Biñan city

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Biñan  is a first class component city in the Republic of the Philippines. It is located in the Province of Laguna, on the island of Luzon, about 34 kilometres (21 mi) south of Manila, accessible via the South Luzon Expressway and the National Highway. The City of Biñan comes second in Laguna coming from Metro Manila next to San Pedro City.

Biñan has become both a suburban residential community of Metro Manila and a location for some of the Philippines' largest industrial estates and export processing zones. Prior to its cityhood in 2010, Biñan was the richest municipality in the Philippines with an annual gross income of ₱677 million (US$ 14.383 million) and net income of ₱250 million (US$ 5.308 million), as of 2007 by the Commission On Audit. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 283,396, making it the fourth largest in population in the province of Laguna, after Calamba City, San Pedro City, and Santa Rosa City.

By virtue of Republic Act 10658, signed on March 27, 2015, by President Benigno Aquino III, Biñan will be separated from the First Congressional District of Laguna to form the Lone Congressional District of Biñan. The first representative will be elected on the 2016 elections.

With its proximity to Metro Manila, Biñan is one of the most susceptible places for investments, industries, and other economic activities. The two world-class and premiere industrial parks of the Philippines are located in Biñan, the Laguna International Industrial Park (LIIP) and the Laguna Technopark Incorporated (LTI). The city is now transforming into a more competitive, progressive, and one of the major growth areas in the CALABARZON Region.

History

Laguna, which was named after Laguna de Bay, along with its surrounding areas was occupied by the Spaniards led by Captain Juan de Salcedo in the year 1571. Biñan was founded in June, the same year, and a month after Manila was established by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi. On the following years, the Franciscan friars began Christianizing the locals of the province. Biñan was separated from Bay in the year 1769, when Pagsanjan became the provincial capital. During Pablo Faustino’s time, in the year 1771, Sta. Rosa was separated from Biñan and led to decades of bloodshed led by a katipunero from Biñan. Biñan has its place in the Philippines’ historical books as Jose Rizal, the country’s national hero, was said to have stayed near the town proper during his formative years and studied in one of the schools in Biñan. A plaque of recognition was placed in the residence where Rizal stayed as a tribute to the nation’s hero, and a monument is also present at the town plaza as a credit to Biñan’s attachment to Rizal.
The towns of Biñan, Calamba and Santo Tomas used to be under the authority of Tabuco, currently known as Cabuyao. In the year 1689, Biñan became a barangays of Sta. Rosa and eventually became a recognized municipality in 1751. Biñan’s town name was believed to have been derived from the word “binyagan,” which locally means “baptism”.
From Revolts to Recovery
The province already had a series of bloody revolts by the Chinese in 1603 and 1693. The authoritative control of Spanish rule brought about uprisings led by locals and was heightened by the execution of Dr. Jose Rizal. By the year 1896, a large number of Filipino patriots joined the revolutionary movement called Katipunan to voice out injustices and abuses of the Spanish rule. The band of revolutionaries was led by Francisco de San Juan. Laguna was among the first of the eight provinces that started the insurrections. The Filipino forces, though lacking in arms and training, fought the Spaniards and was led by General Paciano Rizal, General Severino Taiño, General Agueda Kahabagan and General Miguel Malvar.
Laguna was in full support of the established First Philippine Republic stated publicly in Malolos Bulacan. In the period of 1899-1901, the spark of the Filipino-American war became another highlight to Laguna’s history. The defense of the province headed by General Juan Cailles and General Paciano Rizal eventually gave away to American control. General Cailles then became Laguna’s first governor.
Biñan, along with other towns of Laguna was greatly affected and suffered during World War II. The bloody battles against the Japanese forces became a depressing period in Laguna’s historical past. After the war, Laguna had its share peace time. The province gradually recovered and the towns were eventually rebuilt. Schools, infrastructure and establishments were set up. The development of the Manila Railroad Company’s railway lines extending through the province in 1917 also contributed much to the towns’ rapid progress. Currently, Biñan is one of Laguna’s thriving municipalities and plays an important role to the progressive increase of the provincial economy. (source verbatim from: www.travelgrove.com/)

