# Lubao

Lubao, officially the Municipality of Lubao (Kapampangan: Balen ning Lubao; Filipino: Bayan ng Lubao), is a municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 173,502 people.
The town is known as the birthplace of Diosdado Macapagal, the 9th President of the Philippines.

## Etymology

The town's name derives from the indigenous term lubo which means low or sunken, reflective of the area's muddy and flooded characteristics. Lubao is also known by its Kapampangan language equivalent Baba.
According to Spanish records by Fr. Diego Martínez, Lubao was also once called Lubag.

## History
### Precolonial era

Before the arrival of the Spaniards, Lubao was said to have already been one of the prosperous major settlements in Pampanga and is considered as the oldest settlement in Pampanga and the cradle of Kapampangan civilization.
By 1571, Lubao was a heavily fortified settlement claimed to be under the rule of Datu Macabulus, the last chieftain of Lubao who was part of the Soliman clan of Lubao. It is also claimed that the Soliman clan was the origin of the rulers of Maynila, such as Lakandula, Rajah Matanda and Rajah Sulayman, although this is not widely mentioned in scholarly works, except by historian John Larkin, who suggested that Rajah Sulayman was possibly from Lubao. Revolutionary leader of Tarlac, Francisco Macabulos, whose father himself was from Lubao, was a descendant of Datu Macabulus.
According to Governor-General Francisco de Sande, Lubao was the site of a major river in Pampanga, which helped the settlement produce large amounts of rice. By 1572, Lubao housed 3,500 people, who were described to be Moros, suggesting that Islam had already reached Lubao by the time of Spanish conquest.

### Spanish colonial era

After the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Bangkusay on June 3, 1571 between the Spanish and Visayan mercenary forces of Legazpi and the combined Kapampangan-Tagalog fleet under Rajah Sulayman and Tarik Sulayman of Macabebe, Betis and Lubao remained defiant to Spanish rule, forcing the Spaniards to launch an invasion against them. After the Spanish conquest of Pampanga, Martín de Goiti, together with Lt. Antonio Carvajal and the Augustinian missionaries established Lubao as a Spanish settlement on September 14, 1571 after Datu Macabulus and the Council of Elders received the Spaniards with conciliatory promises of capitulation.
Fr. Diego de Herrera first established a convent in the settlement where the locals constructed a brick church called the San Agustin Church in the nearby village of Gato in 1572, marking the beginning of Christianization of Lubao. Gato became a visita of Tondo in May 3 of the same year. In 1579, Fr. Francisco Manrique began his missionary efforts in the town.
In 1583, Kapampangans were forced to work in the goldmines of Ilocos and not allowed to return in time for the planting season, causing a severe food shortage and eventual famine in Lubao, leading to the deaths of 1,000 people in the town by 1584. Due to this aforementioned disaster and the abuses by encomenderos, a mass uprising occurred in Lubao in 1585 and other Kapampangan settlements, but were suppressed afterwards.
In 1589, Philip III of Spain ordered Governor-General Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas in the construction of a fort in Lubao after the recent raids by Sambals from the nearby Zambales region.
In 1591, Lubao was described to be an encomienda along with Betis under the Spanish crown, which housed 5,000 tributes which amounted to 20,000 inhabitants, with four Augustinian convents and an alcalde mayor with a deputy.
After the Francisco Maniago Revolt in October 1660, the people of Lubao was successfully persuaded by Juan Macapagal of Arayat to end their participation in the revolt. As a result of the revolt, Governor-General Sabiniano Manrique de Lara ordered the construction of a fort in Lubao called the Fortaleza de Mamalas, to serve as a garrison fort for any future revolts in the town.

