Bataan

This article is about the Philippine province. For other uses, see Bataan (disambiguation).

Bataan
Province
Flag Seal
Map of the Philippines with Bataan highlighted
Coordinates: 14°40′N 120°25′E
Country	Philippines
Region	Central Luzon (Region III)
Founded	1754
Capital	Balanga City
Government
• Type	Province of the Philippines
• Governor	Albert S. Garcia (NUP)
• Vice Governor	Efren Dominic E. Pascual, Jr. (LP)
Area
• Total	1,372.98 km2 (530.11 sq mi)
Area rank	72nd out of 80
Population (2010)
• Total	687,482
• Rank	40th out of 80
• Density	500/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
• Density rank	8th out of 80
Divisions
• Independent cities	0
• Component cities	1
• Municipalities	11
• Barangays	237
• Districts	1st and 2nd districts of Bataan
Demographics
• Ethnic groups	Tagalog (88%), Kapampangan (4%), Ilocano (2%), Others (3%)
• Languages	Tagalog, Kapampangan, English
Time zone	PHT (UTC+8)
ZIP Code	2100 - 2114
Dialing code	+63 (0)47
ISO 3166 code	PH-BAN
Website	bataan.gov.ph

Bataan (/bɑːtɑːˈɑːn/) is a province of the Philippines occupying the entire Bataan Peninsula on Luzon. The province is part of the Central Luzon region. The capital of Bataan is Balanga City and it is bordered by the provinces of Zambales and Pampanga to the north. The peninsula faces the South China Sea to the west and Subic Bay to the north-west, and encloses Manila Bay to the east.

The Battle of Bataan is famous in history as one of the last stands of American and Filipino soldiers before they were overwhelmed by the Japanese forces in World War II. The Bataan Death March was named for this province, where the infamous march started. This is also the location of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant located in the Municipality of Morong.

Geography

Physical

The Bataan Peninsula is a rocky extension of the Zambales Mountains, on Luzon in the Philippines. It separates the Manila Bay from the South China Sea. The peninsula features Mount Natib (elevation 1,253 metres (4,111 ft)) in the north and the Mariveles Mountains in the south, which includes Mount Samat, the location of the historical marker for the Bataan Death March.

Mariveles, at the southern tip, can be reached via jet ferry plying the Mariveles-to-Manila route that has an approximate travel time of 40 minutes.

Subdivisions

Bataan is politically subdivided into 11 municipalities and 1 component city.

City:

• Balanga

Municipalities:

• Abucay
• Bagac
• Dinalupihan
• Hermosa
• Limay
• Mariveles
• Morong
• Orani
• Orion
• Pilar
• Samal

History

In 1647, Dutch naval forces landed in country in an attempt to seize the islands from Spain. The Dutch massacred the people of Abucay in Bataan.

Historian Cornelio Bascara documents that the province of Bataan was established in January 11, 1757 by Governor-General Pedro Manuel Arandia out of territories belonging to Pampanga and the corregimiento of Mariveles which, at the time, included Maragondon, Cavite across the Manila Bay.

World War II

Main article: Battle of Bataan

March 1942: burning houses after a Japanese bombing raid in Bataan

Bataan featured prominently during World War II. Prior to the 1941 Japanese invasion, the US Army stored nearly 1,000,000 US gallons (3,800 m³) of gasoline there.

Shortly after the Japanese Army invaded the country in December 1941, the combined US and Filipino forces were being gradually overrun and General Douglas MacArthur moved his troops to the Bataan Peninsula in an attempt to hold out until a relief force could be sent from the US. Japanese forces started a siege of the peninsula on January 7, 1942, and launched an all-out assault on April 3, a few months after the Battle of the Points. The majority of the American and Filipino forces surrendered on April 9 and were forced to march more than a 100 kilometres (62 mi) from Bataan to Tarlac, which became known as the Bataan Death March.

Demographics

Population census of Bataan
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1990	425,803	—
1995	491,459	+2.72%
2000	557,659	+2.75%
2007	662,153	+2.40%
2010	687,482	+1.38%
Source: National Statistics Office

Religion

Various religious groups are exercised by the people but Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion comprising 85% of Bataan population, in fact Bataan has some of the most beautiful historical Catholic Churches in the country. Aglipayan as well as several Christian faiths are the minority.

