloc, Zambales, Philippines. The parish church, dedicated to Saint Andrew the Apostle, is under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Iba. The church structure, a standout among Spanish-era churches in the Central Luzon region for having been built with coral stone instead of adobe stone, was declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines along with 25 other Spanish-era churches in 2001.
The Saint Michael the Archangel Parish Church, commonly known as Orion Church, is a 16th-century, Baroque Roman Catholic church located at Brgy. San Vicente, Orion, Bataan, Philippines. The parish church, dedicated to Saint Michael, the Archangel, is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Balanga. A marker bearing the brief history of the structure has been installed in its façade by the National Historical Committee, precursor of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. The current priest of the parish church is Fr. Abraham SP. Pantig.
The Saint Dominic de Guzman Parish Church, also known as Abucay Church, is a 17th-century Baroque Roman Catholic church located at Brgy. Laon, Abucay, Bataan, Philippines. The parish church, established in 1587 and administered by the Dominican Missionary Friars in 1588, is dedicated to Saint Dominic of Guzman. The parish is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Balanga. Since June 5, 2023, its parish priest is Fr. Milver R. Cruz.
Ruperto "Stude" Cruz Santos is a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church. Santos is the fifth and current Bishop of Antipolo. He is the president of the Episcopal Commission for Pastoral Care for Migrants and Itinerant People (ECMI) of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines.
Saint Catherine of Siena Parish Church, commonly known as Samal Church, is a Roman Catholic church located in Samal, Bataan, Philippines. The church is dedicated to the Italian saint Catherine of Siena. The Dominicans constructed the first church in 1596. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Balanga.
The Diocesan Shrine and Parish Church of Saint Nicholas Tolentine, commonly known as Mariveles Church, is a Roman Catholic church located in Mariveles, Bataan, Philippines. The church is dedicated to the Italian saint Nicholas of Tolentino. The Augustinian Recollects missionaries constructed the first church in 1729. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Balanga. Since June 5, 2023, Fr. Regin L. Tenorio is the Rector and Parish Priest of the church.
