| Tarlac Probinsya Ng Tarlac |
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| — Province — | |||
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| Nickname(s): Melting Pot Of Central Luzon Sugar Capital Of Luzon |
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| Map of the Philippines with Tarlac highlighted | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Philippines | ||
| Region | Central Luzon (Region III) | ||
| Founded | 1872 | ||
| Capital | Tarlac City | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Province of the Philippines | ||
| • Governor | Victor Yap (NPC) | ||
| • Vice Governor | Pearl Angeli Pacada (Lakas-Kampi-CMD) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 2,736.6 km2 (1,056.6 sq mi) | ||
| Area rank | 49th out of 80 | ||
| Population (2007) | |||
| • Total | 1,243,449 | ||
| • Rank | 17th out of 80 | ||
| • Density | 454.4/km2 (1,176.8/sq mi) | ||
| • Density rank | 12th out of 80 | ||
| Divisions | |||
| • Independent cities | 0 | ||
| • Component cities | 1 | ||
| • Municipalities | 17 | ||
| • Barangays | 511 | ||
| • Districts | 1st to 3rd districts of Tarlac | ||
| Time zone | PHT (UTC+8) | ||
| ZIP Code | 2300 | ||
| Spoken languages | Kapampangan, Tagalog, Ilocano, Pangasinan, English | ||
Tarlac is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Luzon Island. Its capital is Tarlac City. Tarlac borders Pampanga to the south, Nueva Ecija to the east, Pangasinan to the north, and Zambales to the west. It is a part of Central Luzon, which is composed of Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales.
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As of the 2000 census, Tarlac has a population of 1,068,783. Its population density is 350/km².
In the southern half of the province Kapampangan is the spoken language whereas Ilocano and Pangasinan dominate the northern half. Tagalog, being the country's national language, is widely understood throughout the province.
The economy of Tarlac is dominantly agricultural. Principal crops are rice and sugarcane. Other major crops are corn and coconut; vegetables such as eggplant, garlic, and onion; and fruit trees like mango, banana, and calamansi. It is among the biggest producers of Rice and Sugarcane notably grown in Hacienda Luisita in Barangay San Miguel, Tarlac City which is owned by the Cojuangco Family.
Because the province is landlocked, its fish production is limited to fishponds but it has vast river systems and irrigation which is more than enough to compensate for the need of water. On the boundary with Zambales in the west, forest lands provide timber for the logging industry. Mineral reserves such as manganese and iron can also be found along the western section.
Tarlac has its own rice and corn mills as well as sawmills and logging outfits. It has three sugar centrals. Other firms service agricultural needs such as fertilizer. Among its cottage industries, ceramics making has become important because of the abundant supply of clay. Some of the major industries here are the making of Chicharon and Iniruban in the municipality of Camiling, Ylang Ylang /Ilang-Ilang products of Anao and the Muscovado sugar products of Victoria. Besides those products, the province also boosts its sugar products in the Philippines. It is next to Negros Occidental which is the nation's sugar capital. Tilapia is also improving in Tarlac and it will soon be the Tilapia capital of the Philippines.
Chicharon and Iniruban festival - a.k.a. Tarlac's best. In the town of Camiling. Celebrated during the last week of October for the preparations for All Saints day and a thanks giving celebration for good harvest particularly (Iniruban) and good quality of meat products particularly the Chicharon or Bagnet. It also features the delicious and TOURIST LOVING Chicharon and the exotic but unique, delicious rice cakes the Ilocano called Iniruban. The fiesta's highlights are the Street dancing competition, Miss Iniruban beauty pageant and the municipality's agri trade. It is the oldest cultural celebration in the province since 2000.
Eastern Tarlac is a plain, while Western Tarlac is hilly to mountainous. Because of this, the province owns a large portion of mountains like Mt. Telakawa (Straw hat Mountain), which is the highest mountain in the province located at Capas, Tarlac. Mt. Bueno, Mt. Mor-Asia and Mt. Canouman is located also in Capas as well as Mount Dalin. The other mountains are Mt. Dueg and Mt. Maasin, found in the municipality of San Clemente. Also noted are Mt. Papaac, Bacsay, Cayasan and Birbira of Camiling. The whole of Mayantoc and San Jose are mountainous so it is suitable for the highest natural resources and forest products in the province such as coal, iron, copper, vegetables, fruits, log fires, sand, rocks and forest animals such as wild boar, deer etc. The main water sources for agriculture include the Tarlac River at Tarlac City, The Lungcob and Parua rivers in Concepcion, Tarlac, Sacobia Bamban River in Bamban and the Rio Chico in La Paz.
