Plaridel, Bulacan

Quingua Church built in 1602 is dedicated to the apostle James the Greater, and named after Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Like many towns in Bulacan, Plaridel has its niche in Philippine history as the site of the Battle of Quingua during the Philippine–American War as part of the defense of the First Philippine Republic against the Northern Campaign of the American Army. The battle, manned by Pablo Tecson—Lt. Colonel Pablo Ocampo Tecson of San Miguel, Bulacan—under Gregorio del Pilar on the side of the First Philippine Republic, led to the death of Col. John Stotsenberg of the American Army on April 23, 1899. A marker now stands at the site of the battle in Barangay Agnaya.

Plaridel's history can be traced through records back to 1581 in the early years of the Spanish colonization. The Augustinian friars from Malolos Convent discovered a vast forest in 1581 then named as Binto; this would later be known as Quingua. As per the history of the Parish of St. James the Apostle, 2001 issue, Quingua was established by the Augustinian Friars of Malolos who initially named it "Encomienda Binto" (Barangay Bintog got its name from this settlement). They built a visita (chapel of ease) and placed it under the jurisdiction of Fray Mateo Mendoza, the prior of Malolos.

The visita of Binto was elevated to an independent parish named Parroquia de Santiago Apostol, and the whole of Quingua was separated from Malolos and was created as a new pueblo on September 27, 1602.

Plaridel is surrounded with the rivers of Angat, Bulacan and Tabang River, both of which run through the town. The Angat River, otherwise known as Bulacan River, flows directly to Calumpit, Bulacan, meeting the Pampanga River. The Tabang River, a tributary with adjoining intersections dividing the middle of the present poblacion of Plaridel, flows to the Manila Bay after passing through the towns of Guiguinto and Bulakan. The water of this river was called "tabáng" to refer to its fresh water.

Initially very few people lived in the town, and most were closely related. Each group had a leader called "tandis". Different groups spoke different languages; Pampango, Pangasinan, Ilocano and Tagalog. From Malolos, the friar curate frequently visited the place, preaching the Catholic faith, using the "balsa" or bamboo raft as his means of transportation. The missionaries decided to clear the land and establish settlements, from which they could work to bring unity to the people. They needed ideas to bring this about, so each "tandis" drew up a plan to pursue. The groups of people labored, so much so that when the priest returned seven years later, he found the area completely cleared. The priests's party inquired among the natives as to whom the credit should go, and the Pampangos exclaimed, "Quing wawa". Thereafter, every now and then, to every question of the friars the people would reply "Quing wa". As a consequence, the place had come to be referred to as Quingua.

During the presidency of Manuel L. Quezon, the then "Alcalde", or Town Mayor, of Quinga, Jose J. Mariano, took the initiative of renaming the town. Representative Pedro Magsalin, a friend of the Alcalde, sponsored the bill changing the name of the town from Quingua to Plaridel. The bill was passed by the Philippine Congress and was approved by the President, and on December 29, 1936 the town was renamed as 'Plaridel', in honor of the great hero of Bulacan, Marcelo H. del Pilar. The celebrations that followed were attended by political luminaries of the time, including Speaker Gil Montilla, Congressman Magsalin, Nicolas Buendia, Eulogio Rodriguez, Elpidio Quirino and Governor José Padilla, Sr.

Notable families from Plaridel include the Vergel de Dios family (originally from Baliuag and that donated the public market of the town), the Castros, Vistans, Sayos, Garcías, and San Diegos.

Plaridel is divided into 19 barangays. In 1954, sitio Mayamot in Barrio Banga was changed to Bagong Silang[6] while a sitio in the eastern part of barrio Tabang, called Bagong Silang, was created.[7]

In the 2015 census, the population of Plaridel, Bulacan, was 107,805 people, [3] with a density of 3,300 inhabitants per square kilometre or 8,500 inhabitants per square mile.

The growing population of Plaridel, Bulacan increased the demand and magnified the needs for economic and socialized housing in the area. Several housing developers such as Bria Plaridel, Lumina Residences Bulacan, and Lessandra Provence gave the opportunity to the locals of Plaridel to obtain affordable homes that even minimum wagers can afford. These housing developments rose into prominence when they provided quality and affordable housing in safe and secure communities. With the country’s population increasing and the loss of thousands of homes to natural disasters, there currently exists a massive housing deficit and having housing developments in Plaridel is an answer to the call of the government.

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  Downtown Plaridel
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  Don Jose J. Mariano Park
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  Marcelo H. Del Pilar Statue in front of the Municipal Hall
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  Don Jose J. Mariano Statue
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  World War II Veterans Memorial Statue
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  Don Cesario Muti-purpose Gymnasium
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  Control tower of Plaridel Airport, parked planes and aviation schools
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  Overview of the interior of Parish of St. James the Apostle
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  Plaridel Wet and Dry Public Market
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  La Consolacion University General Hospital (formerly University of Regina Carmeli)
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  Battle of Quingua Memorial
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  Walter Mart Plaridel
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  Plaridel Terminal Mall
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  Novo Department Store Plaridel
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  Plaridel Municipal Slaughter house
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  San Miguel Arkanghel Parish Church
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  San Nicolas de Tolentino Chapel
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  Nuestra Señora del Rosario Chapel
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  Chapel of the Holy Cross
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  Saint Anthony of Padua Chapel
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  Holy Angels Quasi-parish Church
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  Lumina Homes Plaridel

• List of renamed cities and municipalities in the Philippines

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Plaridel, Bulacan.

• Plaridel Profile at PhilAtlas.com
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Plaridel Bulacan