Candaba, officially the Municipality of Candaba (Kapampangan: Balen ning Candaba; ; formerly Candawe), is a municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the , it has a population of people.
History It is said that during the late pre colonial times, Candaba was once called "Candawa", and in Candaba sits one of the oldest recorded barrios in the province, Mandasig. Regional historians note that according to the genealogical testament, this settlement was specifically founded and populated by Dayang Mandik alongside her husband and first cousin, Malangsik. The name Mandasig itself is traditionally believed to be an etymological contraction or evolution of "Mandik" and "Malangsik."
In mid-1966, during a meeting at Camp Olivas with President Ferdinand Marcos, Mayor Anastacio L. Gallardo volunteered to become president of the Anti-Huk Mayor's League of Pampanga, which aimed to combat communist rebels from the Hukbalahap, with him stating, "Mr. President, I am willing to lead the anti-Huk movement. Give us guns and we will fight them. We can solve the problem here even if my colleagues here are playing footsie with the Huks." On July 18, 1966, Mayor Gallardo was on his way to another meeting with President Marcos when he and his five escorts were assassinated by Hukbalahap rebels in Barrio Santa Lucia, Santa Ana, Pampanga.
Geography Candaba is located at the lowest point in the Central Luzon Region. The neighboring municipality of San Miguel (San Miguel de Mayumo) in Bulacan province used to be part of Candaba until San Miguel became a municipality itself (included is the area of Doña Remedios Trinidad bordering San Miguel and General Tinio).
Candaba is bounded by the following: Municipality of Arayat, Pampanga, and Municipality of Cabiao, Nueva Ecija, to the north; Municipality of San Miguel, Bulacan, and Municipality of San Ildefonso, Bulacan, to the east; Municipality of Baliuag, Bulacan, to the south; Municipality of San Luis, Pampanga, and Municipality of Santa Ana, Pampanga, to the west.
Candaba is also divided to 3 regions, the Tagalog Region comprising the southern part of Candaba which was a boundary between it and Baliuag and San Ildefonso, next is the Poblacion Region to the west which boundaries with Sta Ana, and next is the Kapampangan Region to the east which boundaries San Miguel.
Barangays Candaba is politically subdivided into 33 barangays, as shown below. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
Bahay Pare Bambang Barangca Barit Buas (Poblacion) Cuayang Bugtong Dalayap Dulong Ilog Gulap Lanang Lourdes Magumbali Mandasig Mandili Mangga Mapaniqui Paligui Pangclara Pansinao Paralaya (Poblacion) Pasig Pescadores (Poblacion) Pulong Gubat Pulong Palazan Salapungan San Agustin (Poblacion) Santo Rosario Tagulod Talang Tenejero Vizal San Pablo Vizal Santo Cristo Vizal Santo Niño
Climate
Like rest of the area in Central Luzon, there are two seasons in the area, the wet season and dry season. The wet season occurs during the months of May to October, and the dry season the rest of the year.
Demographics In the 2024 census, the population of Candaba was 124,019 people, with a density of .
Religion Roman Catholic 55%, Members Church of God International 2.5%, Iglesia ni Cristo 5%, Evangelicals 35%, others (includes Islam, Buddhism and other religions) 1.5%. The San Andres Apostol Parish serves as one of the Roman Catholic parish churches inside the municipality. Founded way back 1575, this parish is the oldest parish of the town that houses the town's patron, San Andres Apostol otherwise known as Apung Dalis, who celebrates his feast day during the 30th of November, every year.
The second oldest parish is the Nuestra Señora de la Merced Parish (F-1937) in Bahay Pare, Candaba, Pampanga where the miraculous and oldest image of Our Lady of Mercy in the Philippines is enshrined. Devotees flock to the parish to ask Mary to intercede for their spiritual, mental, and physical health, for their families and studies, and for the increase of vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. The image is well known for her Dalit as She visits different places. Her feast day is every September 24.
On August 22, 2021, "Nuestra sa Pinac" or "Nuestra Señora de la Merced sa Pinac", a statue of Our Lady of Mercy along the Candaba-Baliuag Road was blessed by the Most Rev. Florentino G. Lavarias, D.D, Archbishop of San Fernando with Most. Rev. Paciano Aniceto during the Memorial of the Queenship of Mary. It has become a local tourist spot.
The other parishes in the town are Virgen de Lourdes Parish (F-1983) in Talang, Señor Salvador Parish (F-1985) in Salapungan, and Lord's Baptism Parish (F-1996) in Pasig. The parishes are under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando, Pampanga.
One of the popular religious site in Candaba is in the barangay "Pulong Gubat". It pulls many pilgrims who believe that Nuestro Señor de la Paciencia will cure their illness or grant their wishes.
Economy
The Candaba Swamp (Pinac, Pinak) absorbs most of the flood waters that flow from the western slopes of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range. During the rainy season, the Pampanga River overflows and the swamp is submerged. But it is relatively dry during the dry Season, hence making the land suitable for a variety agricultural production.
Candaba is noted for its production melon, that are sold worldwide. The swamps are communal fishing grounds encompassing some 430 km2 of highly arable farmlands. Candaba swamps are very fertile due to its sustained deposits of humus and decaying plant residues. Migrant wild ducks and various wildlife bird from Siberia, New Zealand, Mongolia and other parts of Asia use Candaba as their yearly sanctuary.
Infrastructure Drainage System Candaba-San Miguel road is known for being flooded when a typhoon hits Candaba. The drainage system or rip-rap, which is a part of Mayor Jerry Pelayo's road cementing project, was built on both sides of every cemented roads made so the rainwater from other parts of Pampanga will just flow on it and not on the road.
