Cabanatuan, officially the City of Cabanatuan (Kapampangan: Lakanbalen/Ciudad ning Cabanatuan), is a 1st class component city in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 327,325 people, making it the most populous city in Nueva Ecija and the fifth-most populous in Central Luzon. The city is popular for being home to more than 30,000 motorized tricycles, making it the "Tricycle Capital of the Philippines." Its strategic location along the Cagayan Valley Road has made the city a major economic, educational, medical, entertainment, shopping, and transportation center in Nueva Ecija and nearby provinces in the region such as Tarlac, Aurora, and Bulacan. It has also earned the moniker "Gateway to the North." Cabanatuan remained Nueva Ecija's capital until 1965 when the government created nearby Palayan City as the new provincial capital. Nueva Ecija's old capitol and other government offices are still used and maintained by the provincial administration. Cabanatuan also became the capital of the Philippines during the First Philippine Republic while President Emilio Aguinaldo was moving north to avoid being captured by American forces. After the campaign for the city's designation as a highly urbanized city failed, a motion was made to convert the city into a lone district instead.

History

Cabanatuan was founded as a Barrio of Gapan in 1750 and became a Municipality and capital of La Provincia de Nueva Ecija in 1780. Majority of the original settlers of Cabanatuan were Tagalogs from Bulacan and Morong (Rizal Province); other early settlers came from Ilocos, Pampanga and Tayabas (now Quezon Province). Tagalogs settled the barrios on the western part while the vicinity around Sangitan was the settlement of Kapampangans and Ilocanos. Cabanatuan is the site of the historical "Plaza Lucero" and the Cabanatuan Cathedral, where General Antonio Luna was assassinated by Captain Pedro Janolino and members of the Kawit battalion. Cabanatuan lost the title of provincial capital in 1850 when the capital of Nueva Ecija was moved to San Isidro, another historic town. It was only in 1917, when the administrative code was enacted, that Cabanatuan was restored as capital of the province. In 1926, the historic College of the Immaculate Conception was established within the vicinity of the Cabanatuan Cathedral by the Roman Catholic Church. During World War II, the occupying Japanese built Cabanatuan Prison Camp, where many American soldiers were imprisoned, some of whom had been forced to endure the infamous Bataan Death March. In January 1945, elements of the U.S. Army 6th Ranger Battalion and two teams of Alamo Scouts marched 30 mi behind enemy lines to rescue the prisoners in what became known as the Raid at Cabanatuan. As a result of the raid on January 30, 1945, victorious Filipino guerrillas, American troops of the U.S. Army 6th Ranger Battalion and Alamo Scouts celebrated having obtained the freedom of 500 American POWs. Soon thereafter, Philippine and American forces re-established the presence of military general headquarters and military camp bases of the Philippine Commonwealth Army, Philippine Constabulary 2nd Constabulary Regiment, and the United States Army in Cabanatuan from February 1, 1945, to June 30, 1946, during the Allied Liberation. Before long, the combined Philippine Commonwealth and American armed forces, in cooperation with local guerrilla resistance fighters and Hukbalahap Communist guerrillas, had liberated Central Luzon from Japanese Imperial forces, a campaign that lasted from January until August 1945. In 1957, the barrios of Mataas na Kahoy, Balangkare Norte, Balangkare Sur, Sapang Kawayan, Magasawang Sampaloc, Talabutab Norte, Talabutab Sur, Platero, Belen, Pecaleon, Piñahan, Kabulihan, Pasong-Hari, Balaring, Pulong Singkamas, Panaksak, Bravo, Sapang Bato, Burol, Miller, Tila Patio, Pula, Carinay, and Acacia were separated from Cabanatuan and constituted into a separate and independent municipality known as General Mamerto Natividad.

Cityhood

Cabanatuan became a city by virtue of Republic Act No. 526, approved on June 16, 1950. In 1965, Congress created Palayan City, and transferred the capital of Nueva Ecija from Cabanatuan to the newly created city of Palayan.