Etymology

Where Biñan got its name is a mystery. Some deduced that before Captain Juan de Salcedo proceeded to Cainta and Taytay finally reaching Bay, he landed in Biñan. According to the story, Padres Alfonso de Alvarado and Diego Espinar planted a huge wooden cross on the spot where the present day San Isidro Labrador parish stands and co-celebrated a Thanksgiving Mass. Curious natives gathered and the two Spanish missionaries took advantage of the situation. They baptized each one of them. From then on, old folks say they called the place “Binyagan,” which means a baptismal place. The Spanish tongue’s difficulty in pronouncing the local dialect acquired for the once town its name— "Biñan".

Geography

The City of Biñan is located in the Philippine province of Laguna, about 34 kilometres (21 mi) south of Manila. It is bounded on the north by San Pedro City on the south by Santa Rosa City and on the west by Carmona, Cavite. On the eastern and northern horizon lies the Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the country.

Biñan City, shaped like the number seven (7) on the map, covers a total land area of 43.50 square km that represents 2.5 percent of the entire Laguna province. In 2008, Biñan had a total population of 269,608. It is the fourth most populated in the province, (9.8% of the provincial population) next only to Calamba City (12.66%), San Pedro City (11.42%), and Santa Rosa City (9.92%).

Topography

Biñan is generally plain with 85.33 percent of its total area having a slope of zero to 2.5 percent. This covers all the 24 barangay except for small portions of Barangay Biñan and San Francisco having a slope ranging from 2.6 to 25 percent, meaning it is gently sloping to strongly sloping. With more than three-fourths of its area generally level to nearly level, this makes Biñan suitable for agricultural and urban development.

Climate

The climate of Biñan is characterized by two pronounced seasons; dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year. Maximum rainfall occurs from June to September with an annual average rainfall of 200 mm. Biñan is protected by mountains in the peripheral areas, and thus it is making the area cooler.

Soil

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Of the eleven soil series that compose the land area of Laguna, Carmona and Gingua series covers about two types that can only be seen in Biñan. Carmona series covers about 2,577 hectares or 59.24 seen in Biñan's land area. Agricultural land in these areas is primarily devoted to rice and sugar production. Gingua series, on other hand, specifically the fine sandy type covers 315 hectares which is one of the most productive soils in Laguna where a variety of crops especially vegetables are grown profitably. The other two basic soil series comprising Biñan City are Guadalupe series covering 660 hectares and Lipa series with 798 hectares.

Religion

The majority of the people are Roman Catholics. Other religious groups include are The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (better known as the Mormons or LDS Church), the Members Church of God International (A.K.A. Ang Dating Daan/The Old Path/El Camino Antiguo), Biyaya Ng Diyos Christian Fellowship, United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), Jesus Is Lord Church (JIL), The United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Churches, Baptist and Bible Fundamental churches.

Baybay city

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Baybay is city located on the western coast of the province of Leyte, Philippines. It is bounded by Camotes Sea to the west, Albuera to the north, Inopacan to the south, Burauen, La Paz and MacArthur to the northeast, Javier to the east, and Abuyog and Mahaplag to the southeast.

The climate is of Coronas Climate type IV, which is generally wet with no particularly discernible seasons. Its topography is generally mountainous in the eastern portion as it slopes down west towards the shore line. Generally an agricultural city, the common means of livelihood are farming and fishing. Some are engaged in hunting and in forestal activities. The most common crops grown are rice, corn, abaca, root crops, fruits, and vegetables. Various cottage industries can also be found in Baybay such as bamboo and rattan craft, ceramics, dress-making, fiber craft, food preservation, mat weaving, metal craft, furniture manufacture and other related activities.

Also, it is the home of the premier university of the Visayas and also in Philippines and one of the leading schools in Southeast Asia on agricultural research, and was called as Resort University, the Visayas State University.

Baybay is a major port on the central west coast of Leyte, Philippines, where ferries leave for Cebu and other islands. It has also the Baybay Public Terminal, which serves routes from Tacloban, Ormoc, Maasin, Manila, Davao City and some other major towns in Leyte, Southern Leyte and Samar provinces.

