HOME SWEET HOME!
Ninoy S. Aquino: "History teaches us a very important lesson, that retribution and hate will never prevail. Countries, like Costa Rica, Japan and Sweden, are good examples in which positive economic and diplomatic relationship with neighbors will have prosperity coming a long way in the right direction rather than going to war. History also tells us that people never wanted war; it is the government and its leaders that wanted it."
History of Concepcion
Note: Concepcion Tarlac Homepage is grateful to Former Congressman Hermie Aquino for the information in this page.
Concepcion is one of the largest municipalities of the Province of Tarlac. It is 7.5 Kilometers from the Capas junction on the McArthur Highway. It lies on the southeastern tip of the province OF Tarlac, bordered in the south by Pampanga, in the east by Nueva Ecija, in the northeast by La Paz, in the northwest by Tarlac, in the west by Capas and in the southwest by Bamban. It covers an area of 245.7 sq. kms. and populated by 103,081 (1990 NCSO Census)/115,138 (Municipal Survey) inhabitants. It has two great rivers, the Lucong and the Parua river, both irrigate all the agricultural lands, consisting mainly of rice and sugar crops, of the town which at times overflow and devastate crops and lives.
Historical Background
In 1860, Concepcion and Magalang towns once comprised a single town named San Bartolome (presently an abandoned town and a Barangay of Concepcion) which was a Military "Commandancia" of Pampanga under the Spanish regime.
A great inundation devastated the whole settlement of then San Bartolome in 1863 and the people were left with no other choice but to abandon the place. It was also at this point when the people were divided as to the place where they are to resettle. Some went North and others went South. The first group headed by Don Pablo Luciano, the Governadorcillo, organized their own settlement in the slope of Mt. Arayat down South and named the settlement after him. Eventually, the place was renamed Magalang. The second group who took refuge up North comprised the Yumuls, Castros, Dizons, Pinedas, Felicianos, Aquinos, Cortezes, Bermudezes, and many others and settled to a place now called Sto. Nino. Most of the settlers became dissatisfied with the place as it abound with snakes and scarce in water.
They moved further South to a place where Concepcion now stands. The settlers began clearing the land and built huts and roads and after several years they named their place Concepcion after their patron saint, Immaculate Concepcion, who is believed to be miraculous and to possess power over snakes that abound the place.
From the catastrophic event (inundation) to the present, the prominent officials who played their respective roles in making the town of Concpcion what it is today, were the following, arranged in chronological order:
SPANISH REGIME:
Don Pablo Luciano (1863-64)
Don Honorio Yumul (1864-65)
Don Nicolas Pineda (1865-66)
Don Clemente Laxamana (1866-67)
Don Pablo Quiambao (1871-73)
Don Modestro Castro (1873-77)
Don Domingo de los Reyes (1877-79)
Don Mariano Cortez (1879-81)
Don Melencio Aquino (1881-83)
Don Cayetano Pineda (1883-85)
Don Braulio Aquino (1885-87)
Don Narciso Cortez (1887-90)
Don Carlos Feliciano (1890-91)
Don Lucas Yumul (1891-92)
Don Gil de Liza (1892-93)
Don Felix Yumul (1893-94)
Don Feliciano Pabalan (1894-95)
Don Marciano Cortez (1895-96)
Don Felix Yumul (1896-98)
SHORT-LIVED PHILIPPINE REPUBLIC:
Don Moises Castro 1898-1900
AMERICAN REGIME:
Don Marciano Barrera (1900-03)
Don Patricio (1903-05)
Don Pedro Sanchez (1905-07
)
Don Santiago Mallari (1907-09)
Don Rufino Lulu (1909-12)
Don Modesto Yumul (1912-15)
Don Jose Cortes (1915-18)
Don Santiago Mallari (1918-21)
Don Carlos Soliman (1921-24)
Don Gregorio Palma (1926-31)
Don Jose Dizon (1931-34)
COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT:
Don Gregorio Palma (1934-37)
Don Sergio Aquino (1937-41)
JAPANESE REGIME:
Mayor Nicolas Feliciano (1942-44)
Mayor Romeo Yumul (1944-45)
COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT:
Mayor Alfredo Castro (1945-46)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES:
Mayor Nicolas Feliciano (946-59)
Mayor Benigno Aquino Jr. (1956-59)
Vice Mayor Romeo Yumul (took over)
Mayor Romeo Yumul (1960-63)
Mayor Nicolas Feliciano (1964-67)
Mayor Rafael Suarez (1968-71)
Mayor Nicolas Feliciano Jr 1972-86
OIC Alfredo Avena (1986-87)
OIC Benito Cuenco (1987)
OIC Danilo David (1987)
Mayor Danilo David (1987-92)
Mayor Alfredo Avena (1992- present)
When the Japanese Forces left Concepcion, the Hukbalahap put up a provisional government in the municipal building which lasted three weeks, after which the Commonwealth government was restored by the U.S. Civilian Intelligence Corps, installing Judge Alfredo Castro as the provincial Mayor during the post liberation period.
IMPORTANT EVENTS:
1863
Catastrophic flood devastated the whole town of San Bartolome which gave birth to the towns of Concepcion and Magalang.
1897
Katipunan was organized under General Servillano Aquino.