Highly urbanized city (HUC)

In 1998, Cabanatuan was declared by then-president Fidel V. Ramos as a highly urbanized city however it failed ratification after the majority of votes in the plebiscite was negative. Cabanatuan was declared as a highly urbanized city by President Benigno S. Aquino III under Presidential Proclamation No. 418 on July 14, 2012. A plebiscite scheduled in December 2012 was moved by the Commission on Elections to January 25, 2014, so as not to burden the poll body during its preparation for the 2013 local elections in the province. Incumbent Governor Aurelio Matias Umali, who had a strong voter base in the city, opposed the conversion and submitted a petition to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order on January 24, 2014. On April 23, 2014, voting 9–5–1, the Supreme Court granted a petition for certiorari filed by Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali and declared as null and void Comelec Minute Resolution No. 12-0797 dated September 11, 2012, and Minute Resolution No. 12-0925 dated October 16, 2012, setting a date for the conduct of a plebiscite in which only registered voters of Cabanatuan would be allowed to vote. The province-wide plebiscite was rescheduled for November 8, 2014, but cancelled again because the Cabanatuan City government could not provide the necessary funds. No new date is to be set until the city government certifies that ₱101 million is available for the holding of the plebiscite.

1990 Luzon earthquake

Cabanatuan was near the epicenter of the infamous 1990 Luzon earthquake, which registered a 7.8 on the surface wave magnitude scale, at roughly 3 pm on July 16, 1990. It leveled some buildings, most notably the Christian College of the Philippines (Liwag Colleges) in the midst of class time, and killed 1,653 people. Around 154 people were said to be killed inside the CCP building. Unlike in Baguio, local and international journalists were able to arrive at Cabanatuan hours after the tremor, and media coverage of the quake in its immediate aftermath centered on the collapsed school, where rescue efforts were hampered by the lack of heavy equipment to cut through the steel reinforcement of fallen concrete.

Geography

Cabanatuan is located in the rolling central plains of Luzon drained by the Pampanga River. The city stands 14 km southwest of the provincial capital Palayan City and 116 km north of Manila. It is bordered by Santa Rosa to the south, Talavera and Gen. Mamerto Natividad to the north, Palayan to the north east, Laur to the east, and Aliaga to the west.

Climate and natural disasters

Cabanatuan has a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen climate classification: Aw), with year-round warm weather and distinct dry and wet seasons. It is touted as one of the hottest cities in the country; in the summer season of 2011 Cabanatuan reached its hottest temperature at 39.8 °C, also the hottest in the Philippines in that same year, and on June 4, 2015 PAGASA reported a 53 °C heat index for the city, which is the hottest yet recorded. According to the fifth Annual Natural Hazards Risk Atlas (NHRA) report in 2015, Cabanatuan was ranked as the sixth city in the Philippines with extreme exposure to a myriad of natural hazards, especially typhoons and flooding. Notable disasters have struck Cabanatuan in the past decades, including the 1990 Luzon earthquake, 2013 Typhoon Santi, and 2015 Typhoon Lando. The 2013 Typhoon Santi brought extreme winds measuring up to 120 km/h, causing widespread infrastructure damages and power loss to the city. Later in 2015, Typhoon Lando caused massive damage in the form of severe flooding in Central Luzon, including Cabanatuan. The city experienced severe flooding, which hampered the operations of many establishments. Most roads going to the major districts of Cabanatuan were not passable to light vehicles for two to three days after the storm. Recently in 2022, Typhoon Karding damaged numerous establishments, farmlands, and electric lines in the city.

Barangays

Cabanatuan is administratively subdivided into 89 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Demographics

Religion

Roman Catholicism has been the predominant religion in the city, being host to a major cathedral – the St. Nicholas of Tolentino Cathedral which serves as the seat of the bishop of the Diocese of Cabanatuan. There are three other major Catholic structures located within the city: the Mother of Perpetual Help Parish, the Carmelite Sisters Convent and the Maria Assumpta Seminary. Local chapels/parishes are also present in most barangays. The Roman Catholic Church owns the College of the Immaculate Conception, the first and only Catholic higher education institute in the city. The New St. Nicholas of Tolentine Cathedral (popularly known as Crypta) has been under construction in Lakewood, Cabanatuan since 1999. The cathedral will be a type of round church, similar to churches that were prominent in Nordic countries during the 11th and early 12th century. It will become the largest church in the Philippines that shall feature a park and accommodate at least 3,000 people once it is finished. Iglesia ni Cristo also maintains a sizable presence in Cabanatuan with its large house of worship in Barangay Zulueta that seats up to 5,000 people. The United Methodist Church also has many local churches with a large congregation within the city. The United Methodist Church owns Wesleyan University Philippines and the Wesleyan University of the Philippines-Cardiovascular and Medical Center. Other Philippine-based Christian denominations are also present in the city, such as Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide, Jesus Miracle Crusade and Members Church of God International. The Islamic faith also has a presence in Cabanatuan, specifically within the districts of Imelda and Isla. Two large mosques exist in the city, with the largest located at Imelda District.

