Plaridel, Bulacan

Plaridel, officially the Municipality of Plaridel, (Tagalog: Bayan ng

Plaridel), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2015
census, it has a population of 107,805 people.
With the expansion of Metro Manila, the municipality is now part of Manila's built-up area
which reaches as far north as San Ildefonso, Bulacan.

History
Quingua Church built in 1602 is dedicated
to the apostle James the Greater, and named after
Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
Quingua Church built in 1602 is dedicated
to the apostle James the Greater, and named after
Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
Like many towns in Bulacan, Plaridel has
its niche in Philippine history as the site of the
Battle of Quingua during the Philippine-
American War as part of the defense of the First
Philippine Republic against the Northern
Campaign of the American Army. The battle,
manned by Pablo Tecson—Lt. Colonel Pablo
Ocampo Tecson of San Miguel, Bulacan—under
Gregorio del Pilar on the side of the First
Philippine Republic, led to the death of Col. John Stotsenberg of the American Army on April 23, 1899.
A marker now stands at the site of the battle in Barangay Agnaya.
Plaridel's history can be traced through records back to 1581 in the early years of the Spanish
colonization. The Augustinian friars from Malolos Convent discovered a vast forest in 1581 then named
as Binto; this would later be known as Quingua. As per the history of the Parish of St. James the
Apostle, 2001 issue, Quingua was established by the Augustinian Friars of Malolos who initially named
it "Encomienda Binto" (Brgy. Bintog got its name from this settlement). They built a visita (chapel of
ease) and placed it under the jurisdiction of Fray Mateo Mendoza, the prior
of Malolos.
The visita of Binto was elevated to an independent parish named
Parroquia de Santiago Apostol, and the whole of Quingua was separated
from Malolos and was created as a new pueblo on September 27, 1602.
Plaridel is surrounded with the rivers of Angat, Bulacan and
Tabang River, both of which run through the town. The Angat River,
otherwise known as Bulacan River, flows directly to Calumpit, Bulacan, meeting the Pampanga River.
The Tabang River, a tributary with adjoining intersections dividing the middle of the present poblacion
of Plaridel, flows to the Manila Bay after passing through the towns of Guiguinto and Bulakan. The
water of this river was called "tabáng" to refer to its fresh water.
Initially very few people lived in the town, and most were closely related. Each group had a
leader called "tandis". Different groups spoke different languages; Pampango, Pangasinan, Ilocano and
Tagalog. From Malolos, the friar curate frequently visited the place,
preaching the Catholic faith, using the "balsa" or bamboo raft as his means
of transportation. The missionaries decided to clear the land and establish
settlements, from which they could work to bring unity to the people. They
needed ideas to bring this about, so each "tandis" drew up a plan to pursue.
The groups of people labored, so much so that when the priest returned
seven years later, he found the area completely cleared. The priests's party
inquired among the natives as to whom the credit should go, and the
Pampangos exclaimed, "Quing wawa". Thereafter, every now and then, to every question of the friars
the people would reply "Quing wa". As a consequence, the place had come to be referred to as Quingua.

During the presidency of Manuel L. Quezon, the then "Alcalde", or Town Mayor, of Quinga,
Jose J. Mariano, took the initiative of renaming the town. Congressman Pedro Magsalin, a friend of the
Alcalde, sponsored the bill changing the name of the town from Quingua
to Plaridel. The bill was passed by the Philippine Congress and was
approved by the President, and on December 29, 1936 the town was
renamed as 'Plaridel', in honor of the great hero of Bulacan, Marcelo H.
del Pilar. The celebrations that followed were attended by political
luminaries of the time, including Speaker Gil Montilla, Congressman
Magsalin, Nicolas Buendia, Eulogio Rodriguez, Elpidio Quirino and
Governor José Padilla, Sr.
Notable families from Plaridel include the Vergel de Dios family (originally from Baliuag and
that donated the public market of the town), the Castros, Vistans, Sayos, Garcías, and San Diegos.

How to get there from Richwell Colleges, Incorporated?

Plaridel Crossing:
Tricycle: 15 pesos
Plaridel Crossing to Municipality:
Tricycle: 15 pesos or
Jeep: 9 pesos