Bulacan History, Geography, Economy

Bulacan is a province of the Philippines located in Central Luzon Region.

Bulacan History
Bulacan Provincial Capitol

Profile (Geography)
Location –> Central Luzon Region, Philippines (See map below)
Neighboring Provinces –> Nueva Ecija, Quezon, Metro Manila, Pampanga
Capital –> Malolos City
Area –> 2,796.10 km2 (1,079.58 sq mi)
Population –> 3,292,071 (2015 census), 2nd largest among 81 provinces
Terrain –> Mountainous in the east, lowland at the center, swamplands in the coastal areas near Manila Bay
Industries –> Agriculture, Manufacturing
Major Products –> Rice, Vegetables, Various Manufactured products
People/Language –> Tagalog, English
Cities (4) –> Baliuag, Malolos, Meycauayan, San Jose del Monte
Municipalities (Towns) –> (21) Angat, Balagtas, Bocaue, Bulakan, Bustos, Calumpit, Guiguinto, Hagonoy, Marilao, Norzagaray, Obando, Pandi, Paombong, Plaridel, Pulilan, San Ildefonso, San Miguel, San Rafael, Santa Maria, Dona Remedios Trinidad

Government Officials
Go here to see the elected provincial officials of Bulacan.

Bulacan History

After the conquest of Manila, the Spaniards, led by Martin de Goiti, moved up north in 1571 and colonized the area now occupied by Bulacan. It was not clear what date the province was founded because its territory changed a lot during the early part of the Spanish occupation. Its towns were either former encomiendas or parishes.

It was in 1848 when the boundaries of Bulacan province, Pampanga and Nueva Ecija were delineated.

The province of Bulacan played a prominent role in the armed struggle against Spain and the subsequent formation of the Philippine Revolutionary Government in 1898. Biak-na-Bato in San Miguel town was the scene of the signing of the agreement in 1897 that temporarily halted the revolution. Malolos City is considered the cradle of the Philippine Republic. The first Philippine Constitution was promulgated here on January 23, 1899 and thus, it is also termed as Malolos Constitution.

The first Philippine Republic was born with the promulgation of the Malolos Constitution. (Credit: Barasoain Church as published in philstar.com

On November 7, 1975, the then municipality of Valenzuela was given to Metro Manila.

On May 19, 2021, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act no. 11546 reapportioning the province into six legislative districts from five previously.

On October 30, 2023, a plebiscite was held in the province to ratify President Rodrigo Duterte’s Proclamation No. 1057 that sought to declare San Jose Del Monte a Highly Urbanized City (HUC) which would make it autonomous from the province. The “no” vote won over “yes” which means San Jose Del Monte will remain a component city of the province.

Go here to see all the famous people from Bulacan Province.

Go here to see all the candidates and results of the 2019 election in Bulacan.

Read the history of Bulacan in Tagalog here.

Economy of Bulacan Province

The agricultural lands of Bulacan province is fast giving way to urbanization and industrialization. There are many small and medium scale enterprises (SME) in the province and in fact, the local government is touting it as the SME capital of the Philippines. Products manufactured in Bulacan include among others processed food especially sweets and pastries, feeds, metal products, marble products, textile and garments, jewelry, chemical and medicines, firecrackers, and home furnishing materials.

The province is a major supplier of Metro Manila’s food especially rice, meat, and vegetables.

Bulacan Economy
Bulacan is still a major source of rice and other agricultural products despite the onslaught of industrialization.

Tourism is also a major source of income. Bulacan is endowed with natural wonders as well as historical places to visit

Map of Bulacan Province

RELATED: Profile of Bataan Province
See also: List of Philippine Provinces and Capital by Region

5 comments

    • Yes, I recommend you should visit it. It is the next province north of Metro Manila. Later, I will post my other other photos when I make an individual write ups of the different towns.

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