Angeles City

Angeles(locally[ˈaŋhɛlɛs]), officially theCity of Angeles(Kapampangan:Ciudad ning Angeles;Filipino:Lungsod ng Angeles), is ahighly urbanized cityin theCentral Luzonregion of thePhilippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 462,928 people.
While Angeles City is politically independent from the province ofPampanga, it is usually grouped with it for statistical purposes by thePhilippine Statistics Authorityand also it is the largest city of that province.
Angeles City is the urban core ofMetro Clark,an urban area in Pampanga. This area, also known as Metro Angeles, is considered the industrial and residential heartland of Central Luzon.Metro Clark Angeles is also identified as a regional center by the national government.
In 1796, thegobernadorcilloor town head ofSan Fernando,DonÁngel Pantaleón de Miranda, and his wife,DoñaRosalía de Jesús, along with some followers, staked out a new settlement, which they namedCuliátbecause of the abundance of vines (Gnetum indicum)of that name in the area. The new settlers cleared the woodland and cultivated the area for rice and sugar farming. Don Ángel built his first house with light materials at the northwest corner of the intersection of Sapang Balen and the road going towards the town ofPorac. It was later donated to theCatholic Churchand became a cemetery called "Campo Santong Matua" (today the site of Nepomuceno Coliseum).
On May 12, 1812, the new settlers tried to make Culiat a self-governing town but the friars resisted the move, led by Fray José Pometa. Ten years later, on February 11, 1822, Don Ángel filed a petition for the township of Culiat to secede from San Fernando, but it was denied. This was followed by another petition within the same year, jointly signed by Don Ángel, his son-in-law, Mariano Henson, and the latter's father, Severino Henson. He donated 35 hectares (86 acres) for the construction of the first Catholic church, a convent and a primary school while Doña Agustina Henson de Nepomuceno, the niece of who would become the firstgobernadorcilloof Angeles in 1830, Don Ciriaco de Miranda, gave land for the new public market. Don Ángel paid the complete amount required by law just for the secession of Culiat from San Fernando. There were only 160 taxpayers then but the law required that it should have at least 500 taxpayers.
Located some 10 miles (16 km) north of Pampanga's capital, Culiat became a barrio of San Fernando for 33 years and on December 8, 1829, became a separate municipality. The newly-autonomous town was renamed "El Pueblo de los Ángeles" in honor of its patron saints, the Holy Angels, and the name of its founder, Don Ángel, coinciding with the rise of newbarriossuch as Santo Cristo (as thepoblaciónor town proper), Cutcut, Pampang and Pulong Anunas. The progressive barrios developed some new industries like a sugar mill and a wine distillery. The transition of Angeles from a jungle clearing to a barrio, to a town and finally to a city took 168 years and in all that time, it survived locusts' infestations, wars, epidemics, volcanic eruptions and typhoons to become one of the fast rising towns in the country.  When it received its first official municipal charter, the town contained some 661 people, 151 houses and an area of 38.65 km.
On May 7, 1899, GeneralEmilio Aguinaldotransferred the seat of theFirst Philippine Republicto Angeles. It then became the site of celebrations for the first anniversary of Philippine independence, which was proclaimed a year earlier inKawit,Cavite. Events included a parade, led by the youngest ever Filipino generals,Gregorio del PilarandManuel Tinio, with General Aguinaldo viewing the proceedings from the Pamintuan Residence, which was the Presidential Palace from May to July 1899 (and later was theCentral Bank of the Philippinesoffice in Central Luzon, before its ownership passed to theNational Historical Commission of the Philippines). Aguinaldo's sojourn was short, however, for in July of this same year he transferred his government to the province ofTarlacfollowing Angeles' occupation by the American forces.
On August 10, 1899, U.S. forces began the attack on Angeles confident in capturing it in a few days. However, the Filipino Army defending the town refused to give in so easily and fiercely fought back and for three months, they battled the Americans in and around the town. It was only after the battle on November 5, 1899, that the town finally fell into American hands. The Battle of Angeles was considered to be the longest in the history of theFilipino-American Warin Pampanga. This led to the establishment of an American camp in Barrio Talimundoc (in what is now Lourdes Sur), located next to the railroad station, in order to establish control over the central plains of Luzon. In January 1900, GeneralFrederick D. Grantorganized the first U.S. Civil Government in Angeles by appointing analcaldeor municipal mayor, beginning American rule over Angeles.