Economy

Cabanatuan is the economic heart of Nueva Ecija. More than 640,000 people live in its metropolitan area comprising the city and its adjacent municipalities. As a hub, many people in Nueva Ecija commute to the city during the day. This causes the city's daytime population to swell to about a million. Although Cabanatuan does not have significant manufacturing industries, its dynamic service and agricultural sectors drive the economy forward. The city is a vital financial center housing a good number of banks, non-bank financial institutions, and headquarters of some of the largest rural banks in Central Luzon. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) maintains a branch in the city that performs cash operations and cash administration. , approximately 43 billion pesos in deposit liabilities is kept in the city's 65 banks. This amount constitutes more than half of the province's deposits. In terms of banking convenience, the city ranks as one of the most livable in the country together with Makati.

Utilities

Most of the water supply of the city is provided for by the Cabanatuan City Water District (CCWD), founded in 1974 through a resolution enacted by the Honorable City Council of Cabanatuan, pursuant to PD 198. In recent years, the CCWD has entered into a JVA (Joint Venture Agreement) with PrimeWater Infrastructure Corporation, a private water service provider delivering quality services in the design of water distribution systems. It continues to provide most of the city's water supply. Unlike the majority of Nueva Ecija, most of the electric services in the city are provided by the Cabanatuan Electric Corporation (CELCOR). Power generation companies like FCVC and FCRV operate a 12-8 MW diesel power plant and a 10-MW solar power plant, respectively.

Telecommunications

Major telecommunication companies like Globe Telecom, PLDT-Smart Communications, and Dito Telecommunity have also their respective infrastructures and business offices in the city. Local TV and Radio Stations, such as the city's main local channel CabTV 16 and radio broadcast channel, Big Sound FM 101.5, are also present.

Logistics and distribution

The city is also a distribution and logistics center for goods and commodities; a number of distribution warehouses and sales offices of various companies serve the whole of Nueva Ecija and parts of neighboring provinces. The NFA warehouses in the city play an important role in regulating Nueva Ecija's burgeoning rice industry. The city acts as a trading place or bagsakan of agricultural produce from the surrounding farming communities. Indicators reflect Cabanatuan's economic achievements in the past few years. Annual business registrations in the city grew 31.7% last 2015 while locally sourced taxes grew 14.81% annually in the five years to 2015. Residential buildings and subdivisions, numbering more than a hundred, are taking up lands on the fringes of the downtown.

Real estate and investment

The presence of big land developers such as Santa Lucia Realty, Vista Land, and Ayala Land ensures competition and quality in the new suburban homes. New commercial buildings are springing up in the CBD and along Maharlika Highway at an average of seventy-five per year. Vista Estates has recently planned to build Verterra Residences, Nueva Ecija's first condominium development and one of the Philippines' first "Urban Green Hubs," near Camella Cabanatuan. Cabanatuan is gradually becoming a major investment hub and is considered one of the most competitive cities for doing business in the country. Investors in banking, real estate, retail and other business and industrial enterprises are similarly drawn to the city because of its adequate infrastructure and investor support services. Its continuing urbanization is also luring investors into its suburban municipalities as well. To further explore its economic potentials, Cabanatuan is seeking to have a share of the IT-BPO boom. The first call center in Nueva Ecija was successfully established in the city in 2008. The city government is providing prospective investors with fast business applications processing, low business taxes, and other incentives to attract big-ticket projects. In 2015, the city's total assets amounted to PHP 3.719 billion and the total income reached PHP 1.696 billion.

