Floridablanca, Pampanga

Floridablanca, Pampanga
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.
Etymology
Floridablanca is derived from Spanish which translates to "white flower." However, there are two versions of the name's origin:
in honor of José Moñino, 1st Count of Floridablanca, a former chief minister of Spain whom the locals believed to have visited the place in the early 1800s despite the lack of evidence of his visit; or
white flowers of a pandacaqui plant (Tabernaemontana pandacaqui) that flourished in the town, considered as a more credible origin.
Previously, the town was named San Jose de Calampaui, which is derived from Spanish for Saint Joseph, its patron saint.
History
Floridablanca was founded in 1823 as Hacienda de San Jose de Calampaui at the site of a monastery. In 1867, it was renamed to Pueblo de Floridablanca.
In the 1920s, the Pampanga Sugar Mill was built at Del Carmen in the 1920s. The area was the site of military bases of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the Philippine Constabulary from 1942 to 1946. The Philippine Air Force established Basa Air Base at a former American military airfield in 1947.
Geography
Floridablanca is located on the western part of Pampanga along the Zambales mountain ranges and is bounded by the municipalities of Porac on the north, Lubao on the south, Guagua on the east, and Dinalupihan, Bataan on the west. It is from the city of San Fernando and from Manila. The town is at an elevation of above sea level. Floridablanca is north of Dinalupihan, Bataan via Dinalupihan-Floridablanca Access Road at the Bataan-Pampanga boundary line.
With an area of , it is the third largest municipality in the province, after Porac and Candaba.
Barangays
Floridablanca is politically subdivided into 33 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
Anon
Apalit
Basa Air Base
Benedicto
Bodega
Cabangcalan
Calantas
Carmencita
Consuelo
Culubasa
Dampe
Del Carmen
Fortuna
Gutad
Mabical
Maligaya
Mawacat
Nabuclod
Pabanlag
Paguiruan
Palmayo
Pandaguirig
Poblacion
San Antonio
San Isidro
San Jose
San Nicolas
San Pedro
San Ramon
San Roque
Santa Monica
Solib
Santo Rosario
Valdez
Climate
Demographics
In the 2020 census, the population of Floridablanca, Pampanga, was 135,542 people, with a density of .
Economy
Floridablanca is the second largest producer of rice in the province. It produces more than enough rice to meet its needs resulting in a surplus. In 1999, only 37.76% of its produce was used for its own rice requirement resulting in a surplus of 65.24% equivalent to 17,553 metric tons.
Government
Local government
Like other towns in the Philippines, Floridablanca 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 of Barrios.
List of municipal leaders
Capitan Municipal
1897 – Don Gerónimo Romero Dinio
1898 – Don Cecilio Alvendia
1899 – Don Alejandro Ramos
Municipal Presidents
1900–1902 – Don Gerónimo Romero Dinio
1903–1905 – Don Alejandro Ramos
1906–1908 – Don Gregorio Panlaqui
1909–1911 – Don León Gutiérrez
1911 – Don Arcadio Ramírez
1912–1917 – Don Martin Sundiam
1918–1922 – Don José O. Dinio
1923–1925 – Don Isidoro Alvendia
1926–1931 – Don Roberto Nuguid
1932–1937 – Don Camilo Ocampo
Municipal Mayors
1938–1940 – Geronimo Dinio Coronel
1941 – Benigno Layug
1942–1943 – Francisco Vargas
1943–1944 – Fidel Pekson
1944 – Leandro Garcia
1945 – Benigno Layug
1945 – Dr. Vicente Chincuanco
1945–1946 – Mariano Macabulos
1946–1947 – Arsenio T. Isip
1948–1951 – Mariano Macabulos
1951–1955 – Dominador Diyco Songco
1956–1959 – Atty. Marcelo Dungca Mendiola
1960–1967 – Dominador Diyco Songco
1968–1971 – Jose Dungca Mendiola
1972–1986 – Pedro Manuel Capulong
1986–1992 – Tito Morales Mendiola
1992–2001 – Pedro Manuel Capulong
2001–2004 – Joerey Montemayor
2004–2007 – Darwin Manalansan
2007–2016 – Eduardo Guerrero
2016–present – Darwin Manalansan
Tourism
Aside from Basa Air Base, the town has cultural treasures and interesting points.
1887 San Jose Obrero Parish Church: the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando exercises jurisdiction over the Heritage Church.
Bahay na Puti (Alvendia House): the Justice Carmelino Alvendia, Sr. ancestral mansion is owned, preserved and maintained by his family.
Notable personalities
Dante Rivero, movie actor
Jillian Ward, actress
Justice Carmelino Alvendia, Sr.
Rhea Santos, newsreader from GMA and OMNI
Gallery
References
External links
Floridablanca Profile at PhilAtlas.com
Official site
[ Philippine Standard Geographic Code]
Philippine Census Information
Local Governance Performance Management System
Municipalities of Pampanga
Populated places established in 1867
1867 establishments in the Philippines