In 1902, theUnited States Armystudied relocating their post from Barrio Talimundoc to a fertile plain in BarrioSapang Bato, which supposedly had better grass for their horses. A year after that, U.S. PresidentTheodore Rooseveltsigned an executive order on September 1, establishing 7,700 acres (31 km) of land in Sapang Bato asFort Stotsenburg(which later would expand to 156,204 acres (632.14 km) in 1908 to becomeClark Air Base). It was centered on what would in later years become Clark Air Base's parade ground.
The Americans quickly commandeered Holy Rosary Parish Church and converted it into an army hospital, with the choir loft served as a dental clinic. Theconvento, which now houses Holy Family Academy, was the barracks for medical officers and enlisted men. Thesacristywas the only portion where Angeleños could hearMass. When the Americans finally vacated the church in 1904 and relocated to Fort Stotsenburg,parish priestRev. Vicente Lapus listed a total ofUS$638 for portions of the church destroyed, looted church items and treasures, and arrears on rentals.
Hours after theattack on Pearl Harbor, Japan attacked the Philippines, targeting the American military presence, as well as the Philippine Army, and taking over the civilian government. During the Japanese occupation in the country, 57,000 Filipino and Americanprisoners of warpassed the town of Angeles. They were forced to join theBataan Death March, going toCamp O'DonnellinCapas, Tarlac. Angeleños showed their sympathy by handing them food, milk, boiled eggs, rice cakes, cigarettes, and water. Angeleños followed them up to the train station in Dau railway station inMabalacatto give moral and spiritual support, and even helped the escapees.
War historians considered the bombing of Fort Stotsenburg on December 8, 1941, at 12:30 p.m. as one of the most destructive air raids inWorld War II, because almost all the American war planes were wrecked on the ground. In thirty minutes, the air might of the United States in the Far East was completely destroyed.
On the early morning of New Year's Day 1942, the first Japanese troops entered Angeles; they would occupy it until January 1945. During the Japanese invasion, another type of local government was set up on January 22, 1942. During the Japanese occupation, Clark Air Base then became a major center for staging Japanese air operations. Japanese aircraft flying out of Clark participated in theBattle of Leyte Gulf, considered to be the largest naval battle of the Second World War and possibly the largest naval battle in history.
Clark Air Base was recaptured by the Americans in January 1945, after three months of fierce fighting in the Philippines. After three years of atrocities committed by Japanese forces, the town and the rest of the Philippines were finally liberated by the combined United States and Philippine Commonwealth troops in 1945. The building of the general headquarters of thePhilippine Commonwealth ArmyandPhilippine Constabularywas situated in Angeles from January 1945 to June 1946, during and after World War II.
After World War II, the Philippines gained independence from the United States on July 4, 1946, but then would be tied to a neo-colonial relationship. The "Treaty of General Relations" signed on independence day itself signified the Americans' withdrawal and surrender of possession, control and sovereignty over the Philippines, except the use of their bases. It was followed by the Philippine-American Military Bases Agreement on March 14, 1947, allowing the U.S. to maintain territorial integrity and sovereignty over Clark Air Base andSubic Naval Basefor the next 44 years. Clark occupied 63,103 hectares and served as the tactical operational U.S. air force installation in the entire Southeast Asian region that had the capacity to accommodate the U.S. military transport planes, which served the entire Western Pacific.
Through the years, although Fort Stotsenburg continued to expand to become what would eventually be known as Clark Air Base, Angeles, despite its proximity to the American camp, did not progress fast and remained fairly small until the end of World War II. It was finally inaugurated on January 1, 1964, as a chartered city under Republic Act No. 3700 and then proceeded to enter a period of tremendous growth that resulted in its present position as the "Premier City in Central Luzon". It was through Mayor Rafael del Rosario's brainchild that Angeles became a city. He gained the distinction of being the last municipal mayor of Angeles. He was assisted in the preparation of the City Chapter by Attorney Enrique Tayag, a prominent resident of the town. Congresswoman Juanita L. Nepomuceno of the first district of Pampanga sponsored the bill in Congress, which was approved by then PresidentDiosdado Macapagal, the ninth Philippine president and a native of the province of Pampanga.
