Magalang, officially the Municipality of Magalang (; ), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 124,188 people.
Magalang is part of the First Congressional District of Pampanga where Angeles City and Mabalacat are also included.
History
Magalang was mentioned as visita of the nearby town of Arayat on December 29, 1598. On April 30, 1605, it was separated by the Augustinians from Arayat and attained township status due to the bajo de la campana system. Augustinians appointed Fr. Gonzalo de Salazar, OSA as the first pastor.
Magalang was initially called Magalo, derived from the Kapampangan word "Galo", which means wavy and moving, describing the dangerous flow of the Parua River.
The town proper was located in Macapsa, but due to the natural calamities and revolts led by Andres Malong and his subordinate Melchor de Vera against the Spanish in 1660, it was nearly abandoned. It was moved to San Bartolome in 1734 until it was swept by the flood due to the overflow of the Parua River in 1863. It was transferred to the present site in barrio San Pedro Talimunduc on December 13, 1863, led by the parish priest, Fr. Ignacio Manzanares, OSA and some of the members of principalia including Pablo M. Luciano, gobernadorcillo of Magalang at that time.
In 1885, the agricultural experiment station La Granja Modelo de Luzon was transferred from San Isidro, Nueva Ecija to the foothills in Mt. Arayat, which become the present Pampanga State Agricultural University.
The revolutionary government took over the local government on June 12, 1898, led by General Francisco Macabulos and Colonel Lorenzo D. Camaya. During that time, Magalang was one of the revolutionary centers in Pampanga due to its proximity to Camansi, a revolutionaries' headquarters located in Mt. Arayat. The forces of Major General Servillano Aquino defended Magalang against Americans until it was successfully captured on November 5, 1899, led by Major General Arthur MacArthur and Colonel Jacob H. Smith. On January 1, 1942, Japanese forces defeated the Filipino-American forces composed of Igorot troops led by Major Helmert Duisterhof and Capt. Russell W. Volckmann, paving the way for the capture of Magalang. It was liberated by the 148th Infantry of 37th Division, US Army with the help of Hukbalahap on January 25, 1945. It was one of the hotbeds of Huk insurgency until the rebellion was crushed in 1954.
On December 28, 1963, Mayor Benedicto T. Dayrit was assassinated by the alleged men of Commander Sumulong during a night ball in the town plaza. In 1968, Mayor Daniel T. Lacson was sworn in as mayor of Magalang until his term ended in 1986.
In December 1993, Mayor Daniel Lacson Jr. was briefly replaced by his political rival Elpidio Lakandula when the latter was declared the victor in the 1992 election by the Angeles City Regional Trial Court on December 28, which was immediately met with protests by Lacson and his followers.
During the tenure of Mayor Pastor Z. Guiao, Magalang was named as one of the cleanest municipalities in the Philippines. Mayor Maria Lourdes P. Lacson was sworn in on June 30, 2016, as the first woman mayor of Magalang.
Geography
Barangays
Magalang is politically subdivided into 27 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
Ayala
Bucanan
Camias
Dolores
Escaler
La Paz
Navaling
San Agustin
San Antonio
San Francisco
San Ildefonso
San Isidro
San Jose
San Miguel
San Nicolas I
San Nicolas II (Concepcion) San Pablo San Pedro I San Pedro II San Roque San Vicente Santa Cruz Santa Lucia Santa Maria Santo Nino Santo Rosario Turu
Climate
Demographics
In the 2020 census, the population of Magalang, Pampanga, was 124,188 people, with a density of .
Religion
Roman Catholic 85%; In Magalang were church locales of Members Church of God International or Ang Dating Daan can be found which yields thousands of members. Other major religious groups are Iglesia ni Cristo, Evangelical Christians and others are also established in the municipality. Aside from Catholic churches, the town has a new United Methodist Church. In the year 1908, Protestantism was introduced and Vicente Naguit was the first convert.