HISTORY OF GAPAN

CITY

Submitted by:
Catalan, Darlin Millicent
Cagampan, Crystalyn
Ladaban, Ericka
Magtalas, Tricia Simone
Manalastas, Honey Rose
Patiag, Althea Vianca
 History of Gapan City

Gapan is a 4th class component city in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. It is
officially known as the City of Gapan (Tagalog: Lungsod ng Gapan, Kapampangan:
Lakanbalen ning Gapan). It has a population of 122,968 people, according to the 2020
census. Due to the city's thriving footwear manufacturing industry, Gapan is known as the
"Footwear Capital of the North."
Gapan was organized by Spanish minister and officials who, in their early
occupation, held great power over the people and what they did. History records Gapan as
one of the first towns in Pampanga, founded sometime in the middle of the sixteenth
century. According to records from the first Catholic Mission to the far east, Fathers
Contreas, Tendilla, Caballo, and Salazar were in charge of clearing the forest that later
became a Pueblo in 1595. The Spaniards built a church, presidencia, and residential houses
out of bricks and lime, which became historic landmarks in the town.
Historical data recorded that Gapan was founded in 1595 making it the oldest town
in Nueva Ecija and one of the oldest in the Philippines. It was also a large Pueblo,
encompassing an area as far north as Cabanatuan City, which was its barrio with the name
Cabanatuan before it separated in 1777: the Sierra Madre in the east, San Miguel in the
south, and Candaba in the west. The pueblo gradually disintegrated into many pueblos as
Spanish power waned and economic progress caught up in the area, until it was reduced to
the towns of Penaranda, General Tinio, and San Leonardo (formerly called Manikling),
Nueva Ecija province. In fact the Patron Saint Divina Pastora had its origin or residence in
Barrio Callos. Penaranda.
This town was previously known as "Ibon." The origin of the name Gapan is an
interesting tale. According to legend, some Spanish soldiers were on a mission when they
noticed natives crawling through the thick bushes. The soldier stopped them and asked in
Spanish for the name of the town, not knowing the local dialect. The natives have no
knowledge of the Spanish language and responded in Tagalog when asked what they were
doing, "Gumagapang gapang kami." The Spanish mistook it for the name of the town and
dubbed it Gapang from then on. The letter "g" was eventually dropped, and the more
refined name Gapan has remained to this day. Another legend about the origin of the name
Gapan claimed that it was derived from the abundance of climbing and crawling plants in
the area.
Originally, the town was divided into eight barrios: Sta Cruz, Mangino, Pambuan, San
Lorenzo, San Vicente, San Nicolas, Sto Cristo, and San Roque or Baluarte, with San Lorenzo
and San Vicente serving as the Municipality's poblacion. Bungo, Kapalangan, Puting Tubig,
Makabaklay, Maburak Sto Nino, Bayanihan, Sto Cristo Norte, Malimba, Mahipon, Bulak,
Parcutela, and Marelo were among the thirteen additional Barrios or Barangays established
by the then Municipal Council
 The Gapan Church is made of bricks, adobe, and lime. The architecture is Byzantine
and was built over a sixteen-year period, from 1856 to 1872, under the successive direction
and supervision of Fathers Loredo, Conejo, and Llaneza. The church, like most massive
structures built during the Spanish regime, was constructed using forced labor. The
materials were gathered in Laryuhan, Barrio San Vicente, and Barrio San Lorenzo, near
Pambuan. To transport the materials to the church site, laborers had to line up straight
between the sources of materials and the construction site, passing the bricks from one
hand to the other. Records show that since 1740, Gapan has “Cura Parrocos” beginning
with father Francisco Medalla.
The City has two Patron Saints, the Three Kings and the La Virgen Divina Pastora
(Shepherdess). The feast for the Three Kings is every sixth day of January and every first of
May for the Divina Pastora. Gapan City has become a place of Pilgrimage for devotees in
Central Luzon. The miracles of the Divina Pastora has attracted the attention of the church
authorities and on April 26, 1964, the Divina Pastora was crowned queen at the church
plaza, making Gapan an official pilgrimage city where her graces would flourish for those
who visit Gapan.
One of the eight rays in the Filipino flag represent Nueva Ecija as one of the eight
provinces that took up arms against Spain. Participants in this uprising came from Gapan,
San Isidro, Cabiao and Penaranda led by General Pantaleon Valmonte (mentioned as
Belmonte in history). Gapan contributed thirteen heroes or martyrs who were killed by the
Spaniards. They were Epifanio Ramos, Quintin Tinio, Faustino Delos Reyes, Leocadia
Liwag, Valentin Liwag, Severino Changco, Saturnino Magno and Ramon Tinawin. In due
recognition of their patriotic sacrifices the Gapan City Government honored them by
erecting a monument at the San Vicente Plaza called “Inang Bayan” where their names
were engraved and named the streets in the city proper after them.
The City of Gapan acquired corporate existence when a majority of the people
approved its cityhood application in a plebiscite conducted last August 25, 2001. Gapan
became a component city as a result of Republic Act 9022, which was sponsored by
Congresswoman Julita Lorenzo Villareal. Christian Tinio, a former City Councilor and Vice
Mayor, was elected City Mayor on May 10, 2010 and took office on June 30, 2010.