According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 102,841.. With an area of 45,934 hectares (460 km2; 180 sq mi), it is the second largest city in the province after Ormoc City. Formerly, Baybay was the biggest town in Leyte in terms of population and second in terms of land area, after Abuyog.

The Baybay language, a Visayan language distinct from both Waray-Waray and Cebuano, is spoken in the municipality of Baybay.

History

Baybay was believed to be the only settlement on the western coast of Leyte known to the first Spanish conquistadors that came with Magellan, as was Abuyog in the eastern part of the province, and Limasawa and Cabalian in the south. In 1620, the Jesuit fathers which belonged to the "residencia" of Carigara, the first and central station of the Society of Jesus in Leyte.

By superior approbation, Baybay was created a parish on September 8, 1835 with the invocation of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. However, the town was erected and independent parish on February 27, 1836.

When the Augustinians took over the administration of the parish after the expulsion of the Jesuits, they opened the first school in Baybay. During their time, the first road leading to Palompon was constructed, thus bringing Baybay closer to her neighboring municipalities. The Augustinian fathers stayed in the town for 75 years - all of which they devoted to the upliftment of the natives in education and in their economic standing.

The first church of Baybay was built in Barrio Punta where it still stands today but is in need of repair. Punta is one of the seven original barrios of Baybay and was even believed to be the original site of Baybay itself, although there are others who say that it was actually in Kabkab, in the vicinity of Barrio Pangasugan.

Chinese invaders attempted to conquer the community, but the brave and staunch natives foiled several attempts. When the Spanish conquistadors spread themselves out to the provinces, an expeditionary force under Felipe Segundo, evidently looking for a bigger settlement, landed in a barrio north of the town which was and still is called Pangasugan. Landing near the river, he pointed to a spot and asked a native in Spanish for the name of the place. Unable to understand Spanish and thinking that Felipe Segundo wanted to ask about the river, he answered in Visayan, " Ang suba nagbaybay sa Pangasugan." This is how Baybay got its name.

Baybay also suffered from Moro raids. On October 22, 1605, one such raid occurred and the pirates, after leaving countless dead, carried off 60 men as captives. Again, on November 4, 1663, moors under the dreaded Corralat took their toll of human lives and captives after mercilessly slaughtering the handful of men who defended the town with the aid of the parish priest.

Baybay suffered a great setback in 1866 when a great fire practically reduced the town to ashes leaving only the chapel of the Holy Cross in a miraculous manner.

The civil administration of the town during the Spanish era was placed in the hands of the gobernadorcillo, assisted by a teniente and the different jueces and cabezas. In 1892, in accordance with the provisions of the Mayura law, the head of the municipal government was given the designation of "Capitan Municipal" and his assistants in office were called "teniente mayor indice" and the "teniente de policia." For the first time, a juez de paz was designated and a detachment of guardias civiles was placed in the town.

The construction of the church, which still stands today, was begun under the engineering administration of Mariano Vasnillio during the term of Fr. Vicente E. Coronado in 1852. The construction lagged for ten years after which the work was resumed under Maestro Proceso, who came from Manila for the purpose of finishing the work. The church was finally finished in 1870 after Capitan Mateo Espinoso, a sculptor and painter of renown, put on the finishing touches. The altar and the rails as they stand today are a credit to his genius.

As the Spanish residents moved away in the early months of 1898, the reins of local government passed completely into the hands of the Filipino officials. An election was held and Don Quirimon Alkuino was elected as the first Filipino presidente. However, after about four months, Gen. Vicente Lukban nullified the results of the election and ordered another one to be held, with the same results. Lukban ordered that the barrios of Baybay be named after the tenientes, thus Caridad was renamed "Veloso," Plaridel became "Alvarado," Bitanhuan was named "Coronado." San Agustin "Sabando," Punta "Virgineza," Pomponan "Montefolka," Gabas "Bartolini", etc.

Throughout these years, Baybay developed into one of the biggest towns in Leyte.

