In fact, its church, Nuestra Señora De La Asunción, is the province’s oldest. But surely, Bulacán is one of the country’s oldest it was founded by the Augustinian Order in 1572, just a year after the country was founded by the Spaniards.
What I am still unsure of is whether this town was named after the province, or if the province was named after the town. But Bulacán today does not cultivate cotton farming, fishing, garments, and food processing are its major industries today. We dropped off at Bigaá (now Balagtás) then rode a jeepney going straight to Bulacán.Īccording to sources, the town’s name was derived from the Tagalog word bulac which means “cotton” which apparently used to grow abundantly in the area.
When we went there, however, we rode a bus that passed through world-class North Luzón Expressway since we’re not accustomed to trips north of Manila (the Southerners that we are). It can be reached, in fact, in just an hour from the City of Manila via the Municipality of Obando - but only if traffic is cooperative. The municipality of Bulacán -sharing the name of the Tagalog-speaking province where it is located- is one of the provincial towns that is very near Metro Manila.