Bocaue , officially the Municipality of Bocaue (), is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan (; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 141,412 people. Among its tourist attractions are a town museum located near the municipality's center and the town's river festival celebrated on the first Sunday of every July. The river festival is in commemoration of the Holy Cross of Wawa, believed to be miraculous by the town's predominantly Roman Catholic population. The town's name comes from the

Old Tagalog Old Tagalog (; Baybayin: pre-virama: , post-virama rus kudlit ; post-virama amudpod ᜎᜓᜋᜅ᜕ ᜆᜄᜎᜓᜄ᜕), also known as Old Filipino, is the earliest form of the Tagalog language during the Classical period. It is the primary l ...

word "''Bukawe''", which refers to a type of long bamboo ('' Schyzostachyum lima'').

History

Bocaue was first established by Franciscan missionaries as a

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...

and visita of

Meycauayan Meycauayan , officially the City of Meycauayan (), is a 1st class component city in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 225,673 people. The place got its name from the Tagalog words ''m ...

in 1582 and as a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

on April 11, 1606, under the advocacy of San Martin de Tours. It was the first town to be granted independence from the old Meycauayan that was then a very large town comprising the present territories of Meycauayan City, Marilao, Santa Maria, San Jose del Monte City, Obando, and Valenzuela City. After the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

, the

Philippine Commission The Philippine Commission was the name of two bodies, both appointed by the president of the United States, to assist with governing the Philippines. The First Philippine Commission, also known as the Schurman Commission, was appointed by Pre ...

was established, part of whose functions was the reorganization of Philippine municipalities and provinces. In 1903, Bulacan province reduced the number of towns from 26 to 19. The town of

Balagtas Francisco Balagtas y de la Cruz (April 2, 1788 – February 20, 1862), commonly known as Francisco Balagtas and also as Francisco Baltazar, was a Filipino poet and litterateur of the Tagalog language during the Spanish rule of the Philippines ...

merged with Bocaue, with the former serving as the seat of government from October 8 to November 20 before it was transferred to the latter. Bocaue later regained its independence and was reestablished as a town in 1911. During the Bocaue River Festival of July 2, 1993, around 500 people rode the "floating pagoda" for the Holy Cross of Wawa way beyond the boat's capacity and caused the boat to sink, killing more than two hundred people. Despite the lives lost, no one has been made accountable for the tragedy. This incident became known as the Bocaue Pagoda Tragedy. On the morning of December 31, 2007, ten fireworks stores burned in

Barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

Turo, causing a series of explosions within the area and injuring 7 people.

Geography

Bocaue is north-east of

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

if reached via the

MacArthur Highway The MacArthur Highway, officially the Manila North Road (MNR or MaNor), is a , two-to-six lane, national primary highway and tertiary highway in Luzon, Philippines, connecting Caloocan in Metro Manila to Aparri in Cagayan at the north. It is t ...

and is from

Malolos City Malolos , officially the City of Malolos (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population ...

. It is at the mid-southwestern portion of Bulacan. Its land area is 3,187 hectares or 31.87 km² (12.31 sq mi). The town is bounded on the north by the municipality of

and a portion of the municipality of Santa Maria; by the municipalities of Marilao and Obando on the south; a larger portion of Santa Maria on the east; a portion of the municipality of

Bulakan Bulakan, officially the Municipality of Bulakan (), is a municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 81,232 people. Bulakan, which is one of the oldest towns in the Philippines ...

on the extreme southwestern side; and a portion of Balagtas on the western side. Bocaue is traversed by the Bocaue River, a continuation of the confluence of Santa Maria River and San Jose River and a few other minor rivers and creeks, all of which are distributaries of the Angat drainage basin. The main source of

Angat River The Angat River (also called Quingua River) is a river in the Philippines located in the province of Bulacan. It flows from the Sierra Madre mountain range to Manila Bay Manila Bay (; ) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila ( ...

and the Angat drainage basin, as well as their distributaries, is the Sierra Madre mountain range. Along these rivers are many man-made fish ponds used for raising and farming fish like bangus and

tilapia Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically mos ...

. Bocaue, along with Balagtas, Guiguinto, and Pandi, was once known as comprising the 2nd district of Bulacan. The grouping would later be known as the 5th district of Bulacan. With the continuous expansion of

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...

