| “250th
Years of History and Progress” |
| A
Timeline of San Fernando History |
| 1754 |
The
town of San Fernando is founded with Don Vidal de Arrozal
serving as the gobernadorcillo the next year. |
| 1755 |
The
first church and casa municipal are built out of nipa. |
| 1785 |
Governor
General Jose Basco y Vargas visits the town amid a grand and
festive welcome. |
| 1788 |
Construction
for the current church begins under Fr. Manuel Canlas. A committee
composed by the town principales is formed for this purpose headed
by Don Bernanbe Pamintuan, who was then gobernadorcillo. |
| 1796 |
The
Barrio of Culiat is founded by Don Angel Panteleon de Miranda
of Barrio Saguin. |
1808 |
After
twenty years of construction, the current San Fernando town
church is completed and was rededicated to the Asuncion
del Nuestra Seqora. |
Metropolitan
Cathedral |
| 1813 |
The
Archbishop of Manila, His Eminence Señor Juan Antonio
Zulaybar makes the first diocesan visit to the town |
| 1814
|
During
the administration of Don Francisco Pamintuan as gobernadorcillo,
the major roads going to Mexico and Bacolor are finally completed
and opened.
|
| 1829 |
Culiat
is separated from San Fernando on the 8 December as the new
town of Angeles, with the Los Santos Angeles Custodios as
titular patrons. |
| 1850 |
A
big fire hits the town causing damage to the casa municipal.
Major fires will hit the town in 1888, 1899, 1907, 1910
and 1939. |
| 1852 |
An
expediente requesting the transfer of the Provincial Capital
of San Fernando is signed on the 6 August. |
| 1867 |
The
Escuela Publica constructed during the administration of Don
Julian Buyson. The Escuela Central will later rise on the
same site. |
| 1869
|
The
first telegraph lines are installed in the town during the
administration of Don Isidro Teopaco. |
| 1872 |
A
gremio of printers from a government press in the town stage
the first organized strike in the country in protest against
an abusive plant foremen. |
 |
1878
Moves are made to create the town Calulut.
This new town would be composed of Calulut and the neighboring
barrios of Bulaun, Malpitic, Sindalan, La Paz, Lara, Saguin,
Telebastagan, Balete, Malinao, Pulung Bulu, Panipuan, Macabacle
and the caserio of Pau in San Fernando, and Panipuan, Acle,
Suclaban and the sitio of Gangus in Mexico. This plan did
not materialize. |
| 1881
|
Real
Cedula 745 approving the transfer of the provincial capital
of Pampanga from Bacolor to San Fernando is signed on the
11 September. The said transfer will also not materialize. |
| |
|
|
1888 |
Governor
General Luis de la Torre y Villanueva visits the town in order
to discuss solutions to the cholera epidemic which hit the
town after the major fire. |
| 1889 |
The
Palawi Bridge leading to Bacolor and Paralaya Bridge leading
to the town of Mexico are constructed. |
| 1892
|
Governor-General
Eulogio Despujl in Manila Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda inaugurated
the San Fernando railroad on 23 February. It ranked second
to Manila in revenues that year, and thus was the most
important provincial station of the Manila-Dagupan Railroad. |
| |
National
Hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal stops over in the town on 27 June as
part of his mission to recruit members to the La Liga Filipina. |
| 1893 |
The
Municipal Council names the streets of the town and assigns
numbers to the houses on the 28th of January. |
| 1896 |
The
construction of the Puente Colgante is completed in August.
This will later be called the San Fernando River Bridge,
and later, the Baluyut Bridge.
On the 1st of September, the town is declared in a state of
war. Brigadier General Diego de los Rios, arrives
in the town to quell the rebellion. General Ruiz Serralde,
followed by Generals Francisco Castilla, Jaudennes and Ricardo
Monet, replaces him. Peaceis restored a year later as a result
of the Pact of the Biak-na-Bato |
1898 |
The
Philippine Revolutionary Government is established. Antonio
Consunji serves as presidente municipal of the town.
The Red Cross establishes a chapter in the town on the 10
February.
On 26 June, representative from all Pampanga towns, except
Macabebe, gather in San Fernando to swear allegiance to General
Maximino Hizon who was provincial military governor and
representative of General Emilio Aguinaldo.
General Emilio Aguinaldo visits the town on the 9th of
October. |
 |
| 1899 |
Philippine
Revolutionary troops led by General Antonio Luna burned the
casa
municipal, the town church and several houses of the 5th of
May to render them useless to the approaching American forces.
