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Santa Maria
Santa Maria de Pandi | |
|---|---|
| Municipality of Santa Maria | |
     (From top, left to right): Población skyline • Paso Bridge • Immaculate Conception Church • Philippine Arena • Municipal Hall at night | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname: Chicharon Capital of the Philippines | |
| Motto(s): ONE Santa Maria, Lahat Kasama (English: ONE Santa Maria, All Together) | |
| Anthem: Bayan Kong Mahal (English: My Beloved Town) | |
 Map of Bulacan with Santa Maria highlighted | |
OpenStreetMap  | |
.svg)  Santa Maria Location within the Philippines | |
| Coordinates: 14°49′N 120°58′E / 14.82°N 120.96°E | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Central Luzon |
| Province | Bulacan |
| District | 6th district |
| Founded | 13th century CE (part of the Kingdom of Tondo) |
| Incorporated | . |
| • Barrio | circa 1647 |
| • Hacienda | July 4, 1699 |
| • Pueblo | November 26, 1793 |
| Founded by | Fray Francisco Javier OFM |
| Barangays | 24 (see Barangays) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Bayan |
| • Mayor | Bartolome R. Ramos |
| • Vice Mayor | Pablo L. Juan |
| • Representative | Salvador A. Pleyto Sr. |
| • Municipal Council | Members |
| • Electorate | 142,380 voters (2022) |
| Area | |
• Total | 90.92 km2 (35.10 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 20 m (70 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 62 m (203 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | −1 m (−3 ft) |
| Population (2020 census)[2] | |
• Total | 289,820 |
| • Rank | 5 out of 1,489 Municipalities |
| • Density | 3,200/km2 (8,300/sq mi) |
| • Households | 70,619 |
| Demonym | Santa Maríans |
| Economy | |
| • Income class | 1st municipal income class |
| • Poverty incidence | 11.53 |
| • Revenue | ₱ 889.1 million (2020) |
| • Assets | ₱ 1,757 million (2020) |
| • Expenditure | ₱ 668.9 million (2020) |
| • Liabilities | ₱ 157.3 million (2020) |
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Manila Electric Company (Meralco) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| ZIP code | 3022 |
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)44 |
| Native languages | Tagalog |
| Catholic diocese | Diocese of Malolos |
| Patron saint | Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception |
Santa Maria (/ˌsæntə məˈriːə/ SAN-tə mə-REE-ə, Tagalog: [ˈsantɐ mɐˈɾija]), officially the Municipality of Santa Maria (Tagalog: Bayan ng Santa Maria), is a 1st class urban municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 289,820 people.[2] representing 7.8% of the population of the province.
Located on the banks of the Santa Maria River, 32 kilometres (19.9 mi) north of Manila, Santa Maria has been a thriving settlement for almost four centuries. It was founded as a barrio of Bocaue in the early 17th century until it was established as an independent municipality on November 26, 1793, by the Spanish friar Francisco Dominguez Javier OFM. Known before as Santa Maria de Pandi (Tagalog pronunciation: [pɐnˈde]), it is named under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception (also known as La Purisima Concepcion). Its administrative center, the Poblacion, forms the historic core of the municipality. It is surrounded by four rivers and it still largely retains its 2.88 square-kilometer boundaries since the Spanish Colonial Era.
Santa Maria, with a population of 289,820, remains by a significant margin the most populous municipality in Central Luzon, as well as the 7th most populous municipality in the Philippines. It is also the 2nd most populous local government unit in Bulacan next to San Jose del Monte City. The projected population for 2025 was 305,668.[4] There are 142,380 registered voters in the municipality. In the last 2022 election, voter turnout rate is at 88.91%.[5] The said voter turnout rate in the 2022 national elections is the fourth highest among the municipalities in the province of Bulacan.[5]
Its downtown area consists of three highly urbanized barangays: Poblacion, Bagbaguin, and Sta. Clara. It is one of the biggest and busiest commercial centers in the province as it accounts for more than half of all economic activities in the municipality. It is also one of Bulacan's leading financial centers.[citation needed] According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC), Santa Maria's total bank deposits reached PHP 31.27 billion as of December 2021, this accounts for almost 75% of Eastern Bulacan's total bank deposits.[6] Likewise, Santa Maria is the richest municipality in Bulacan with an assets totaling to PHP 1.87 billion and revenues reaching an all-time high of PHP 1.206 billion as of the 2022 report from the Commission on Audit (COA).[7] It has a relatively high standard of living, with only 4% of the population living in poverty which is one of the lowest in the country (19 out of 1,489 municipalities).[8]
Santa Maria was the home town of José Corazón de Jesús, a Filipino poet popularly known as "Huseng Batute", who started composing his verse as a child. Another native of Santa Maria is Francisco Santiago, a composer who wrote "Nasaan Ka Irog" and other kundiman songs. In the political arena, Santa Maria has produced three Bulacan governors: Jose Serapio (1900–1901), Trinidad Icasiano (1912–1916), Fortunato Halili (1943–1944 and 1946–1951); and three representatives of the second, fourth district, and sixth district: Rogaciano Mercado (1953–1972, 1987-1989), Reylina Nicolas (2001–2010) and Salvador "Ka Ador" Pleyto (2022 to present).
- ^ "Province: BULACAN". PSGC Interactive. Makati City, Philippines: National Statistical Coordination Board. Archived from the original on July 18, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
- ^ a b Census of Population (2020). "Region III (Central Luzon)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ^ "Doh Population Projections by Region, Province, City/Municipality and Barangay from 2020–2025" (PDF). Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- ^ a b Statistics comelec.gov.ph
- ^ "PHILIPPINE DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION : PHILIPPINE BANKING SYSTEM DISTRIBUTION OF DOMESTIC a/ DEPOSITS". Pdic.gov.ph. June 30, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
- ^ "Commission on Audit – Bulacan". Coa.gov.ph. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
- ^ "2012 City and Municipal-Level Small Area Poverty Estimates". Psa.gov.ph. Retrieved December 15, 2016.