On June 15, 1991, Angeles was affected bythe cataclysmic eruptionof nearbyMount Pinatubo, with up to 60,000 people beingevacuatedfrom the city.  It was the second-largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century and, by far, the largest eruption to affect a densely populated area.  The province ofPampanga, Clark specifically, was badly hit and the agricultural lands, as well as other businesses, were covered by tons oflahar.There were no casualties reported inside Clark two days from the initial eruption because the 18,000 personnel and their families were transported toGuamand theSubic Naval BaseinZambales.
The eruption of Mount Pinatubo forced the leadership of the U.S. to prematurely abandon its military installation at Clark Air Base. This was in addition to a vote by the Philippine Senate in 1991 to no longer extend theLaurel–Langley Agreement, which allowed the presence of U.S. military forces on Philippine territory, thus ending the long chapter of Filipino-American relations in the history of Angeles. The U.S. military never returned to Clark, turning over the damaged base to the Philippine government on November 26, 1991
In 1993, cleanup and removal of volcanic ash deposits began. The former base re-emerged asClark Special Economic Zone(CSEZ) approved by then PresidentFidel V. Ramoson April 3 of the same year. The airfield infrastructure was improved and destined to be the premiere airport in the country in the next five years and one of the most modern in Asia.The creation of CSEZ has helped to offset the loss of income and jobs previously generated by the presence of the U.S. base.  Today, Angeles and Clark together form the hub for business, industry, aviation and tourism, as well as the entertainment and gaming center ofCentral Luzon.
Among the draws for tourists is the local dishsisigwhich according to the Center for Kapampangan Studies, originated in this Angeles and has been on the menu since the 1730s. Pampanga is well known as the culinary center of the Philippines.
In 2018, Angeles applied to be a UNESCO Creative City, while it also appliedsisiginto the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The applications are currently being processed by UNESCO.
A recent racial study showed that Angeles City, Pampanga; alongside Manila; andOlongapo, Zambales; was the locations of several concentrations of 250,000Amerasians(Mixed American-Asians) who were born as a result of the American colonization of the Philippines and the presence of US bases in the country.
It is bordered byMabalacatto the north,Mexicoto the east,San Fernandoto the southeast,Bacolorto the south, andPoracto the southwest and west. Though the city administers itself autonomously fromPampanga, it is the province's commercial and financial hub.
Angeles is served byClark International AirportinClark Freeport Zone.
Angeles is 83 kilometres (52 mi) from Manila and 17 kilometres (11 mi) from the provincial capital,San Fernando.
Under theKöppen climate classificationsystem, Angeles has atropical savanna climatethat borders on atropical monsoon climate(Köppen climate classificationAw/Am).
Angeles experiences two distinct seasons: a dry season from November through April, with a wet season from May through October. From 1953 to 1991, the mean daily low was 22.6 °C and the mean daily high was 31.3 °C, with June being warmest and January and February being the coolest. The average annual rainfall is 2026.8 mm.  Typhoons tend to approach from the east during the summer and fall.  Many damaging storms struck the city, includingTyphoon Irmaon November 28, 1974 (generally considered to be the strongest one);Typhoon Ritaon October 27, 1978;Typhoon Irma(the name was reused) on November 24, 1981;Typhoon Rubyon October 25, 1988; andTyphoon Yunyaon June 15, 1991, which coincided with the Mount Pinatubo blast. In July 1972, Central Luzon experienced a month of nearly continuous rain, resulting in ±2,440 millimetres (96 in) falling on the plain around Angeles.
Angeles is divided into 33barangays. Each barangay consists ofpuroksand some havesitios.
Anunas is thebarangaythat houses the city'sKoreatown, a chain of Korean establishments along theFil-Am Friendship Highway. Anunas is also identified as one of the growth centers of the city, focusing on light industries such as woodcarving and rattan craft.