The port of Baybay was closed in 1899 by the American coast guards. The price of commodities soared and products like copra and hemp accumulated in the docks. The order was lifted, but only after 14 ships, the greatest number to dock in port at one time, had stayed in port for days waiting for the order to leave.

On February 10, 1901, the first Americans arrived in Baybay on the ship "Melliza", their arrival caused great confusion and the people evacuated to the barrios. Only a few officials stayed in the town. The next day, soldiers scoured the countryside convincing the people to return to their homes.

Even while the local government was under Don Quirimon Alkuino, he was under orders to follow Capt. Gilmore's (commander of the American attachment) advice. Eventually, this caused conflicts in the local government, and Filipinos took to the hills to join the fight against the Americans.

There were several attempts to attack the American garrison in the town, but practically all of them failed because the Americans had superior arms. Don Guilermo Alkuino and Don Magdaleno Fernandez led the first attack with more than 200 men. The American soldiers fought another in Barrio Pomponan that resulted in the death of 30 men and the destruction of the barrio.

A group of Hilongosnons under the renowned Francisco Flordelis made an attempt in 1901 but they were driven off in a battle at Barrio Punta.

Filipino nationalist made Baybay one of the areas where they made their last stand against the Americans. Later, the surrender ceremonies were held in the town, but only after numerous conferences between American officers and Filipino pacifists were held to effect the surrender of the resistance leaders. The surrender of Capt. Florentino Penaranda who was the last to give up the fight was a colorful one. All his men and officers, thousands of them, gathered at the banks of the Pagbanganan River. From there, they marched to the plaza in front of the municipal hall where the American officers were waiting. Before the Filipinos laid down their arms, Penaranda delivered a speech that even today is considered one of the most stirring addresses made in the province. To commemorate the event, a sumptuous banquet was held for the Americans and the Filipino nationalists. The following day, the Filipino soldiers trekked home in their uniforms to start another life of peace and work.

A sect of the Protestant religion entered Baybay for the first time sometime in 1900. They established their own church in the poblacion. In 1902, the Philippine Independent Church established itself in the barrio of Caridad; shortly afterwards, the Seventh Day Adventists came in.

At the turn of the century, a provincial high school was founded in Baybay, one of the first high schools in Leyte. The government also established the Baybay National Agricultural School for young farmers of Visayas and Mindanao.

The Japanese forces came to Baybay in two waves in 1942. A puppet government was established shortly after their arrival wherein Paterno Tan Sr. was the mayor.

In 1944, American planes passed the town in bombing missions in Cebu. They bombed a ship at anchor in the port of Baybay and left it in flames. The Japanese Imperial Forces left the town on October 19, 1944.

Baybay was used by liberation forces as a springboard for patrol units in the south and for forces that went north for the great battle of Ormoc, where a fierce battle was raging. The hospital was taken over by the provincial government and is still functioning today.

Baybay today is one of the biggest towns in Leyte, both in population and land area. (The land area is 410.5 sq. Km.) It leads in the category of third class towns in the province.

Baybay is consist of 23 Zones and 70 Baranggays. As of September 1995, it's population is 87,179 which includes institutional population.

Local government

The executive power of the is vested on the mayor. The Sangguniang Panlungsod or the city council has the legislative power to create city ordinances. It is a unicameral body composed of ten elected councilors and certain numbers of ex officio and sectoral representatives. It is presided by the vice-mayor, the City Mayor and the elected city councilors are elected-at-large every three (3) years.[citation needed] Also, the city has also Regional Trial Court Branch 14 and Municipal Trial Court in Cities whose both located at the city proper in front of the Baybay Legislative Building and Convention Center.

Demographics

People of Baybay called as Baybayanons or Baybayanos (depending on the usage) which is Cebuano-speaking people. Most of the people are Roman Catholic, almost 90% of the whole population.

