GROUP OF BACOLOR

Calma,Michael
Salas,Dana Patricia P.
Vital,Jerico A.

Whats upp , We are here to present the beauty of Bacolor Pampanga and to give you
information about this locality here in Pampanga.
1st Segment-Dana Patricia Salas,​(Information about Bacolor)
Bacolor was the first capital of Pampanga and remained so for over two centuries (1698
to 1904) before the provincial seat was transferred to San Fernando in July 1904. In
1757, the provincial building, Casa Real, was constructed at the place where
the Bacolor Elementary School is now located.
Historical records show that Bacolor has been in existence as a prosperous settlements
as early as 1571. When the Spaniards under the leadership of Ferdinand Blumentrit
arrived that found “Baculud”. Its original name meaning high level ground.

Michael Calma-The first settlers of Bacolor were believed to be Malayans that came
from Atjeth Sumatra led by Panday Pira. It is believed to have been founded by
Monmon, first cousin and sister-in-law of Malangsic, a son of Prince Balagtas.

However, historians recorded the official foundation of Bacolor to have occurred in 1574
through a landlord named Guillermo Manabat, whose palatial house and resting place is
now the site of the San Guillermo Church, hence the church’s name.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries,

Bacolor reigned supreme as the political and cultural heart of Pampanga, then one of
the richest provinces in the archipelago. The town possessed a very active cultural life,
and served as the home of poets, playwrights and journalists.There occurred an
outpouring of local plays, poetry contests
and other literary works, and Bacolor provided the first provincial governor under the
new regime. In the town, as in the province, it was an era of celebration of things
Kapampangan and the time when the concept of Kapampangan studies had its
beginnings .The name Baculud was changed to Bacolor when the Spaniards came to
the place. It was recorded to have been the first capital of Pampanga for two centuries
(1698-1904) before San Fernando was declared the capital town of the province in July
1904.
Jerico Vital-In the year 1762 after the fall of Manila to the English invaders, Governor
General Simon de Anda retreated and made Bacolor the seat of the Spanish
Government. It was the seat of government from October 6, 1762 to May 30, 1764 and
practically served as the Capital of the Philippines. Thru, a decree of the King of Spain
on November 9, 1765, Bacolor became “Villa de Bacolor”, one of the only three villas in
the Philippines and was granted a Special Coat of Arms.
Bacolor, officially the Municipality of Bacolor, (Kapampangan: Balen ning Bakúlud), is a
3rd class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2015
census, it has a population of 39,460 people.Bacolor is the birthplace of Father Anselmo
Jorge de Fajardo, considered the "Father of Kapampangan literature" for writing the
1831 Kapampangan "kumidya" Don Gonzalo de Cordova.

Area of Bacolor (​Jerico​)

71.70 km2 (27.68 sq mi) is the whole area of Municipality of Bacolor, Pampanga.

(Places in Bacolor)Dana
is politically subdivided into 21 barangays.
Balas,Cabalantian,Cabambangan(Poblacion),Cabetican,Calibutbut,Concepcion,Dolores
,Duat,Macabacle,Magliman,Maliwalu,Mesalipit,Parulog,Potrero,San Antonio,San
Isidro,San Vicente,Santa Barbara,Santa Ines,Talba,Tinajero

HISTORY​ (Jerico Vital)

Don Guillermo Manabat, a rich landlord, is believed to be the founder of Bacolor in
1574. Historical records show that Bacolor has been in existence as a proposed
settlement as early as 1571, the same year Manila was founded by the Spanish. When
the Spaniards arrived in Bacolor they found Bakúlud; its original name meant "level
ground" because the site was formerly part of the Luzon coastline until eruptions from
Mount Pinatubo raised it above the ocean floor.

The first settlers of Bacolor were believed to through a landlord named Guillermo
Manabat, whose palatial house and resting place is now the site of the San Guillermo
Church, hence the church's name. The name Bakúlud was changed to Bacólor with the
advent of the Spanish.

Michael Calma-Monument to Simón de Anda y Salazar in Bacolor

During the British Occupation of the Philippines, when Manila fell to the British, it
became capital of the exiled government of Governor General Simón de Anda y Salazar
from October 6, 1762 to May 30, 1764. The provincial offices were temporarily moved to
Factoría (now San Isidro, Nueva Ecija). It remained the former capital town of
Pampanga until the provincial seat of government was transferred to neighboring San
Fernando in 1904. Through a decree of the King of Spain on November 9, 1765,
Bacolor became Villa de Bacólor, one of the only three villas in the Philippines and was
granted a special coat of arms. Simón de Anda organized an army of natives for the
defense of Bacolor and with the aim of recapturing Manila.

The coming of the American colonizers broke up the military form of government and
instead political and economic reforms were introduced.