### Revolutionary era

On November 17, 1896, the people of Bataan invited the locals of Lubao to join in the attack against the Spanish church in Hermosa. The people of Lubao accepted the invitation, and together with the combined forces of the people from the towns of Lubao, Orani, Hermosa and Hagonoy in Bulacan, they attacked the Hermosa Church and proceeded to behead and mutilate the fingers and genitals of Fr. David Varas. Other parts of his body were turned into amulets (anting-anting). After the incident, Spanish forces along with a Kapampangan contingent launched an offensive against the revolutionaries at Orani, leading to the deaths of 200 revolutionaries. Two Spanish contingents were then assigned in the nearby towns of Dinalupihan and Hermosa.
On June 3, 1898, Spanish religious authorities fled from Bataan and Lubao towards Macabebe, which was followed by a takeover by revolutionaries, who were later absorbed into the Philippine Revolutionary Army. On June 12, the Philippines under President Emilio Aguinaldo declared independence from Spain.

### Philippine-American War

In 1899, the Church of Lubao was used as a hospital by American soldiers fighting the Philippine Republican Army. On September 22, 1900, the Military Government of the Philippine Islands under the United States placed Lubao under a civil administration. Between 1911–1912, a group of outlaws began raiding various barrios of Lubao near the Bataan border.

### World War II

On December 8, 1941, the Japanese Invasion of the Philippines began. On January 3, 1942, the Japanese 2nd Formosa Infantry pushed the USAFIP 11th Infantry south from Guagua, then on to Lubao in the evening of the 4th, and then to the Gumain River by the 5th.
During the month of January, Silvestre Liwanag reported the presence of armed groups of the Aguman ding Maldang Talapagobra stationed in the nearby mountains carrying homemade guns and stolen rifles from hacienderos in defiance to Japanese rule in Lubao, in which Liwanag would later join the group. These groups were later incorporated into the Hukbalahap, the leading communist resistance guerrilla organization at the time.

## Geography

Located in the south-western part of Pampanga, Lubao is bounded by the municipalities of Sasmuan on the east, Guagua on the north-east, Floridablanca on the north and Hermosa, Bataan, on the south. It is one of the three coastal towns in Pampanga along with Sasmuan and Macabebe and it is also noted for rice, sugar cane, fish, and sampaguita.
Lubao is 18 kilometres (11 mi) from San Fernando, 35 kilometres (22 mi) from Angeles, and 84 kilometres (52 mi) from Manila.

### Barangays

Lubao is politically subdivided into 44 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
Cluster 1:
* San Isidro
* Santiago
* Santo Niño (Prado Saba)
* San Roque Arbol
* Baruya (San Rafael)
* Lourdes (Lauc Pau)
* Prado Siongco
Cluster 2:
* San Jose Gumi
* Balantacan
* Santa Teresa 2nd
* Bancal Sinubli
* Bancal Pugad
* Calangain
Cluster 3:
* San Pedro Palcarangan
* San Pedro Saug
* San Pablo 1st
* San Pablo 2nd
* De La Paz
* Santa Cruz
Cluster 4:
* Remedios
* Santa Maria
* Del Carmen
* San Agustin
* Santa Rita
* Santa Teresa 1st
Cluster 5:
* Santo Tomas (Poblacion)
* San Roque Dau
* Santo Cristo
* San Matias
* Don Ignacio Dimson
* Santa Monica
Cluster 6:
* Santo Domingo
* San Miguel
* Concepcion
* San Francisco
* San Vicente
* San Antonio
* San Jose Apunan
Cluster 7:
* San Nicolas 2nd
* San Juan (Poblacion)
* San Nicolas 1st (Poblacion)
* Santa Barbara
* Santa Catalina
* Santa Lucia (Poblacion)

#### Bancal Pugad

Bancal Pugad is a barangay of the Lubao, Pampanga, Philippines. The population is 1,374 in 2020.
In legend, Bancal Pugad was once known as "Pinak" being the birthplace of the princess Alitaptap. Bancal Pugad continues to flood due to climate change.

