San Fernando

History

The town of San Fernando was founded in 1754 from the towns of Bacolor and Mexico. The first church was built in 1755 with wooden walls and nipa roofing. The municipal tribunal was erected later in the year in front of the town plaza using durable materials and thatched nipa roofing. Don Vidal de Arrozal served as its first gobernadorcillo that year.

In 1796, after serving as gobernadorcillo the previous year, Don Ángel Pantaleon de Miranda retired to Barrio Saguin, from where he started setting up his hacienda in Barrio Culiat. The barrio was separated from San Fernando on the December 8, 1829 as the new town of Angeles, with the Los Santos Ángeles Custodios as titular patrons.

An expediente requesting the transfer of the provincial capital of Pampanga to San Fernando was signed on the August 6, 1852. Real Cedula 745, approving the transfer of the provincial capital of Pampanga from Bacolor to San Fernando, was signed on September 11, 1881. This transfer did not, in the event, materialize.

In 1878, actions were made to create the town of Calulut. This new town would be composed of Calulut and the neighboring barrios of Bulaun, Malpitic, Sindalan, La Paz, Lara, Saguin, Telabastagan, Balete, Malinao, Pulung Bulu, Panipuan, Macabacle and the caserio of Pau in San Fernando, and Panipuan, Acle, Suclaban and the sitio of Gandus in Mexico. This plan did not materialize, owing to strong opposition from the parish priest of San Fernando.

Governor-General Eulogio Despujol and Manila Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda inaugurated the San Fernando railroad station, together with the Bagbag-Mabalacat stretch of the Manila-Dagupan Railroad, on February 2, 1892. The station was second only to Manila in revenues that year, and was thus the most important provincial station of the Manila-Dagupan Railroad. On June 27 of the same year, José P. Rizal made a stopover in the town as part of his mission to recruit members to the La Liga Filipina.

On September 1, 1896, the town was declared to be in a state of war despite its peaceful situation. Brigadier General Diego de los Rios arrived on December 2 to calm the revolution that started in Manila on August 30. General Ruiz Serralde took over Rios's post on June 26, 1897, to maintain the peace in San Fernando. The revolution was not yet at its height with occasional exchanges of fire in some places in Pampanga.

Cityhood

On January 6, 1997, Mayor Rey Aquino and Senator Gloria Macapagal Arroyo launched the campaign for cityhood. On April 27 of that same year, Rep. Oscar Rodriguez filed House Bill No. 9267 creating the City of San Fernando.

In 2000, House Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella and Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. signed the approved city charter of San Fernando on December 4 and 13 respectively.

The town officially became a component city on February 4, 2001, following the ratification of Republic Act 8990 in a plebiscite from the previous day, making it the 99th city in the Philippines. Rey Aquino was the city's first mayor.

On the morning of April 30, 2022, Barangay Alasas chairman and PDP-Laban city council candidate Alvin C. Mendoza was driving through Brgy. Magliman with his family in an SUV heading to his party's headquarters during the 2022 local election when he was shot sixteen times by motorcycle-riding gunmen. After the incident, his wife Rosalie ran in his stead as "Alvin Mendoza" and won the second-highest number of votes among candidates for councilor. In his investigation, Lubao, Pampanga police executive Ceazar Dalay regarded a gun-for-hire group leader with the alias Jason Alvarez as a suspect in the assassination.

Geography

It is the provincial capital of Pampanga and regional center of Central Luzon, and located 66 kilometres (41 mi) north of Manila, 72 kilometres (45 mi) east of Subic in Zambales, 58 kilometres (36 mi) south of Tarlac City in Tarlac, and 17 kilometres (11 mi) south of Clark Air Base in Angeles City. The city is in the urban core of Metro Clark, also known as Metro Angeles, an urban area in Pampanga. This area is considered the industrial and residential heartland of Central Luzon.

Barangays

San Fernando is politically subdivided into 35 barangays, as shown below. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Demographics

Religions

The Roman Catholicism is the majority religion in the city; 80% of the population profess it. The city is under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando headed by Archbishop Florentino Lavarias since October 27, 2014. Other religion includes Protestantism and Independent Christianity.The Iglesia Ni Cristo is the largest minority with 4-5% adherence. Islam is also evident in the city. The seat of the Archdiocese of San Fernando is located in the city, the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando.

