Candelaria, Zambales

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Map of Zambales showing the location of Candelaria

Candelaria is a 4th class municipality in the province of Zambales, Philippines. This municipality is known for its Uacon Lake, the cleanest lake in Central Luzon, and for its numerous beach resorts. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 23,399 people in 4,321 households.

Candelaria is approximately 42 km from the capital town of Iba. It is nestled at the foot of Zambales Range in the east and lies along coastline of the South China Sea in the west, with a total land area of 43,760 hectares. Candelaria is the third-largest town in terms of land area in Zambales.

[edit] History

During the pre-Spanish era, Candelaria was unsettled forest land. It was then a sitio of Masinloc, one of the oldest towns of Zambales. The coming of a group of Zambal settlers from Masinloc played an important role on how this sitio became a town in 1870. Settlers found it an ideal location to live.

The name of the town could have come from the name of the wife of the first Alcalde Mayor, who named the town after her as a birthday gift. There was also a story that the Spanish first saw many candles in this place and called it Candle-Area, a place of many candles. As the years passed, it was customarily called Candelaria.