Bongabon

Not to be confused with Bongabong.

Bongabon, officially the Municipality of Bongabon (Ilocano: Ili ti Bongabon; Tagalog: Bayan ng Bongabon), is a municipality in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 66,839 people.^[5]

Bongabon Santor
Municipality
Municipality of Bongabon
Municipal Hall
Seal
Nickname:  Onion Capital of the Philippines
Map of Nueva Ecija with Bongabon highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Bongabon Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 15°37′56″N 121°08′41″E
Country	Philippines
Region	Central Luzon
Province	Nueva Ecija
District	3rd district
Founded	1760
Barangays	28 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Ricardo I. Padilla
• Vice Mayor	Christian P. Binuya
• Representative	Rosanna V. Vergara
• Municipal Council	Members Christian P. Binuya Victor P. dela Cruz Melodie G. dela Cruz Gregorio C. Pesa Hilario Bobby D. Mantile Alexander R. Guerrero Gina C. Morales Lope C. Valmonte
• Electorate	48,923 voters (2025)
Area [2]
• Total	286.95 km2 (110.79 sq mi)
Elevation	76 m (249 ft)
Highest elevation	279 m (915 ft)
Lowest elevation	54 m (177 ft)
Population  (2024 census)[3]
• Total	69,376
• Density	240/km2 (630/sq mi)
• Households	16,305
Economy
• Income class	2nd municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	15 % (2021)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 335.6 million (2022)
• Assets	₱ 977.5 million (2022)
• Expenditure	₱ 297.8 million (2022)
• Liabilities	₱ 635.1 million (2022)
Service provider
• Electricity	Nueva Ecija 2 Area 2 Electric Cooperative (NEECO 2 A2)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	3128
PSGC	0304902000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)44
Native languages	Ilocano Tagalog
Website	bongabon.ph

Bongabon is the leading producer of onion in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia. Each barangay in Bongabon has its own fiesta. The town fiesta, celebrated annually from the 1st to 2nd week of April, is known as the Sibuyasan (Onion) Festival.

Bongabon is 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from Palayan, 144 kilometres (89 mi) from Manila, and 88 kilometres (55 mi) from Baler.

History

Spanish colonial era

Bongabon was the first capital of Nueva Ecija. The Augustinian missionaries who preached Catholicism in Pampanga extended their outposts into what is now the province of Nueva Ecija by following the Rio Grande de Pampanga. Thus, Santol (present day Barangay Santor) was part of Pantabangan and established in 1659. In 1760, Bongabon was named as a town and parish under the patronage of St. Francis of Assisi.

Migrant-settlers of the community were mostly Tagalog and Ilocanos from the Ilocos Region and Pangasinan, with some Kapampangans from Pampanga and Tarlac.^[6][7]

Philippine revolution

When the Philippine Revolution transpired from 1896 to 1898 against Spain, revolutionaries with the aid of Katipunero rebels and started the Siege of Bongabon, fought Spanish colonial forces, and liberated the town. The Filipino revolutionary troops and Katipunero rebel fighters captured the municipal town after the siege forcing the Spanish troops to retreat.

American invasion era

With the outbreak of the Philippine–American War on 1899 to 1902, the town saw the arrival of American troops which fought the Filipino revolutionary troops and Katipuneros in the Battle of Bongabon on 1899. In the ensuing battle, the town was captured by the American troops.

Philippine independence

On April 28, 1949, Aurora Quezon, her daughter Maria Aurora "Baby" Quezon, then a law student at the University of Santo Tomas, her son-in-law Felipe "Philip" Buencamino (husband of "Nini" and brother-in-law of "Baby") and Quezon City Mayor Ponciano Bernardo were assassinated by Hukbalahap movement led by Luis Taruc in this town while traveling in Aurora's Buick sedan along the Baler–Bongabon Road connecting Baler with Nueva Ecija, which Aurora Quezon herself inaugurated in 1940, to open the Quezon Memorial Hospital in Baler, Aurora, hometown of Aurora and her husband Manuel Quezon, then a town of Nueva Ecija before 1902 and a town of Quezon Province since 1902 and in 1949.^[8]

Geography

Barangays

Bongabon is politically subdivided into 28 barangays. ^[9] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

