Meycauayan

Geography

Meycauayan is generally surrounded with plain land and gentle rolling hills. Meycauayan is named to Filipino phrase may kawayan that means "with bamboo". Comfortably above sea level, this terrain is an interweaving of greenery and concrete road network. The slope of the land dips towards a west to north westerly direction. River, natural lake and drainage waterways envelope and criss-cross the area.

Meycauayan, a province of its name in its antiquity, is found between 120° 58’ 20” and the 127° 30’ longitude, with a latitude of 14° 41’ up to the 15°, the majority of the land, can be seen some mountains especially to the south east extension which do not exceed to same eleven leagues to the east or west and some six to the north and south. It is bordered to the east by the province of Nueva Ecija, and the district of Morong; to the South by Manila and her bay; to the West by Manila bay and the province of Pampanga, and to the North by the Province of Pampanga. Today it is bordered by the town of Marilao to the north, towns of Bocaue and Bulakan, Bulacan to the northwest, Valenzuela to the south, Northern part of Caloocan to the east, and the town of Obando to the west.

Barangays

Meycauayan is administratively subdivided into 26 urban barangays.

Demographics

In the 2015 census, the population of Meycauayan was 209,083 people, with a density of 6,500 inhabitants per square kilometre or 17,000 inhabitants per square mile.

Economy

Meycauayan is the economic, industrial, commercial, financial and educational center of southern Bulacan.

The city is known for its jewelry and leather industries. For years, Meycauayan has been the hub of jewelry production in the Philippines and in Asia. It is known for its low-priced jewelries.

The locality also produces leather goods. Shoes, bags and every kind of leather product has been traditionally manufactured here. A number of leather tanneries still operate in Meycauayan, which over the years have converted the city into a hub for leather goods.

In 2016, the total net income for Meycauayan is worth Php 6.875 Billion, making it the richest in the province of Bulacan and 18th richest city in the whole Philippines.

Industrial compounds and parks

Meycauayan is also home to many industrial parks and compounds.

Meycauayan College

Formerly known as Meycauayan Institute, it was changed to college in June 1925.

Mayoralty dispute (1995–2008)

The succession of the city's administration was put into question by a series of legal cases between two former mayors. Florentino Blanco, town mayor from 1987 to 1992, ran in 1995 but was disqualified by the Supreme Court for vote buying on July 21, 1997. Blanco was replaced by Vice Mayor Eduardo Nolasco in an acting capacity, serving out the remainder of his term.

Blanco ran again in 1998 but lost to Eduardo Alarilla; Blanco attempted to file an election protest against Alarilla but the COMELEC dismissed the case. He attempted to run again in 2004 but later withdrew his candidacy. In 2007, he ran once more but lost to Eduardo Alarilla's wife, Joan Alarilla (Mr. Alarilla has then reached the 3-term limit imposed by law). The former mayor Alarilla then attempted to disqualify Blanco; the COMELEC ruled in favor of Alarilla, but the Supreme Court reversed this decision, stating that Blanco is still eligible to run for public office.

Heirs of Anacleto Nieto vs. Meycauayan, Bulacan

On December 13, 2007, the Supreme Court of the Philippines ordered Meycauayan, Bulacan to surrender peaceful possession to the Heirs of Anacleto Nieto, and vacate the 3,882 square meters lot, at Poblacion, Meycauayan, TCT No. T-24.055 (M) which it used and even constructed an extension of the public market therein. Meycauayan was also ordered to pay the reasonable value of the property and P 1,716,000.00 as reasonable compensation for the use of the property from 1966 until the filing of the complaint on December 28, 1994.

Pollution

In 2007, The Meycauayan and the neighboring town of Marilao in Bulacan province share a slot in the list of the world’s 30 most polluted places in the developing world drawn up by a private New York-based institute. In its report, “The World’s Worst Polluted Places” for 2007, the Blacksmith Institute said: “Industrial waste is haphazardly dumped into the Meycauayan, Marilao and Obando River system, a source of drinking and agricultural water supplies for the 250,000 people living in and around” the Meycauayan-Marilao area. Meycauayan also shares border with Caloocan.