San Luis, Pampanga

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San Luis
— Municipality —

Map of Pampanga showing the location of San Luis.

San Luis
Location in the Philippines
 Coordinates: 15°2′24″N 120°47′31″E / 15.04°N
120.79194°ECoordinates: 15°2′24″N 120°47′31″E /
15.04°N 120.79194°E
Country Philippines
Region Central Luzon (Region III)
Province Pampanga
District 4th District
Founded
Barangays 17
Government
- Mayor Venancio Sagum-Macapagal
Area
- Total 56.83 km2 (21.9 sq mi)
Population (2007)
- Total 47,517
- Density 836.1/km2 (2,165.6/sq mi)
Time zone PST (UTC+8)
ZIP code 2014
Income class 3rd class

Population Census of San

Luis
Census Pop. Rate
San Luis is a 4th class municipality in the province
of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the latest 1995 36,005 —
census, it has a population of 47,517 people in 7,321 2000 41,554 3.12%
households. 2007 47,517 1.87%

Table of Contents
1 Barangays
2 History
3 Religion
4 People
4.
Luis Taruc
1
5 Places
5.
St. Aloysius Gonzaga Church
1
 6 References
7 External links

Barangays
San Luis is politically subdivided into 17 barangays. Like the town itself, all political
subdivisions are named after Roman Catholic saints.

• San Agustin • Santa Cruz Pambilog

• San Carlos • Santa Cruz Poblacion
• San Isidro • Santa Lucia
• San Jose • Santa Monica
• San Juan • Santa Rita
• San Nicolas • Santo Niño
• San Roque • Santo Rosario
• San Sebastian
• Santo Tomas
• Santa Catalina
File:Ricefield San Jose.jpg
Rice Field in San Jose, San Luis
File:Musni.jpg
Sitio Musni
File:Creek San Jose.jpg
Pampanga-Bulacan Boundary Creek at San Jose

History
The municipality of San Luis in the province of Pampanga in the Philippines was initially
created from a land area under the original geographical jurisdiction of the town of Santa
Ana, one of the early permanent settlements in Pampanga.

The town of Santa Ana which was originally known as Pinpin used to be one of the
municipalities of Pampanga with the largest land areas in the province. As new settlers
kept on migrating to the town, there was a pressure to increase the agricultural production
and to enhance the economic development of the community. Hence, the town people
who foresaw the economic needs of the growing population cleared the wilderness area
in the southern part of the town. These pioneers planted rice, corn, cacao, sugar cane,
vegetables, etc. The community was blessed with economic prosperity.

When there were already about three hundred taxpaying-residents who could support
financially a new municipality, the villages were reorganized into eight settlements with
barrio San Isidro in the center. Augustinian missionaries were assigned in the new
settlements to take care of the spiritual needs of the local people. The people in the
central area built a new church building.
As the population kept on multiplying, the visionary leaders of the new community led
by Jose Sugui, Miguel Bruno Panlilio, Sebastian Tigad, Diego Mangulabnan, Lorenzo de
Ocampo, Vicente de Guevara, Mariano Dantis, Nicolas Pangilinan and Juan Mangalus
Lacanilao initiated a petition to establish a new municipality separate and independent
from the town of Santa Ana. The petition was submitted to the ad interim Spanish
Governor General of the Philippines, Miguel Lino de Espeleta on January 12, 1760. The
proposed township was initially called Cabagsac (bagsacan cabag) due to the presence of
numerous bats in the local community.

An investigative committee composed of Fiscal General D. Sebastian Martinez and

Assessor Commissioner Juan Joseph Itna was authorized to conduct a study and find out
if the settlement was ready to become an independent municipality. After determining
that the requirements in creating a new town could be met, the investigative committee
recommended that the new settlement should be formally established into a new
municipality. The Spanish Governor General approved the petition and issued an
executive order creating the new town and renamed it as Patrocinio de San Luis Gonzaga.
The Governor General issued also a memorandum to all the officials of Arayat, Candaba,
Santa Ana (Pinpin), Mexico and Apalit informing them of the new boundaries of the
newly created municipality.