1898-1900
First Municipal President Moises Castro was elected under the short-lived Philippine Republic
under General Emilio Aguinaldo.
1900
General Servillano Aquino was captured by the Americans and sentenced to hang.
1902
Captain Smith established the First American government in town and appointed Don Marciano
Barrera as the First Filipino President.
1904
General Aquino was pardoned by order of the President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt.
1911
Gabaldon School Building was constructed costing about fifty thousand pesos (P 50,000.00).
1918
Influenza epidemic hit town and people died by hundreds.
1929
Municipal building was constructed worth fifty thousand pesos (P 50,000.00) and two bandstand worth five thousand pesos (P 5000.00) each.
1935
Commonwealth government was installed with Don Gregorio Palma as the Municipal President.
1939
The town plaza was fenced costing twenty thousand pesos (P 20,000.00) and named Don Benigno
S. Aquino Sr. Memorial Park.
1942
The Japanese Occupation of the town began, a period of brutalities and killings.
December 27, 1944
Japanese Occupation Forces left the town, Hukbalahap took over until January, 1945.
1945
Commonwealth government was reestablished in the town.
1946
Independence Day, General Servillano Aquino and Reymundo Panlilio hoisted the Philippine flag in a simple but solemn ceremony at the Benigno Aquino memorial Park.
1948
Benigno Aquino Memorial High School was established.
1950
Citizen's Army was organized to fight communism in all its form.
1951
The town won as the cleanest and the most beautiful town in the Provincial Clean-up Week.
1952
A municipal library was established.
1962
Concepcion was divided into two school districts.
1963
Concepcion was divided into three school districts.
1971
Concepcion was divided into four school districts.
1972
Forty days of continuous rain put the town under water.
President Marcos placed the whole Philippines under Martial Law
1973
Concepcion Emergency Hospital was established.
1974
Lucong Bridge was reconstructed under the US-RP Aid and Barangay Market was constructed.
1975
The Concepcion Public Library building was constructed.
June 1977
Concepcion Jaycees, Inc. was organized.
June 17, 1978
Concepcion Educational Foundation (CEFI) was organized.
April 7, 1979
Rotary Club of Southern Tarlac (RCST) was organized.
October 8, 1979
Land Bank of the Philippines, Concepcion Field Office was established.
August, 1980
Concepcion water District was established.
September 25, 1980
Concepcion Water District took over the reins of MWSS.
April 28, 1981
District ElectrificationCommittee was organized preparatory to the organization of the Electric Cooperative.
June 8, 1981
Tarlac II Electric Cooperative was established covering the municipalities of Bamban, Capas, La Paz and Concepcion (Tarlac) and Zaragoza (Nueva Ecija) with Mr. Feliciano S. Garcia as President.
February 28, 1972
The Assemblywoman Mercedes C. Teodore overflow Bridge was constructed at Padpad, San Jose, Concepcion, Tarlac.
August 1, 1982
TARELCO II took over the reins of Compana Luz Electrica (CLE).
March 14,1983
Barangay San Nicolas Balas became the first Barangay to be energized by the TARELCO II.
March 19, 1983
Inauguration of the approaches of the Parua River.
August 21, 1983
Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino was assassinated.
1983
Aquino Memorial High School was reconstructed.
1984
The Public Market was reconstructed under the Economic Support Fund Secretariat.
1985
Snap Elections, Corazon C. Aquino , the widow of the late Ninoy Aquino was undeclared winner.
February 22-25, 1986
EDSA Revolution, Corazon Aquino became the President while Alfredo Avena was declared Officer in Charge of the Office of the Mayor.
1986
A Plebiscite for the approval of the revised Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines was held.
1987
Ninoy Aquino bronze statue was erected in front of the municipal building while Herminio S. Aquino was elected the Congressman for the 3rd District of Tarlac.
1987-88
Concreting of the Concepcion - Magalang road.
1988
Danilo D. David was elected Mayor of Concepcion.
May 1989
Election of Barangay Captains.
July 1989
Budget Secretary Guillermo Carague turned over the check worth P14 Million (Fourteen Million Pesos) to purchase heavy equipment to the municipal government thru Mayor Danilo D. David. (Purchase was later made by the municipal government).
July 16, 1990
Killer quake devastated Barangay Sto Nino, Sta. Cruz, Corazon de Jesus, Pitabunan Talimundoc, San Miguel, and partly destroyed the Immaculate Concepcion Church.
June 12, 1991
Mt. Pinatubo erupted bringing about far reaching adverse consequences for the whole Town.
July 22, 1991
Lahar (Flowing mud and volcanic debris) destroys Parua river dikes and wreaks havoc on nearby barangays and totally destroys Barangay San Martin , Malupa and the Southern portion of Barangay Sta. Rita.
1992
Evacuees were resettled at the Camp O'Donnell.
May, 1992
Alfredo P. Avena was elected as the Mayor of Concepcion.
December, 1993
The construction of the Concepcion Training Center began.
January 27, 1994
Aquino Memorial High School was renamed Benigno S. Aquino National High School by virtue of House Bill no. 4952 authored by Rep. Herminio S. Aquino and was enacted into law on May 4, 1994 as R.A.. 7703.
Return to Home