### Climate

Climate data for Lubao, Pampanga :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30 (86) | 31 (88) | 33 (91) | 34 (93) | 33 (91) | 31 (88) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 30 (86) | 31 (88) | 30 (86) | 31 (87) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 19 (66) | 20 (68) | 21 (70) | 23 (73) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 24 (75) | 23 (73) | 22 (72) | 20 (68) | 23 (73) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 8 (0.3) | 9 (0.4) | 15 (0.6) | 34 (1.3) | 138 (5.4) | 203 (8.0) | 242 (9.5) | 233 (9.2) | 201 (7.9) | 126 (5.0) | 50 (2.0) | 21 (0.8) | 1,280 (50.4) |
| Average rainy days | 3.7 | 4.1 | 6.5 | 11.2 | 21.2 | 24.9 | 27.7 | 26.5 | 25.5 | 21.8 | 12.6 | 5.6 | 191.3 |
| Source: Meteoblue ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1903 | 19,063 | — |
| 1918 | 21,614 | +0.84% |
| 1939 | 29,154 | +1.44% |
| 1948 | 36,574 | +2.55% |
| 1960 | 44,129 | +1.58% |
| 1970 | 61,608 | +3.39% |
| 1975 | 69,903 | +2.57% |
| 1980 | 77,502 | +2.08% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1990 | 99,705 | +2.55% |
| 1995 | 109,667 | +1.80% |
| 2000 | 125,699 | +2.97% |
| 2007 | 143,058 | +1.80% |
| 2010 | 150,843 | +1.95% |
| 2015 | 160,838 | +1.23% |
| 2020 | 173,502 | +1.50% |
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority :
In the 2020 census, the population of Lubao, Pampanga, was 173,502 people, with a density of 1,100 inhabitants per square kilometre or 2,800 inhabitants per square mile.

### Religion

As the first Augustinian missionary center in Central and Northern Luzon, majority of the residents in Lubao are Roman Catholics.
Lubao at present has six parishes :
* San Agustin Parish, Plaza, Lubao (oldest in Pampanga - Established 1572)
* San Roque Dau Parish, San Roque Dau, Lubao (established Oct.1, 1990)
* Holy Cross Parish, Santa Cruz, Lubao (established May 22, 1951)
* San Rafael Parish, Baruya, Lubao (established August 31, 1939)
* San Antonio de Padua Parish, San Antonio, Lubao (established November 10, 1986)
* Conversion of St. Paul Parish, San Pablo 1st, Lubao (newly established - 2010)
There are adherents of Iglesia ni Cristo wherein a chapel in Barangay Baruya was dedicated to God on November 26, 2011, with Pastoral Visitation of the present Executive Minister of the Iglesia ni Cristo Brother Eduardo V. Manalo.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) has also significant numbers of member in the town. On August 17, 2012, they celebrated their 25th Year anniversary of the Opening of the Missionary work in the said town with Cong. Juan Miguel Macapagal Arroyo as the special guest. The chapel is located at Santa Cruz, Lubao, Pampanga with 600 Members.
Other religion includes Protestantism and Nondenominational Christianity. Among the Protestant churches in Lubao are the United Methodist Church, C&MA, Pentecostal, and Baptist.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church that has 1,100 members is also a remarkable distinct denomination for giving community services and free livelihood seminar to the town all the year round.

## Economy

Poverty incidence of Lubao
* 5
* 10
* 15
* 20
* 25
* 30
* 2000 26.62
* 2003 18.08
* 2006 10.50
* 2009 10.63
* 2012 5.37
* 2015 8.89
* 2018 3.59
* 2021 10.51
* Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

## Culture
### Sampaguita Festival

The Parish of Saint Augustine celebrated its 440th Founding Anniversary on May 5, 2012, with the launching of the 1st Sampaguita Festival; participated by the six parishes of Lubao. Parish of St. Augustine de Hippo bagged the Over-All Champion trophy.
2nd Sampaguita Festival was held on May 5, 2013, participated by the 10 secondary public schools of Lubao. San Vicente National High School emerged as the Over-All Champion of the festival.
The 3rd Sampaguita Festival was celebrated on May 4, 2014, and participated by the 7 clustered barangays of Lubao. Cluster 6 (Cluster Malagu - Barangay Santo Domingo, San Miguel, Concepcion, San Francisco, San Vicente,