Language

People of Baybay City are mostly Cebuano-speaking Leyteños with some words influenced by Waray-waray language and Boholano dialect. Baybayanon is the language spoken by inhabitants of the original settlements of Baybay City before mass migration of Cebuanos into the area and widely recognized as predating the surrounding Cebuano communities. It is a more representative language reference name than the so-called "Utodnon" or "Waya-waya" since it does not refer to a single barangay but spoken in five barangays namely Guadalupe (Utod), Gabas, Kilim, Patag, and Pangasugan. It is a living language given an ISO 639-3 language code, bvy, and has an approximate 10,000 speakers (2009 J. Lobel). It has been listed by Ethnologue as a dialect of Waray-waray, however, it is distinct from Waray-waray, and is not mutually intelligible. Furthermore, Baybayanon speakers do not consider themselves or their language to be Waray-waray. No published works have argued that Baybayanon is a dialect of Waray-waray; in fact, published works (by Rufino, as well as Lobel's forthcoming dissertation) have specifically referred to this as a distinct language. Other languages spoken by few in the city include Filipino, English, Waray-waray, Spanish, Chinese.

Culture

Baybay is a hub of business and industry for the western coast of Leyte, with a commercial service sector in the city that includes banks, virtual assistance centers, restaurants, cafes, night spots, sports centers, as well as retail and wholesale stores. The city's seaside promenade is the most visited, especially at night-time.

Transportation

Baybay City can be reached by different types of transportation:

It is 5 hours from Cebu City, 6 hours from Mindanao, and 20 hours from Manila by passenger vessels.
There is no airport in Baybay, but domestic flights serve Tacloban airport, which is about 3 hours by road.

Festivals

Binaybayon Festival - is the City's Festival, is celebrated every 27th day of December (the city fiesta) in honor of the Patroness of Baybay, Our Lady of Immaculate Conception for the blessings that she gave every year. It also depicting the rich history of Baybay and also, showing the main source of livelihood of most Baybayanons like fishing, farming
Tigbawanon Festival - is celebrated at Brgy. Plaridel every 2nd Saturday of January in honor of Sr. Sto. Niño. Like other festivals in Baybay, it is also showing the history of Brgy. Plaridel and its main source of livelihood which is farming and weaving.
Halaran Festival - is celebrated at Brgy. Sto. Rosario every month of October in honor of the Holy Rosary. It is also depicting the history of Brgy. Sto. Rosario and also, it shows the main source of livelihood among residents in the place which is fishing, because the barangay itself is resided beside the seashore.
Sirong Festival - is celebrated at Brgy. Pomponan every 13th day of June in honor of Saint Anthony of Padua. Like other festivals in Baybay, it also showing the history of Brgy. Pomponan and its main source of livelihood which is farming.

Cityhood

During the 11th Congress (1998–2001), Congress enacted into law 33 bills converting 33 municipalities into cities. However, Congress did not act on a further 24 bills converting 24 other municipalities into cities.

During the 12th Congress (2001–2004), Congress enacted into law Republic Act No. 9009 (RA 9009), which took effect on 30 June 2001. RA 9009 amended Section 450 of the Local Government Code by increasing the annual income requirement for conversion of a municipality into a city from ₱20 million to ₱100 million. The rationale for the amendment was to restrain, in the words of Senator Aquilino Pimentel, "the mad rush" of municipalities to convert into cities solely to secure a larger share in the Internal Revenue Allotment despite the fact that they are incapable of fiscal independence.

After the effectivity of RA 9009, the House of Representatives of the 12th Congress adopted Joint Resolution No. 29, which sought to exempt from the ₱100 million income requirement in RA 9009 the 24 municipalities whose cityhood bills were not approved in the 11th Congress. However, the 12th Congress ended without the Senate having approved Joint Resolution No. 29.

During the 13th Congress (2004–2007), the House of Representatives re-adopted former Joint Resolution No. 29 as Joint Resolution No. 1 and forwarded it to the Senate for approval. However, the Senate again failed to approve the Joint Resolution. Following the suggestion of Senator Aquilino Pimentel (Senate President), 16 municipalities filed, through their respective sponsors, individual cityhood bills.[5] The 16 cityhood bills each contained a common provision exempting it from the ₱100 million income requirement of RA 9009 –

"Exemption from Republic Act No. 9009. — The City of x x x shall be exempted from the income requirement prescribed under Republic Act No. 9009."

