Porac, officially the Municipality of Porac (; ), 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 ...

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, ...

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 140,751 people.

History

Porac was founded on October 31, 1594, upon the acceptance of Fray Mateo Peralta in the Friar's Intermediate Chapter (recorded by Fray Gaspar de San Agustin, by saying Porac has its First Minister and Friar, Fray Mateo de Mendoza. The General Headquarters and Military Camp Base of the

Philippine Commonwealth Army The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...

and

Philippine Constabulary The Philippine Constabulary (PC; , ''HPP''; ) was a gendarmerie-type military police force of the Philippines from 1901 to 1991, and the predecessor to the Philippine National Police. It was created by the Insular Government, American occupat ...

was stationed in Porac from 1942 to 1946. It was the installation from which the local military operated against the Imperial Japanese military and local collaborators from 1942 to 1945. The

Mexican Expeditionary Air Force The Mexican Expeditionary Air Force () was a military aviation unit which represented Mexico on the Allied side during World War II. It is notable as the only Mexican military unit ever to fight outside Mexico itself. History Mexico declared w ...

was given a base around Porac to help liberate the country from the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Geography

With an area of , Porac is the largest town in Pampanga. It was once among the largest municipalities in the archipelago before it was divided into separate municipalities. Porac is from

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 ...

, from the provincial capital San Fernando, and from

Angeles City Angeles (), officially the City of Angeles (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 462,928 people. A ...

. It is south of

and north of Floridablanca. A portion of

Mount Pinatubo Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano in the Zambales Mountains in Luzon in the Philippines. Located on the tripoint of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga provinces, most people were unaware of its eruptive history before the pre-eruption volc ...

is in the municipality. Porac has a hilly to mountainous terrain in the majority of its plains. Most rivers, if not all, are heavily silted by mudflow due to the eruption of Mount Pinatubo and succeeding lahar flows. Tourist spots include Darabulbul Falls (nicknamed Dara Falls) in Jalung, Miyamit Falls in Sapang Uwak, and the hot springs of Sitio Puning, accessed through Sapang Bato in Angeles. Babo Pangulo offers a view of Porac and Mount Negron. The Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) traverses this town, the exit of which is located in Barangay Manuali.

Barangays

Porac is politically subdivided into 29

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 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 ...

. * Babo Pangulo * Babo Sacan (Guanson) * Balubad * Calzadang Bayu * Camias * Cangatba * Diaz * Dolores (Hacienda Dolores) * Inararo (Aetas) * Jalung * Mancatian * Manibaug Libutad * Manibaug Paralaya * Manibaug Pasig * Manuali * Mitla Proper * Palat * Pias * Pio * Planas *

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 ...

* Pulung Santol * Salu * San Jose Mitla * Santa Cruz * Sapang Uwak (Aetas) * Sepung Bulaun (Baidbid) * Siñura (Seniora) * Villa Maria (Aetas)

Climate

The town of Porac has two distinct climates, rainy and dry. The rainy or wet season normally begins in May and runs through October, while the rest of the year is the dry season. The warmest period of the year occurs between March and April, while the coolest period is from December through February.

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Porac, was 140,751 people, with a density of .

Economy

Porac is an important source of granite and a tamping ground of minerals. Porac is home to the Mekeni Food Corporation, an "AAA" Meat Processing Plant accredited with the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS). Being classified under the "AAA" category, it is qualified to market its products, not just in the local, but in the international market as well. This means that it is compliant to all government regulatory requirements to assure food quality and safety in its operations (Sun Star, 2006). In 2014,

Ayala Land Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) is a full line real estate firm based in the Philippines. It is a subsidiary of Ayala Corporation. It began as a division of Ayala Corporation until it was spun off and incorporated in 1988. It became publicly listed in ...

and Leonio Land embarked on developing a mixed-used estate in Porac known as Alviera. The development project combines business, residential, recreational, leisure, and institutional. The local government dubbed Alviera as the regional growth center of Central Luzo

Now, it is a premiere tourist destination in the north, and the Philippines' hub for karting with the presence of the

Pampanga International Circuit The Pampanga International Circuit, is a motor racing and kart racing venue located in Porac, Pampanga, Alviera, Porac, Pampanga, Philippines. It is operated by the City Kart Racing Group and hosts the Sodi World Series and the Rotax Max Challeng ...

Government

The municipal government 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 executive branch is composed of the mayor and the barangay captains for the barangays. 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.

Spanish-era Roman Catholic churches

Since the founding of the town of Porac in 1867, various Roman Catholic structures have been built in the area to aid in the religious practices of the devout Kapampangans. As of writing, three notable Spanish-era religious structures are extant within the municipality. The largest of the three, the Santa Catalina de Alejandria Church is located at Barangay Poblacion and still functions as one of Porac's main parochial structures. The other two are currently utilized as barangay chapels.

Santa Catalina de Alejandria Church

The Santa Catalina de Alejandria parish church is under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando. Its original structure, built in 1872, is largely intact but slight revisions have been made to the inside. It underwent restoration in the 1980s. The church is long, wide and high. In the earthquake of 2019, the church belfry has been destroyed a day after Easter Sunday. Rebuilding operations are planned with call for donations to restore the church bell tower.

Pio Chapel

The 1861 Pio Chapel is a circular chapel built by Don Felino Gil, founder of the Escuela de Artes y Oficios (now the Don Honorio Ventura Technical State University).

Hacienda Dolores Chapel

Another vintage chapel is located at Barangay Dolores, north of the Porac town proper. The Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel was said to be built by the Dolores family within the old Hacienda Dolores in 1856. The chapel, like the Pio chapel, is currently utilized as a community chapel. The chapel boasts of a slender octagonal belfry and Doric columns adorning the two-level façade. Notable features of the chapel are finials found on both levels of the façade.

Archaeology

The area in and around Babo Balukbuk in Porac has strong indications of human habitation, according to investigations published on the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...

Archaeological Studies Program website. Later test excavations confirmed this conclusion through the presence of materials dated around 12th century to 17th century C.E.>

Notable personalities

Lito Lapid Manuel "Lito" Mercado Lapid (; born October 25, 1955) is a Filipino actor, director and politician serving as a Senate of the Philippines, Senator since 2019, and previously from 2004 to 2016. He started his political career in Pampanga, serv ...

– Actor and Politician (Senator, 2019–present, 2004 – 2016 and Governor, 1995 – 2004)

Gallery

File:Porac78jf.JPG, Jose Songco Lapid Sports and Civic Center Gymnasium File:Porac679jf.JPG, Rio Grande de Pampanga File:Porac567jf.JPG, Public Market File:Porac345jf.JPG, Porac Elementary School

Notes

References

External links

Porac Profile at PhilAtlas.com
* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census InformationLocal Governance Performance Management System
* {{Authority control Municipalities of Pampanga Spa towns in the Philippines