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Angeles City

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Angeles City is a highly urbanized city located in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines.

Ph fil angeles
Ph fil angeles

It serves as the largest city within the province of Pampanga. While the city is politically independent from the province, the Philippine Statistics Authority groups them together for statistics. Angeles is the urban core of Metro Clark, an urban area in Pampanga. This region is also known as Metro Angeles. It is considered the industrial and residential heartland of Central Luzon. The national government also identifies the Metro Clark-Angeles area as a regional center.

The history of the city began in 1796. A man named Don Ángel Pantaleón de Miranda and his wife, Doña Rosalía de Jesús, established a new settlement. They named the area Culiát after the abundance of Gnetum indicum vines found there.

Early settlers cleared the woodland to farm rice and sugar. Don Ángel built the first house using light materials. This site later became a cemetery called Campo Santong Matua. The area grew from a jungle clearing into a town with new industries like sugar mills and wine distilleries.

Achieving independence for the town took many years of effort. In 1812, settlers tried to make Culiát a self-governing town, but friars resisted. Don Ángel filed a petition for secession from San Fernando in 1822, but it was denied. He and others filed another petition that same year. Don Ángel donated 35 hectares of land for a church, a convent, and a school. Doña Agustina Henson de Nepomuceno also donated land for a public market. Even though there were only 160 taxpayers, the law required 500. Eventually, Culiát became a separate municipality on December 8, 1829. The town was renamed Angeles to honor the Holy Angels and its founder, Don Ángel.

The city has played a major role in Philippine political history. On May 7, 1899, General Emilio Aguinaldo moved the seat of the First Philippine Republic to Angeles. The Pamintuan Residence served as the Presidential Palace from May to July 1899.

During the Philippine-American War, the town faced a long battle. U.S. forces attacked in August 1899, but the Filipino Army fought back for three months. The Battle of Angeles was the longest in the history of the war in Pampanga. The town finally fell to American hands on November 5, 1899. This led to the creation of an American camp in Barrio Talimundoc.

American influence expanded significantly through military presence. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an executive order establishing land in Sapang Bato as Fort Stotsenburg.

Collapsed hangars at Clark Air Base
Collapsed hangars at Clark Air Base

This location later expanded to become Clark Air Base. During World War II, Japanese forces occupied the town from early 1942 until January 1945. The Japanese used Clark Air Base to stage air operations. During this time, 57,000 prisoners of war passed through the town during the Bataan Death March. Local residents showed sympathy by providing food, water, and moral support to the prisoners. The U.S. and Philippine Commonwealth troops eventually liberated the town in 1945.

Angeles transitioned into a chartered city on January 1, 1964. This change was driven by Mayor Rafael del Rosario and supported by Congresswoman Juanita Nepomuceno. The bill was approved by President Diosdado Macapagal.

Angeles City Hall (Aniceto Gueco, Angeles, Pampanga; 05-27-2023)
Angeles City Hall (Aniceto Gueco, Angeles, Pampanga; 05-27-2023)

A major natural disaster struck the region on June 15, 1991. Mount Pinatubo erupted, which was the second-largest eruption of the twentieth century. The eruption caused massive amounts of lahar to cover agricultural lands and businesses. About 60,000 people were evacuated from the city. This disaster led the U.S. to abandon Clark Air Base. The U.S. military turned the damaged base over to the Philippine government on November 26, 1991.

Today, the city is a modern hub for commerce and travel. The former military base became the Clark Special Economic Zone in 1993.

MacArthur Highway Angeles City, Pampanga
MacArthur Highway Angeles City, Pampanga

This zone helped improve airfield infrastructure to create a modern airport. The city features busy areas like Korea Town and large shopping centers.

Korea Town of Angeles City, Pampanga
Korea Town of Angeles City, Pampanga
Marquee Mall (Aniceto Gueco, Angeles, Pampanga; 05-27-2023)
Marquee Mall (Aniceto Gueco, Angeles, Pampanga; 05-27-2023)

Major roads like MacArthur Highway connect the city to neighboring areas. Angeles continues to be a premier city in Central Luzon due to its industrial and residential growth.

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🖼️ Images & Media (14)
File:Don Angel Pantaleon De Miranda House (Santo Rosario Street, Angeles, Pampanga; 05-27-2023).jpg
Don Angel Pantaleon De Miranda House...
File:Collapsed hangars at Clark Air Base.jpg
Collapsed hangars at Clark Air Base.jpg
File:MacArthur Highway Angeles City, Pampanga.jpg
MacArthur Highway Angeles City, Pampanga.jpg
File:Ph fil angeles.png
Ph fil angeles.png
File:Korea Town of Angeles City, Pampanga.jpg
Korea Town of Angeles City, Pampanga.jpg
File:Hotels at Barangay Malabanias, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines.JPG
Hotels at Barangay Malabanias, Angeles...
File:Marquee Mall (Aniceto Gueco, Angeles, Pampanga; 05-27-2023).jpg
Marquee Mall (Aniceto Gueco, Angeles,...
File:ClarkAngelesjf9644 32.JPG
ClarkAngelesjf9644 32.JPG
File:Behind Marquee Mall.jpg
Behind Marquee Mall.jpg
File:October Fest (Angeles City).jpg
October Fest (Angeles City).jpg
File:Angeles Heritage District.jpg
Angeles Heritage District.jpg
File:Salakot Arch 2009.jpg
Salakot Arch 2009.jpg

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