Caloocan

Caloocan
Highly Urbanized City
City of Caloocan
Caloocan City Hall (South)
Flag Seal
Nickname(s):  Historic City of Caloocan
Motto(s):  Tao ang Una
Anthem: "Caloocan, Mabuhay Ka"
Map of Metro Manila with Caloocan highlighted
Caloocan Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 14°39′N 120°58′E / 14.65°N 120.97°E / 14.65; 120.97Coordinates: 14°39′N 120°58′E / 14.65°N 120.97°E / 14.65; 120.97
Country	Philippines
Region	National Capital Region (NCR)
Province	none (Former part of Rizal province until 1975)
District	1st and 2nd Districts
Founded	1815
Cityhood	February 16, 1962
Highly Urbanized City	December 22, 1979
Barangays	188 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Panlungsod
• Mayor	Oscar Malapitan
• Vice Mayor	Macario Asistio III
• Representative, 1st District	Dale Gonzalo Malapitan
• Representative, 2nd District	Edgar Erice
• Electorate	648,933 voters (2016)
Area  [2]
• Total	55.80 km2 (21.54 sq mi)
Population (2015 census)[3]
• Total	1,583,978
• Density	28,000/km2 (74,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	1400–1413, 1420–1428
PSGC	137501000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)02
Climate type	Tropical monsoon climate
Income class	1st city income class
Revenue (₱)	4,384.4 million  (2016)
Native languages	Tagalog
Website	www.caloocancity.gov.ph

Caloocan, officially the City of Caloocan, (Tagalog: Lungsod ng Caloocan), or simply known as Caloocan City, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 1,583,978 people^[3] making it as the fourth most populous city in the Philippines.

It is divided into two geographical locations with a total combined area of 5,333.40 hectares. It was formerly part of the Province of Rizal of the Philippines' Southern Luzon Region. The city's name is colloquially spelled as Kalookan. It comprises what is known as the CAMANAVA area along with cities Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela.

The word caloocan comes from the Tagalog root word lo-ok; kalook-lookan (or kaloob-looban) means "innermost area". South Caloocan is bordered by Manila, Quezon City, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela. North Caloocan shares its border with Quezon City, Valenzuela and Marilao, Meycauayan and San Jose del Monte in the province of Bulacan.

History[edit]

The ammunition train and reserves of the 20th Kansas Volunteers, Col. Frederick R. Funston, marching through Caloocan at night after the battle of February 10.

Originally, Caloocan was a lowland area located on the corner where the old town of Tondo and Tambobong meet. Caloocan became a municipality when it was separated from Tondo in 1815. Its original territory was extended to Marikina, San Mateo and Montalban to the east; Tinajeros, Tanza and Tala rivers to the north; San Francisco del Monte, Sampalok, Sta. Cruz and Tondo in the south; and Dagat-dagatan and Aromahan to the west.^[4]

The city is historically significant because it was the center of activities for the Katipunan, the secret militant society that launched the Philippine Revolution during the Spanish occupation of the Philippines. In a house in Caloocan secret meetings were held by Andrés Bonifacio and his men, and it was in the city's perimeters where the first armed encounter took place between the Katipunan and the Spaniards. The revolution erupted after the Cry of Balintawak led by Andres Bonifacio

In 1899 the city saw heavy fighting in the Philippine–American War, at the Battle of Caloocan and the Second Battle of Caloocan.

In 1901, during the formation of the province of Rizal, Caloocan was included in its matrix. Novaliches became part of Caloocan pursuant to Act 942, as amended by Act 984 and Act 1008 of the Philippine Commission, which was transferred in 1949 for the formation of Quezon City.

In 1961, after Republic Act No. 3278 was approved by the Philippine Congress and the plebiscite was conducted. Caloocan was officially inducted into cityhood on February 16, 1962

Territorial changes[edit]

Caloocan once encompassed a much larger, contiguous area. The districts of Balintawak, La Loma and Novaliches were once part of Caloocan. Balintawak is a historic district because it was the original site of the "Cry of Pugad Lawin" (Unang Sigaw sa Balintawak) at a location called "Kang-kong" near Tandang Sora's house. Novaliches was an expansive sector with some hillsides that served as meeting places and hideouts for Andrés Bonifacio and the Katipunan.

By the 1920s there was a consolidation of several municipalities. Caloocan annexed the neighbouring town of Novaliches, as stated in the Act 942, as amended by Acts 984 and 1008 of the Philippine Commission, bringing its total area to about 15,000 hectares. It extended to the foothills of Marikina, San Mateo and Montalban in the east; Tinajeros, Tanza and Tala rivers in the north; San Francisco del Monte, Sampalok, Sta. Cruz and Tondo in the south; and Dagat-Dagatan or Aromahan in the west.