When the Second World War broke out, Japanese fighter and bomber planes invaded
the municipal town in Bacolor on December 1941 until the town was occupied by the
Imperial Japanese forces in 1942. Pampangan guerrillas and Hukbalahap Communist
groups joined in an insurgency centered around the municipality of Bacolor, supported
by local soldiers and military officers of the Philippine Commonwealth Army. Their
attacks against the Japanese occupation continued until 1945, when Filipino and
American forces liberated the municipality of Bacolor.

Dana patricia Salas-On the morning of October 1, 1995, over 20 feet (6.1 m) of lahar
from the slopes of Mount Pinatubo and surrounding mountains buried the entire
barangay of Cabalantian among many others, killing hundreds of people. 18 out of the
21 barangays of Bacolor were buried. The lahar flows from the mountains raised the
town to its current level of an approximate 37 meters above sea level. Subsidence
caused the constant reclaiming of parts of Pampanga by the sea.

(Different Arts)
WOODCARVING TRADITION -Michael Calma
Bacolor is also known for santo-making.Woodcarving workshops in Bacolor hummed
with activity. Inside the busy shops the sound of chisel-tapping and fine wood dust fill
the air. Here I observed the step-by-step process and stages of sculpture from the
carving from a block of wood with a
rough sketch and the careful detailing using medium and fine chisels to the smoothing
and sanding and applying of encarna.Encarna is another set of process in finishing a
sculpture from applying escayola or gesso as primer to spraying paint. The role of the
encarnador is to apply details using a fine paint brush to make sculpture life-like. The
term ecarna is from the shorten Spanish word encarnación which means to become
flesh.

Religion-(​jerico vital)
Local residents are predominantly Roman Catholic although other religious groups
thrive in Bacolor, Pampanga. These congregations are Iglesia ni Cristo, Ang Dating
Daan, United Methodist, Jehova’s Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, Jesus is Lord Church, Evangelicals, Seventh-day Adventist, Aglipayan, Jesus
Miracle Crusade, etc.

The placed under the influences of the Catholic Church during the Spanish
colonization. Majority of the festivals and observances are somehow connected with
Catholicism. The influence is even more pronounced during the Lenten season wherein
different barangays from the map of San Fernando, Pampanga and other municipalities
hold processions and other religious festivities.

Culture​(Dana Salas)
Good Friday Procession,Around the Polacion
This Good Friday tradition in Bacolor is one of the most solemn processions, a
perfect example of a traditional Filipino prusisyon where you’ll hear nothing but voices
praying the holy rosary and solemn songs in between.

Jerico,dana,Michael-So yun na nga po guys, we are all sure na yung mga iilan sa
inyo jan ay nagutom na so ,we are here again to present the specialties in foods of
Bacolor.

Food(​michael​)
Tamales or Boboto in kapampangan dialect, is made of rice flour, coconut milk, topped
with palabok sauce, salted egg or boiled egg, shredded chicken, sprinkled with fried
garlic and nuts. It is cooked thru steaming wrapped mixture in banana leaves. The
aroma of banana leaves makes the Tamales smells so delicious as it cooks. It is also a
favorite delicacy in Bacolor, Pampanga specially for the Christmas season where
people will eat or buy the delicacy after early church mass (Simbang Gabi).

Tamales is originally a Mexican dish made of rice flour base, can be topped with
chicken, chorizo, pork and salted egg. A complete meal can be serve as breakfast and
dinner. Tamales or Boboto to Kapampangans is a dish we learned from Mexicans.
Boboto means to vote. According to some kapampangan trivias, this dish was inspired
by women who were left at home while the men went out and voted. They would gather
and make this kakanin.

They serve pampanga's specialty food like Tugak-frog (stuffed and fried), Camaru
(sauteed cricket), Pinaupong manok (pan steamed) chicken sitting on rock salt in a pan,
fried hito and Pampanga's asado (2nd picture after Camaru).

Camaru tastes like shreddeded chicken meat sauteed with garlic and a bit of vinegar.
Tugak is like fried chicken. The difference is, it is just smaller.
Bird's nest soup is addicting:)
Pinaupong Manok is a bit different with the regular steamed or fried chicken. The taste
and texture is a bit 'gamey' (game meat). It will go along nicely with soy sauce vinegar
dip

A must try Restaurant in this area.

Festival ​(michael)

Celebrating this victory over disaster is a festival called “Makatapak,” a native term for
going barefoot.The Makatapak Festival (Barefoot Festival) is a street dancing event
featuring competing groups that colorfully dance along the processional route or
“paglimbunan”, barefooted. It is celebrated during the town fiesta in November.
“Makatapak” in Capampangan means barefooted.Makatapak Festival commemorates
the Exodus of the people of Bacolor back in the days when the town was covered by
lahar from 1991 – 1995, the lahar episode was caused by the devastated eruption of
Mount Pinatubo. It was difficult to walk on Lahar, which is like a quick sand. Unity and
helping one another was the key in survival of Pinatubo’s wrath. Rich and poor alike
walked hand in hand. There was a time they shared in one big roof in “Tent Cities”.
People walked barefooted while carrying their personal belongings to safer grounds.
Other people wept…But now Villa de Bacolor is going forward. Makatapak Festival,
“lalacad quing dalan alang chinelas.” Mabie Balen Baculud! Balen daring makata pong
legwan. Balen daring biyasa ampong mangalagu. The Makatapak Festival Street
Dancing is simple colorful and impressive to watch.

