The Rice Granary of the Philippines….

Nueva Ecija is one of the top producers of rice in the country and a major supplier of food crops to Metro Manila. The province main livelihood is farming and agriculture since it is blessed with fertile soil that makes it possible to produce great quantities of rice, corn, vegetables and other lowland crops. Its provincial capital of Palayan City, the word derived from palay and means “rice seed” or “raw grain”, is one of the planned cities of the country along with Manila, Baguio, Quezon City, Trece Martirez City and the Island Garden City of Samal and located in the heart of Nueva Ecija. Aside from the capital Munoz, Cabanatuan and San Jose are the other popular cities while 27 municipalities compose this major rice producing province. Pantabangan is where the popular Pantabangan Dam is located and a phenomenon in Philippine engineering while Penaranda is the hometown of my father, Ricardo Aves Deguzman.

Just because it is considered a province of rich agricultural lands does not mean there is no modern places. Fort Magasaysay is home to the Philippine Army Scout Rangers also a boot camp. Cabanatuan City has its modern infrastuctures and is a major trading place of Nueva Ecija also dubbed as the Tricycle Capital of the Philippines because of its enormous count of tricycle services registered. While Nueva Ecija is composed of different ethnic groups such as Ilocanos, Kapangpangans, Panggalatoks and Tagalogs the main language is Tagalog. Farming and agriculture is not only the prime resource of the province, it has also mine deposits such as copper, manganese and gold.

Festivals and attractions are also abundant and celebrated in Nueva Ecija. Most famous is the Pagsa San Juan Festival in honor of Saint John the Baptist where scores of devotees with mud smeared bodies and covered from head to toe with dried banana leaves and vines would emerge from their houses on the eve of June 24 and also a free-for all dousing with water. Minalungao National Park with its hair raising stiff ravines and majestic rock formations, this park was included in the tourism map of the Philippines while Barrio Puncan was dubbed as Little Baguio of Nueva Ecija because of its pine scented cool climate and other hot springs location. Malls and other favorite hang out places are not to be ignored in the modern city of Cabanatuan City such as the Mega Center.

This page dedicated to my father Ricardo Aves Deguzman and a native of Penaranda, Nueva Ecija.

In Loving Memory from Me and My Family. We Miss You Dad.
Born: January 20, 1921
Died: September 23, 1993

Polo, a small but peaceful town was once a part of Meycauayan, Bulacan. In 1623, Polo was made into an independent town through the joint efforts of Don Juan Monsod and Father Juan Taranco. The San Diego de Alcala Chapel which was completed in 1632 became the gathering place of the town people and has stood witness to the battles fought between the brave Filipinos and the colonizers during the Spanish, American and Japanese times. On July 21, 1960, through Executive Order No. 401, President Diosdado Macapagal has conferred the creation of Municipality of Valenzuela in honor of Dr. Pio Valenzueala, an important personality in the history of the Philippines. Dr. Pio Valenzuela was one of the leaders of the Katipunan who instigated the revolution of the Filipino people against Spain. In September 11, 1963, another order was signed by the president uniting the municipalities of Polo and Valenzuela under one government.

Although the late seventies and early eighties was considered to be a period of turmoil for the country, this era was considered to be the golden age of Valenzuela as during this time, the economy has enjoyed tremendous growth. On February 14, 1998, the municipality of Valenzuela was turned into a city. Valenzuela City is the 12th city of Metro Manila and from then on until the present time, Valenzuela’s economy rapidly flourished. Valenzuela City’s textile mills, lumberyards, ceramic factories, auto assembly plants are only some of the industries that have provided the residents with livelihood. The city is also noted for its export quality bamboo furniture.
Did you know that Valenzuela City has the largest barangay hall in the Philippines ? The 3 storey building that is touted to have a 3,000 square meters floor area was inaugurated on May 15, 2008 by President Arroyo and Valenzuela City Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian. In spite of the fact that this city is less than an hour drive from the busy metropolis, a visitor can find interesting places with rustic ambience in Valenzuela. The centuries old house where the patriot Dr. Pio Valenzuela was born on July 11, 1869 is still standing in Velilla Street, Barangay Pariancillo Villa. Another point of interest is the belfry and the entrance arch of the San Diego de Alcala Church. Residents of Polo were forced by the Spanish friars to build the church which was finally completed in 1632. The main church was bombed during the Japanese occupation and to this day only the four centuries old belfry and entrance arch exist.
People of Valenzuela City have their share of festivals too. The Mano Po San Roque Festival is celebrated every May 12th with street dancing and a procession of the image of San Roque along the main streets of the city. The feast of San Diego de Alcala is celebrated every 12th of November. Street dancing, procession, boat racing and other merry making activities characterize this occasion. The Putong Polo Festival is in consonance with the feast day of San Diego de Alcala. This food festival has the Putong Polo as its main feature. This native kakanin was originally created by people in Polo, Valenzuela.