Balibagois the main entertainment district of Angeles. It containsCasino FilipinoAngeles and the famousFields Avenuetourist belt. The city's biggest mall,SM City Clark, is also situated in Barangay Malabañas.
These two barangays form the main public market district of the city. The Pampang Wet Market, San Nicolas Market, Friday Flea Market (locally referred to as Apu), Jumbo Jenra Angeles, Puregold Angeles, and the Angeles Slaughterhouse are found here. The Pampang Wet Market is the largest and most frequented wet market in the province of Pampanga. It also attracts people from nearby towns. Ospital Ning Angeles (ONA),City College of Angeles, Angeles City National High School are located in Pampang.
Pulung Maragul is thebarangaythat houses the city's government complex, which includes the Angeles City Hall, the Angeles City Hall of Justice, and other government buildings. It is also the location of the Angeles Exit of theNorth Luzon ExpresswayandMarquee Mall, Ayala's first mall in Central Luzon. Marquee Place and Marquee Residences later rose in Pulung Maragul as well, next to the mall.
Santo Rosario is thepoblacion. It is home to most of Angeles' heritage and historical structures such as theHoly Rosary ParishChurch, Pamintuan Mansion which is privately owned by Maverick Pamintuan, Bale Herencia, and Museo ning Angeles (former City Hall building).Holy Angel University, Central Luzon's largest university in terms of population,is also located here. Plans of declaring thebarangayor parts of it a heritage zone are ongoing.
Sapangbato is the largestbarangayin Angeles in terms of territory, with a total land area of 104,694 sq. meters and a population of 11,262. Located northwest of Angeles nearClark Freeport Zone, it is identified as the barangay in Angeles with the highest elevation of 750 feet above sea level. It is home toFort Stotsenburg, also known as the Parade Grounds of Clark.apl.de.ap, member of the hip hop groupthe Black Eyed Peas, hails from Sapangbato. The famous Puning Hot Springs of Barangay Inararo inPoracare accessed through Sitio Target in Sapangbato.
Kapampanganis the predominant language of the city, along withTagalog.Englishis also widely spoken. Angeles City is also home to the majority of Chinese Filipinos that live in Pampanga, a large portion of these Chinese Filipinos havePhilippine Hokkienor (咱人話) as their main language.Due to the growing Korean population in Angeles City,Koreanis also spoken by the Korean expatriates that are residing in Angeles City.
The majority of the population of Angeles is Catholic.At least two major festivals associated with the Catholic faith are held in October in the city. Commemorating the victory of the Spanish fleet over the Dutch Navy in 1646, the La Naval Fiesta is celebrated in honor of theOur Lady of La Naval de Manilawith adherents believing that her intercession was instrumental to the Spaniards' naval victory.The Apu Fiesta involves devotees from all over Pampanga making a visit to the Apu shrine to venerate the image of Jesus Christ lying in thesepulchrewhich is believed to be miraculous by believers.
Owing to the presence of the nearby U.S. Clark Air Force Base and consequent Freeport Zone,many Americans chose to permanently settle in the area, particularly in the Balibago district, and thus Angeles became home to a large colony of expatriates. During the American colonial period (1898–1946), more than 800,000 Americans were born in the Philippines, and a large concentration ofFilipino mestizosorFilipinos with American ancestrywere located in this city.
Being home of the formerClark Air Base(once the largest United States military facility outside the continental United States), it was significantly affected by the fallout from the eruption ofMount Pinatuboin 1991. The economy of Angeles was heavily dependent on the American base at that time.
In 1993, a full cleanup and removal of volcanic ash deposits began and the former U.S. base was transformed into theClark Special Economic Zone(CSEZ).The creation of CSEZ has helped to offset the loss of income and jobs previously generated by the presence of the U.S. base in the city. Today, Angeles and Clark form the hub for business, industry, aviation, and tourism in the Philippines as well as a leisure, fitness, entertainment and gaming center ofCentral Luzon.
Angeles is home to an emerging technology industry. Its economy is based also on tourism and gambling.Fields Avenueforms the hub of the night life industry focused in Angeles.With close proximity to an international airport in Clark Freeport, Angeles is visited by foreigners all year round.