### Philippine International Balloon Festival

The 1st ever Philippine International Balloon Festival was held on April 10–13, 2014 in Barangay Prado Siongco, Lubao, Pampanga. It was organized by Pilipinas International Balloon Festival, Inc. (PIBF) in cooperation with the Arts, Culture and Tourism Office of Pampanga (ACTO) with the theme "It's More Than Just Hot Air"

### Lubao International Balloon Festival

The 2nd Lubao International Balloon Festival was held on March 26 to 29, 2015 in Pradera Verde, Prado Siongco, Lubao, Pampanga. It was organized by Forthinker Inc. Philippines. It was touted as the biggest annual hot air balloon festival in Southeast Asia that featured more than forty (40) colorful hot air balloons from different countries all over the world, fourteen (14) of which are special shaped balloons like Darth Vader, Yoda, Humpty Dumpty and Frog.
The 3rd edition of Lubao International Balloon Festival was held on April 14–17, 2016 in Pradera Verde, Prado Siongco, Lubao, Pampanga.

### Lubao International Balloon and Music Festival

From April 6 to 9, 2017, the Lubao International Balloon and Music Festival was held. For the 4th year in a row, 35 balloons showered the skies of Lubao, Pampanga with their magnificent design and beautiful colors while wonderful music from international artists (Alex Aiono and Redfoo) and local artists (Sponge Cola, Gloc 9, Parokya ni Edgar, Moonstar88, Yeng Constantino and Bamboo) graced the event.

## Government
### Local government

The municipal government is divided into three branches: executive, legislative and judiciary. The executive branch is composed of the mayor and the barangay captains. The legislative branch is composed of the Sangguniang Bayan (town assembly), Sangguniang Barangay (barangay council), and the Sangguniang Kabataan for the youth sector.

#### Notable mayors

* Lilia Pineda, mayor 1992–2001
* Dennis G. Pineda, mayor 2001–2010
* Salvador Dimson Sr

## Landmarks and notable heritage structures
### Lubao Institute

The Lubao Institute is in front of the Diosdado Macapagal Museum and Library which is at the back of his Bahay Kubo birthplace. Some meters from these 2 landmarks is the San Nicolas Lubao residence of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Lubao Institute or LI is the first and oldest private school in Lubao established in 1929.

### Escolastica Romero District Hospital

The Escolastica Romero District Hospital located in San Nicolas 1st, Lubao and St. Joseph Hospital of Remedios located in Barangay Remedios, Lubao are the prime health institutions of the town.

### San Agustin Church

The parish church of San Agustin (considered one of the oldest in Pampanga - 1572) celebrated its 440th Founding Anniversary last May 5, 2012, with the launching of the 1st Sampaguita Festival; participated by the six parishes of Lubao. And the reception of the relics of St. Augustine & St. Monica. The church was declared by the National Historical Commission as Important Cultural Property last August 28, 2013 (441st Founding Anniversary).

### Other notable landmarks

* Diosdado Macapagal Birthplace House / Library & Museum
* Jose B. Lingad Park & Museum located at San Nicolas 1st, Lubao
* MRF Charcoal making environment friendly
* Lubao Bamboo Nature Park located at Santa Catalina, Lubao
* Pradera Verde situated at Barangay Prado Siongco, Lubao (venue of the annual Lubao International Balloon and Music Festival)