Tarlac is subdivided into 17 municipalities and 1 city. These divisions are further subdivided into 511 barangays. The province comprises three congressional districts.
The province is situated at the center of the central plains of Luzon, landlocked by four provinces: Pampanga on the south, Nueva Ecija on the east, Pangasinan on the north, and Zambales on the west. Approximately 75% of the province is plain while the rest is hilly to mountainous.
Like the rest of Central Luzon, the province has two distinct seasons: dry from November to April and wet for the rest of the year.
Tarlac's name is a Hispanized derivation from a talahib weed called in Ilokano word "Malatarlak". Tarlac was originally a part of the provinces of Pampanga and Pangasinan. It was the last Central Luzon province to be organized under the Spanish administration in 1874.
During the Philippine Revolution of 1896, Tarlac was one of the first eight provinces to rise in arms against Spain. It became the new seat of the first Philippine Republic in March 1899 when Emilio Aguinaldo abandoned the former capital, Malolos, Bulacan. This lasted only for a month, as the seat was moved to Nueva Ecija in Aguinaldo's attempt to elude the pursuing Americans.
On October 23, 1899, Gregorio Aglipay, military vicar general of the revolutionary forces, called the Filipino clergy to a conference in Paniqui. There, they drafted the constitution of the Philippine Independent Church. They called for the Filipinization of the clergy, which eventually led to a schism in the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines.
Tarlac was captured by American forces in November 1899. A civil government was established in the province in 1901.
During the World War II, Camp O'Donnell in Capas became the terminal point of the infamous "Bataan Death March", involving Filipino and American soldiers who surrendered in Bataan on April 9, 1942. The camp was so overcrowded that many allied prisoners who survived the grueling march died here of hunger and disease.
In the beginning of 1945, combined American & Filipino military forces with the recognized Aringay Command guerillas liberated Camp O'Donnell. The Raid at Capas resulted in the rescue of American, Filipino and other allied Prisoners of War.
| Liberation of Tarlac | |||||||
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| Part of World War II | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
Philippine Commonwealth
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Empire of Japan | ||||||
On January 20, 1945 to August 15, 1945, Tarlac was recaptured by combined Filipino and American troops together with the recognized guerrilla fighters against the Japanese Imperial forces during the liberation.
In the early 1950s, Tarlac was the hotbed of the Hukbalahap, a local communist movement. It was suppressed at first but had resurgence in 1965.
Tarlac is the home province of the Cojuangco and Aquino families, particularly Ninoy and Cory Aquino, as well as their son, President Noynoy Aquino.
TV Host, Actress Kris Aquino also came from the province
Billiard Champ Francisco Dyango Bustamante came from Brgy. Maliwalo, Tarlac City
Pulitzer Prize winner General Carlos P. Romulo hails from the town of Camiling. He served as president of the University of the Philippines, Philippine ambassador to the United Nations, president of the General Assembly and chairman of the Security Council.
Former education secretary Onofre D. Corpuz was also from the town of Camiling. Sec. Corpuz also served as president of the University of the Philippines.
Tarlac is also the home province of actress-turned-politician, Vilma Santos, who is the incumbent governor of Batangas province.
Tarlac is also home province of General Paulino Santos (from Camiling), who served as commander of Penal Colonies of South-Western Mindanao. The town of Rajah Buayan was later renamed to General Santos City on his honor.
Recently the Philippine Army has used Crow Valley in the borders of Barangay Patling and Sta. Lucia in Capas, Tarlac as a testing ground for both Philippine forces and allies. Many of the Philippine Military testings were done on March 17, 2006 [1] most likely as a part of Operation Enduring Freedom - Philippines.
“Belenismo sa Tarlac” (project to transform it to “Belen capital” of the Philippines) was launched by Isabel Cojuangco-Suntay, sister of former Ambassador Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., president of the Tarlac Heritage Foundation. 2007 Belen Festival began in September, with the first Belen-making workshop to Dec. 16. Sen. Loren Legarda led the awarding of 16 winners in 5 categories—personal, grand, monumental, municipal and diorama. The Tarlac police office Belen, built by at least 24 policemen, won the first prize; Asiaten Hotel was second and restaurant Coconut Grill was third.[1]
| Pangasinan | ||||
| Zambales | Nueva Ecija | |||
| Tarlac | ||||
| Pampanga |
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