, Bocaue is part of Manila's built-up area which reaches San Ildefonso in its northernmost part. The Bocaue River runs through most of the municipality.

Barangays

Bocaue is politically subdivided into 19

barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

s, as shown in the matrix below. Each barangay consists of

purok A ''purok'' () is an informal division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a ''purok'' often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay. ''Pur ...

s and some have

sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own bar ...

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Bocaue, Bulacan, was 141,412 people, with a density of .

Religion

The St Martin of Tours Church of Bocaue, otherwise known as The Diocesan Shrine of Bocaue, is one of the oldest churches in the province of Bulacan. The reputed Mahal na Krus ng Wawa (Beloved Holy Cross of Wawa) is kept here. The Feast of the Holy Cross of Wawa is a festival held on the first Sunday of July, observed in honor of the Holy Cross of Wawa (Mahal na Krus sa Wawa), a relic believed to have saved the life of an old woman drowning in the Bocaue River. The main feature of this fiesta is the Pagoda, a gaily decorated structure riding on a huge bangka, which glides along the town river carrying people from all walks of life. Other religious denominations in the town include

Iglesia ni Cristo The (INC; ; ) is an independent Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church founded in 1913 and registered by Felix Manalo, Félix Manalo in 1914 as a corporation sole, sole religious corporation ...

, JIL,

Jehovah's Witness Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co- ...

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

, Aglipayan,

Adventist Adventism is a branch of Protestant Christianity that believes in the imminent Second Coming (or the "Second Advent") of Jesus Christ. It originated in the 1830s in the United States during the Second Great Awakening when Baptist preacher Willi ...

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

, and the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian restorationist Christian denomination and the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. Founded durin ...

. There are also a number of

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

Members Church of God International The Members Church of God International (), abbreviated as MCGI, is an international Christian religious organization with headquarters in the Philippines. It is popularly known in the Philippines as ''Ang Dating Daan'' (; abbreviated as AD ...

and

Charismatic Charisma () is a personal quality of magnetic charm, persuasion, or appeal. In the fields of sociology and political science, psychology, and management, the term ''charismatic'' describes a type of leadership. In Christian theology, the term ...

churches, ministries, fellowships, and groups in the municipality. Muslims are also found in the municipality.

Economy

09578a jfBocaue Fiesta Parish Diocese Bulacanjf 07

Bocaue's town center is 27 kilometers north of Manila if reached via the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and the Bocaue Exit (in Barangay Turo). NLEX provides fast transport to

from where it begins at

Mabalacat Mabalacat, officially Mabalacat City (; ), is a component city in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 293,244 people. Mabalacat is in the urban core of Metro Clark, also known as Metro ...

Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga (; ; ), is a province in Central Luzon in the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, ...

, and Bocaue is the expressway's middle route. The town's major industry is fireworks-making, which has earned it the tag "Fireworks Capital of the Philippines". Among the prominent firecracker stores in Bocaue is Eat Bulaga Fireworks, owned by fireworks maker Rommel Eustaquio and named after ''

Eat Bulaga! ''Eat !'' (; stylized as ''Eat... Bulaga!'') is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine television variety show broadcast by Radio Philippines Network, ABS-CBN, GMA Network and TV5 (Philippine TV network), TV5. Originally hosted by Tito S ...

'', the longest-running noontime variety program in the Philippines.

Tourism

In November 2024, Senator Joel Villanueva, Vice Mayor Sherwin Tugna and

National Commission for Culture and the Arts The National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines (NCCA; , ) is the official government agency for culture in the Philippines. It is the overall policy making body, coordinating, and grants giving agency for the preservation, d ...

Executive Director Eric Zerrudo led the

groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, turf-cutting, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such cer ...

and

time capsule A time capsule is a historic treasure trove, cache of goods or information, usually intended as a deliberate method of communication with future people, and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians. The preservation of holy ...

laying for a P45- million ''Bocaue Museum and Cultural Hub'' at the 18th century Casa de Municipal de Bocaue which will feature a

performance arts Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

center and

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

hub.

Sports and recreation

The Philippine Stadium, also known as the New Era University Stadium, is a sports stadium located inside the Ciudad de Victoria, a 75-hectare tourism enterprise zone located in the towns of Bocaue and

Santa Maria, Bulacan Santa Maria ( , ), officially the Municipality of Santa Maria (), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 289,820 peo ...