When Quezon City was created in 1939, Caloocan ceded 1,500 hectares of land from the barrios or sitios of Balintawák, Balingasa, Kaingin, Kangkong, La Loma, Malamig, Matalahib, Masambong, Galas, San Isidro, San José, Santol and Tatalon. Instead of opposing the transfer, Caloocan residents willingly gave the land in the belief it will benefit the country's new capital city.

However, in 1949, Congress passed Republic Act No. 333, which redefined the Caloocan-Quezon City boundary. The barrios of Baesa, Talipapâ, San Bartolomé, Pasong Tamó, Novaliches, Banlat, Kabuyao, Pugad Lawin, Bagbag, Pasong Putik, which once belonged to Novaliches and had an area of about 8,100 hectares, were excised from Caloocan. The remaining portion of the Novaliches is now called North Caloocan. This split Caloocan into two parts: a southern section that is more urbanised, and a northern section that became suburban-rural.

Geography[edit]

Caloocan is divided into two non-contiguous areas. Southern Caloocan lies directly north of the Manila and is bounded by Malabon and Valenzuela to the north and west, Navotas to the west, and Quezon City to the east. Northern Caloocan is the northernmost territory of Metro Manila which most residents call Novaliches, Caloocan; it lies east of Valenzuela, north of Quezon City, and south of San Jose del Monte, Meycauayan and Marilao in the province of Bulacan. Caloocan's northern part is much larger than its southern half.

Barangays[edit]

Caloocan is divided into 188 barangays. The city uses a hybrid system for its barangays. All barangays have their corresponding numbers but only a few — mostly in the northern part — have corresponding names. However, names of barrios and districts do not necessarily coincide with barangay perimeters. Barangays in southern Caloocan are smaller compared to their northern counterparts.

Among the cities in Metro Manila, only Manila, Pasay and Caloocan implement the so-called "Zone Systems". A zone is a group of barangays in a district. Although a zone is considered a subdivision in the local government units, the people do not elect a leader for the zone in a popular election similar to the normal barangay or local elections. The zoning system is merely for statistical purposes. Caloocan has 16 zones. The biggest zone in Caloocan is Zone 15 in District 1 (North Caloocan) directly west of the second biggest zone in Caloocan which is Zone 16.

Barangay Bagong Silang (176) is the most populous barangay in the entire country with a population of 246,515 people.^[3]

In 1957, the sitio of Bagbagin was separated from the barrio of Kaybiga and converted into a distinct barrio known as barrio Bagbagin.^[5]

Demographics[edit]

As of 2015, the city has a population of 1,583,978 people, which makes it the fourth largest city in the Philippines in population.^[3] Under the same census year, Caloocan South (Barangays 1 to 164) has a population of 585,091 and Caloocan North (Barangays 165 to 188) has a population of 998,887.

The population density of Caloocan (28,387 persons per square kilometer) surpasses that of the NCR population density.^[25]

Of the country’s 238 legislative districts (LDs), the First LD of Caloocan was the biggest in terms of population size, with 1.19 million persons.^[26]

Most residents speak both Filipino and English, with considerable numbers speaking other languages and dialects.

Like many other places in the country, Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion. There is a significant presence of Iglesia ni Cristo and other Protestant churches like Church of God Caloocan located at Baesa, Caloocan City.

Economy[edit]

Caloocan's 10th Avenue area is well known for the clusters of motorcycle dealers and motorcycle spare parts dealers. Among the major and famous streets are P. Zamora Street and A. Mabini Street.

Numerous banks have branches in the city such as Banco de Oro, East West Bank, MetroBank, Maybank, Chinabank, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Our Lady of Grace Credit Cooperative, etc.

The city also has a number of shopping malls and stand-alone supermarkets and hypermarkets including the former Ever Gotesco Grand Central (and future SM City Grand Central), Puregold Maypajo, Monumento and Caloocan, Victory Central Mall, Puregold Monumento, Araneta Square, Uniwide Warehouse Club Monumento, SM Hypermarket Monumento, and SM Center Sangandaan which are in Monumento area in the south. In the north, there are two shopping malls serving the residents of Bagong Silang and Camarin, namely, Zabarte Town Center, Holiday Island Mall and Metroplaza Mall. Savemore Market have three branches which are located in Kiko Camarin in Barangay 178 (Kiko Camarin), Zabarte inside Zabarte Town Center, Kaybiga and Primark Deparo. Puregold Price Club also opened three branches in North Caloocan which are located in Zabarte, Bagong Silang and Deparo. In 2017, Primark Town Center Deparo started to serve the residents of Deparo and the nearby barangays of Bagumbong and Llano.

Manila North Tollways Corporation (the concession holder of the North Luzon Expressway), is headquartered in Caloocan. The North Luzon Expressway, through Segment 10.1 also traverses through Caloocan from the right-of-way of the Philippine National Railways.

Local government[edit]

The north end of EDSA in Caloocan

List of Mayors and Vice Mayors[edit]

Infrastructure[edit]

Transportation[edit]

The Balintawak Toll Barrier of the North Luzon Expressway.

The Line 1 has a terminal at Monumento that passes through the city's 5th Avenue LRT Station. The railway traverses Rizal Avenue Extension and enters the City of Manila and Pasay City. The stretch can be traveled in about 30 minutes. Philippine National Railways also has a line, with its terminal at Samson Road, and passes through Caloocan railway station, 10th Avenue railway station, and 5th Avenue railway station. The currently under construction Line 7 had also proposed two stations located at the northern part of Caloocan that will be passing at Sacred Heart and Tala.

The city has an extensive network of roads, the most prominent being Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, which begins in the Monumento area. The North Luzon Expressway's Operations and Maintenance Center and the motorway's Balintawak Toll Barrier are in Caloocan.

Bus line Victory Liner Incorporated has its headquarters and terminal along in Rizal Avenue Extension near the Monumento Station.

Landmarks[edit]

The city's most celebrated landmark is the monument to the revolutionary Andrés Bonifacio, which stands on a roundabout at the northern terminus of EDSA. The memorial was erected in 1933, and consists of an obelisk with sculptures by National Artist Guillermo Tolentino. The monument marks the very first battle of the Philippine Revolution on 3 August 1896.

Recent renovations have been made on the environs of the monument, including the Bonifacio Circle, its former site, and the Caloocan stretch of EDSA, which is 100 metres away from the landmark. The whole area is known as 'Monumento'.

South City hall stands in a rectangular lot bordered by 8th and 9th Streets and 8th and 9th Avenues in the southern part of the city. The second old south city hall stands today at A. Mabini Street across from San Roque Parish Cathedral. There is also the North City hall serving the northern part of the city. The city's District Office of the Bureau of Internal Revenue is along EDSA.

Police[edit]

The Caloocan City Police Station is under the parent agency National Capital Region Police Office's Northern Police District of the Philippine National Police.

The whole Caloocan City police force was recently sacked after a series of crimes, including killings and robberies, were committed by its members. However, instead of dismissing the erring police officers, they were scheduled to be retrained by PNP Chief Ronald Dela Rosa.

Education[edit]

The city's one public university is the University of Caloocan City (formerly Caloocan City Community College in 1971 and Caloocan City Polytechnic College in 1975). Other educational institutions offering tertiary education include University of the East Caloocan, Manila Central University, La Consolacion College-Caloocan, and La Consolacion College-Novaliches, among others.

There are also several public and private schools catering to K12 such as Caloocan National Science and Technology High School (North Caloocan's first-ever science and technology high school; its students are admitted if they pass a competitive examination), Caloocan City Science High School, Caloocan City Business High School, Caloocan High School, Amparo High School, Maria Clara High School, Notre Dame of Greater Manila, Philippine Cultural College (Annex), Holy Infant Montessori Center, Northern Rizal Yorklin School, St. Mary's Academy of Caloocan City, Bagumbong High School (Main and Annex), Camarin High School, Tala High School, Manuel Luis Quezon High School, Sampaguita High School, Cielito Zamora High School, Bagong Silang High School, National Housing Corporation High School (NHC HS), Genesis Christian Academy of Caloocan, Kalayaan National High School, Deparo High School, Escuela de Sophia of Caloocan, Inc., Guardian Angel School, Saint Benedict School of Novaliches, Saint Dominic Savio School of Caloocan City, Saint Andrew School MHANLE Inc., Immaculada Concepcion College, Systems Plus Computer College, St. Gabriel Academy, Asian Institute of Computer Studies - Caloocan, St. Clare College of Caloocan, Mystical Rose School of Caloocan, Holy Angel School of Caloocan Inc. , St. Agnes Academy of Caloocan Inc., St. Therese of Rose School, Young Achievers School of Caloocan, St. Joseph College of Novaliches, St. Raphaela Mary School of Caloocan, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, Maranatha Christian Academy of Caloocan (Camarin), Kasarinlan High School, Camarin Elementary School and the two campuses of La Consolacion College (one is in Novaliches in the northern part and the other is on the southern part, near city hall).

There is a campus of Access Computer College, AMA Computer College Campus, a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution and STI Academic Center Caloocan at the Samson Road Road corner Caimito Road in front of UE Caloocan.

Twin towns – sister cities[edit]

Local[edit]

• Calamba, Laguna
• Malabon, Metro Manila
• San Jose del Monte, Bulacan

International[edit]

• Incheon, South Korea^[28]

Gallery[edit]

• 

  A century-old Taoist temple, near Line 1 5th Avenue Station.

• 

  Caloocan Sports Complex

• 

  Bonifacio Monument

• 

  View of Brgy. 15 and 16 from City Hall

• 

  Regional Trial Courts, Halls of Justice

• 

  Vicariate of Our Lady of Grace, Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Grace, Roman Catholic Diocese of Kalookan

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Caloocan.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Caloocan City.

• Official website
• History of Caloocan City, Philippines
• Geographic data related to Caloocan at OpenStreetMap