Maria Aurora, officially the Municipality of Maria Aurora ( tl, Bayan ng Maria Aurora; ilo, Ili ti Maria Aurora), is the only landlocked and 2nd class municipality in the province of

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 44,958 people. Despite being the only landlocked town of the province, it is the most populated municipality. The Millennium Tree in Balete Park and the lush green landscape is Maria Aurora's main tourist asset.

History

The town was named after Maria Aurora "Baby" Aragon Quezon, the first daughter of Philippine President

Manuel L. Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina, (; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier and politician who served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 until his de ...

and First Lady

Aurora Aragon Quezon Aurora Antonia Quezon ( Aragón y Molina; February 19, 1888 – April 28, 1949) was the wife of Philippine President Manuel Luis Quezon and the First Lady of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. Although she is recognized as the second First La ...

. Maria Aurora, along with her mother Aurora, was ambushed and assassinated by elements of the

Hukbalahap The Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon (), better known by the acronym Hukbalahap, was a communist guerrilla movement formed by the farmers of Central Luzon. They were originally formed to fight the Japanese, but extended their fight into a rebellio ...

movement in Nueva Ecija. The municipality of Maria Aurora was formed on July 21, 1949, through the ''Executive Order No. 246'' out of various portions of the municipalities of

Baler A baler or hay baler is a piece of farm machinery used to compress a cut and raked crop (such as hay, cotton, flax straw, salt marsh hay, or silage) into compact bales that are easy to handle, transport, and store. Often, bales are configure ...

, then part of Quezon province.

Proposal for the Municipality of Dr. Juan C. Angara

A separate municipality called ''Dr. Juan C. Angara'' is being proposed under Senate Bill No. 3132 and House Bill No. 6518. Named after the father of former provincial governor Bella Angara and former Senator

Edgardo Angara Edgardo Javier Angara (, September 24, 1934 – May 13, 2018) was a Filipino politician who served as the President of the Senate of the Philippines from 1993 to 1995. He was a Senator from 1987 to 1998 and then served as Secretary of Agricultu ...

, the proposed municipality shall have a land area of and is composed of western barangays of Dianawan, Decoliat, Galintuja, San Juan, Suguit, Bazal, Pungio, Villa Aurora and Dialatnan. San Juan will serve as poblacion or the seat of government.

Geography

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of constituting of the total area of Aurora. Maria Aurora is the only non-coastal municipality of the province. It is bounded by

and

Dipaculao Dipaculao, officially the Municipality of Dipaculao ( tl, Bayan ng Dipaculao; ilo, Ili ti Dipaculao), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Aurora, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 33,131 people. The mu ...

on the east, San Luis on the south, the Province of Nueva Ecija on the west and the Province of Nueva Vizcaya on the north-west. Maria Aurora is from

and from Manila.

Barangays

Maria Aurora is politically subdivided into 40

barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, Maria Aurora had a population of 44,958. The population density was .

Economy

Government

List of mayors

Maria Aurora was administered by 12 mayors since its establishment in 1949. * Mayor Aquilino Viernes Sr. (''Jul 21, 1949 – Dec 31, 1951'') * Mayor Pedro S. Wenceslao (''Jan 1, 1952 – Jun 21, 1958'') * Mayor Brigido E. Collado (''Jun 22, 1958 – Dec 31, 1959'') * Mayor Leon B. Hulipas (''Jan 1, 1960 – Dec 31, 1963'') * Mayor Leonardo T. Ong (''Jan 1, 1964 – Aug 15, 1977'') * Mayor Juan R. Ortiz (''Aug 16, 1977 – May 8, 1986'') * OJC Adriano C. Bitong (''May 9, 1986 – Dec 1, 1987'') * OJC (LGO) Nepumuceno W. Gonzales (''Dec 1, 1987 – Dec 15, 1987'') * Sec. Lorenzo O. Mangaoang (''Dec. 16, 1987 – Feb 2, 1988'') * Mayor Adriano C. Bitong (''Feb 3, 1988 – Jun 30, 1998'') * Mayor Brigido M. Noval (''Jul 1, 1998 – Jun 30, 2004'') * Mayor Ariel S. Bitong (''Jul 1, 2004 – Jun 30, 2013'') * Mayor Amado M. Geneta (''Jul 1, 2013 – Present'')

Transportation

Maria Aurora can be accessed by road through two routes: the Canili–Pantabangan Road, which passes Nueva Ecija's northern towns and through Alfonso Castañeda, Nueva Vizcaya; and the Nueva Ecija–Aurora Road, built on the 1940s that traverses the Sierra Madre Mountains and passes through the towns of Baler and San Luis. Today, the Canili–Pantabangan Road is much more commonly used, though it extends travel time for 1 hour, it is the safest route for vehicles. Originally, the Nueva Ecija–Aurora Road is the standard road for bus commuters, the shortest but the steep turns and unpaved roads makes it the most dangerous for heavy vehicles. There are five bus lines that serve Maria Aurora's vicinity: Maria Aurora Express (PAPIN) (

Cabanatuan Cabanatuan, officially the City of Cabanatuan ( fil, Lungsod ng Cabanatuan; ilo, Siudad ti Cabanatuan), is a 1st class component city in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 327,325 peop ...

–

); D' Liner (Cabanatuan\

Baguio Baguio ( , ), officially the City of Baguio ( ilo, Siudad ti Baguio; fil, Lungsod ng Baguio), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines" ...

- Maria Aurora, Casiguran; Genesis Bus Transport ( Manila\Cabanatuan - Baler); - Aurora Bus Line (Cabanatuan - Baler) and Lizardo Transit (Baguio - Baler)

Healthcare

The Department of Health sustains health over the municipality. The municipality has 21 health centers and one provincial hospital, the Aurora Provincial Hospital located in barangay Buhangin in Baler, 30 kilometers south of the town.

Education

Maria Aurora has its education sustained by the Department of Education - Division of Aurora. The municipality has 38 public elementary and high schools with 1 central school (Maria Aurora Central School). Private institutions in the municipality include Mount Carmel School of Maria Aurora and Wesleyan University - Philippines (Aurora) * Maria Aurora National High School

Gallery

File:FvfMariaAurora7477 29.JPG, Municipal hall File:FvfMariaAurora7402 31.JPG, Public market File:Maria1617jf.JPG, Highway, mountains and forests (Sitio Dimasalang, Barangay Dimotol) File:Maria1637jf.JPG, 1970's Canili and Diayo Dams and Reservoirs (tributaries of

Pantabangan Dam Pantabangan Dam is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Pampanga River located in Pantabangan in Nueva Ecija province of the Philippines. The multi-purpose dam provides water for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation while its reservoir, ...

) File:Millennium tree of Balete Park, Maria Aurora, Philippinesjf.jpg, Millennium Tree at Balete Park

References

External links

Philippine Standard Geographic Code The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

{{Authority control Municipalities of Aurora (province)