Dana-“When people recount their experiences about lahar, they said they had to
remove their slippers to walk firmly on the soft, hot mud to reach safer grounds,” said Fr.
Jesus Manabat, this town’s parish priest.

“Rich or poor, they all had to walk barefoot. They were back to being equal. And they
were humbled,” said Manabat at the launch of the 5th year of the festival that he
initiated.

After the Oct. 1, 1995, lahar onslaught that buried the village of Cabalantian, residents
walked barefoot, holding the rope securing an image of the Our Lady of the Holy Rosary
(Virgen La Naval).

They wept and poured out their grief until the procession entered the half-buried San
Guillermo Church, Manabat recalled, citing a story by the late Fr. Nestor Tayag, the
former parish priest of the town.

Now, Cabalantian is a robust farming village, with many concrete houses and open
kitchens for friends and visitors.

Places Visit in Bacolor-(​Dana Salas)

San Guillermo Parish Church
( Dana)is named after San Guillermo, the patron saint of Bacolor, Pampanga,
Philippines, where the church is erected. The church was originally constructed by the
Augustinian Friars in 1576 – also the town's founding – with Fr. Diego De Ochoa, OSA,
as the town's first parish priest. Having been installed as such two years after.
In 1880, the church was destroyed by an earthquake only to be rebuilt by Fr. Eugenio
Alvarez in 1886. On September 3, 1995, lahar flow from the slopes of Mount Pinatubo
which erupted into the world's notice on June 15, 1991, buried the church at half its
12-m height prompting its more than 50,000 town residents to evacuate to safer
grounds in resettlement areas. Near the façade of the parish church is a museum which
contains the history of the church. It also contains paintings of the Pinatubo eruption in
1991.
Jerico-Mt.Pinatubo created a landscape of desolation long ago but now what was left
has captured everyone. The San Guillermo church 70% buried at 20feet remained and
reminded everyone of how destructive Mt. Pinatubo was. The site has become an
educational tour site for schoolers and those who would go to Subic and wishes to
dropped by for a moment. The museum features pictures before and after and during
the onslaught of lahar. Some religious images for Marian devotees. There is a souvenir
shop and some vendors selling local bacolorian delicacies.It has also become a
Shooting site for Movies and soap operas. Bacolor, once the Capital of the Philippines
and one of the 2 Villas not just a town declared during the Spanish govt. has become
rich in history. How i wish some old spanish ancestral houses could be rebuilt to bring
back the glory of Bacolor, similar to VIGAN. I suggest tourists to visit our Holy Week
Presentation, Good Friday procession during the night to witness our "PASO" and
Sto.Entierro.San Guillermo Parish Church Cabambangan, Bacolor, Pampanga Despite
being half-buried, the Church is still being used as a place of worship, especially for
Bacoloreṅos who demonstrated their strong faith, undying spirit and resiliency in times
of calamities. The Church was already a renowned tourist destination prior to lahar
tragedies, now both local and foreign tourists flock to the church whose remaining
features were preserved and maintained.
The Sunken Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes of Cabetican Church

Jerico-Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine Cabetican, Bacolor, Pampanga Declared Shrine of

Our Lady of Lourdes for the whole archdiocese. The faithful devotees of Cabetican as
well as those for the whole Pampanga joined together to construct the edifice for the
Blessed Mother. This has been the place of many pilgrims especially during first
Saturdays of the month.
Embedded deep into the earth, the Sunken Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes of Cabetican
once stood seven storeys high at its peak until it was buried by ash from Mt. Pinatubo's
re eruption in 1991 and subsequent lahar and mud flows in the years following. It wasn't
until a partial excavation in 2005 that parishioners were able to enter their beloved
shrine again.
To enter the Sunken Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes of Cabetican, you have to get on
bended knee and crouch through meter-high openings in the massive walls of the
church. On the day of our visit, flooding caused by heavy rain the night before made the
east and main entryway impassable, leaving the opening at the west façade the better
means of entry. The distance one traverses to get inside the church is a mere 1.7
meters, but the experience can be a transformative one. Shuffling through the truncated
space at a crouch, or on hands and knees as some do, the light gets progressively
dimmer.

MichaelIn the growing darkness, you hear and feel the grit of the floor and the rough
concrete above your head so much more acutely, and imagine the crushing weight of
the wall above. The earthy smell of rain, grass, and damp soil takes over. These
sensations are not all that alien, but in those few seconds, it is like entering the
unknown. One cannot help but feel meek and uncertain. And then, stepping into the
vast space of the shrine, your eyes adjust to the muted light coming from the half-disc
skylight above the altar, and the feeling of a great burden and unease lifts.

We all hope that you learned a lot of information about Bacolor ,thank you for watching
guys!

Acknowledgement
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