Santo Tomas, Pampanga

Etymology and history

The town's name is derived from Baliwag ("tardy" in Spanish) a reference to local habit of arriving late for Mass. Baliwag, whose original name was Santo Tomas, had its Patron, St. Thomas the Apostle. He is also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus (meaning "twin," as does "Thomas" in Aramaic) and was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. The Patronal Feast is celebrated yearly on the 21st of December from the town's original founding date of 1792.

On September 15, 1792, Santo Tomas was severed from its parent Minalin, Pampanga. On May 4, 1899, the town was under the U.S. Force's administration. On January 2, 1905, it was ceded to San Fernando, Pampanga until 1905. On October 12, 1951, Executive Order No. 476 (issued by Elpidio Quirino) created Santo Tomas and its five barrios of San Matias, San Vicente, San Bartolome, Sto. Rosario and Poblacion with the seat of government at barrio San Vicente.

On January 11, 1952, the municipality of Sto. Tomas was re-inaugurated. The first municipal hall was temporarily at the house of late Mayor Patricio Gomez, the first municipal mayor.

In 1955, RA 1250, the San Matias seat was transferred to Poblacion. Presidential Decree No. 1441 was issued by President Ferdinand E. Marcos on June 11, 1978, transferring the seat of municipal government from Poblacion to Barangay San Vicente.

The town became the site of the bloody encounter between Filipino and American forces during Philippine Revolution known as the Battle of Santo Tomas.

Geography

The municipality of Santo Tomas, the smallest and youngest town in Pampanga, is at the heart of the province. The capital city of San Fernando bounds it on the north-west the municipality of San Simon on the north-east, the municipality of minalin on the south-east and Bacolor on the west.

Municipal government and politics

Pursuant to the local government the political seat of the municipality is at the Municipal Town Hall. The gobernadorcillo is the chief executive who holds office in the Presidencia. During the American rule (1898–1946), the elected mayor and local officials, including the appointed ones, hold office at the Municipal Town Hall. The legislative and executive departments perform their functions in the Sangguniang Bayan (Session Hall) and Municipal Trial Court, respectively, and are in the Town Hall.

Santo Tomas' incumbent mayor is Joselito F. Naguit and the municipal vice mayor is Gloria P. Ronquillo.

On July 23, 2012, incumbent mayor Joselito Naguit filed his counter-affidavit to the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon on graft charges against him by former municipal administrator Rodelio Garcia. The mayor said over the weekend that "the P9.5 million in cash advances he allegedly made for the months of May to November 2011 were all returned, accounted for to the last centavo and deposited in the municipal fund of Sto. Tomas."

On March 2012, Mayor Naguit opened the LGU’s approved project under the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) on February 29, 2011: "P 700, 000 Improvement and Concreting of Balangcas Road."

Barangays

Santo Tomas is politically subdivided into seven barangays:

Economy

In the records of Department of Trade and Industry (Philippines), the town holds the title “casket capital of Central Luzon.” It is home to 300 family-owned casket businesses that each produce about 80 caskets monthly or a total production of 24,000 a month. Casket capital of the Philippines, Oct. 22, 2012

Tourism

Santo Tomas' main attractions and events are:

St. Thomas the Apostle Parish Church

The 1929 St. Thomas the Apostle Parish Church (Poblacion Santo Tomas, Pampanga) belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando. The feast is July 3 and its previous parish priest was Rev. Dino Albert N. Pineda of the Vicariate of Christ the King, under Vicar Forane, Rev. Reynaldo D. dela Cruz. It has a population of 9,202, with Catholics, 8,833. The current parish priest is Fr. Renato Sabile.

On February 14, 2004, the Parish Pastoral Center and Convent were blessed and inaugurated by Bishop Paciano Aniceto. On October 16, 2004, the columbarium, mortuary and museum were blessed.

San Matias Parish Church

The 1962 San Matias Parish Church belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando. Its incumbent parish priest is Rev. Marius P. Roque, of the Vicariate of Christ, under Vicar Forane, Rev. Reynaldo D. dela Cruz. It has a population of 16,672 with Catholics, 16,005. The former parish priest was Rev. Marlon Cunanan and parochial vicar was Rev. Nestor Figueroa.