On 22 December 2006, the House of Representatives approved the cityhood bills. The Senate also approved the cityhood bills in February 2007, except that of Naga, Cebu which was passed on 7 June 2007. These cityhood bills lapsed into law on various dates from March to July 2007 after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo failed to sign them.

The point of law at issue in 2007 was whether there had been a breach of Section 10, Article X of the 1987 Constitution, which provides –

No province, city, municipality, or barangay shall be created, divided, merged, abolished or its boundary substantially altered, except in accordance with the criteria established in the local government code and subject to approval by a majority of the votes cast in a plebiscite in the political units directly affected.

– and in each case the established criteria were far from met.

In November 2008, Baybay lost its cityhood, along with 15 other cities,[5] after the Supreme Court of the Philippines granted a petition filed by the League of Cities of the Philippines, and declared unconstitutional the cityhood law (RA 9389) which had allowed the town to acquire its city status. The Supreme Court ruled that they did not pass the requirements for cityhood.

On 10 December 2008, the 16 cities affected acting together filed a motion for reconsideration with the Supreme Court. More than a year later, on 22 December 2009, acting on said appeal, the Court reversed its earlier ruling as it ruled that "at the end of the day, the passage of the amendatory law" (regarding the criteria for cityhood as set by Congress) "is no different from the enactment of a law, i.e., the cityhood laws specifically exempting a particular political subdivision from the criteria earlier mentioned. Congress, in enacting the exempting law/s, effectively decreased the already codified indicators." Accordingly cityhood status was restored.

But on 27 August 2010, the 16 cities lost their city status again, after the Supreme Court voted 7-6, with two justices not taking part, to reinstate the 2008 decision declaring as "unconstitutional" the Republic Acts that converted the 16 municipalities into cities. A previous law required towns aspiring to become cities to earn at least ₱100 million annually, which none of the 16 did.

On 15 February 2011, the Supreme Court made another volte-face and upheld for the third time the cityhood of 16 towns in the Philippines.

And on 12 April 2011, a Supreme Court en banc ruling delivered in Baguio City, promulgated and resolved that:

We should not ever lose sight of the fact that the 16 cities covered by the Cityhood Laws not only had conversion bills pending during the 11th Congress, but have also complied with the requirements of the LGC prescribed prior to its amendment by R.A. No. 9009. Congress undeniably gave these cities all the considerations that justice and fair play demanded. Hence, this Court should do no less by stamping its imprimatur to the clear and unmistakable legislative intent and by duly recognizing the certain collective wisdom of Congress. WHEREFORE, the Ad Cautelam Motion for Reconsideration (of the Decision dated 15 February 2011) is denied with finality.

So affirming the finality of the constitutionality of the 16 cityhood laws.

On 28 June 2011 the Supreme Court directed the Clerk of Court to issue forthwith the entry of judgment on the cityhood case of 16 municipalities. Sealing with "the finality of the resolution upholding the constitutionality of the 16 Cityhood Laws absolutely warrants the respondents' "Motion for Entry of Judgment", the SC ruled."

Angeles city

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Angeles

(Kapampangan: Lakanbalen ning Angeles; Tagalog: Lungsod ng Angeles) is a highly urbanized city located geographically within the province of Pampanga in the Philippines. It is bordered by Mabalacat to the north; Mexico to the east; San Fernando to the southeast; Bacolor to the south; and Porac to the southwest and west. The city administers itself autonomously from Pampanga and, as of the 2010 census, it has a population of 326,336.
Angeles is served by the Clark International Airport in the Clark Freeport Zone. As the former home of Clark Air Base (then the largest United States military facility outside of the continental United States), it was significantly affected by the pullout brought about by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991. The economy of Angeles was heavily dependent on the American base at that time.

