Floridablanca

July 17, 2022

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The Municipality of Floridablanca is a 1^st class coastal municipality of the province of Pampanga located in Region 3 or better known as Central Luzon in the Philippines.

Floridablanca is situated in the Western part of Pampanga and its boundaries is being bounded by the neighboring municipalities of Porac to the north, Guagua to the east, Lubao to the southeast, Hermosa, and Dinalupihan in Bataan to the southwest, and Subic to the west.

Floridablanca is an agricultural town where rice is the main product. Aside from being a farming site for grain rice, the town of Floridablanca is also well-known as the “Ampalaya Capital of Luzon,” where more than 250 hectares of bitter melon or ampalaya are harvested each year.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floridablanca,_Pampanga

History

The Meaning of the Spanish word “Floridablanca” is “Maputing Sampaga,” in the local Kapampangan language, and in the English language means “White Flower.” The town of Floridablanca was initially founded by the Spanish Priest as a settlement in 1823. It was formerly known as the Hacienda of Lubao. The Spanish friars created an improvised shelter that functioned as an oratory and called the place San Jose de Calumpaui, after the patronage of Saint Joseph.

There are two official narratives predominantly acknowledged by the townsfolks of Flordablanca. Before the year 1823, there is no historical materials that can lead and trace the origin of the establishment of the town of Floridablanca.

The First Account was the origin of the name Floridablanca and was named after a certain Conde de Floridablanca, who allegedly stayed in the town at the beginning of the 1800s. However, there were no official records in the History of the Philippines that a certain nobleman by the name of Conde de Floridablanca ever stayed in the Philippines. Although-, there was a nobleman who existed by that name in Spain, and most people knew him by his real name, Jose Marino, a Spanish Diplomat and the former Chief Minister of the Spanish Government, nevertheless he never set his foot on the Territory of the Philippines.

The second account was more plausible and is rooted around the existence of the pandacaqui plants also known for their scientific name “Canberra pandacaqui poir,” which used to cover and prospered below the thick jungle of the town before the Spanish settlement. The pandacaqui plants have pecks of white florescence and they can grow as high as eight feet. It’s often used because of its effectiveness in treating different diseases. Many believed that when the Spaniards first set foot on Floridablanca, they first saw the numerous white flowers of pandacaqui hence, they named it Floridablanca.

On April 30, 1967, a parish was officially founded in San Jose de Calumpaui by the religious superiors from the Lubao town, after which it was allocated to the present-day site. The place where it was moved was previously known as “Manggang Punlod,” for a reason that a massive fallen mango tree can be seen in the place. From that moment, San Jose was addressed by some elderly people as Haciendang Melacuan, or the Town that was left behind.

The Pampanga Sugar Mill was established at Del Carmen in the 1920s. The place became a headquarters for Philippine Commonwealth Army and the Philippine Constabulary from 1942 to 1946. The Philippine Air Force founded Basa Air Base at a former American military airfield in 1947.

Barangay

The Municipality of Floridablanca is subdivided into 33 barangays.

Anon	Apalit	Basa Air Base	Benedicto	Bodega
Cabangcalan	Calantas	Carmencita	Consuelo	Dampe
Del Carmen	Fortuna	Gutad	Mabical	Maligaya
Mawacat	Nabuclod	Pabanlag	Paguiruan	Palmayo
Pandaguirig	Poblacion	San Antonio	San Isidro	San Jose
San Nicolas	San Pedro	San Ramon	San Roque	Santa Monica
Solib	Santo Rosario	Valdez

Festivals

San Jose Festival

The celebration of the patronage of the patron saint of the municipality of Floridablanca, St. Joseph the Worker every 1^st of May annually. Also known as the Punukpukan Festival.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu2xNuTKKFI&ab_channel=

Sukit Festival

The Sukit Festival refers to an Aeta term for a dish that closely bears a resemblance to the local dish pinakbet. The occasion is a harvest festival that will also showcase street dancing from the indigenous Aeta community in the area. It’s been held every Dec 9 since 2015.

Landmark and Attraction

Palakol River

Palakol River, is situated in the northeastern part of Floridablanca. It is also widely known by the locals as “Gumain River” and one of the local’s favorite summer places.

Source: https://randyspuno12.wordpress.com/2013/07/03/palakol-florida-pampanga-033112/

Nabuclod Mountain view

Located in the mountainous part of Floridablanca, Pampanga, Nabuclod was named after an Aeta village in the area.

St Joseph Parish Church

Formerly called Hacienda of Lubaonamed San Jose de Calumpaui, later on, it was renamed Floridablanca after Conde de Floridablanca of Spain (Don Jose Marino) who was rumored to have a massive tract of land in the place. The church and the convent were built in 1887. The parish was in the hand of the Augustinians not until 1960.

Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/11541098@N06/9611533747

Bale Kastila

This heritage house was constructed during the Spanish Era and was owned by Don Alfredo. Bale Kastila is considered the oldest house in Florida Pampanga.

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jf8622_House_Kastila_Paguiruan_Floridablanca_Pampangafvf_10.JPG

White House

The White House also is widely known as “Bahay na Puti” is situated at Poblacion, Floridablanca in Pampanga. Justice Carmelino Alvendia, Sr.’s Ancestral mansion is owned, well-preserved, and maintained by his family and constructed during the Spanish time.

Source: https://live.staticflickr.com/3955/33717416525_1667339e5d_b.jpg

Basa Air Base

Basa Air Base (previously called Floridablanca Airfield), is a Philippine Air Force headquarter sited at Floridablanca, Pampanga in the Philippines. The base was constructed and used by the US Army Air Corps before World War II and was taken and used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force during the primary stages of World War II. Joint American and Philippine Commonwealth military armies were finally able to win back the base during the later phases of the war.