### Baybay Ilog

Baybay Ilog (Sagip Ilog) is a project of Department of Tourism and Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
In the Baybay Ilog, Bye-bye Basura project, officials and volunteers gathered at the Banqueruan Port in San Nicolas 1st, Lubao where the clean-up drive started. After a brief program, the whole contingent coursed the river, checked the preparation of the communities and conducted the river clean-up. The Lubao-Sasmuan River was one of the ecosystems heavily affected when Mount Pinatubo erupted 20 years ago. With this project coinciding with the anniversary of the said volcanic eruption and our country's independence day celebration, the people from Lubao and Sasmuan are looking at it as a liberation from the dreaded effects of the said natural disaster which, through tourism, will pave the way for the rise to progress of the said communities. Once again, the river is resuming its role, as a driving factor for the growth of a civilization.
The symbolic river clean-up dubbed as “Baybay-Ilog, Bye-bye Basura”, is the first step in preparing the people in 17 identified Barangays that will benefit from the Pampanga bayou river cruise project spearheaded by the local government units of Sasmuan and Lubao in cooperation with the Provincial government of Pampanga and the second district congressional office of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. River Clean-up held last June 12, 2011. This event mobilized more than 700 volunteers from Sasmuan and Lubao for ground and boat contingents. With the support of the Local Government Units of Sasmuan and Lubao, Community Volunteers and Social Preparation Group of Pampanga Bayou Development Project, this was really an astounding success.
There were 700 volunteers from 13 coastal barangays boarded participating boats at the Banqueruan banca port at the town of San Nicolas, Lubao to participate in the symbolic river cleanup shortly after the sun rose on an otherwise lazy Sunday morning. Armed with cleaning tools, the residents carefully rid the river of wastes in preparation for the formal launch of the town's newest tourist attraction – the Pampanga river bayou cruise. Prior to the river cleanup, Christian Narito, project leader of the social preparation phase of the Pampanga Wetlands Development Project, said the identified 17 barangay communities located along the cruise route had earlier been educated about the benefits tourism could bring into the communities. “People within and around the area participated in determining how will they react or be affected by any major development planned within their area of residence. We helped them identify their strengths and how they could contribute to the river cruise project,” Narito said.

## Notable schools and colleges

* Don Honorio Ventura State University (Lubao, Branch)

## Notable personalities

* Diosdado Macapagal - was the 9th President of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965.
* Arturo Macapagal - was a Filipino shooter who competed at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics at the free pistol event.
* Gloria Macapagal Arroyo - is a Filipino professor and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from 2001 until 2010, as the 10th vice president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001 and a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga since 2022 and previously from 2010 to 2019. Arroyo was the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, from 2018 to 2019, and the first woman to hold the position.
* Mikey Arroyo - Filipino politician and former actor
* Arwind Santos - is a PBA basketball player 9x Champion and MVP an alumnus of Lubao Institute Pampanga. He is currently playing for Pampanga Giant Lanterns
* Ian Sangalang - is a PBA basketball player 4x Champion and an alumnus of Lubao Institute. Currently playing for Magnolia Hotshots
* Jose B. Lingad - was a Filipino politician who served as provincial governor and congressman from Pampanga.
* Rogelio de la Rosa - is one of the most popular Filipino matinee idols of the 20th century and elected to the Philippine Senate from 1957 to 1963.
* Jaime de la Rosa - is a Filipino pre-war and postwar actor better known as Jimmy in Philippine showbiz.
* Ato Agustin - better known as Ato "The Atom Bomb" Agustin, is a former Filipino professional basketball player.
* Cecile Licad - is a renowned Filipina virtuoso classical pianist.
* Gregorio Fernandez - was a Filipino film actor and director, and father of Rudy Fernandez.
* Rudy Fernandez - also known as "Daboy", was a multi-awarded Filipino actor and producer.
* Angela Fernando - is a fashion model and beauty queen from Lubao, Pampanga, Philippines.
* Isabel Preysler - is a Filipina-Spanish socialite with family roots from Lubao.
* Carlos Badion - was a Filipino basketball player.
* Apollo Quiboloy - is a Filipino pastor and church leader of the Philippines-based Restorationist church called the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC).
* Bienvenido Santos - Filipino-American fiction, poetry and nonfiction writer
* Letty Alonzo - former actress