. With a capacity of up to 25,000, it became the biggest stadium in the Philippines upon its completion. The Philippine Arena, an indoor multi-purpose arena and the centerpiece of Ciudad de Victoria, is located just adjacent to the Philippine Stadium. With a seating capacity of 55,000 it became the largest indoor arena in the world upon its completion in 2014.

Education

Bocaue is also an education center for the Meycauayan, Marilao, Santa Maria, and Balagtas municipalities area. The state-owned Bulacan Polytechnic College has a campus in Bocaue. Private colleges and universities include the Dr. Yanga's Colleges and Jesus Is Lord Colleges Foundation Inc. New Era University and

St. Paul University Quezon City St. Paul University Quezon City (SPUQC), also referred to as SPU Quezon City, is a private, sectarian and coeducational university located in Mariana, Quezon City, New Manila, Quezon City, Philippines. It was previously an all-girls' school an ...

also established branch campuses in the municipality. The municipality also has several elementary and secondary schools, both public and private.

Government

Local government

Sangguniang Bayan (2022–2025) Municipal Councilors:

Mayors of Bocaue

*Mariano Ramirez (1900) *Gregorio de la Cruz (1901-1902) *Vicente L. Enriquez (1902-1904) *Victor Pascual (1904-1905) *Lorenzo Galvez (1905-1907) *Mariano Reyes (1908-1909) *Dionisio Morales (1910-1912) *Victor Pascual (1913-1916) *Honorato Ramirez (1916-1919) *Emiliano Eusebio (1919-1922) *Guillermo Mendoza (1922-1928) *Dominador L. Santos (1928-1933) *Gregorio de Guzman (1934-1935) *Emiliano Eusebio (1935-1937) *Dominador L. Santos (1938-1940) *Dioscoro M. Juan, Sr. (1940-1941) *Manolito Vistan (1942-1944) *Joaquin San Juan (1944) *Dioscoro M. Juan, Sr. (1945-1948) *Moises E. Nicolas (1948-1952) *Evangelino Mendoza (1952-1956) *Dioscoro M. Juan, Sr. (1956-1960) *Moises E. Nicolas (1960-1965) *Simeon Mauricio (1965-1972) *Matias B. Ramirez (1972-1979) *Zacarias G. del Rosario (1979-1986) *Ranulfo David (1986) *Cesar N. Nicolas (1987-1988) *Lorenzo P. Gonzales (1988-1992) *Serafin M. de la Cruz (1992-1999) *Jose D.G. Santiago, Sr. (1999-2001) *Eduardo J. Villanueva, Jr. (2001-2004) *Serafin M. de la Cruz (2004-2007) *Eduardo J. Villanueva, Jr. (2007-2016) *Eleanor J. Villanueva-Tugna (June 30, 2016 – May 28, 2020) *Jose C. Santiago, Jr. (''Acting mayor May 28, 2020-June 1, 2020'', June 1, 2020 – June 30, 2022) *Eduardo J. Villanueva, Jr. (2022–present)

Vice Mayors of Bocaue

*Moises E. Nicolas (1956–1958) *Cesar N. Nicolas (1986–1988) *Serafin M. de la Cruz (1988-1992) *Mario Mendoza (1992-1995) *Antonio Mendoza (1995–1998) *Rogelio Ramos (1998–2001) *Peter Christopher Gonzales (2001–2004) *Kennedy Valdez (2004–2007) *Jose C. Santiago, Jr. (2007–2013) *Dioscoro Juan, Jr. (2013–2016) *Aldrin B. Sta. Ana (2016–2019) *Jose C. Santiago, Jr. (2019–2020) *Alvin Paul S.P. Cotaco (2020–2022) * Sherwin N. Tugna (2022–present)

Notable personalities

* Francisca Reyes Aquino – choreographer and

National Artist of the Philippines The Order of National Artists of the Philippines ( Tagalog: ''Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas'') is an order bestowed by the President of the Philippines on Philippine nationals who have made significant contributions to ...

for Dance * Lauro Delgado – actor * Billy Mamaril – basketball player * Noli Principe Manalang – painter * Jonjon Mendoza – 32nd Governor of Bulacan and former Bulacan 3rd district representative *

Jewel Mische Jewel Fatima Avejade Mische-Kurzer (born 29 June 1990) is a Filipino people, Filipino former model and actress. Biography Although born in Manila Mische grew up in Bocaue, Bulacan. Her father is of German people, German-Spanish people, Spani ...

