Paombong ( or ), officially the Municipality of Paombong (), 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 55,696 people.

Etymology

Legend has it that the name ''Paombong'' was taken from the Tagalog word ''bumbong'' or ''tukil'', the long bamboo tube used for collecting nipa sap. The practice of extracting nipa sap with bumbongs made the town known as the "town with many ''bumbong''s." The local people claimed that the Spaniards who first visited the place were so amused with the bumbong that, after learning its name from the natives, they named the town after the container, a name which later evolved to Paombong.

History

Spanish colonial era

Paombong was originally one of the visitas (barrio) of

Malolos Malolos , officially the City of Malolos (), is a component city and capital of the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 261,189 people. It is the capital city of the province of Bulacan as the ...

, mentioned in Capitulo XXXVI of ''Conquistas de Las Islas libro segundo'' by Fray Gaspar San Agustin. In a meeting held in Tondo Convent, the Provincial Chapter created the Town of Malolos in June 1580 with Fray Matheo de Mendoza, OSA as its first minister, together with Barrios of Mambog under the patronage of San Roque, Matimbo with Santa Cruz and Paombong with Saint James Apostle. In 1619 Augustinians already established Paombong Convent but the town was administered by the justice of friars from Malolos. Paombong is not wealthy as its neighbor towns of Malolos and Hagonoy at time and it did not sustain its township and it was degraded again as barrio and being a visita in 1638. In 1639, Paombong was turned over to the town of

Calumpit Calumpit , officially the Municipality of Calumpit (, Kapampangan: ''Balen ning Calumpit''), is a municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 118,471 people. The name "''Calumpit' ...

from its mother town Malolos and in 1649 it was returned again to Malolos but on November 28, 1650, it was finally given its own civil government establishing Paombong its full township with Don Agustin Mananghaya as its first Gobernadorcillo. In the middle of the 1750s, Paombong grew into a modest community from what was once a cogon land inhabited by a handful of

Tagalogs The Tagalog people are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the Philippines, particularly the Metro Manila and Calabarzon regions and Marinduque province of southern Luzon, and comprise the majority in the provinces of Bulacan, Bataan, N ...

. as its first gobernadorcillo.

Revolutionary era

During the Philippine Revolution against Spain, Paombong's coastal area, more specifically, Barangays Masukol and Binakod, played a significant role in Philippine History being known encounter sites between Spanish soldiers and

Katipunero The Katipunan (), officially known as the (; ) and abbreviated as the KKK, was a revolutionary organization founded in 1892 by a group of Filipino nationalists Deodato Arellano, Andrés Bonifacio, Valentin Diaz, Ladislao Diwa, José Dizon, an ...

s. Maloleño General Isidoro "Matanglawin" Torres used to retreat with his troops to Barangay Masukol and Barangay Binakod to avoid the advancing Spanish forces. In the latter village, he organized the

Katipunan The Katipunan (), officially known as the (; ) and abbreviated as the KKK, was a revolutionary organization founded in 1892 by a group of Filipino nationalists Deodato Arellano, Andrés Bonifacio, Valentin Diaz, Ladislao Diwa, José Dizon, an ...

militia of Paombong. It is from these encounters, in fact, that Barangays Binakod and Masukol earned their present names. In one encounter, Binakod was where the enemies where "fenced in" (binakuran) and it was in Masukol where they were eventually "cornered" (nasukol) and defeated.

American colonial era

In 1898, the first civilian in the person of Don Victorio de Leon headed the Municipal Government until 1900. The seat of the local government was first established at the ground floor of the Paombong Church Convent then popularly called "zaguan". It was later transferred to the house of Numerino Lindayag located in Poblacion, then was transferred to the location of the present Rural Health Center I. Eventually it was moved to the place where it is presently located which since has been the seat of the Municipal Government since then. In 1941, the head of the Municipal Government was later on called Municipal

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Geography

Paombong is situated south-west of the province of Bulacan, with a total land area of . It is bounded by the municipality of

to the north,

to the east, municipality of Hagonoy to the west, and the

Manila Bay Manila Bay (; ) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the Manila, capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Philippines and ...

to the south. The municipality is approximately from

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 ...

, it is a by-pass town and can be accessed via

North Luzon Expressway 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 ...

and

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 ...

Barangays

Paombong is politically subdivided into 14

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 (6 urban, 8 rural), as shown below. These barangays are headed by elected officials: Barangay Captain,

Barangay Council The Sangguniang Barangay, known in English as the Barangay Council is the local government of a barangay, the smallest administrative division in the Philippines. Each of the 42,004 barangays in the country has its respective Sangguniang Baran ...

, whose members are called Barangay Councilors. All are elected every three years. Each barangay consists of 7

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 ...

. * Binakod - This barangay is known for producing rock salt. * Kapitangan - This barangay is a famous pilgrimage site during the

Holy Week Holy Week () commemorates the seven days leading up to Easter. It begins with the commemoration of Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, marks the betrayal of Jesus on Spy Wednesday (Holy Wednes ...

, particularly

Good Friday Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...

. Some devout

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

worshippers

flagellate A flagellate is a cell or organism with one or more whip-like appendages called flagella. The word ''flagellate'' also describes a particular construction (or level of organization) characteristic of many prokaryotes and eukaryotes and the ...

and/or allow themselves to be

crucified Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Carthaginians, ...

to repent and share in the sufferings of

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

. * Malumot * Masukol * Pinalagdan *

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 ...

* San Isidro I * San Isidro II * San Jose - cradle the largest "sasahan" in town, subdivided into 7 political sitio or "purok" (Sitio Uno, Gitna, Sitio Tres, Sitio Wawa, Sitio Pantay, Sito Gunao and Sitio Kulis ). It is also a political hot spot every election for National and Local Positions. The San Jose Fishport located at Sitio Wawa cradles the motor boats or "bangka" which serves as the major transportation going to the three barangays near Manila Bay, namely, Santa Cruz, Masukol and Binakod. * San Roque * San Vicente * Santa Cruz - There are 2 main resources of this

, fishponds and "asinan" or salt making. In this coastal barangay you can see some

salt evaporation pond A salt evaporation pond is a shallow artificial salt pan designed to extract salts from sea water or other brines. The salt pans are shallow and expansive, allowing sunlight to penetrate and reach the seawater. Natural salt pans are formed thr ...

s. * Santo Niño - Formerly known as "Tulay na Bato" because it is the only place then that has a concrete bridge. This is the frontier barangay of Paombong. * Santo Rosario

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Paombong, Bulacan, was 55,696 people, with a density of .

Economy

;Major Industries * Aquaculture (Culturing of Milk Fish, Tilapia, Shrimps, Oysters, King Crab & others) * Ornamental Plants/Flowers (Used for gardening and landscaping) * Grass Planting (Carabao Grass, Bermuda Grass, Blue Grass etc. - Used for Gardening & Landscaping) * Garments * Food Processing (Smoked Fish and other food products) ;Major Products * Condiments (Vinegar, Fish Sauce, Salts, et al.) * Nipa (Weaving of Nipa Palm Leaves) * Agricultural Products (Rice, Poultry, Livestocks, Fisheries, Fruits and Vegetables)

Tourism

* St. James the Apostle Parish Church: The town church of Paombong originally built as visita of Malolos in 1580, established as parish in 1639 made of light materials. It suffered a massive fire causing it to lost its ancient architecture. It was reconstructed in the 1970s and reconstructed again in 2003, * Ciudad Clementino, the prime resort of the small town, was the venue of '' Sa Sandaling Kailangan Mo Ako'' miniseries but permanently closed. * Kapitangan Good Friday Crucifixion: International media focuses every Good Friday on the Crucifixion at Barangay Kapitangan. It is known as a pilgrimage area, spiritual healers' haven and venue of a reenactment of the Passion of Christ is held by local devotees and penitents.

Transportation

Public land transport in Paombong is served by provincial buses,

Jeepney A jeepney (), or simply a jeep (), is a type of Public transport, public utility vehicle (PUV) that serves as the most popular means of Transportation in the Philippines, public transportation in the Philippines. Known for its crowded seating ...

s, for-hire

Tricycles A tricycle, sometimes abbreviated to trike, is a human-powered (or gasoline or electric motor powered or assisted, or gravity powered) three-wheeled vehicle. Some tricycles, such as cycle rickshaws (for passenger transport) and freight trikes, ...

, Pedicabs, and

UV Express Utility Vehicle (UV) Express (formerly known as FX, Metered Taxi, and GT or Garage-to-Terminal Express) is a license to operate utility vehicles, particularly vans, as an alternative mode of public transport in the Philippines. The term also refe ...

AUVs. Maritime transport is served by motorboats. Both First North Luzon Transit and Baliwag Transit buses passes thru the municipality.

Healthcare

There is one hospital operating in Paombong and a main rural health care center unit. The San Pascual Baylon Maternity Hospital, situated at Barangay Santo Niño that offers secondary healthcare services. And the main rural health care center is one of the district rural health center owned and controlled by the Provincial Government of Bulacan. It offers primary healthcare services which also includes laboratory and dental and maternity services.

Government

Local government

Just as the national government, the

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

is divided into three branches: executive, legislative and judiciary. The judicial branch is administered solely by the

Supreme Court of the Philippines The Supreme Court (; colloquially referred to as the ' (also used in formal writing), is the highest court in the Philippines. It was established by the Taft Commission on June 11, 1901, through the enactment of Act No. 136, which abolished th ...

. The LGUs have control of the executive and legislative branch. The executive branch is composed of the mayor and the barangay captain for the barangays.Local Government Code of the Philippines, Book III
,

Department of the Interior and Local Government The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG; ) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for promoting peace and order, ensuring public safety and strengthening local government capability aimed towards ...

official website The legislative branch is composed of the

Sangguniang Bayan The Sangguniang Bayan () is the local legislative branch of the municipal governments in the Philippines. It is responsible for passing ordinances and resolutions for the administration of a municipality. Its powers are defined by the Local Go ...

(town assembly), Sangguniang Barangay (barangay council), and the

Sangguniang Kabataan A Sangguniang Kabataan (abbreviated as SK; ) is a community council that represents the youth in a barangay in the Philippines. Established to provide young people with a platform for civic engagement and participation in Local government in ...

for the youth sector. The seat of Government is vested upon the Mayor and other elected officers who hold office at the Town hall. The Sanguniang Bayan is the center of legislation.

Elected officials

The following officials were elected on May 9, 2022, to serve a three-year term. *Mayor: Maryanne "Ann" P. Marcos (

PDP-Laban The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP, ) is a Populism, populist List of political parties in the Philippines, political party in the Philippines founded in 1982. It was previously known as Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP–L ...

) *Vice Mayor: Emelita B. Yunson ( PFP) ;Councilors: * Alfredo "JC" B. Castro Jr. ( PFP) * John Raymond A. Marcaida ( Lakas-CMD) * Paulo Mari "Pao" S. de Jesus ( PFP) * Gian Carlo G. Valencia ( NUP) * Judith Z. Bartolome ( NUP) * Marcelo "Marcy" D. Ong III ( NUP) * Philip L. Eusebio ( NUP) * Marcelino "Marcing" R. de Roxas ( Lakas-CMD)

Education

Private schools

* Binuya's Kiddie School * St. Martin de Porres Catholic School * Paombong High School, Inc. * Holy Rosary School of Paombong

Public schools

Elementary Schools High Schools * Kapitangan National High School * Pinalagdan High School * San Roque National High School
Sta. Cruz National High School

Gallery

File:Apaombongjf.JPG, St. James the Apostle Parish Church File:Dddbsanjosefishportjf.JPG, Ciudad Clementino, main pool File:Mang Danny's Organic & Natural Farm 10.jpg, Mang Danny's Organic & Natural Farm, Sitio Sapang Camachile, Santo Rosario File:Maryanne Panganiban Marcos larger1.jpg,

Maryanne Panganiban Marcos File:Sto Kristo Chapel Barangay Kapitangan.jpg, Sto Kristo Chapel Barangay Kapitangan

References

External links

* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census Information
{{Authority control Municipalities of Bulacan Populated places on Manila Bay 1650 establishments in the Philippines