The
American establish a military government with Enrique Kerr
serving as alcalde. |
| 1900 |
Carlos
Kerr becomes alcalde. He is later replaced by Teodoro Limjuco.
Municipal
elections are held on the 7th of September. Francisco Hizon
is elected alcalde, serving until the closure of the military
government the following year. |
| 1901 |
The
Americans establish a civil government in the Philippines.
Francisco Hizon is appointed municipal president. |
| 1902 |
Mariano
Leon Santos is elected municipal president in the first general
elections of the civil government |
| 1904 |
By
virtue of Act No. 1204 signed on the 22nd of July, the Pampanga
provincial government is finally transferred to San Fernando
from Bacolor on the 15th of August. This is done during the
term of Governor Macario Arnedo and Municipal President Juan
Sengson.
The town of Minalin becomes part of San Fernando. It will
later regain its political independence in 1909. |
| 1905
|
Eulalio
castro becomes municipal president. The town of Santo Tomas
is consolidated with San Fernando on 2 January by virtue of
Act. 1208, after the officials take their oath. |
| 1907 |
Vicente
Tiomico becomes municipal president. Construction of the buildings
of the provincial government began.
|
| 1909 |
The
public market is constructed and divided into four areas during
the administration of municipal president Pedro Teopaco. |
| 1910 |
The
first telephone in the town is installed during the term of
Clemente Ocampo. |
| 1914
|
A
new spur of the Manila Railroad Company from San Fernando
to Arayat is completed.
The Parish of Calulut is created making the first barrio in
the province of Pampanga to have its own parish. |
| 1916 |
The
San Fernando Central School building and the San Fernando-Angeles
stretch of the Manila-Tarlac Road are completed. |
| 1917 |
Antonio
Abad Santos is municipal president. The Municipal Government
building is completed. |
| 1921 |
Pampanga
Sugar Development Corporation (PASUDECO) sugar central begins
operations. The company was formed in 1918 by large-scale
planters such as Jose de Leon, Augusto Gonzales, Francisco
Hizon, Jose
Henson, and Manuel Urquico in the San Fernando residence of
Governor Honorio Ventura as part of a plan to construct a
locally financed central. |
| 1922 |
Jose
M. Valencia is elected municipal president. |
| 1927 |
The
San Fernando Light and Power Company (SFELAPCO) is established. |
| 1928 |
The
Pampanga Bus Company (PAMBUSCO) begins its operations. Antonio
Abad Santos is again elected municipal president.
The first Ligligan Parul is held in honor of President Manuel
L. Quezon who was made an honorary son of Pampanga. Doña
Aurora Aragon Quezon awarded the prize. |
| 1930 |
The
San Fernando River Bridge is completed. |
| 1931 |
The
Pampanga Provincial Hospital building is opened. It would
later be named the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital. |
| 1932 |
Jose
M. Valencia is reelected municipal president |
Jose
M. Valencia |
| 1934 |
Urbano D. Dizon is elected municipal president. |
| 1937 |
The
first Constabulary Zone is inaugurated in the town making
it the first military training camp outside Manila. It will
be renamed Camp Olivas in 1939. |
| 1938 |
Vivencio
B. Cuyugan is elected the first municipal mayor during the
Commonwealth Period. |
| 1939 |
President
Manuel L. Quezon proclaims his social justice program on 14
February before a gathering of farmers in front of the Municipal
Government building. |
Pres.
Manuel Quezon Speech |
| 1941 |
Forces
of the Japanese Imperial Army occupy the town and place the
municipal government under its supervision. Rodolfo P. Hizon
serves as municipal mayor. |
| 1942 |
Thousands
of Filipino and American POWs walk from Bataan to San Fernando
Train Station in what will be know as the Bataan Death March.
|
| 1945 |
The
liberation forces under General Douglas MacArthur enter the
town and the commonwealth is restored with Vivencio B. Cuyugan
as municipal mayor. |
| 1946 |
Rodolfo
P. Hizon assumes the office of municipal mayor. |
| 1949 |
The
Rotary Club of San Fernando, Pampanga is chartered in November. |
| 1952 |
The
town of Santo Tomas is separated from San Fernando. |
| 1956 |
Dr.