Shopping centers

Cabanatuan serves as a major shopping hub in the province and other nearby localities. Major Philippine mall chains such as Robinsons Malls, SM Supermalls, Walter Mart, and Puregold Price Club, Inc. have established their presence in the city. Currently, major shopping centers in the city include: NE Pacific Mall; SM Megacenter; Robinsons Townville Cabanatuan; SM City Cabanatuan which is built as a regional SM Supermall with amenities such as a roof park, an indoor park, and a large-screen cinema; AllHome, and Waltermart. Cabanatuan has also multiple grocery and department stores including a chain of Savemore Supermarkets, Puregold Supermarkets, NE Supermarkets, and the warehouse club store, S&R. The city has also numerous hardware centers like Ace Hardware, Citi Hardware, and Wilcon Depot. In terms of future developments, Robinsons Land Corp. previously expressed plans for their second mall in the city. However, the plan has since been scrapped due to the backlash from groups that were against the decision to build it in the site of Nueva Ecija's Old Provincial Capitol. Landers Superstore has also shown interest in building a branch in the city. Cabanatuan is also building a new main public market that is set to open in 2025, after its old public market burnt down in April 2020. Aside from vendor spaces, the new market will house government offices, retail spaces, restrooms, escalators, passenger and freight elevators, and lower ground parking to accommodate the growing population of consumers in the city. The new Magsaysay Market in Brgy. Sangitan is scheduled to open in 2024. Two temporary public markets were built in Melencio Street Ext., Brgy. Kapitan Pepe and Brgy. San Isidro, with the former planned to be converted into the city's convention center.

Hotels, restaurants, and leisure

The city has numerous accommodation and lodging establishments such as hotels, motels, inns, and resorts. In recent years, the local food scene in the city has experienced growth. Several local and international restaurants, fast-food chains, bakery and coffee shops are also located in the city. Cabanatuan's food scene offers a variety of culinary choices such as local Filipino delicacies, Japanese cuisine, Korean cuisine, Indian cuisine and others. Food joints have also been established in Kapitan Pepe Subdivision, such as the Food Park. Cabanatuan also houses various resorts and waterparks, such as BL Resort and Hotel, Acropolis North, and Lamarang Hotel.

Transportation

Public transportation

Cabanatuan is a major hub of land transportation services in Central Luzon. The city has many bus companies operating provincial and regional routes, with the Cabanatuan Central Transport Terminal serving as the terminus. Due to a recent boycott against SM (the private owner of the Cabanatuan Central Transport Terminal), bus companies like Baliwag Transit, Inc. and Five Star temporarily departed and received passengers in their own garages located at Brgy. Zulueta. The buses has since returned to the Cabanatuan Central Transport Terminal. Much of the city's population rely on public transportation such as tricycles and jeeps to get around the city. The jeepney was patterned after U.S. Army jeeps and have been in use since the years immediately following World War II. Almost all types of public road transport plying Cabanatuan are privately owned and operated under government franchise. Jeepney, van, and mini-bus operators serve routes within the province with some reaching as far to Dingalan, Baler, and Dilasag in Aurora, Olongapo City, San Fernando, and Dau in Pampanga, Mariveles and Balanga in Bataan, Baguio in Benguet, Dagupan, and Tarlac City. Tricycle operators serve local routes in the city and sometimes to nearby towns of Santa Rosa and Talavera.Intercity and interprovincial buses from Manila serve the city, and are usually operated by Baliwag Transit, Inc., Five Star, Victory Liner, Genesis Transport Service Inc., GV Florida Transport, ES Transport Inc., and Pangasinan Solid North. Cabanatuan is accessible via the major expressway networks such as NLEX (from either Bulacan or Pampanga), SCTEX (from either Pampanga or Tarlac) and TPLEX (from Tarlac or Pangasinan). Then, the main access roads leading to Cabanatuan are the Pan-Philippine Highway, Santa Rosa –Tarlac Road, and the Nueva Ecija – Aurora Road.