In 1993, a full cleanup and removal of volcanic ash deposits began and the former U.S. base re-emerged as Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ). The creation of CSEZ has helped to offset the loss of income and jobs previously generated by the presence of the U.S. base in the city. Today, Angeles and Clark form the hub for business, industry, aviation, and tourism in the Philippines as well as a leisure, fitness, entertainment and gaming center of Central Luzon.

Angeles City ranked 15th in a survey by MoneySense Magazine as one of the "Best Places to Live in the Philippines" in its March–April 2008 issue. In August 2007, the greater metropolitan area centered on Angeles, called Metro Angeles, which includes San Fernando, Mabalacat, Porac, and Magalang, was also mentioned as one of the 12 Metropolitan Areas in the Philippines by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and named as one of the six region-based metropolitan areas with relatively high GDP rates, with Metro Angeles garnering 8.5%.

Spanish period

In 1796, the gobernadorcillo or town head of San Fernando, Don Ángel Pantaleón de Miranda, and his wife, Doña Rosalía de Jesús, along with some followers, staked out a new settlement, which they named Culiát because of the abundance of vines of that name in the area. The new settlers cleared the woodland and cultivated the area for rice and sugar farming. Don Ángel built his first house with light materials at the northwest corner of the intersection of Sapang Balen and the road going towards the town of Porac. It was later donated to the Catholic Church and became a cemetery called "Campo Santong Matua" (today the site of Nepomuceno Coliseum).

On May 12, 1812, the new settlers tried to make Culiat a self-governing town but the friars resisted the move, led by Fray José Pometa. Ten years later, on February 11, 1822, Don Ángel filed a petition for the township of Culiat to secede from San Fernando, but it was denied. This was followed by another petition within the same year, jointly signed by Don Ángel, his son-in-law, Dr. Mariano Henson, and the latter's father, Severino Henson. He donated 35 hectares for the construction of the first Catholic church, a convent and a primary school while Doña Agustina Henson de Nepomuceno, the niece of who would become the first gobernadorcillo of Angeles in 1830, Don Ciriaco de Miranda, gave land for the new public market. Don Ángel paid the complete amount required by law just for the secession of Culiat from San Fernando. There were only 160 taxpayers then but the law required that it should have at least 500 taxpayers.

Located some 10 miles (16 km) north of Pampanga's capital, Culiat became a barrio of San Fernando for 33 years and on December 8, 1829, became a separate municipality. The newly-autonomous town was renamed "El Pueblo de los Ángeles" in honor of its patron saints, the Holy Angels, and the name of its founder, Don Ángel, coinciding with the rise of new barrios such as Santo Cristo (as the población or town proper), Cutcut, Pampang and Pulong Anunas. The progressive barrios developed some new industries like a sugar mill and a wine distillery. The transition of Angeles from a jungle clearing to a barrio, to a town and finally to a city took 168 years and in all that time, it survived locusts' infestations, wars, epidemics, volcanic eruptions and typhoons to become one of the fast rising towns in the country. When it received its first official municipal charter, the town contained some 661 people, 151 houses and an area of 38.65 km².

On March 17, 1899, General Emilio Aguinaldo transferred the seat of the insurgent Philippine Republic to Angeles. It then became the site of celebrations for the first anniversary of Philippine Independence, which was proclaimed a year earlier in Kawit, Cavite. Events included a parade, led by the youngest ever Filipino generals, Gregorio del Pilar and Manuel Tinio, with General Aguinaldo viewing the proceedings from the Pamintuan Residence, which was the Presidential Palace from May to July 1899 (and later was the Central Bank of the Philippines office in Central Luzon, before its ownership passed to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines). Aguinaldo's sojourn was short however, for in July of this same year he transferred his government to the province of Tarlac following Angeles' occupation by the American forces.

American period

On August 10, 1899, U.S. forces began the attack on Angeles confident in capturing it in a few days. However, the Filipino Army defending the town refused to give in so easily and fiercely fought back and for three months, they battled the Americans in and around the town. It was only after the battle on November 5, 1899 that the town finally fell into American hands. The Battle of Angeles was considered to be the longest in the history of the Filipino-American War in Pampanga. This led to the establishment of an American camp in Barrio Talimundoc (in what is now Lourdes Sur), located next to the railroad station, in order to establish control over the central plains of Luzon. In January 1900, General Frederick D. Grant organized the first U.S. Civil Government in Angeles by appointing an alcalde or municipal mayor, beginning American rule over Angeles.