In the 2000s, the local government of Angeles rebranded the Fields Avenue tourist belt as a high-end destination with fine restaurants and luxury hotels and casinosThe finishing of roads, such as theSubic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway, has improved trade and transport.The project connects the industrial, transport and business hubs of Pampanga, Zambales, Bataan and Tarlac. The project is crucial to bolstering growth in Central Luzon.
The city hascottage industriesproducingrattanfurniture,coconuts, andcharcoalbriquettes.  It also has many thriving export businesses in handicrafts, metal crafts, toys, houseware and garments.Apart from the Clark Freeport Zone, industrial areas include the Angeles Livelihood Village and the Angeles City Industrial Estate.
Call centers present are e-Telecare,CyberCity, Sutherland and IRMC. Other American IT industries are major employers as well.The establishment of a number of shopping malls also fueled the city's economy, includingSM City Clark,Robinsons Angeles, Jenra Grand Mall, Nepo Mall, Saver's Mall and theMarquee Mall, next to City Hall.
Angeles City houses numerous restaurants that are usually located near the malls and mostly in Nepo Quad which was newly renovated to cater the heightened needs of the population.
The city hosts a street party called the Tigtigan Terakan keng Dalan (lit.'Music and Dancing on the Streets') every October which features musical performances from both amateur and better-knownOPMbands.ThroughPresidential Proclamation 696, October 26, 2024 was declared aspecial non-working dayin celebration of its Tigtigan Terakan Keng Dalan Festival.
The Sisig Festival, locally known as the Sadsaran Qng Angeles, festivities dedicated to the Kapampangan dishsisig, used to be held every December.It was halted in 2008 following the murder ofLucia Cunanan, who was known for promoting the dish. The festival was revived as a one-day fiesta in April 2017 in association with theDepartment of Tourism.
Angeles is promoted as agastronomy tourist destinationand is billed as the "culinary capital" of the Philippines. The city is known as a hub for Kampampangan cuisine as well as for its porksisig.The city also has numerous historically and culturally significant tourist destinations including the Pamintuan Mansion, a heritage house which hosts a history and social studies museum, and the Holy Rosary Church, which is recognized by theNational Museum of the Philippinesas anImportant Cultural Property. Angeles is also situated within the perimeter of theClark Freeport Zone.
A consequence of the presence of U.S. bases in the country is the prostitution industry in the city. Since the early days ofClark Air Base, Fields Avenue in Balibago district is an area frequently visited by the U.S. servicemen, has been known as a center for prostitution andsex tourism.ABBCarticle characterized it as "the centre of the Philippines sex industry" and dubbed it "Sin City".Elsewhere and in later years, Philippine travel publications have described it as the "Entertainment Capital of Central Luzon", "The FilipinoLas Vegas", and "Entertainment City".
Angeles City Foreign Tourist Arrival reach 443,000 in 2022
Angeles City is the Biggest total number of International Tourist in North and Central Luzon .
Mostly are Koreans, Chinese and Americans
As a highly urbanized city in the Province of Pampanga, government officials in the provincial level are not voted by the electorates of the city. The provincial government have no political jurisdiction over local transactions of the city government. Residents of this city are not allowed to run for provincial level except for congress which the city of Angeles is part of Pampanga's 1st legislative district.
The city of Angeles is governed by a city mayor designated as its local chief executive and by a city council as its legislative body in accordance with the Local Government Code. The mayor, vice mayor, and the councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being held every three years.
Barangays are also headed by elected officials:Barangay Captain,Barangay Council, whose members are calledBarangay Councilors. The barangays have SK federation which represents the barangay, headed by SK chairperson and whose members are called SK councilors. All officials are also elected every three years.
Angeles belongs to thefirst legislative districtof the province of Pampanga. Currently, the city is represented by Carmelo B. Lazatin II in the house of representatives.
in Angeles City, the only Cable TV channel isPEP TVon a cable provider Air Cable Channel 3 SD & 209 in HD. There are three radio stations in the city:UFM 105.5,GVAM 792andGV 99.1.
Clark International Airportis near the city; it is served by many passenger and cargo airlines, including some international ones.
List of Accredited Transport Cooperatives as of January 2021:
Angeles has the followingsister cities: