Subic, Zambales
Subic, officially the (), is a in the province of , . According to the , it has a population of people. It is located along the northern coast of Subic Bay. Portions of the town also form part of the Subic Freeport Zone. Etymology. The native Zambales inhabitants called the area "Hubek", which means "head of a plough"; Spanish missionary priests mispronounced the name as "Subiq". By the time of the American occupation, "Subiq" was mispronounced as "Subig". Eventually the name reverted to "Subiq", but the letter 'q' was replaced with 'c'. History. In 1572, Juan de Salcedo, the Mexico-born  Spanish conquistador and grandson of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, founded Zambales during his exploration of northern Luzon. Subic was founded in late 1607 by Augustinian friars headed by Rev. Fr. Rodrigo de San Miguel, and the natives in Subic were Christianized under Spanish rule. Spanish period. In September 1762, the British invaded the Philippines and took over the Spanish main naval base in Manila Bay. This prompted the Spanish military to scout for the next promising naval station. The expedition returned with the good news for the naval command - a natural bounty and deep waters at Subic Bay. King Alfonso  XII issued a decree in 1884 that declared Subic as "a naval port and the property appertaining there to set aside for naval purposes." Construction of an arsenal and ship repair yard ensued March 8 the following year, as ordered by the new settlers' Naval Commission. Subic Bay's potential as naval station was realized by the Americans. Commodore George Dewey and his men engaged in a battle that destroyed the Spanish Army in 1898, and the Americans took over Subic Bay on December 10, 1899. American period and World War II. The Americans designated the Subic Bay area as  a repair and supply naval base site in 1901. Two years later, US President Theodore Roosevelt declared of land in Subic as a military reservation area; or more than half of Subic's land area at the time. Subic, along with the Olongapo area suffered significant damage during the World War II and was repurposed by the Imperial Japanese Army as their own base during the Japanese occupation. Post World War II. After World War II, Olongapo, a barrio of Subic that forms part of the US Military Reservations in the Subic area, was turned over to the Philippine government . Olongapo was converted to a municipality independent from Subic town through Executive Order No. 366 issued by President Carlos P. Garcia on December 7, 1959. Geography. Climate. Subic has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification "Am"). Subic's climate is no different from the other towns in eastern part of Luzon where rainy season runs from May to October, while the dry season is from November to April. The wettest month of the year is July with average monthly rainfall more than and the driest month is February with average monthly rainfall less than . The highest ever recorded temperature  in the area is and the lowest is . The annual average temperature in the city is . Barangays. Subic is politically subdivided into 16 barangays. Government. Chief executives. This is the complete list of municipal leaders such as Mayor, and Presidente Municipal since it was become municipality since 1902. Demographics. In the , the population of Subic was people, with a density of . Economy. Part of the town of Subic are within the jurisdiction of the Subic Freeport Zone which is managed by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority. The revenue earned by the special economic zone is shared by seven municipalities including  Subic town, and the city of Olongapo. Infrastructure. Transportation. Roads. The primary road that connects Subic to the other parts of the town is the Olongapo-Bugallon Road. Most of the names of those streets are based on the surnames of prominent residents or names of plants. Most of the roads in Subic are made of concrete and asphalt while others are still dirts. Diversion Road like Govic Highway are also commonly used by motorist from Barangay Matain to Barangay Manggahan. The purpose of this road is to lessen the traffic at the town proper and used by trucks especially  going north of Castillejos and vice versa. Another main road is the Philseco Road that ends from Barangay Asinan Proper down to Keppel Subic Shipyard (formerly Philippine Shipyard and Engineering Corporations). And Govic Highway Extension that ends from Castillejos down to Hanjin Shipyard which they exclusively used. Public Utilities. Electricity. Electricity services were provided by the cooperative-run Zambales II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ZAMECO II) which covers its Franchise Areas from Subic all the way to Cabangan since 1972. Water. Water services are provided by Subic Water District (SWD; Not to be confused with Subic Water and Sewerage Company (Subic  Water), which is a different water distribution company serving the neighboring city of Olongapo.). Most of Private schools are operated by Catholic Institution except for colleges.