Pampanga – Culinary Center of the Philippines

From the root word of its name, pampang, meaning by the river, where the early Filipino settlers dwell and find their source of food, this province is known as the ‘Culinary Center of the Philippines’. Locals impress tourists with the unique style and flavor of popular Filipino dishes. Kapampangans also take pride in innovating pasteurized and processed meat products.

Demographics

1. Population – 2,226.444 (as of 2007 census)
2. Land Area – 2,180.7 sq. km
3. Capital – San Fernando City
4. Language/Dialect – Kapampangan, English and Filipino
5. Divisions

Cities (2)

• Angeles City
• San Fernando City

Municipalities (20)

• Apalit
• Arayat
• Bacolor
• Candaba
• Floridablanca
• Guagua
• Lubao
• Mabalacat
• Macabebe
• Magalang
• Masantol
• Mexico
• Minalin
• Porac
• San Luis
• San Simon
• Santa Ana
• Santa Rita
• Santo Tomas
• Sasmuan

Kampangan cuisine
Kapampangan dishes have aroused the palates of both locals and foreigners. Among their well known cuisines are:
1. Sisig – grilled pork cheek with chicken liver, onions, calamansi, and fresh chili.
2. Betute – frog stuffed with meat and marinated with cane vinegar and soy
3. Kamaru – mole crickets sautéed in onion and garlic (adobo style)
4. Burung asan or balo-balo – paste like fermented rice and salted mudfish or small shrimps cooked in garlic, ginger, onion, and tomatoes
5. Taba ng talankga – bottled fat of mini crabs. (usually known as the Kapampangan caviar)
6. Pindang babi or Damulag – honey cured pork or carabao beef

Giant Christmas Lanterns
During Christmas season, locals and tourist head out to San Fernando City to witness the giant lanterns 40 feet in diameter which uses more than 1,600 light bulbs

Cutud Lenten Rites
Held during Good Friday, devotees flock the streets and re-enact the passion and death of Jesus Christ.

Clark Special Economic Zone
It is home to the popular Fontana and Mimosa Leisure Park, Mimosa Casino, duty free shops, and world-class golf courses.

Philippine Hot Air Balloon Festival
This event is highlighted with colorful regular and oddly shaped hot-air balloons fly up in the air.

Arts and Craft industry

• Lubao and Guagua Guitars
  Residents from the towns of Lubao and Betis, Guagua are known as excellent guitar makers. It is a normal site to see rows of stores selling guitars.
• Macabebe religious sculptures and wood carvings
  A visit to Macabebe is a must. Here, sheer variety of its religious icons, sculptures, and native wood-carvings are delicately made by locals and sold to antique collectors and religious alike.
• Sto. Tomas potteries
  Traditional pottery and metalcraft is until now, practiced by locals. The skills and technique are passed on from generation to generation.
• Blacksmiths of Apalit
  Apalit is the proud home to last of the remaining pandays (blacksmiths) sand the ancient art of bolo and knife making.

Cultural

Marcos Village
Location: Mabalacat, Pampanga
An authentic Aeta village complete with their tribal rituals and customs

Sto. Rosario Ancestral Houses
Location: Sto. Rosario St., Angeles City, Pampanga

• Founder’s House
  It is the oldest structure and best-preserved ancestral house in the city. The house was built in 1824 by a certain Don Angel using materials salvaged from his older house built in 1811.
• Don Juan Nepomuceno Residence
  Home of Don Ciriaco de Miranda, the first gobernadorcillo (literally, ‘little governor’) of Angeles. It was built in 1840 and inherited in 1868 by Don Ciriaco’s niece, Dona Agustina Henson de Nepomuceno.
• Deposito
  Built sometime in the 1800s to serve as the depository of costly silver-gilt floats that were used the town’s several religious processions.
• Bale Herencia
• Camalig

Juan D. Nepomuceno Center for Kapampangan Studies
Location: Angeles City, Pampanga
The center has a library, museum gallery, and theatre that provide access to materials on Kapampangan culture and history.

Museo ning Angeles
Location: Angeles City, Pampanga
Periodically features exhibits on the history, culture, and tradition of Angeles City and its people.

Historical

Old Pamintuan Residence
Location: Angeles City, Pampanga
The Pamintuan residence was the venue of the first celebration of Philippine Independence in 1899.

Fort Stotsenberg
Location: Barrio Sapang Bato, Angeles City, Pampanga
This coastal artillery training camp was named after Colonel John M. Stotsenburg, a Captain of the Sixth U.S. Cavalry, and a Colonel of the First Nebraska Volunteers who was killed while leading his regiment in action near Quingua, Bulacan on April 23, 1899. The fort was once home to the 1st Philippine Artillery Regiment.

Death March Marker
Location: Clark, Angeles City and City of San Fernando, Pampanga
The markers in Angeles (KM. 100) and San Fernando (km. 102) serves as a memory of the ghastliest forced march in war history.

San Fernando Train Station
Location: City of San Fernando, Pampanga
Before World War II, the train station was part of the Manila -Dagupan line. During the war, remaining survivors of the Bataan Death March were loaded to trains bound for Camp O’ Donnell like cattle on box carts. Some died due to suffocation while others crushed to death.

Holy Rosary Parish Church
Location: Angeles City, Pampanga
The church was constructed from 1877 to 1896 by the Filipinos ‘hired’ under the polo y servicio or forced labor. From 1899 to 1900, the US Army converted the church into a military hospital.

Kamikaze East Airfield Shrine
Location: Mabalacat, Pampanga
The first Japanese Kamikaze pilots took off from this airfield in October 1944.

Man-made

Candaba Suspension Bridge
Location: Candaba, Pampanga
The bridge’s design and framework followed the San Francisco Bridge in California, USA.

Clark Special Economic Zone
Location: Clark Freeport Zone, Clark, Pampanga
Aside from Subic, the Clark Air Base was one of the biggest US Airbase outside America. When the Philippines-US Military Bases Agreement expired in 1991, the air base was converted into the Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ)
Sites inside the CSEZ:

• Nayong Pilipino
• Clearwater
• Mimosa Leisure Estate
• Diosdado Macapagal International Airport
Also called Clark International Airport. With its recent expansion, it can accommodate an Airbus A380, currently the largest passenger aircraft in the world.
• Expo Pilipino

Hilaga Cultural Village
Location: City of San Fernando, Pampanga
Formerly known as Paskuhan Village, it showcases the cultural and historical heritage of the four regions of the North Philippines as well as their indigenous products, and arts and crafts. Other facilities in the village include air-conditioned pavillion, open-air amphitheater, exhibit halls, trade booths, garden restaurants, and conference hall.

Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center & Sports Complex
Location: City of San Fernando, Pampanga
The 3,000-seat capacity air-conditioned multi-purpose complex is a favorite venue for concerts, conventions, basketball games, beauty pageants, and other sports activities.

Natural

Mt. Arayat National Park
Location: Arayat, Pampanga
Legend says it is the home of Mariang Sinukwan, a fairy who protects the mountain’s vegetation and wildlife. Trekking, mountain climbing, and camping are among the favorite activities in the dormant volcano.

Mt. Pinatubo
Location: City of San Fernando, Pampanga
On June 15, 1991, Mount Pinatubo erupted, sending volcanic material as far as Vietnam, Cambodia, and Malaysia. The eruption took over 800 lives and damaged millions of pesos worth of agricultural land, livestock, and poultry. An annual “March to Peace and Tranquility” is held every November to commemorate those who died during the eruption.

Dara Falls
Location: Porac, Pampanga
The falls was Pampanga’s version of the Pagsanjan Falls of Laguna. Although badly damaged by the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991, water from the mountains still strongly flows towards is deep basin.

Candaba Swamps and Wild Duck Sanctuary (Candaba Marsh)
Location: Candaba, Pampanga
During winter in China, thousands of wild ducks migrate in this 32,000 hectare wetland. It has become a well known bird watching site for enthusiasts. The marsh has been declared as a protected area by the local government.

Religious

Santiago de Galicia Parish (Betis Church)
Location: Betis, Guagua, Pampanga
Popularly known as the Betis Church, the National Commission for Culture and Arts declared this as a National Treasure. The famous painter Simon Flores (1839-1904) created the ceiling mural and the painting of the Holy Family. Its main altar has ornate carving and images of saints that seemingly peek from the niches.

San Guillermo Parish Church
Location: Bacolor, Pampanga
It is one of Pampanga’s oldest and largest churches. Built in 1576 on a lot owned by Don Guillermo Manabat, a rich landlord who lives in Bacolor. This Baroque church showcases an intricate altar, church bell, and pulpits and retablos that are glided with gold leaf.

Shrine of Our Lord of the Holy Sepulchre (Apung Mamacalulu)
Location: Angeles City, Pampanga
Every Friday, the Apu Chapel is visited by devotees of the alleged miraculous image of Christ lying in a sepulcher, locally known as Apung Mamacalulu.

Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando
Location: City of San Fernando, Pampanga
The cathedral is the seat of the Archdiocese of the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. The cathedral, said to be constructed in 1756 and restored in 1808 is a mixture of baroque and renaissance architecture.

Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta
Place: Clark Freeport Zone in Angeles City, Pampanga.
Date: February 12 – 15
Balloonists from all over the world participate in flying their uniquely designed hot air balloons. Other activities include remote controlled airplanes exhibitions; aerobatics; light airplane balloon bursting competition; ultra-light formation flying and bomb dropping exhibitions; helicopter fly-ins and exhibitions and more.

Cutud Lenten Rites (Mal a Aldo)
Place: Brgy San Pedro Cutud, City of San Fernando
Date: Good Friday
Celebrated to venerate the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, streets are filled with devotees called mamalaspas flagellating themselves using bamboo sticks tied to a rope. The highlight of the event is the actual crucifixion of three of the cristos or those who have volunteered to be crucified using real 2-inch sterilized steel nails.

Sabat Santacruzan
Place: Sapangbato, Angeles City and City of San Fernando
Date: within the month of May
This depicts the journey of Queen Helena together with her son, Constantine to find the true Cross of Christ. This also features the moro-moro or a staged play that tells about a battle between Christians and non-Christians which end with the conversion of the latter

El Circulo Fernandino
Date: May 30
The annual social gathering and ball is attended by the most prominent citizens in Pampanga. Attendants wear their best ternos for the ladies and pina barong for the gentlemen.

Apung Iru Fluvial Procession
Place: Apalit
Date: June 28-30
Celebrates the Feast day of St. Peter and St. Paul. The image of St Peter is placed on colorful decorated banca (motor boat) and is paraded at the Pampanga River.

Pyestang Tugak (Frog Festival)
Place: City of San Fernando
Date: First Sunday of October
To commemorate and promote the preservation of frogs in the province, the Pyestang Tugak was organized last 2003. Games for both young and young at heart are held as well as cooking competition involving frog as main ingredient.

Fiestang Kuliat (La Naval Fiesta and Apo Fiesta)
Place: Angeles City
Date: Second Sunday of October
This is a twin celebration of La Naval, held during the second Sunday of October commemorates the Virgin of the Holy Rosary whose intercession paved the way for Spanish fleet to become victorious over the Dutch invaders back in the 17th century. The second, Fiestang Apu is celebrated on the last Friday of the month in honor of Apu Mamacalulu or the Lord of the Holy Sepulcher.

Tigtigan Terakan Keng Dalan
Place Angeles City
Date: last Friday and Saturday of October
This serves as the culminating activity of the Fiestang Kuliat filled with street dancing and singing.

Duman Festival
Place: Sta. Rita
Date: Last week of November or First week of December
Duman is a seasonal rice flakes that Kapampangans make only during December. The festival is to celebrate the uniqueness of the product and the farmers that plant it.

Sinukwan Festival
Place: City of San Fernando
Date: First week of December
Considered as Pampanga’s Foundation Day. Locals dance and sing their local folk songs on the streets.

Ligligan Parul (Giant Lantern Festival)
Place: City of San Fernando
Date: December - Saturday before Christmas Eve
The Giant Lantern Festival is an annual competition of the different barangays in Pampanga. Each team designs a giant lantern towering a height of 20-feet and is lit with 3000 – 5000 light bulbs and controlled by steel barrels acting as switchboard commanding the display of lights on the lantern.