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Tarlac

Tarlac City Charter Anniversary

Tarlac City Charter Day is celebrated in Tarlac City, Tarlac, Philippines every April 19. It is a cityhood anniversary celebration that remembers the enactment of Republic Act No. 8593 into law that converted its status from a municipality to a city in 1998.

The date can be a special holiday through executive issuance (such as Proclamation No. 705 in 2019).

History of Tarlac City

Tarlac is a component city in Central Luzon (comprised of the provinces Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales).

In the past, it was part of Porac in Pampanga and the Spaniards erected a fort in 1593. It became a town in 1788 with Carlos Miguel as its first town leader. The settlement grew from migration of peoples coming from different areas in Luzon, giving rise to the diversity of its population.

Towards the end of the Spanish colonization, the town was one of the first that joined the Philippine Revolution in 1896. Among its heroes was General Francisco Tañedo, also known as Don Kikoy. He founded the masonic association Logia Filipino Gran Nacional Orient and had ties with the revolutionaries. He was captured, tortured, and executed by the Spaniards. A city street was named after him.

Another hero was Francisco Makabulos. Born in 1871, he was a writer and revolutionary who led the Cry in Tarlac on January 4, 1897 and the transitional government of Central Luzon on April 17, 1898. He also led the liberation of the province from Spanish control on July 10, 1898 and the opposition against the American rule in 1899. He eventually became the leader of the towns of Lapaz (1908) and of Tarlac (1918).

The municipality is historical too as the last capital of the First Philippine Republic during the Filipino-American War from June 21, 1899 until November 12, 1899.

After the reconstruction that took place in post-war period, the town grew significantly. The first attempt to convert it to a city was on June 21, 1969 when Republic Act No. 5907, otherwise known as an “An Act Creating the City of Tarlac,” was approved into a law. However, it was not ratified from a failure to obtain positive turn-out in the plebiscite.

Finally, Tarlac became a city by virtue of Republic Act No. 8593, otherwise known as “An Act Converting the Municipality of Tarlac into a Component City to be Known as the City of Tarlac.” It was approved by President Fidel V. Ramos on March 12, 1998 and enacted through a plebiscite on April 19, 1998. This is the date that the city charter anniversary commemorates.

How to reach Tarlac City

The nearest airport is Clark International Airport in Pampanga, which is over 45 kilometers away and land trip may take about an hour.

References

Tarlac City Charter Anniversary Summary

NameTarlac City Charter Anniversary
CelebrationCharter Day
CountryPhilippines
DateApril 19
Emailtarlac.info@gmail.com
Established1998
Facebookwww.facebook.com
Historical eventConversion of Tarlac from a municipality to a component city
LocationTarlac City, Tarlac
OrganizerCity Government of Tarlac
Websitetarlaccity.gov.ph