Balagtas, Bulacan

Balagtas Bigaa
Municipality
Municipality of Balagtas
New Municipal Hall of Balagtas
Flag
Map of Bulacan with Balagtas highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Balagtas Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 14°48′52″N 120°54′30″E / 14.81447°N 120.90847°E / 14.81447; 120.90847
Country	Philippines
Region	Central Luzon
Province	Bulacan
District	5th district
Founded	1596
Renamed	June 18, 1966[1]
Named for	Francisco Balagtas
Barangays	9 (see Barangays)
Government  [2]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Eladio E. Gonzales Jr. (NUP)
• Vice Mayor	Ariel C. Valderama (NUP)
• Representative	Ambrosio C. Cruz Jr. (Lakas-CMD)
• Municipal Council	Members Alberto G. Carating II Julius Daniel G. Abarzosa Mikee Jane A. Payuran Babby L. Estrella Charles Louie B. Galvez Gilbert L. Galvez Fernando K. Galvez Alejandro P. De Guzman
• Electorate	51,503 voters (2022)
Area [3]
• Total	28.66 km2 (11.07 sq mi)
Elevation	8.0 m (26.2 ft)
Highest elevation	33 m (108 ft)
Lowest elevation	−3 m (−10 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[4]
• Total	77,018
• Density	2,700/km2 (7,000/sq mi)
• Households	19,461
Economy
• Income class	1st municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	14.78 % (2021)[5]
• Revenue	₱ 330.4 million (2020), 143.5 million (2012), 150.1 million (2013), 181.5 million (2014), 204.9 million (2015), 202.6 million (2016), 2,492 million (2017), 270.9 million (2018), 307.5 million (2019), 324.5 million (2021), 405.5 million (2022)
• Assets	₱ 601.6 million (2020), 198.8 million (2012), 211.5 million (2013), 271.1 million (2014), 354.1 million (2015), 339.6 million (2016), 511.9 million (2017), 543.7 million (2018), 630.5 million (2019), 649.7 million (2021), 789.4 million (2022)
• Expenditure	₱ 304.8 million (2020), 134 million (2012), 131.5 million (2013), 154 million (2014), 159.9 million (2015), 173.8 million (2016), 179.1 million (2017), 242.2 million (2018), 259.7 million (2019), 311.1 million (2021), 366.4 million (2022)
• Liabilities	₱ 165.3 million (2020), 56.12 million (2012), 59.66 million (2013), 90.42 million (2014), 127.5 million (2015), 85.35 million (2016), 185.6 million (2017), 196 million (2018), 237.4 million (2019), 176.1 million (2021), 260.6 million (2022)
Utilties
• Electricity	Meralco
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	3016
PSGC	031402000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)44
Native languages	Tagalog

Balagtas ([bɐlɐgˈtas]), officially the Municipality of Balagtas (Tagalog: Bayan ng Balagtas), is a first class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 77,018 people.^[4] The municipality is 30 kilometers (19 mi) from Manila and is 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) from Malolos City.

With the continuous expansion of Metro Manila, Balagtas is part of Manila's built up area which reaches San Ildefonso, Bulacan in its northernmost part.

The MacArthur Highway bisects the municipality of Balagtas as this national road cuts northward to the Cagayan Valley. At the southern approach of the town from Manila is a concrete bridge that crosses the Balagtas River. The river, navigable by banca and motor boats, empties into Manila bay after snaking through the town of Bulacan to the West which provides Balagtas' townsfolk with fish, shrimp, and other fresh water food.

At the foot of the bridge, along the highway towards the North, is the town hall. In front of the town hall is a park where the monument of its hero, Francisco "Balagtas" Baltazar is located. The town hall is surrounded by Spanish colonial type houses. Two hundred meters from the municipal hall is the barrio of Panginay, the birthplace of Francisco Balagtas, for whom also "Balagtasan", a form of debate in versified Tagalog, was named. In 1946 the Historical Society of the Philippines placed a marker at the birthplace of Balagtas. In reverence to the hero's deeds, the official name of Bigaa was changed to Balagtas through the legislative act sponsored by then Congressman, Teodulo Natividad.