Economy

Being at the heart of the province, the city of San Fernando is home to 2 public markets, 39 banks, 48 lending institutions (investors), 38 pawnshops, 17 gasoline stations, 3 cinemas, 39 public and private schools, 7 hospitals, 13 dental offices, 9 hotels, 28 drug stores, 7 discos, 6 foreign exchange firms, 15 garment factories, 24 groceries, 7 supermarkets, 42 insurance companies, 16 security agencies and 70 restaurants. As the provincial capital of Pampanga, San Fernando also hosts regional offices of major Philippine government offices.

SM City Pampanga, the first SM mall in Central Luzon, is a large shopping mall owned by SM Supermalls. SM also has two other malls: SM City San Fernando Downtown, along Consunji Street in the downtown; and SM City Telabastagan, along MacArthur Highway in barangay Telabastagan.

Robinsons Starmills Pampanga or Robinsons Starmills, is a shopping mall owned and operated by Robinsons Malls, the second-largest mall operator in the Philippines. This is the first Robinsons mall in Central Luzon and in Pampanga, and it rivals SM City Pampanga. The mall is along Jose Abad Santos Avenue, at the boundary of San Fernando with the municipality of Mexico, and has a total floor area of 62,000 square meters (670,000 sq ft). Beside these malls is the Azure North Residences with majestic Monaco, Bali and Barbados Towers, a gateway of Century Properties along Gapan–San Fernando–Olongapo Road (JASA) in Barangay San Jose.

Industries

San Fernando serves as one of the agricultural processing centers of Central Luzon. It is a major rice-producing region and an important sugar-producing area. The Pampanga Sugar Development Company (PASUDECO) was once the largest private employer in Pampanga. It is a major sugar-processing plant in the region. Other manufacturing companies with offices in the city include Universal Robina, Zuellig Pharma, Nestlé Philippines, Petrophil, Mondragon Industries, JBTEC Flavors and Blends Inc. Asia Brewery, and Del Monte Corporation. Major food and beverage companies such as San Miguel Corporation, Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, and Pampanga's Best, have factories in the city.

Every year during Christmas season, the city becomes the center of production of hand-made parols, which is different from the usual ones for its intricate designs and the illusion of dancing lights, emphasizing the lanterns' vibrant colors. Also, every year around Christmas time is the Giant Parol Festival, where barangays of San Fernando come together for a friendly competition to see which lanterns are the best. The festival itself is held in the middle of December, and was originally held in the town of Bacolor until it was transferred to the city in August 1904. This took place in an event called the Ligligan Parol in the Kapampangan language, which many believe to have never happened in that year.

Following the formal transfer of the festival to the city in 1908, the Giant Parol Festival went on to be a tradition that has evolved with lanterns becoming larger and larger and the designs more intricate. Since then, it became a symbol of the city's unity and the resident's labor.

Tourism

Places of interest

Monumento Fernandino

The monument tells the fourfold aspect of the Fernandino story: a) the penitent girl with lantern, b) the lady with torch, c) the lady making the offering and d) the boatman. The February 4, 2004 (dedicated by Mayor Rey B. Aquino) Monumento Fernandino is a sculpture that pays tribute to the city's colorful history and cultural heritage. Its artistic composition when seen from a distance would seem like a sprouting plant amidst a barren landscape.

WOW Philippines Hilaga

Formerly known as Paskuhan Village, located near the San Fernando exit of North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), WOW Philippines Hilaga was transformed into a cultural, historical, tourism, trade, and entertainment village by former Secretary Richard J. Gordon in 2003. Its design and concept make it a virtual window to the cultural and historical heritage of the four regions of the North Philippines as well as a showcase for their indigenous products, and arts and crafts. The star-shaped pavilions at the center pays tribute to the skilled lantern makers of San Fernando, Pampanga which produces the biggest lanterns in the world. The complex features a 1,000-seat capacity air-conditioned pavilion for conventions and special events, an open-air amphitheater for outdoor activities, air-conditioned exhibit halls, trade booths, garden restos and a 60-seat capacity conference hall.

Pampanga Eye

Located in Sky Ranch Pampanga beside SM City Pampanga, this Ferris wheel is the tallest in the country with a height of 65 meters (213 ft) height and a diameter of 50 meters (160 ft).