In 1902, the United States Army studied relocating their post from Barrio Talimundoc to a fertile plain in Barrio Sapang Bato, which supposedly had better grass for their horses. A year after that, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt signed an executive order on September 1, establishing 7,700 acres (31 km2) of land in Sapang Bato as Fort Stotsenburg (which later would expand to 156,204 acres (632.14 km2) in 1908 to become Clark Air Base). It was centered on what was Clark Air Base's parade ground in modern years.

The Americans quickly commandeered Holy Rosary Parish Church and converted it into an army hospital, with the choir loft served as a dental clinic. The convento, which now houses Holy Family Academy, was the barracks for medical officers and enlisted men. The sacristy was the only portion where Angeleños could hear Mass. When the Americans finally vacated the church in 1904 and relocated to Fort Stotsenburg, parish priest Rev. Vicente Lapus listed a total of US$638 for portions of the church destroyed, looted church items and treasures, and arrears on rentals.

World War II

Hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan attacked the Philippines, targeting the American military presence, as well as the Philippine Army, and taking over the civilian government. During the Japanese occupation in the country, 57,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war passed the town of Angeles. They were forced to join the Death March going to Camp O'Donnell in Capas, Tarlac. Angeleños showed their sympathy by handing them foods, milk, boiled eggs, rice cakes, cigarettes, and water. Angeleños followed them up to the train station in Dau railway station in Mabalacat to give moral and spiritual support, and even helped the escapees.

War historians considered the bombing of Fort Stotsenburg on December 8, 1941 at 12:30 p.m. as one of the most destructive air raids in World War II because almost all the American war planes were wrecked on the ground. In thirty minutes, the air might of America in the Far East was completely destroyed.

On the early morning of the New Year's Day of 1942, the first Japanese troops entered Angeles occupying it up to January 1945. During the Japanese invasion, another type of local government was set up on January 22, 1942. During the Japanese occupation, Clark Air Base then became a major centre for staging Japanese air operations. Japanese aircraft flying out of Clark participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, considered to be the largest naval battle of the Second World War.

Clark Air Base was recaptured by the Americans in January 1945, after three months of fierce fighting in the Philippines. After three years of atrocities committed by Japanese forces, the town and the rest of the Philippines were finally liberated by the combined United States and Philippine Commonwealth troops in 1945.

Independence and cityhood

After World War II, the Philippines gained independence from the United States on July 4, 1946 but then would be tied to a neo-colonial relationship. The "Treaty of General Relations" signed on independence day itself signified the Americans' withdrawal and surrender of possession, control and sovereignty over the Philippines, except the use of their bases. It was followed by the Philippine-American Military Bases Agreement on March 14, 1947, allowing the U.S. to maintain territorial integrity and sovereignty over Clark Air Base and Subic Naval Base for the next 44 years. Clark occupied 63,103 hectares and served as the tactical operational U.S. air force installation in the entire Southeast Asian region that had the capacity to accommodate the U.S. military transport planes, which served the entire Western Pacific.

Through the years, although Fort Stotsenburg continued to expand to become what is now known as Clark Air Base, Angeles, despite its proximity to the American camp, did not progress fast and remained fairly small until the end of World War II. It was finally inaugurated on January 1, 1964 as a chartered city under Republic Act No. 3700 and then it entered a period of tremendous growth that has resulted in its present position as the "Premier City in Central Luzon." It was then Mayor Rafael del Rosario's brainchild that Angeles became a city. He gained the distinction of being the last municipal mayor of Angeles. He was assisted in the preparation of the City Chapter by Attorney Enrique Tayag, a prominent resident of the town. Congresswoman Juanita L. Nepomuceno of the first district of Pampanga sponsored the bill in Congress, which was approved by then President Diosdado Macapagal, the ninth Philippine president and a native of the province of Pampanga.