Road network

National highway

Maharlika Highway (or Pan-Philippine Highway) is the main highway traversing Cabanatuan where most vehicles going to Cagayan Valley pass through. The city's portion of the Maharlika Highway starts from the city's southernmost barangay, Brgy. Sumacab Este, and ends at Brgy. Caalibangbangan. Another highway that traverses Cabanatuan is the Nueva Ecija - Aurora Road. The highway links Cabanatuan to Baler, Aurora, passing through rural towns in eastern Nueva Ecija.

Arterial Roads

Burgos Avenue and Del Pilar Street both serve as the city's main thoroughfare in the downtown area. Other major roads include the General Tinio and Rizal Streets that run through the city proper in an east–west direction; Mabini Street, where two of the city's three universities are situated, and the Circumferential Road that connects the downtown area to the Kapitan Pepe residential district. Cabanatuan was previously served by the Manila Railroad Company in 1905 through the Balagtas – Cabanatuan line which was abandoned after the war because scavengers looted pieces of the rail tracks. Rail service was resumed in 1969 after the rehabilitation of the rail tracks as mandated by a government order. The service was again abandoned in the 1980s. The old Cabanatuan Railway Station is located at Barangay General Luna and is converted to a daycare center with the original structure remaining.

Expressways and Toll Roads

Cabanatuan shall also be serviced by a future expressway once completed, the Central Luzon Link Expressway (SCTEX-TPLEX to San Jose City). It will shorten the usual travel time between the neighboring provinces and Cabanatuan, also stimulating the economy of the towns that the carriageway will pass through as a direct consequence. Central Luzon Link Expressway from Tarlac City to San Juan, Aliaga was opened early 2024. The temporary exit to Cabanatuan will soon open to the motorists by December same year.

Bypass Roads

During the early 2000s to decongest the Pan-Philippine Highway and to spur new developments outside the downtown area, two bypass roads were constructed in Cabanatuan: the 10.3-kilometer Felipe Vergara Highway provides a direct route to Cagayan Valley, and the 12.35-kilometer Emilio Vergara Highway which links Santa Rosa to Nueva Ecija - Aurora Road, avoiding traffic bottleneck along Pan-Philippine Highway. There are present efforts being made to extend the Emilio Vergara Highway to Talavera. Two flyovers are currently being constructed to ease prevailing traffic congestions in the city. Another flyover will also be built from Jollibee Diversion Road to Emilio Vergara Highway in the future to alleviate traffic conditions in the Maharlika Highway. Cabanatuan is also building major dike roads that shall serve as access roads to far-flung barangays in the city, such as Barangay Samon and Barangay Caudillo.

City Traffic

Infrastructure improvements by the administration are ongoing. A Unified Command Center (UCC) for the city's traffic light system is currently under construction at 25 major intersections. Separate tricycle lanes are also present within the perimeter of the Public Market. Road extension, and road widening of the Emilio Vergara Highway from two to six lanes is nearing its completion. Constructions and rehabilitations of major bridges are also ongoing, such as the second Felipe Vergara, Valdefuente, and Cabu bridges, to ease traffic. The widening of all city and arterial roads from one- to two-lane highway to three-lane highway is also being considered. Road asphalting is also being done in the city's major thoroughfares.

Tourism

Historical sites found in the city include: Festivals and celebrations celebrated in Cabanatuan include:

Government

Local government

Cabanatuan's current seat of government, the city hall, is located at Barangay San Josef Sur. The local government structure is composed of one mayor, one vice mayor, and ten councilors. Each official is elected publicly to a 3-year term and can be re-elected up to 3 terms in succession. The day-to-day administration of the city is handled by the city administrator.

Elected officials

Education

Cabanatuan is a regional educational hub. The city more than forty higher education institutions including four universities, a science high school, more than fifty public and private high schools, and more than a hundred public and private primary schools. Some prominent schools, universities and colleges within the city include:

Healthcare

Many hospitals and clinics can be found in the city, most are private and with modern facilities which made Cabanatuan the center for medical operations and research in the province. Most residents of the province go to Cabanatuan for their check-ups and appointments in hospitals and clinics within the city. There are three (3) notable public and six (5 fully constructed, 1 under construction) private hospitals in Cabanatuan:

Notable personalities

Some of the notable personalities whose roots originated in Cabanatuan include: