An Introduction: Brief History of Bulakan

Bulakan is the first class partially urban municipality in the province of Bulacan, It is 35 km (22 mi) north of Manila. Bulakan, which is one of the oldest towns in the Philippines, became the encomienda or capital of the Provincia de la Pampanga, and later became the first capital of the Province of Bulacan before it was moved to Malolos shortly after the American occupation.

The municipality of Bulakan lies in the southwestern part of the province of Bulacan and is surrounded by a number of municipalities. It is bounded on the North by the Municipality of Guiguinto, on the South by the manila Bay, on the East by the Municipality of Bocaue, on the West by the City of Malolos, on the Northeast by the Municipality of Balagtas and on the Southeast by the Municipality of Obando.Approximately, 72.9 square kilometers or 2.73% of the total land area of the entire Province. It ranks 10th in terms of land area among other municipalities in the province.

The name "Bulakan" is derived from the Tagalog word "bulak", which means "cotton'. The Spaniards named the town Bulacan due to the abundance of cotton plants growing in the region. the town is one of the oldest in the country. The Augustinians funded the town in 1574 and dedicated it under the patronage of Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion. According to local, records Father Agustin del Alburqueque, OSA is the first priest and founder of the town of Bulakan.

Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, Bulakan as well as the rest of the towns of Bulacan province was consisted of small scattered settlements of villages each hen called "balangay" or "barangay" a word derived from the name of the boats used by the early seafaring Malays who went to various islands of what now called Philippines. The villages and barangays were headed by a pretty cheiftain who bore the title of "Gat" or "Lakan". These early settlers lived along the seashores and rivers, thus they were called "taga-ilog", meaning people wo dwell near the rivers or other waterways. From this term "taga-ilog" came the word "Tagalog".

By the year 1591 the town of Bulakan had 1,200 tributes or 4,800 persons, one Agustinian convent and one Alcalde mayor who had juristiction over the town of Malolos (Become independent in 1673) Balagtas formerly "Bigaa" (become separate town in 1596), Guiguinto (become separate town in 1915). In the heart of the town stands the centuries old adobe church of Nuestra senora de la Asuncion in front of it, stand the municipal hall and the park dedicated to General gregorio del Pilar.

Bulakan consist of fourteen barangays namely Bagumbayan, Tibig, Sta. Ana, San Francisco, Sta. Inez,San Jose, Pitpitan, Maysantol, Bambang, Perez, Tatiptip, San Nicolas, Matungao and Balubad. The town still enjoys trade and commerce with the neighboring towns and Manila with whom she shares a coastline, a place that is replete with historical and glorious past.