– actress *

Eddie Villanueva Eduardo Cruz Villanueva (born October 6, 1946), most commonly referred to as Bro. Eddie Villanueva, is an evangelist and president-founder of the Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide (JILCW). Villanueva was previously a communist- atheist, radi ...

– evangelist and president-founder of

Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide (JILCW), or more commonly known as Jesus Is Lord Church (JIL), is a Christian megachurch based in the Philippines. It describes itself as a Full Gospel, Christ-centred, and Bible-based church, with over one millio ...

; CIBAC party-list representative; and father of incumbent Philippine senator Emmanuel ("Joel"), incumbent Bocaue mayor Eduardo Jr. ("Jon-Jon") and former Bocaue mayor Eleanor ("Joni") * Joel Villanueva – incumbent Philippine senator *Lars Pacheco – Miss International Queen Philippines 2023 and Miss International Queen 2023 Top 6 Finalist.

Gallery

File:NLEx Bocaue Barrier.JPG, The Bocaue Toll Barrier of the

NLEX The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), signed as E1 of the Philippine expressway network, partially as N160 of the Philippine highway network, and partially as R-8 of the Metro Manila arterial road network, is a controlled-access highway that ...

. File:01086jfBocaue Bulacan Flyover Lolomboy Biñang 20nd MacArthur Highwayfvf.jpg, A fragment of the Bocaue fireworks shopping strip along

. File:MacArthur Highway Bocauejf.jpg, A part of the MacArthur Highway cutting across Barangay Lolomboy, Bocaue towards Marilao. File:01141jfBocaue Bulacan Flyover Biñang 15nd MacArthur Highwayfvf.jpg, View from MacArthur Highway's Bocaue flyover. File:Meralco power substation (NLEX, Bocaue, Bulacan; 2014-10-19).jpg, The

Meralco The Manila Electric Company, also known as Meralco (, , stylized in uppercase), is an electric power distribution company in the Philippines. It is Metro Manila's only electric power distributor and holds the power distribution franchise for 3 ...

Duhat Substation at Duhat, Bocaue. File:01141jfBocaue Bulacan Flyover Biñang 4nd MacArthur Highwayfvf.jpg, The NAWASA Bocaue Water District's watertower. File:01166jfBocaue Bulacan Flyover Biñang 11nd MacArthur Highwayfvf.jpg, From the town's

poblacion ''Poblacion'' (from Spanish '' población'', meaning "population"), sometimes abbreviated as Pob., is a term used in the Philippines to refer to the administrative center, downtown, old town, or commercial area of a city or municipality. It ...

, this is the west end of the Fortunato Halili Avenue that leads to Barangay Turo (where the town's main fireworks shopping strip is located) and the old Bocaue exit to the NLEX. The avenue also leads to the town of Santa Maria and San Jose del Monte City. File:0085jfSaint Peter of Alcantara Parish Church Taal, Bocaue, Bulacanfvf 08.jpg, Saint Peter of Alcantara Parish Church, Barangay Taal. File:Philippine Arena - front view (Bocaue, Bulacan)(2019-05-05).jpg, A daytime view of the Philippine Arena in Ciudad de Victoria, Bocaue. File:Philippine Sports Stadium (Ciudad De Victoria, Bocaue, Bulacan; 2014-10-19).jpg, Another view of the Philippine Sports Stadium in Ciudad de Victoria, Bocaue. File:St. Andrew Kim Parish Church, Bocaue, Bulacan.jpg, St. Andrew Kim Parish Church, Barangay Lolomboy. File:Bocaue Town Hall in Bulacan.jpg, Bocaue Museum and Cultural Hub site (18th century Casa de Municipal de Bocaue). File:20240706 054447 Philippine Arena and Philippine Sports Stadium.jpg, The Philippine Arena and the Philippine Sports Stadium of Ciudad de Victoria seen from the bypass road from Barangay Biñang 1st, Bocaue.

References

External links

* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census InformationBocaue Bulacan
{{Authority control Municipalities of Bulacan