Education

• TESDA Provincial and Regional Training Center (Orion and Mariveles)
• Antonio G. Llamas Elementary School - Mariveles
• St. Nicholas Catechetical Center - Mariveles
• Acuña Welding School - Hermosa
• Bataan Maritime Institute - Balanga
• Bataan School of Fisheries - Orion
• Jose Rizal Institute - Orion and Orani
• DSOB - Holy Rosary Parochial Institute - Orani
• DSOB - St. John Academy - Dinaluphihan
• DSOB - St.Peter Of Verona Academy - Hermosa
• DSOB - St. Catherine of Siena Academy - Samal
• DSOB - St. Michael the Archangel Academy - Orion
• DSOB - St. Nicholas Catholic School - Mariveles
• DSOB - St. James Catholic School of Morong - Morong
• DSOB - Blessed Regina Protmann Catholic School - Mariveles
• AMA Computer Learning Center – Balanga
• Asia Pacific College of Advanced Studies
• Bataan Heroes Memorial College - Balanga
• TWI, Bethel Bible College Extension - DFS, Balanga
• Thy Word International Bible College Extension - Camaya, Mariveles
• Bataan Peninsula State University
• Colegio de San Juan de Letran - Abucay
• EastWoods Professional College of Science and Technology (formerly SOFTNET College of Science and Technology)
• Microcity Computer College
• Philippine Women's University - CDCEC Bataan
• Polytechnic University of the Philippines - Mariveles
• Softnet Information Technology Center - Mariveles
• St. Joseph College's of Balanga
• Tomas del Rosario College - Balanga
• Bataan Montessori School, Incorporated - Balanga
• The Peninsula School, Incorporated - Limay
• Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific - Mariveles
• Bataan Christian School - Pilar
• Limay Polytechnic College- Limay
• Northridge Montessori School - Pilar
• Llamas Memorial Institute - Mariveles
• BEPZ Multinational School (formerly Jose Abad Santos Memorial School(JASMS)) - Mariveles
• Bataan National High School (formerly Arellano Memorial (Bataan) High School) - Balanga
• Mountain View Village School (MVVS) - Mariveles
• Mariveles National High School-Poblacion-Mariveles
• Mariveles National High School - Cabcaben - Mariveles
• Cabcaben Elementary School - Mariveles
• Eastwoods College of Science and Technology- Dinalupihan
• College of Subic Montessori - Dinalupihan

Tourist attractions

Bataan as seen from Manila Bay.

Historical places

• First Abucay Catholic Church (The 411-year-old Church, 3rd oldest church in the Philippines)
• Mount Samat - Shrine of Valor (Pilar, Bataan)
• Zero Kilometre Death March Marker (Mariveles)
• Bataan First Line of Defense (Layac, Dinalupihan)
• Bataan Death March Marker (Orani)
• Virgen Milagrosa Del Rosario del Pueblo de Orani Shrine (Formerly Holy Rosary Parish Church) (Orani)

Natural places of interest

• Bataan National Park
• Roosevelt Protected Landscape
• Ambon-ambon(Lumutan) Falls (Binukawan, Bagac)
• Dunsulan Falls
• Pasukulan Falls (Abucay, Bataan)
• Sibul Spring (Abucay, Bataan)
• Balong Anito (Mariveles, Bataan)
• San Miguel Mountain Peak (Mariveles, Bataan)
• Mount Mariveles
• Tarak Ridge (Mariveles, Bataan)
• Mount Natib (Orani, Bataan)
• Camaya Coast (Mariveles, Bataan)
• Anvaya Cove (Morong, Bataan)

Schools, Colleges and Universities

• Colegio de San Juan de Letran(Abucay, Bataan)
• Bataan Peninsula State University(Balanga, Dinalupihan, Bnas, Orani)
• Tomas del Rosario College(Balanga, Bataan)
• Eastwoods Professional College of Science and Technology (Balanga, Dinalupihan, Mariveles)

Notable people from Bataan

• Gary David (Dinalupihan) - PBA multi-awarded player
• Pedro Tuazon (Balanga) - Solicitor General of the Philippines- 1921
• Kerby Raymundo (Orion) - PBA multi-awarded player, power forward, member of the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants and the Philippines national basketball team.
• Romi Garduce (Balanga) - mountain climber who reached Mount Everest.
• Mel Tiangco (Pilar) - popular television newscaster and television host; head of GMA Kapuso foundation.
• Manuel C. Herrera (Pilar) - a deputy tanod bayan (Ombudsman at present) during the Marcos regime and later, head of the prosecution panel in the Benigno Aquino, Jr. murder case that led to the EDSA Revolution of 1986. And then became one of the justices of the Court of Appeals from 1987 to 1997, and chair of the National Unification Commission
• Tomas del Rosario (Orani)- a Filipino judge and statesman who served as the first governor of the province of Bataan from 1903 to 1905. He is remembered for advocating the separation of church and state
• Cayetano Arellano (Orion) - The first Supreme Court Chief Justice of the Republic of the Philippines.
• Chad Peralta (Limay) - from Pinoy Dream Academy
• Jackie Rice (Dinalupihan) - Filipina actress who won the title of Ultimate Female Survivor on the third season of Startstruck.
• Tomas Pinpin (Abucay) - A printer, writer and publisher, was also the first Filipino printer and is sometimes referred as the "Patriarch of Filipino Printing."
• Luz Banson (Balanga) - Was the wife of Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay and was the seventh First Lady of the Philippines, she was also remembered as one of the most admired First Ladies and distinguished herself for her warmth and simplicity
• Felicito Payumo (Dinalupihan) - Chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority from 1998-2004.
• Janine Tugonon (Orion) - Binibining Pilipinas 2011 1st Runner-Up, Binibining Pilipinas 2012 Universe and Miss Universe 2012 1st Runner-Up
• Evangeline Pascual (Orani) - Actress and First Runner-Up Miss World 1973.
• Merceditas Gutierrez (Samal) - assumed the Office of the Ombudsman on December 1, 2005 as the first female to head the post
• Manuel Bamba Villar Jr. (Orani) - Senator, Republic of the Philippines
• Raymond Almazan (Orion) - is a professional basketball player who currently plays for Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the PBA.

See also

• Bataan Provincial Expressway
• Geography of the Philippines
• List of radio stations in Bataan
• Petron Corporation (formerly known as Bataan Refining Corporation)
• Provinces of the Philippines
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Balanga

External links

• Bataan Official Website
• Philippine Census Information