“HISTORY OF PAMPANGA”
Located in Central Luzon, it was the Spaniards who gave Pampanga its name La Pampanga upon
discovering natives living near the riverbanks of the largest river during that time, Indung
Kapampangan River. Its name originates from the term pangpang or pampang which means
riverbank. Nothing is more suitable than its name since Pampanga is a flat province that is
crisscrossed by hundreds of small lakes flowing and leading to the Pampanga River. Based on
archival shreds of evidence of Pampanga history, the province is a descendant of the Luzon
Empire, which was colloquially known as the Kingdom of Tondo. Lakans ruled such a kingdom.
The natives were linguistically distinct from the Tagalogs living in nearby provinces. A popular
belief is the native Kapampangans were descendants of migrants from Central Java, specifically
from Malang Region. Whether or not the people came from Java or other Malayan countries as
claimed by other historians, there were thriving settlements along the banks of Rio Grande de
la Pampanga (now called Pampanga River) when the Spaniards came.
People who lives in Pampanga speak the dialect Kapampangan. Kapampangans are well-known
for their chivalry and leadership abilities and they are popular for their beauty and culinary
skills.
Pampanga’s main industries are farming and fishing. The major products are rice, corn,
sugarcane, and tilapia. Other cottage industries such as wood carving, furniture-making, guitar-
making, and handicraft are thriving in Pampanga. Specifically, the province is best known for its
handcrafted lighted lanterns (parols). Gradually, Pampanga, Philippines is also becoming
popular for its casket and all-purpose vehicle manufacturing industries.
Pampanga’s culinary industry deserves a category of its own. Pampanga is also a home for
some of the most popular culinary creations. Such creations include specialty foods and native
delicacies, ranging from ordinary to exotic such as betute tugak (stuffed frog) and adobong
Camaru (mole crickets).
Not to mention, the place is also the go-to destination for processed meat cravings. Two of the
well-loved brands nationwide hail from the province. These are Pampanga’s Best and Mekeni
Food. They are famous for their tocino, tapa, hotdogs, and longganisa (Philippine-style
sausage).
Other developing industries are found in the Clark Freeport. An example of these industries is
the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Other budding investments focus on aviation-
related sectors and light to medium technologies.
Foreign direct investments are also encouraged in the Clark Special Economic Zone. Utilities
including telecommunication, water, electricity, and transportation extensively cover the entire
Pampanga province. These are readily available and accessible for businesses and industries.
San Fernando is the province’s capital. While this is common knowledge to the locals, it might
have escaped the notice of tourists who are visiting the city. As it is, San Fernando might be the
recognized capital city of the province, but Angeles is a far more vast city that is seen to cater to
a wider myriad of lifestyles. More importantly, Angeles is in proximity to the international
gateway Diosdado Macapagal International Airport and the Clark Special Economic Zone.
Angeles has garnered so much attention that it ranked as the 15th best place to live in the
Philippines in a Money Sense Magazine survey back in 2008.
Through the years, San Fernando was entitled as “Home of the Gian Lantern”. It has become a
tradition that every year, before Christmas, San Fernando always have the competitions of
giant lantern. They produced big and colorful lanterns that attracts tourists to visit the province
and watch the giant lantern competition. The Christmas lantern of Parul Sampernando in
Kapampangan can never be distanced from the town which created it, the City of San
Fernando. It is what San Fernando is known for, and it is what has made the city famous all over
the country and even around the world.
