Barangay San Miguel is considered as one of the largest and most commonly known barangays found in Tarlac City, province of Tarlac. It has a primary school named San Miguel Central Elementary School(SMCES) and an annex secondary school of the said province which is the Tarlac National High School. Like all other barangays of Tarlac, Barangay San Miguel has its own fiesta and gathering celebrated annually on every 8 May. It also has a catholic church, the St. Michael the Archangel Parish Church.
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History
San Miguel is bounded on the east by the Municipalities of La Paz, San Jose, and Tarlac. On the South it is bounded by the Municipalities of Capas and Concepcion, and on the north by the City of Tarlac.
Old folks relate that San Miguel was originally a jungle region, a haunt of monkeys and wild animals. The first settlers temporarily called the place Gubat. The 12,000 hectares of fertile land of Hacienda Luisita was owned by a certain Doña Luisita of Spain who promised the people working in the hacienda that if they work and clear the land they can use it for three years. The land became more productive because of the industriousness of the people working in the Hacienda. Doña Luisita kept her promises and the continuous progress of Hacienda Luisita provided an opportunity for the people of San Miguel to own their land and raise their standard of living. Today, Brgy. San Miguel is a very progressive barangay, and the most populous in the city, with a total land area of 5, 320.416 sq.m.
One day when some of the early settlers of Barangay San Miguel were walking near the Alauli River, they saw a piece of wood sinking in the water. A certain Agaton Baun brought the wood home. The settlers examined the wood and found it to be a sculpture of Saint Michael the Archangel. In honor of this discovery, they decided to name the place San Miguel.
St. Michael the Archangel Parish Church
Because of the religiosity and kindness of Doña Luisita she gave permission to construct the parish church on her land. On December 29, 1929 the first parish church with St. Michael the Archangel as its Patron Saint was built. The Parish Church now serves the different barangays of – Sapang Tagalog, San Francisco, Capehan, Atioc, Maligaya, Paraiso, Buenavista, Villa Dela Paz, Lele Tete, Armenia and of course, the central Barangay of San Miguel.
The first parish priest was the Rev. Fr. Isaac de Azpeitia. His term ended in 1945 and it was continued by Fr. Pedro Azcoitia.
Parish Priests and Period of Service
Fr. Pedro Azcoitia was the officiating priest in the wedding of Gen. Servillano Aquino, who was a general in the revolutionary army of Emilio Aguinaldo, and Belen Sanchez.
Fr. Diosdado Guese holds the longest service record, and it is during his term that the parish church was relocated from its old site in Santungan, presently the Plaza Luisita, to its present location in front of Mt. Zion Memorial Park.
Plaza Luisita
Plaza Luisita is a park located at San Miguel, Tarlac beside McArthur Highway where people can shop, have picnics, eat and stroll. It has a mall, the Robinson's mall and some restaurants including Jollibee, Max, Mang Inasal, Chowking, Dencio's, Starbucks and Pancake House. The plaza is surrounded by acacia trees and the floor is covered with roofed and paved tiles.
Camp General Servillano Aquino
Camp General Servillano Aquino, formerly called Camp Ord, was built in Tarlac province to commemorate Lt. Col. James Ord who died in a plane crash in 1938. To add to its historicity, Lt. Col. Dwight Eisenhower planted tree on July 4, 1939. The camp, now named after the grandfather of Ninoy Aquino, Servillano Aquino the great grandfather of the current president of the Philippines Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, is now home of the Philippine Army 5th Infantry Division (Philippines).