Talavera, Nueva Ecija
', officially the ' (; ), is a in the province of , . According to the PSA Census of Housing and Population for 2020, it has a population of 132,388. Talavera is part of Cabanatuan conurbation as adjacent urban center in the heart of Nueva Ecija. It is dubbed as the "Milk Capital" and "Food basket in Inland Luzon". Talavera is one of the fastest growing municipalities in the province and proposals have been planned for cityhood. Given its robust economic growth, Talavera enjoys annual progress and wealth. The town's revenue-generated income as of 2017 is P298,361,401.93 and with over  124,829 inhabitants, the town meets the requirements for cityhood. In July 2019, Congresswoman Estrellita B. Suansing has filed House Bill 184, regarding the cityhood of Talavera. It was later filed in the Senate in February 2021. Both bills are currently pending. According to the National Competitiveness Council in Cities/Municipalities Competitiveness Index, during the past years, Talavera maintained their rankings as one of the most competitive municipalities in the Philippines. It is bordered by Cabanatuan, Llanera, Muñoz, Aliaga, General Mamerto Natividad, Santo Domingo and San Jose. History. Present-day Talavera was formerly a barrio of Cabanatuan. It was called “Katugian ” which means a place abundant in “Tugue,” an edible root crop. The distance between Cabanatuan's town center and Katugian was critical during the early phase of its development although it was only . The parish-curate at that time recommended to the Spanish administrators a separate and independent administration of Katugian. By a royal decree issued on November 12, 1852, the plan making Katugian a town was approved. There was no formal inauguration of the new town in accordance with the royal decree. However, the Augustinian parish-curate of Cabanatuan, Fr. Gregorio Crisostomo, appointed the first officials of the town  by sending his co-adjutor, a certain Pedro Estanislao Pascual, to handle the religious phase of the administration of the new town during Sundays and Holidays only. The first barrios that composed the new town were La Torre, Pulong Buli (now Santo Domingo), Concepcion and Valle. Based on the petition presented to the Alcalde Mayor (governor) of Nueva Ecija, forwarded to the governor general in Manila, the “Talavera of the Crown of the Princess” was approved on February 17, 1853, by the Governor General. In 1954, Talavera lost some territory when the barrios of General Luna, Morcon, Mabini, Ricarte, Casili , and Picon, together with sitios Plaridel and Bosque were separated to form the town of Llanera along with some territory from Rizal and San Jose. Cityhood. House Bill No. 194 was filed on July 1, 2019 by Nueva Ecija's 1st district Representative Estrellita Suansing for the conversion of the municipality of Talavera into a component city. The bill is currently pending with the committee on local government since July 23, 2019. Senator Imee Marcos introduced Senate Bill No. 2040 for the conversion of the municipality in the Senate, pending in the committee since February 8, 2021. Geography. The municipality 's terrain is relatively flat, with slope ranging from 0 to 3%. Due to the flat topography, the land is suited for agricultural, commercial or industrial development. Barangays. Talavera is politically subdivided into 53 barangays. The National Government has an ongoing move to transfer Barangays Matingkis (Talavera), Bakal 1, Bakal 2 and Bakal 3 to become part of Science City of Muñoz for the reason that the said barangays are geographically and strategically within the said city. This was favored by most of the residents of the said barangays but was opposed by the Municipal Government of Talavera. Demographics. Religion . Majority of Talavera's populace is Roman Catholic, served by St. Isidore the Worker Parish Church (Paroquia de San Isidro Labrador) and chapels in other barangays. Other religious groups have churches and places of worship in the municipality. Economy. Talavera's economy focus on the agricultural sector. Palay, onions, and calamansi are their main crops. However, making it progress, economically developed andsprouting business establishment in their poblacion areas are currently addressed the town more productive and sustainable. Many government projects beneficial to the municipality's citizens were constructed, including the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology – Talavera Academic Extension  Campus, an extension campus of the said university; Talavera Eternal Park, the municipality's cemetery; a town library, and government-run drugstore. Tourism. Tourist attractions in Talavera include: Festival. Gatas ng Kalabaw Festival. Carabao's milk festival also known as Gatas ng Kalabaw festival is celebrated annually from May 12 to 15, including feast of the patron Saint Isidore. The festival aims to actively encourage, promote and enhance carabao's milk as a nutrition and livelihood industry. Highlights of the festival are street dancing, followed by float parade, parade of carabaos, carabao race, agri-trade fair, milk drinking contest and  ice cream making competition among others. Semana Santa sa Talavera. During Holy Week, the members of the church (San Isidro Labrador Parish Church) commemorate Jesus' Paschal mystery. The church even has a community where each member owns a religious image called the "Cofradia de la Sagrado Pasion del Nuestro Señor." Every Holy Wednesdays and Good Fridays, the members of the "Cofradia" places the images of their saints in "carozzas" or "karo" and exhibits it for the townspeople to witness thru a procession. Transportation. There are of national roads, including the section of Maharlika Highway (Asian Highway 26) that passes through  the municipality. Due to its central location, Talavera is one of the pivotal transport points in Central Luzon. Talavera is accessible by all means of land transportation. Regular jeepney trips are from 5:00 am to 9:00 pm. Tricycles are available 24 hours a day. Several bus companies also use the Talavera route from Cagayan Valley and Aurora to Manila, Cabanatuan, San Jose City, Baguio and other destinations. Healthcare. Talavera's populace is served by Talavera General Hospital, a national government-funded hospital formerly known as Dr. Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Hospital - Talavera Extension Program. Medical and dental clinics also serve  the municipality. Education. Talavera is served by both public and Department of Education-accredited private schools. The largest elementary school is Talavera Central School, also known as Central, which is situated at the town proper. The largest secondary educational institution is Talavera National High School, colloquially knows as TNHS. University and colleges: