Pampanga is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. Pampanga is bordered by the provinces of Bataan and Zambales to the west, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija to the north, and Bulacan to the southeast. Pampanga also lies on the northern shore of Manila Bay.

The name "La Pampanga" was given by the Spaniards who found the early natives living near the river banks. It also served as the capital of the archipelago for two years from 1762-1764 during the British invasion of Manila. However, history shows evidence of the province of Pampanga itself being a descendant of what was known back then as the Kingdom of Tondo, or the Luzon Empire. The word pampang, from which the province's name originates, means river bank. Its creation in 1571 makes it the first Spanish province in the Philippines. The Province of Pampanga is the culinary capital of the Philippines.

Pampanga is served by the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, which is located at Clark Freeport Zone in Angeles City, some 16 kilometers north of the provincial capital.

The province is home to two Philippine Air Force air bases, Basa Air Base in Floridabalanca, and the former U.S. Clark Air Base in Angeles City.

People and culture

Main article: Kapampangan people
The inhabitants of Pampanga are generally referred to as Kapampangans (alternatively spelled Capampangan), Pampangos, or Pampanguenos. A little history of Pampanga shows evidence of the inhabitants themselves being descendants of the kingdom known as the Kingdom of Tondo or the Luzon Empire, and that the Kapampangans take pride in their province for being one of the eight provinces in the country to revolt against Spain and having produced two presidents, three chief justices, a senate president, the first Filipino cardinal and many outstanding personalities in public service, education, diplomacy, journalism, the arts and sciences, entertainment and business.

Kapampangan cuisine is widely thought to be among the most evolved and refined of Philippine culinary traditions.

History

Pampanga was the first province and the richest spoil created by the Spaniards in 1571. It was named after the Indung Kapampangan River, the largest river in the former empire. Ancient Pampanga's territorial area used to include portions of the provinces of Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Tarlac and Zambales in the big Island of Luzon of the Philippine Archipelago.

Pampanga, one of the richest provinces in the Philippines, was re-organized as a province by the Spaniards on December 11, 1571. For governmental control and taxation purposes, the Spanish authorities subdivided Pampanga into towns (pueblos), which were further subdivided into districts (barrios) and in some cases into royal and private estates (encomiendas).

Due to excessive abuses committed by some grantees of private estates, the King of Spain prohibited in 1574 the awarding of private estates (encomiendas). However, the royal decree was not fully enforced until the year 1620. In a report of Philippine encomiendas on June 20, 1591, Spanish Governor Gomez Perez Dasmarinas reported to the King of Spain that La Pampanga's encomiendas were Bataan, Betis y Lubao, Macabebe, Candava, Apalit, Calumpit, Malolos, Binto, Guiguinto, Caluya, Bulacan and Mecabayan. The encomiendas of La Pampanga at that time had eighteen thousand six hundred and eighty whole tributes.

Pampanga which is about 850 square miles (2,200 km2) in area and presently inhabited by more than 1.5 million people, had its present borders drawn in 1873. During the Spanish regime it was one of the richest Philippine provinces. Manila and its surrounding region were then primarily dependent on Pampangan agricultural, fishery, and forestry products as well as on the supply of skilled workers. As other Luzon provinces were created due to increases in population, some well-established Pampanga towns were lost to new emerging provinces in Central Luzon.

During the 17th century, The Dutch recruited men from Pampanga as mercenaries served the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army, known as Papangers[1] contingent which was a part of the larger Mardijkers community. Their legacy can still be found in North Jakarta[2], however there are no traces of their descendants, except for a small community currently lives in Kampung Tugu.

The historic province of Bataan which was founded in 1754 under the administration of Spanish Governor General Pedro Manuel Arandia, absorbed from the province of Pampanga the municipalities of Abucay, Balanga, Dinalupihan, Llana Hermosa, Orani, Orion, Pilar, and Samal.

The old Pampanga towns of Aliaga, Cabiao, Gapan, San Antonio and San Isidro were ceded to the province of Nueva Ecija in 1848 during the term of Spanish Governor-General Narciso Claveria y Zaldua. The municipality of San Miguel de Mayumo of Pampanga was yielded to the province of Bulacan in the same provincial boundary configuration in 1848.

In 1860, the northern towns of Bamban, Capas, Concepcion, Victoria, Tarlac, Mabalacat, Magalang, Porac and Floridablanca were separated from Pampanga and were placed under the jurisdiction of a military command called Comandancia Militar de Tarlac. However, in 1873, the four latter towns were returned to Pampanga and the other five towns became municipalities of the newly created Province of Tarlac.

On December 8, 1941, Japanese planes bombed Clark Air base marking the beginning of the invasion of Pampanga.

Between 1941 and 1942, occupying Japanese forces began entering Pampanga.

During the Counter-Insurgencies under the Japanese Occupation from 1942 to 1944, Kapampangan guerrilla fighters and the Hukbalahap Communist guerrillas was foought side by side around in the province of Pampanga and attacking and retreating the Japanese Imperial forces from the couple of three years and few month of fighting and invasion.

The establishment and built of the military general headquarters and military camp bases of the Philippine Commonwealth Army was active on 1935 to 1946 and the Philippine Constabulary was active on 1935 to 1942 and 1944 to 1946 in the province of Pampanga. During the military engagements of the Anti-Japanese Imperial Military Operations in Central Luzon from 1942 to 1945 in the province of Bataan, Bulacan, Northern Tayabas (now. Aurora) Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales and aided the local guerrilla resistance fighters, Hukbalahap Communist guerrillas and the U.S. military forces against the Imperial Japanese armed forces.

In the 1945 liberation of Pampanga, Kapampangan guerrilla fighters and the Hukbalahap Communist guerrillas supported combat forces from both Filipino and American ground troops in attacking Japanese Imperial forces during the Battle of Pampanga until the end of the Second World War. The sending the local military operations of local Filipino soldiers and officers of the Philippine Commonwealth Army 2nd, 21st, 26th, 3rd, 31st, 32nd, 33rd, 35th, 36th and 37th Infantry Division and the Philippine Constabulary 3rd Infantry Regiment was recaptured and liberated the province of Pampanga and fought against the Japanese Imperial forces during the Battle of Pampanga.

The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo displaced a large number of people with the submersion of whole towns and villages by lahar.

Religions

The province of Pampanga is composed of many religious groups but it is predominantly Roman Catholic. Pampanga province is also known to be the main seat of the Members Church of God International known to its religious program in television and radio Ang Dating Daan. Other religious groups are Iglesia Ni Cristo, Most Holy Church of God in Christ Jesus, Jesus Is Lord, Seventh-day Adventist, Evangelicals, Islam, Aglipayan, Jesus Miracle Crusade and many other religious groups.

Economy

Farming and fishing are the two main industries of the province. Major products include rice, corn, sugar cane, and tilapia. In addition to farming and fishing, the province also supports thriving cottage industries that specialize in wood carving, furniture-making, guitars, and handicrafts. Every year during the Christmas season, the province of Pampanga becomes the center of a thriving industry centered on handcrafted lighted lanterns called ���parols��� that displays a kaleidoscope of light and color. Other industries include its casket industry and the manufacturing of all Purpose Vehicles present in the Municipality of Sto. Tomas.