Miguel G. Baluyut becomes municipal mayor. |
| 1960 |
Levi
Panlilio is elected municipal mayor. |
| 1969 |
Municipal
Mayor Levi Panlilio is assassinated and is replaced by Atty.
Virgilio L. Sanchez. |
| 1972 |
Armando
Biliwang serves as municipal mayor. |
| 1980 |
Col.
Amante Bueno is designated officer-in-charge and serves until
the following year.
The
Assumption College, founded in 1963 by Archbishop Emilio Cinense,
is granted university status by the Ministry of Education,
Culture and Sports making it the first Catholic University
in Pampanga.
Governor Jose B. Lingad is assassinated in Barangay San Agustin
on 16 december making him the first of the Marcos political
opponents to fall under the hands of the military. Lingad
preceded a list of political martyrs that would later include
Ninoy Aquino and Evelio Javier of Antique. |
| 1981 |
Atty.
Vicente A. Macalino is designated officer-in-charge. |
| 1983 |
Atty.
Virgilio L. Sanchez assumes the position of municipal mayor
anew. |
1986 |
Mayor
Paterno Guevarra is sworn in as officer-in-charge of the town
following the successful People Power Revolution that topples
the Marcos dictatorship. He is later elected municipal mayor. |
| 1988 |
Dr.
Diosdado P. Canlas serves as acting mayor during the first
municipal elections after People Power. |
| 1989 |
The
Pampanga Convention Center and Sports Complex is opened. It
will later renamed in honor of former Pampanga Governor Bren
Z. Guiao. |
| 1990 |
President
Corazon C. Aquino inaugurates Paskuhan Village, the first
Christmas village in Asia and the third of its kind in the
world. |
| 1991 |
Mount
Pinatubo erupts after over six hundred years of dormancy hurling
a layer of ash and volcanic debris on the town. |
| 1995 |
Dr.
Rey B. Aquino is elected municipal mayor.
Later
in the year, typhoon Mameng strikes on the 1st of October
unleashing floodwaters and mudflows from Mt. Pinatubo into
the town. The Barangays of Sto. Nino, San Juan, san Pedro
Cutud and Magliman are severly damaged by lahar. The citizens
of San Fernando rally to save the town by raising funds to
build the St. Ferdinand Peoples Dike. |
| 1996 |
The
Megadike is constructed preventing further damage to the town. |
| 1997 |
Mayor
Rey B. Aquino and Senator Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo launch the
campaign for cityhood on 6 January. On 27 April, Rep. Oscar
Rodriguez files House Bill No. 9267 creating the City of San
Fernando. |
| 1998 |
The
first-ever Sinukwan Festival is held in the town. |
| 1999 |
San
Fernando receives the galling Pook ward for its project “Breaking
Financial Barriers.” |
| 2000 |
House
Speaker Arnulfo Fuentabelle and Senate President Aquilino
Q. Pimentel sign the approval city charter of San Fernando
on 4 December and 13 December respectively. |
| 2001 |
The
town is converted into a component city on the 4th of February
following the ratification of RA 8990 in a plebiscite the
previous day. Dr. Rey B. Aquino becomes the mayor. |
| 2002 |
A
year after becoming a city, San Fernando is adjudged the Most
competitive City in the Philippines (Small City Category)
in a study by the Asian Institute of Management. |
| 2003 |
San
Fernando is adjudged the Second Most Competitive City in the
Philippines (Mid-Sized City Category) in a study by the Asian
Institute of management
The
First-ever Piestnag Tugak (San Fernando Frog festival) is
Held as part of the cultural revival campaign of the city.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arrpyo together with Tourism Secretary
Richard Gordon inaugurated WOW Philippines Hilaga –
Northern Philippines Village, making San Fernando a gateway
to Northern Luzon. |
| |
Monumento
Fernandino, the imposing 30-foot bronze monument symbolizing
the triumph of the Fernandino, is completed in December. |
 |
| 2004 |
The
City of San Fernando celebrates its 3rd Cityhood Anniversary
with a 1-kilometer longganiza from Pampanga’s Best and
the Saklitan Burarol Festival. The City also commemorates
the 250th Anniversary of its foundation in 1754. “Project:
REY”, “City Solid Waste Management Program”
and Preserving Heritage for Progress’” the heritage
conservation and cultural program of the city were included
in the Top 20 Best Practices of the League of Cities of the
Philippines with the later being adjudged as one of the Top
10.
Atty. Oscar S. Rodriguez is elected City Mayor. |