San Luis has now about thirty six thousand residents in its seventeen barangays:
Barangays of San Luis San Agustin San Carlos San Isidro San Jose San Juan San Nicolas
San Roque San Sebastian Sta. Catalina Sta. Cruz Pambilog Sta. Cruz Poblacion Sta.
Lucia Santa Monica Santa Rita Santo Rosario Santo Nino Santo Tomas

San Luis was originally divided into six geographical divisions: Candola, Bularit, Bonot,
San Juan and Pambilog, all on the other side of the Pampanga River. They became the
parent barrios of San Juan, San Nicolas, Santa Monica, San Agustin, San Isidro, San
Roque and San Jose. Canitapan (now Poblacion) where the church and municipal
building now stand was made into eight barrios namely: Santa Cruz Poblacion, Santo
Tomas, Santa Rita, San Carlos, Santo Rosario, San Sebastian, Santa Catalina, and Santa
Cruz Pambilog.

Prior to the construction of the Arnedo Dike during the term of Don Macario Arnedo as
governor of the province of Pampanga in 1904-1908, barrio roads and most of the land
area were frequently flooded during the rainy seasons because of the overflow of water
from the Pampanga River. It was very difficult for the people to travel around the local
community to market their farm products, fish and other produce. Due to these annual
calamities, the municipal government located in barrio San Isidro was temporarily moved
to barrio San Nicolas from July to November until the year 1788 when the final move
was permanently made.

In 1793 the construction of the existing church and convent commenced under the direct
supervision of Don Tomas Manankil. The completion many years later required the
administrative ability and determination of Don Tomas, the experience and dedication of
all the available masons and carpenters of the town and the effort of hundreds of
volunteers who worked on the construction of the church without compensation. The
church today serves as a fitting monument to the engineering skill of its builders and
considered to be one of the most durable Catholic churches in the Philippines .

Many municipal presidents and town mayors administered the town affairs of San Luis
from 1761 to 1898. One of the best municipal mayors the town has ever had, Mayor
Pedro Manankil, initiated the construction of the municipal building in 1853 but it was
burned down in 1902. It was rebuilt after the big fire but after more than three decades, it
did not meet anymore the safety standards because it was severely damaged by a
windstorm. The late Mayor Apolonio S. Salas, one of the most beloved and effective
mayors of the municipality, had it repaired and renovated. Mayor Santiago Villanueva
made it also a priority in improving the structural condition of the municipal building.

Like their fellow Kapampangans and other Filipinos in other towns and cities in the
Philippines, the residents of San Luis are peace and freedom-loving people. They
consider peace and freedom as two of the greatest gifts of the Almighty to humanity. In
essence, they are willing to lay down their lives to maintain peace and order and preserve
their freedom. In the bloody revolution of 1896 against Spain and against the United
States of America in the early 20 th century as well as during World War II in 1941 to
1945 against Japan, the patriotic people of San Luis took up arms and saw action to
defend Philippine freedom. They figured most prominently in the battle against the
invading Japanese Imperial Forces. Those who did not enlist in the regular armed forces
of the United States of America and the Commonwealth of the Philippines joined
voluntarily an armed resistance movement in the early days of 1942.

A native son and national folk hero, Luis Taruc became the supreme commander of the
Hukbong Bayan Laban Sa Hapon (HUKBALAHAP). After World War II, he was elected
as congressman of the 2nd District of the Province of Pampanga. The town and the
surrounding municipalities became the hot beds of social unrest. In 1945, liberated in the
town of San Luis, Pampanga entered by the Philippine Commonwealth troops of the 31st,
32nd, 33rd, 35th and 36th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army and the
Kapampangan guerillia units against the Japanese forces at the end in the Second World
War.

The second half of the 20 th century brought many benefits to the municipality and to the
rest of the country. President Ramon Magsaysay gave the Filipinos new hopes and trust
in their government. He implemented his prosperity program to uplift the welfare of the
common man. He continued his policy as Secretary of National Defense in using the
army to build new communities and win the support of those who fled to the mountains
and fought government forces. Those who gave up their firearms were given homesteads
or pieces of agricultural land and became farmers. Financial assistance for their farm
implements, working animals, fertilizers and seeds were provided. Technical assistance
from government veterinarians and agricultural scientists became available for them.