Transportation Public transport is mainly done by means of jeepneys and tricycles. Jeepneys have their routes as an itinerary route for various places. Candaba-San Miguel road or pinak was fully cemented by 2014.
Telecommunication facilities Candaba's telecommunication facilities, telephone and internet services are provided by the Converge ICT Solutions, Globe Telecom, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), Datelcom, Evangelista Telephone Company, and the Pampanga Telecom Company.
Water and power utilities Waterworks Candaba will soon have modern waterworks, following the start of a 24 million Peso water supply development project of the Candaba Water District (CWD) with the financial and technical assistance of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA). Other means to get drinking water are water wells.
Electric power The municipality receives it electric power in from the Pampanga 1 Electric Cooperative (PELCO 1) and from Manila Electric Company (Meralco).
PSGCBarangayElectric UtilityAcronym35405001Bahay PareManila Electric CompanyMeralco35405002BambangPampanga 1 Electric CooperativePELCO 135405003BarangcaManila Electric CompanyMeralco35405004BaritPampanga 1 Electric CooperativePELCO 135405005Buas (Poblacion)Pampanga 1 Electric CooperativePELCO 135405008Cuayang BugtongPampanga 1 Electric Cooperative/Manila Electric CompanyPELCO 1/MERALCO35405009DalayapPampanga 1 Electric CooperativePELCO 135405010Dulong IlogManila Electric CompanyMeralco35405011GulapPampanga 1 Electric CooperativePELCO 135405012LanangPampanga 1 Electric CooperativePELCO 135405013LourdesPampanga 1 Electric Cooperative/Manila Electric CompanyPELCO 1/MERALCO35405014MagumbaliManila Electric CompanyMeralco35405015MandasigPampanga 1 Electric CooperativePELCO 135405016MandiliManila Electric CompanyMeralco35405017ManggaPampanga 1 Electric CooperativePELCO 135405018MapaniquiManila Electric CompanyMeralco35405020PaliguiManila Electric CompanyMeralco35405021PangclaraManila Electric CompanyMeralco35405022PansinaoPampanga 1 Electric CooperativePELCO 135405023Paralaya (Poblacion)Pampanga 1 Electric CooperativePELCO 135405024PasigPampanga 1 Electric CooperativePELCO 135405025Pescadores (Poblacion)Pampanga 1 Electric CooperativePELCO 135405026Pulong GubatManila Electric CompanyMeralco35405027Pulong PalazanManila Electric CompanyMeralco35405028SalapunganManila Electric CompanyMeralco35405029San Agustin (Poblacion)Pampanga 1 Electric CooperativePELCO 135405031Santo RosarioPampanga 1 Electric CooperativePELCO 135405032TagulodNueva Ecija 1 Electric CooperativeNEECO 135405033TalangPampanga 1 Electric CooperativePELCO 135405034TenejeroPampanga 1 Electric CooperativePELCO 135405035Vizal San PabloManila Electric CompanyMeralco35405036Vizal Santo CristoManila Electric CompanyMeralco35405037Vizal Santo NiñoManila Electric CompanyMeralco
Government
The following are the duly elected officials of this town for the term 2022-2025: PositionNameMayorRene E. Maglanque (PDP–Laban)Vice MayorRestituto Sibug (PDP–Laban)CouncilorsNelson Alonzo (PDP–Laban)
Amy Rose Baylon (Independent)
Joey Buco (Independent)
Dan Gallarado (Independent)
Carol Foz (Independent)
Jun Gatus (Independent)
Ate Thelma Macapagal (KAMBILAN)
Siso Maglanque (PDP–Laban)
Doña Salac (PDP–Laban)
Maine Santiago (PDP–Laban) ABC President Pedy Balingit SK Federation President Luis Angelo Sagum
Bird sanctuary
In January 2008, a Philippine record of 17,000 birds (in the 24-hour count) visited the 32,000-hectare Candaba Swamp, sanctuary for migratory birds. There are 80 species of migratory birds were sighted at the 100-hectare fishpond of Mayor Jerry Pelayo in Barangay Doña Simang and in Barangay Paralaya. The rare birds spotted were: the Shrenck's bittern, great bittern, gadwall, coot, Philippine mallard or ducks, and Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia). Robert S. Kennedy's book A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines lists endemic and migratory birds which visit the Philippines. Pelayo organized the Ibon-Ebon Festival (“birds and eggs”) on February 1–2. The WBCP recorded three rare species in Candaba swamp: the purple swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio), Chinese pond heron (Ardeola bacchus) and the black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax).
Education There are two schools district offices which govern all educational institutions within the municipality. They oversee the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools. They are Candaba East Schools District Office, and Candaba West Schools District Office.
Primary and elementary schools
Bahay Pare Elementary School Bambang Elementary School Barit Elementary School Candaba Ecumenical Learning Center Candaba Elementary School Dalayap Elementary School Divine Querubin Learning Academy Dulong Ilog Elementary School Eastern Candaba Christian School Gulap Elementary School Janielle Leigh Academy Lanang Elementary School Mandasig Elementary School Mangga Elementary School Paligue Elementary School Pangclara Elementary School Pansinao Elementary School Paralaya Elementary School Pasig Elementary School Pulong Gubat Elementary School Pulong Palazan Elementary School San Agustin Elementary School St. Peter Paul Academy of Vizal Sto. Rosario Elementary School Talang Elementary School Tenejero Elementary School Vizal San Pablo I Elementary School Vizal San Pablo II Elementary School Vizal Sto. Cristo Elementary School Vizal Sto. Niño Elementary School
Secondary schools
Bahay Pare National High School Lanang High School Mangga High School Mapaniqui National High School Paralaya High School Pasig National High School Pulong Gubat High School Salapungan National High School Salapungan National High School (Mandili Annex) Tagulod High School Talang National High School