Porac, Pampanga

Porac
Municipality
Map of Pampanga showing the location of Porac
Porac Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 15°4′19″N 120°32′31″E / 15.07194°N 120.54194°E / 15.07194; 120.54194Coordinates: 15°4′19″N 120°32′31″E / 15.07194°N 120.54194°E / 15.07194; 120.54194
Country	Philippines
Region	Central Luzon (Region III)
Province	Pampanga
District	2nd District
Founded	1594
Barangays	29
Government[1]
• Mayor	Condralito "Carling" Balatbat Dela Cruz
Area[2]
• Total	314.00 km2 (121.24 sq mi)
Population (2010)[3]
• Total	111,441
• Density	350/km2 (920/sq mi)
Time zone	PST (UTC+8)
ZIP code	2008
Dialing code	45
Income class	1st class
Website	municipalityofporac.com

Porac is a first class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines, 26 kilometres (16 mi) west from the provincial capital San Fernando. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 111,441 people.^[3]

With an area of 31,400 hectares (78,000 acres), Porac is the largest town in Pampanga. The Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) traverses this town, the exit of which is located in Barangay Manuali. Notable residents include former governor and Senator Lito Lapid, and former governor Mark Lapid. Porac was among the largest municipalities in the archipelago before it was divided into separate municipalities. A portion of Mount Pinatubo is in the municipality.

History

Porac was founded on October 31, 1594, upon acceptance by Fray Mateo Peralta in the Friar's Intermediate Chapter (recorded by Fray Gaspar de San Agustin, by saying Porac has its First Minister and Friar, Fray Mateo de Mendoza. The Mexican Expeditionary Air Force were given a base around Porac to help liberate the country from the Japanese Empire in World War II. (Marker: October 31, 2008, 412th Anniversary of Porac).^[4]

Geography

Porac has a hilly to mountainous terrain in the majority of its plains. Most rivers, if not all, are heavily silted by mudflow due to the eruption of Mount Pinatubo and succeeding lahar flows. Tourist spots include Darabulbul Falls (nicknamed Dara Falls) in Jalung, Miyamit Falls in Sapang Uwak, and the hot springs of Sitio Puning, accessed through Sapang Bato in Angeles City. Babo Pangulo offers a view of Porac and Mount Negron.

Barangays

Porac is politically subdivided into 29 barangays.^[2]

Climate

The town of Porac has two distinct climates, rainy and dry. The rainy or wet season normally begins in May and runs through October, while the rest of the year is the dry season. The warmest period of the year occurs between March and April, while the coolest period is from December through February.

Demographics

Local government

Town hall

The municipal government is divided into three branches: executive, legislative and judiciary. The judicial branch is administered solely by the Supreme Court of the Philippines. The executive branch is composed of the mayor and the barangay captains for the barangays. The legislative branch is composed of the Sangguniang Bayan (town assembly), Sangguniang Barangay (barangay council), and the Sangguniang Kabataan for the youth sector.

Economy

Porac is an important source of granite and a tamping ground of minerals.^[6]

Porac is home to the Mekeni Food Corporation, an "AAA" Meat Processing Plant accredited with the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS). Being classified under the "AAA" category, it is qualified to market its products, not just in the local, but in the international market as well. This means that it is compliant to all government regulatory requirements to assure food quality and safety in its operations (Sun Star, 2006).

Façade of Santa Catalina de Alexandria Parish Church

Spanish-era Roman Catholic churches

Since the founding of the town of Porac in 1867,^[7] various Roman Catholic structures have been built in the area to aid in the religious practices of the devout Kapampangans. As of writing, three notable Spanish-era religious structures are extant within the municipality. The largest of the three, the Santa Catalina de Alejandria Church is located at Barangay Poblacion and still functions as one of Porac’s main parochial structures. The other two are currently utilized as barangay chapels.

Santa Catalina de Alejandria Church

The Santa Catalina de Alejandria parish church is under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando. Its original structure, built in 1872, is largely intact but slight revisions have been made to the inside. It underwent restoration in the 1980s. The church is 52 metres (171 ft) long, 12 metres (39 ft) wide and 9 metres (30 ft) high.^[8]

Pio Chapel

The 1861 Pio Chapel is a circular chapel built by Don Felino Gil, founder of the Escuela de Artes y Oficios (now the Don Hororio Ventura Technical State University).^[9]

Hacienda Dolores Chapel

Another vintage chapel is located at Barangay Dolores, north of the Porac town proper. The Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel was said to be built by the Dolores family within the old Hacienda Dolores in 1856.^[10] The chapel, like the Pio chapel, is currently utilized as a community chapel. The chapel boasts of a slender octagonal belfry and Doric columns adorning the two-level façade. Notable features of the chapel are finials found on both levels of the façade.

Images

• 

  Jose Songco Lapid Sports and Civic Center Gymnasium

• 

  Rio Grande

• 

  Public Market

• 

  Porac Elementary School

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Porac, Pampanga.

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System

	Botolan, Zambales	Bamban, Tarlac / Mabalacat / Angeles City
			Bacolor Santa Rita
		Porac
	San Marcelino, Zambales	Floridablanca	Guagua

Province of Pampanga San Fernando (capital) Municipalities Apalit Arayat Bacolor Candaba Floridablanca Guagua Lubao Macabebe Magalang Masantol Mexico Minalin Porac San Luis San Simon Santa Ana Santa Rita Santo Tomas Sasmuan Component cities Mabalacat San Fernando Highly urbanized city Angeles (Administratively independent from the province, but grouped under Pampanga by the National Statistics Office)