True to his campaign promises, President Magsaysay launched his economic program for
rural reconstruction with barrio Santa Monica in the town of San Luis as a model and
training center. Large tracts of uncultivated agricultural land for many years were cleared
by thousands of trainees from neighboring towns and provinces. To insure the cultivation
of the cleared land, to eradicate poverty and illiteracy, and to elevate the standard of
living of the people, President Magsaysay dispatched to Santa Monica a group of rural
builders under the able leadership of Mr. Labez. This group, also known as the President
Magsaysay San Luis Project Committee has successfully sold the idea of self-help to the
people in the project area through hard work, patience and determination. Most families
are now engaged in poultry and animal industry, almost all backyards are practically
green throughout the year with either vegetables or newly planted fruit-bearing trees. The
people gave importance to proper hygiene and preservation of life. Support for the
farmers became available in buying work animals, farm implements, money for planting,
etc. They did not need to borrow funds anymore from moneylenders who charged them
with high interest rates. With the help of the national government through the
Agricultural Credit Cooperative Financing Administration (ACCFA), the economic
rehabilitation of the farmers and of the entire municipality was accelerated as envisioned
in the rural program of the late President Magsaysay.

San Luis has many elementary schools, a public high school in barangay San Juan and a
private secondary school. Many graduates from these schools pursue their college
education to become engineers, computer programmers, teachers, lawyers, medical
doctors, dentists, nurses, accountants, businessmen, etc.

The town of San Luis produced also many brilliant and talented individuals who achieved
national and international prominence such as Luis Taruc who helped implement
President Marcos' agrarian reform program, military generals Leoncio Tan, Eduardo
Soliman Sr., Pedro Javier and Rodolfo Punsalang and popular personalities from the
movie and television industry, Luis Gonzales, Bentot, Aping Daldal and others.

San Luis has many sons and daughters residing in other towns, cities and other foreign
countries in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America but they do not forget their
heritage. Many of these immigrants particularly from the Ablazos, Canlas, Carlos,
Carreon, Dantis, de Ocampo, Dimaliwat, Elizalde, Franco, Gonzalez, Gotiangco,
Guevara, Isip, Javier, Jimenez, Lucas, Manangkil, Marin, Mangulabnan, Nieva,
Pangilinan, Panlilio, Punsalan, Sagun, Santillan, Santos, Soliman, Sugui, Taruc and Tigad
families became very successful in their professions and business enterprises. With the
help of their town mates in San Luis they organized a socio-civic organization called
"Ding Anac Ning San Luis" (Sons and Daughters of San Luis) and elected Col.
Numeriano Carreon as founding president. The primary objective of the association is to
render humanitarian service to the municipality. Two of the important projects of the
association were the construction of a public library and an open theater to promote
library consciousness among the residents and to develop the artistic talents of the youth.
Members awarded scholarships to deserving students and raised funds for many
charitable projects in their hometown.
The current mayor of San Luis, Honorable Jay Sagum leads the implementation of the
infrastructure, land conversion and economic development programs as well as the peace
and order campaign approved by the Municipal Council.[1]

Religion
Roman Catholic 86%, United Methodist Church 4%, Members Church of
God,International 3%, Iglesia ni Cristo .5%, Evangelicals 2%, Others 3.5%.

People
Luis Taruc

Luis Taruc (June 21, 1913 - May 4, 2005), founder and leader of Hukbalahap, was born
of peasant folks in the farming town of San Luis, Pampanga.

Places
St. Aloysius Gonzaga Church

Its façade can compare immeasurably with existing Spanish-style church edifices and
architectural design. The church is located in a place that used to be called Cabagsac,
referring to the proliferation of fruit bats. In fact, today, a fishnet is permanently installed
high above the altar precisely to catch thousands of bats that are roosting inside the
church. The interior is dark, has an ambience of antiquity and mystery and overpowering
odor of bat urine. The main attraction is the three-tower facade, perhaps one of its kind in
the country. Not to be missed is the ancient cemetery located in a hidden corner at the
back of the church, with some tombstones dating back to the 1800s and bearing the
names of the town's prominent families, including Taruc. [2]

References
1. ↑ "The Town of San Luis, Pampanga". Archived from the original on 2008-01-30.
http://web.archive.org/web/20080130143842/http://www-
rcf.usc.edu/~camiling/history_sanluis.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-25. Note: Based on
an article written by Olivia Lamasan and information submitted by Ms. Tess
Cusipang- 02/03/2006
2. ↑ "WOW Philippines :: Explore Philippines :: Things to Do".
http://www.tourism.gov.ph/explore_phil/place_details.asp?
content=thingstodo&province=12. Retrieved 2008-04-25. Note: Things to Do and
see in Pampanga...

External links
• The Town of San Luis, Pampanga
• New Writing on Kapampangan Life & Letters
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 1995 Philippine Census Information
• 2000 Philippine Census Information
• 2007 Philippine Census Information