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The Municipality of Concepcion, in southeastern Tarlac, is a 245.7 sq. kilometers of�� verdant plain that conjuncts the melting pot province with Pampanga and Nueva Ecija in the heartland of Luzon. Except for the imposing Mt. Arayat on the backdrop, the terrain is generally low-leveled and as such has served as a catch-basin of the province. Two large rivers, the Parua and Lucong, aside from a network of tributaries, have provided the water needs, though at times have overdone themselves by encouraging devastating floods at so many nodes in the town/s history. |
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THE SPANISH PERIOD (1605 - 1892) |
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The history of Concepcion could be traced as early as 1605, almost forty years after the Christianization of the Philippines in 1565 and the arrival of the Spaniards in Luzon in 1571. At this incipient period, local historical traditions and some Spanish and Augustinian (the friar order that commenced the evangelization of the area as well as the whole of the Philippines) mentioned the existence of a pioneering pseudo-town (balen-balenan) known as Macapsa, among the barrios of Almendras, Malabug, and Sabanang Tugui� (located between the present towns of Magalang and Concepcion) and which came to be known as Magalang.� Not much had lingered about Macapsa except for the fact that during the Andres Malong Rebellion, in the ending months of 1660, it became a sanctuary for some troops of the Pangasinense rebel and which caused its initial abandonment by the inhabitants. |
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By the 1700s, records show the site of Magalang to be in San Bartolome and its church dedicated to St. Bartholomew the Apostle. In 1842, for example, (San Bartolome de) Magalang, 'which served as a vestibule to the provinces of Pangasinan and Ilocos' had 1,2070 and � tribute-payers (roughly around 5,000 population) with eleven barrios.� Among the old barrios that could be related to the present town of Concepcion included Sta Rita, Macaualu (Santiago), Matondo (Sto.Ni�o), Bucsit (Sta.Rosa), and Garlit (Murcia), aside from the poblacion� (San Bartolome) itself.�� |
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A massive flood of September 22, 1858 dissolved for the second time the town of� (San Bartolome de) Magalang (which has devolved into a barrio hence and presently it belongs to Concepcion).� An account of the then Comandante, Sebastian Hernandez, related that the flooded town had the semblance of a lake At the time of the catastrophe, until 1864, the Magalang-Concepcion parish accounted for 10,053 souls. People abandoned San Bartolome and it became known as 'Balen a Melacuan (Abandoned Town)'. |
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Archival documents relate other interesting facts that were never incorporated in our present information on the history of Concepcion.� In the early months of 1858 (prior to September 22) a Royal Decree was already passed creating the town of Concepcion, which consisted of some barrios of Magalang (i.e., Matondo, Sta. Rita and others) and Tarlac. It is noteworthy that the Parua River was then considered as the demarcation between Magalang and the new town. Unfortunately, the massive flood of September 22, 1858 engulfed this settlement, together with that of Magalang. |
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It was only five years and three months later that the towns were rehabilitated (on December 13 and 14 respectively) and it was only by this time that the exodus of the long-considered pioneering families of Concepcion materialized.� It could be pointed out, at this juncture, that the naming of Concepcion in its former site of Sto. Ni�o - Matondo already took place prior to the deluge and that there were already settlers in the area of Matondo. |
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The Re-Foundation of the Towns of Magalang and Concepcion |
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Around that year (1863), the displaced people of Magalang decided to resuscitate the town by moving southward, in an area known as Talimundoc or San Pedro. They were led by Don Pablo Luciano. However, some of the families disagreed with the act and moved northward instead to resurrect as well the ill-fated town of Concepcion a day after. Their first destination was a sylvan district called Matondo or Matandoc (now Sto. Ni�o) where they made clearings for their settlements.� A story had it that the place was full of snakes and it was the intervention of Apung Concepcion that freed the settlers from the much feared reptiles. Of course, the icon of the Immaculate Conception was that of the Blessed Mother trampling upon a snake and the faithful people, known for their fervor, had attributed this as a miracle and thus renamed the place Concepcion in Her honor. This legend about Apung La Purisima Concepcion is now an indispensable part of our available data on the history of the town. |
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The resuscitated town of Magalang-Concepcion and the subsequent binary independent pueblos were parcels of the Comandancia Militar de Tarlac, a semi-provincial, politico-military set-up that was aimed to prevent lawlessness in the vicinity then largely a hinterland. Interestingly, the Commandancy was instituted in 1858, at the exact year of the deluge, and was in existence for more than a decade.� |
