San Miguel, officially the Municipality of San Miguel (, Kapampangan: Balen ning San Miguel), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 172,073 people. It is the third largest municipality by area in the province after Doña Remedios Trinidad and Norzagaray.

Etymology

There are two accounts on the origin of the town's name:

History

Spanish colonial era

The municipality of San Miguel de Mayumo was established in 1763 by Carlos Agustin Maniquiz, Maria Juana Puno - wife of Carlos Agustin Maniquiz and Miguel Pineda, with Pineda as the first town mayor of San Miguel. Miguel Pineda was a native of Angat, Bulacan who decided to settle permanently in the barrio of San Bartolome (now named Barangay Tartaro). He found the place ideal for hunting and was later chosen as the leader of other settlers. He formed an alliance with Mariano Puno, the recognized leader of the adjacent prosperous village called Santo Rosario (now named Barangay Mandile). The town was previously part of Pampanga, hence San Miguel's culture having Kapampangan influence. In 1848, the town and the neighbouring barrios, which were then part of Pampanga, were added to the territory of the Province of Bulacan.

The Pact of Biak-Na-Bato

During the Philippine Revolution in 1897, newly appointed Governor-General Fernando Primo de Rivera decided to crush Emilio Aguinaldo and his troops in Cavite, but Aguinaldo fled to Batangas and joined forces with Gen. Miguel Malvar. The Spaniards continue their pursuit but the troops outwitted them by going to the district of Morong (now Rizal) and finally to Biak-na-Bato in San Miguel, Bulacan. Aguinaldo made the mountain caves into his headquarters. Biak-na-Bato (21.17 km2 in the villages of Kalawakan and Talbak in Doña Remedios Trinidad town and the villages of Biak-na-Bato and Sibul) served as one of the camps of the revolutionary Katipunan forces during the Philippine Revolution. It was declared a national park by Manuel L. Quezon on November 16, 1937, through Proclamation No. 223.

American occupation era

Between 1903 and 1906, the adjacent town of San Ildefonso was consolidated with San Miguel due to the former's low income and inability to finance its expenditures in operating the local government. It was later separated from the town to become an independent town of its own when it became capable of meeting its expenses.

Japanese occupation era

During World War II, Japanese Imperial ground troops entered and occupied the town municipality of San Miguel on 1942. Local Filipino troops of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and Philippine Constabulary units retreated into the nearby mountains to become the Bulakeño guerrilla resistance against the Japanese occupation forces until the province's liberation.

Philippine independence era

San Miguel was the largest town in Bulacan until September 13, 1977, when Doña Remedios Trinidad, currently the largest municipality of Bulacan, was established under Presidential Decree No. 1196 during the term of President Ferdinand Marcos. Barangays Camachin, Kalawakan, and Talbac were ceded to the new municipality.

Contemporary

On August 26, 2007, residents at the foot of the Biak-na-Bato mountains petitioned president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to declare the mountains protected areas to stop marble quarrying and mining there. In August 2014 during a fieldtrip to the Madlum Cave, seven students of Bulacan State University were swept after heavy rains which triggered a flash flood while crossing the Madlum river.

Geography

The town of San Miguel is bounded by Nueva Ecija Province in the northernmost area, Pampanga Province in the west, the town is bounded by two provinces with land borders. The town of San Ildefonso, Bulacan lies next to San Miguel in the southernmost area, Doña Remedios Trinidad in the eastmost area which also borders San Rafael and Angat. San Miguel then was the biggest municipality in the province of Bulacan before some areas were taken and annexed to Doña Remedios Trinidad during the term of Ferdinand Marcos. The geographic nature of the town is diversified and multi-faceted, rich in nature's beauty like waterfall, rivers, caves, few mountains, hilly areas and springs. The mainland are plain agricultural lands, some part of which was substantially eroded due to commercialization and urbanization. San Miguel is 53 km from Malolos and 76 km from Manila.

Climate

The prevailing climatic conditions in the municipality is categorized into two types: Wet season and dry season.

Barangays

San Miguel is politically subdivided into 49 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios There are 11 urban and the rest rural barangays in the town.

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of San Miguel, Bulacan, was 172,073 people, with a density of undefined PD/km2.

Languages

The municipality, along with two other municipalities (Remedios Trinidad and Norzagaray) and one city (San Jose del Monte) of Bulacan, is the homeland of the Alta Kabulowan, the first inhabitants of Bulacan, whose language is also called Alta Kabulowan. Their language is currently endangered and is in dire need of local government intervention. The majority of residents in the town are native speakers of the Tagalog language. Due to its proximity with Pampanga towns and it was part of Pampanga, some residents also speak the Kapampangan language.

Religion and Traditions

Currently, San Miguel is divided into four parishes and a large number of visitas, all of which are under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Malolos. These are Diocesan Shrine and Parish of San Miguel Arcangel located in Brgy. Poblacion; San Jose Esposo de Maria Parish located in Brgy. San Jose; Nuestra Señora delos Remedios Parish located in Brgy. Sibul Springs; and Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish located in Brgy. Salacot. The traditions are very alive and well-preserved in San Miguel, as shown by the Holy Week processions in the mother church, which include about 60 carrozas. Numerous images of our Lord, the Blessed Mother, and saints, visited this church, such as the Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno of Quiapo and La Purisima Concepcion de Santa Maria. Every May 8, San Miguel holds its town fiesta, and every September 29, it celebrates its Pistang Patron celebration. The tradition of Los Desposorios or the Bethrotal of Mary and Joseph is very alive at San Jose Esposo de Maria Parish in Brgy. San Jose. The said parish celebrates its fiesta every 26 November, the traditional date which the Augustinians celebrates the feast of the Bethrotal. It will start with Procesion de los Desposorios and after that, the antique image of Saint Joseph and Our Lady meets at the patio of the parish and the rite of the Renewal of Vows will be conducted.

Economy

Government

Elected officials

List of Gobernadorcillo

List of chief executives

Education

The town has numerous public schools offering elementary and high school education. Some of the elementary public schools are: Some of the public high schools are: Some of the private schools offering elementary and pre-elementary education are: Some of the tertiary schools are:

Notable personalities