• Antipolo
• Ariendo
• Bantug
• Calaanan
• Commercial (Poblacion)
• Cruz
• Digmala
• Curva (J. Tomacruz)
• Kaingin (Poblacion)
• Labi
• Larcon
• Lusok
• Macabaclay
• Magtanggol (Poblacion)
• Mantile (Poblacion)
• Olivete
• Palo Maria (Poblacion)
• Pesa
• Rizal (Poblacion)
• Sampalucan (Poblacion)
• San Roque (Poblacion)
• Santor
• Sinipit (Poblacion)
• Sisilang na Ligaya (Poblacion)
• Social (Poblacion)
• Tugatug
• Tulay na Bato (Poblacion)
• Vega Grande

Climate

Climate data for Bongabon, Nueva Ecija
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	29 (84)	30 (86)	31 (88)	33 (91)	33 (91)	31 (88)	30 (86)	29 (84)	29 (84)	30 (86)	30 (86)	29 (84)	30 (87)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	19 (66)	19 (66)	20 (68)	22 (72)	23 (73)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	22 (72)	21 (70)	20 (68)	22 (71)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	4 (0.2)	6 (0.2)	7 (0.3)	12 (0.5)	61 (2.4)	89 (3.5)	96 (3.8)	99 (3.9)	81 (3.2)	88 (3.5)	37 (1.5)	13 (0.5)	593 (23.5)
Average rainy days	2.5	3.0	4.1	6.3	15.8	19.4	22.5	21.6	20.1	17.5	9.6	4.0	146.4
Source: Meteoblue[10]

Demographics

Population census of Bongabon

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1903 3,923 —     1918 4,532 +0.97% 1939 11,885 +4.70% 1948 14,958 +2.59% 1960 20,854 +2.81% 1970 25,434 +2.00% 1975 29,932 +3.32% 1980 32,451 +1.63%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1990 39,616 +2.02% 1995 44,856 +2.35% 2000 49,255 +2.03% 2007 63,639 +3.60% 2010 59,343 −2.51% 2015 64,173 +1.50% 2020 66,839 +0.86% 2024 69,376 +0.90%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[11][12][13][14][15]

Religion

The majority of the people of the municipality are Roman Catholic. The members of the Iglesia ni Cristo are growing in number and are second to the Catholics in membership. Other sects in the municipality are the Methodists, Iglesia ng Dios, Seventh-day Adventists, etc.

Economy

Poverty incidence of Bongabon

10 20 30 40 2000 38.56 2003 24.87 2006 29.50 2009 21.74 2012 16.49 2015 14.80 2018 5.47 2021 15.00 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]

Tourism

• Sibuyas Festival is celebrated as a form of thanksgiving every 10 April, and a way to promote and show their town as one of the largest producers of onion in Asia.
• Ilog Jordan at Barangay Olivete – This place is a popular Lenten destination for people seeking spiritual rejuvenation and healing.
• Falls Deepsap at Barangay Labi – A good place to visit during summer, the falls offers a cold shimmering water perfect to beat heatwaves. Its water comes from the untainted Sierra Madre Mountain.
• Mount Labi Peak at Barangay Labi.
• The first leg of the UCI Gravel World Series was held in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija, Philippines on April 3, 2022.

Healthcare

Bongabon District Hospital, a government hospital located at Barangay Curva, Bongabon, Nueva Ecija

Education

The Bongabon Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools.^[24]

Primary and elementary schools

• Antipolo Elementary School
• Ariendo Elementary School
• Bantug Elementary School
• Bongabon Central School
• Calaanan Elementary School
• Camp Martyr Elementary School
• Cruz Elementary School
• E. Gotangco Elementary School
• E. Pesa Elementary School
• Hiniero Elementary School
• i-Achievers Academy
• J. Tomacruz Elementary School
• Jaime L. Gamilla Elementary School
• Jesus C. Ilagan Elementary School
• Labi Elementary School
• Lusok Elementary School
• Macabaclay Elementary School
• Marian Formation Center
• Olivete Elementary School
• R. Vijandre Elementary School
• Rita De Lara Elementary School
• Rosa A. Ilagan Elementary School
• Santor Elementary School
• St. Francis of Assisi Diocesan School (SFADS)
• Tamale Elementary School
• Vega Elementary School

Secondary schools

• Bongabon National High School
• Bongabon Senior High School
• Macabaclay National High School
• Santor National High School
• Vega National High School

High educational institution

• Asia Pacific College of Business and Arts