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In the listing of gobernadorcillos of Concepcion, the second (after Don Pablo Luciano, who administered both towns until their separation) was Don Honorio Yumul (1864-65) and it is most probable that it was during his tenure that the town gained its independence from the matriz of Magalang. Thereafter, on August 20, 1866, the Archbishop of Manila also created an independent parish for the new town and it was dedicated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.� However, it was only seven years later, on July 2, 1873, that the new parish would be having its own cura parroco, Fr. Nicolas Guadilla, OSA.� Fr. Guadilla would be in Concepcion until January 3, 1880. For his contributions and evangelical labor, one of the prominent streets of Concepcion was named in his honor. |
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It was also on the year of arrival of Fr. Guadilla in Concepcion that the Province of Tarlac was created. The town hitherto became a principal municipality of the youngest province of Central Luzon. |
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THE KATIPUNAN AND THE PHILIPPINE REVOLUTION, 1892-1900 |
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A score later, the youth of both the province and the town was not a deterrent in the commencement of the revolutionary struggle in this portion of the Philippine soil. In 1896, Tarlac was one of the first eight provinces that fought openly against Spanish oppression. Concepcion, in particular, was already ripe enough to contribute in such activities. By 1893, for example, a Masonic lodge, Paraoao, was already convened by W.M. Celestion Aragon in the town. By December of 1896, General Mariano Llanera of Nueva Ecija had included Concepcion in its battle of operations. Synchronously, through the initiative of General Francisco S. Makabulos, the would-be General Servillano Aquino had formed a Katipunan chapter in the town, known as Buenavista.� Many prominent citizens of Concepcion, including Don Andres Yumul, Don Felix Yumul, Major Raimundo Panlilio, and Don Cayetano Rivera helped much in the recruitment of Katipunan members and the fanning of the revolutionary flame. |
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It was in 1898 that Concepcion was finally liberated from Spanish colonial-rule. During this period, the Municipal President of the Aguinaldo Republic in the town was Don Moises Castro.� In the subsequent Philippine-American War, Concepcion was also the encampment of various revolutionary brigades, particularly those of Generals Venancio Concepcion, Luciano San Miguel, and Servillano Aquino. It was in the borderlines of the town that the fiercest skirmishes between Filipino and American soldiers in Tarlac province took place. |
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THE AMERICAN PERIOD, THE JAPANESE PERIOD, and THE LIBERATION |
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In 1901, Captain James Smith established the American Government in the town and appointed Don Marciano Barrera as the first Filipino Municipal President. At that year, public education started was also started in the town by American teachers (particularly Mr. Frank Russell White and later Mr. L.H. Bonelli, Jr.) and their Filipino counterparts at the escuelang laun (which also became known as Gabaldon later, now the Concepcion South Central School).� |
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�In 1935, during the Commonwealth Period, Don Gregorio Palma was installed as the Municipal President. |
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During the Japanese Occupation of 1942, Hon. Nicolas Y. Feliciano served as the mayor. When the Japanese forces left Concepcion in 1945, the HUKBALAHAPs lodged a provisional government in the municipio which lasted up to three weeks.� The US Civilian Intelligence Corps restored the erstwhile Commonwealth government in the town and installed Judge Alfredo Castro as the provisional mayor. In 1948, Concepcion had 30,785 population. |
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THE RECENT AND CONTINUING HISTORY |
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For some time until the middle of this present century, Concepcion continued to be a hotbed of dissidence. Things have changed, however, and it is now one of the most peaceful places in Central Luzon. Concepcion is also the native land of heroes who have made the Filipinos worth dying for, particularly the late senator, Benigno ?Ninoy? Aquino, Jr., who served as its mayor from 1956 to 1959. The current mayor is Hon. Noel L.Villanueva. |
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Presently, Concepcion is a first-class municipality and a hub of dynamic economic activities in Tarlac. A 1993 survey placed its population at 115,138, one of the largest in the whole province.��� |
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Lino L. Dizon |
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Director, Center for Tarlaque�o Studies, Tarlac State University |
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All rights reserved |
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Back to Concepcion Photo-History |
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