Bren Z. Guiao Sports Complex and Convention Center

It is a multi-purpose complex with imposing venues for concerts, convention, basketball games, beauty pageants and other sport activities. The 3,000-seat, air-conditioned convention center inside the complex is one of Pampanga's pride.

Archdiocesan Museum and Archives

It is housed at the University of the Assumption, and includes antiques and exquisite works of art depicting Pampanga's rich cultural heritage. It contains numerous ecclesiastical artifacts ranging from a huge churchbell to paintings; ivory and wooden statues of all shapes and sizes, vestments worn by priests during Mass and chalices, monstrances, reliquaries and ciboriums made of gold, silver and precious gems, some dating back to the 17th century.

Government

Education

Vocational / Technical Schools

TESDA PEO Training Center

La Plata Science and Technology, Inc.

Lorraine Computer & Technical School

NorthPoint Academy for Culinary Arts - premiere culinary school in Pampanga

Emmanual John Institute Of Science and Technology

Gateways Institute of Science and Technology

Media

San Fernando has four TV stations - UBC Channel 12, Infomax Channel 44, Central Luzon Television Channel 36 High Definition (CLTV36 HD), and ABS-CBN's TV-46 Pampanga (DWIN-TV). There are three radio stations, the 5 Kilowatt RW 95.1 FM of the RadioWorld Broadcasting Corporation of the Philippines, 91.9 Bright FM, owned and Operated by Archdiocese of San Fernando and the 2.5 kilowatt 92.7 Brigada News FM Central Luzon of the Brigada Mass Media Corporation.

Television

(ABS-CBN Sa ALLTV2) (Analog: Channel 3 and Digital Channel 34)

(RPN/RPTV) (Analog: Channel 6 and Digital Channel 19/ Channel 18)

(PTV 4 Pampanga) (Analog: Channel 4 and Digital Channel 14 / Channel 42)

(GMA Pampanga) (Analog: Channel 10 and Digital Channel 38 / Channel 15)

(GTV Pampanga) (Analog: Channel 27 and Digital Channel 38 / Channel 15)

Ka-Brigada TV (UBC Global Media Ministries Inc.) (Analog Channel 12)

(IBC 13 Pampanga (Analog: Channel 13 and Digital Channel 17)

(ZOE Broadcasting Network/ABS-CBN Corporation/A2Z Pampanga) (Digital Channel 20)

(Light TV Pampanga) (Digital Channel 33)

(SBN 21 Pampanga/SolarFlix) (Digital Channel 21)

(Solar Sports) (Digital Channel 21)

(Aliw 23 Pampanga) (Digital: Channel 23)

(TV5 Pampanga) (Analog: Channel 24 and Digital: Channel 18)

(Net 25) (Digital Channel 28)

(RJ DigiTV 29 Pampanga) (Digital Channel 29)

(BEAM DTV 31 Pampanga) (Digital Channel 31)

(CLTV 36 HD) (Digital Channel 36)

Newspaper

Several local newspapers are published in the city which includes SunStar Pampanga, The Probe, Coffee Punch, Pampanga Times and the Observer.

Notable personalities

José Abad Santos, a former Chief Justice

Nicolasa Dayrit, a revolutionary hero

Pedro Abad Santos, a former assemblyman and founder of the Aguman ding Talapagobra ning Pilipinas

Amando G. Dayrit, a pre-war newspaper columnist

Vivencio Cuyugan, first Socialist mayor in the Philippines

Fernando H. Ocampo, a founder of the UST College of Architecture and Fine Arts

Zoilo Hilario, poet, playwright, lawmaker and linguist.

Vicente Abad Santos, 39th Secretary of the Department of Justice, 96th Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines

Sotero Baluyut, a former senator and cabinet secretary

Honesto Ongtioco, second Bishop of Balanga in Bataan (June 18, 1998 – August 28, 2003) and Bishop of Cubao, Quezon City (August 28, 2003 – December 3, 2024), and sede vacante Apostolic Administrator of Malolos covering the province of Bulacan and city of Valenzuela in Metro Manila (May 11, 2018 – August 21, 2019).

Ruben Enaje, notable Filipino man made famous from crucifying himself in the name of God every year since 1985

Oscar Albayalde, Police officer who serves as the 22nd chief of the Philippine National Police.

Brillante Mendoza, award-winning film director

Oscar Samson Rodriguez, a former congressman and former mayor

Sister cities

Angeles City

Mabalacat