San Fernando

Introduction

The town of San Fernando in Pampanga was founded on August 16, 1754, as a breakaway from the towns of Mexico and Bacolor due to population increase. San Fernando became a town after the establishment of the first church took place followed by the construction of the municipal tribunal the year after at the town plaza under the administration of the first gobernadorcillo, Don Vidal de Arrozal. Local history has it that Pampanga’s San Fernando was named after King Ferdinand VI of Spain and placed under the patronage of Saint Ferdinand III of Castile and Leon. The celebration of the patron’s feast at the town is celebrated every 30th of May, which is also the town’s fiesta.

Since 1812, about 30 mayors were recorded to have served the town until 1886. It then became a city on February 4, 2001, after former Senate President Aquino Pimentel Jr. and former House Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella signed the House Bill No. 9267 for the cityhood of San Fernando. The campaign for the creation of San Fernando as a city was started by former Mayor Rey B. Aquino and former Senator Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The history of the labor movement in the Philippines can also be traced here in San Fernando where the first labor union was organized and headed by Hermegildo Cruz called the Union de Lithografos y Impresores de Filipinas (ULIF).

Population

When San Fernando was founded in 1754, about 200 taxpayers from Bacolor and about 400 from Mexico were sent to reside in the town to provide revenues that will sustain the new church. The first families in the town are the Arrozal, Catacutan, and David. The earliest recorded population of San Fernando City started from 13,556 in 1903 and increased to 306,659 in 2015 based on the 2015 census from the Philippine Statistics Authority. The highest population growth recorded was in 1970 which totaled to 84,362 and showed a 4.02% increase from the recorded population of 56,862 in 1960. The NSO also reported in 2003 and 2007 that the average household size in San Fernando were 5.00 and 4.96, respectively.

The growth of the population of the San Fernando town can be attributed from the sugar boom in the Pampanga province. It was the construction of the San Fernando Train Station that made this possible after its opening on February 23, 1982 as a part of the Manila-Dagupan Railway system between Bagbag and Mabacalat. The high growth rate for the population was also due to in-migration being the region’s central location. San Fernando is the 3rd district of Pampanga with 35 barangays and has registered voters of 143,768 as of 2016.

(Photo via RJD Explorer)

Culture

A majority of the San Fernando residents are Roman Catholics while other religions in the city are Protestantism and other Christian organizations. San Fernando also has several local events and festivals and one of them is the most-celebrated event which is also gaining popularity nationwide, the Giant Lantern Festival. During the festival, giant lanterns are displayed during a competition which runs from December until the first week of January.

In 1990, the “Paskuhan Village” now called as WOW Philippines Hilaga, was inaugurated by former Philippine President Corazon C. Aquino. It’s considered as Asia’s first Christmas village in Asia and the third of its kind all over the world. San Fernando has since earned the moniker “Christmas Capital of the Philippines” and was dubbed as “Asia’s Christmas Capital” by CNN.

San Fernando City is also home to a number of heritage houses such as the Hizon-Singian House, Lazatin House, Dayrit-Cuyugan House, Santos-Hizon House, Tabacalera House, Consunji House, Henson-Hizon House, Hizon-Ocampo House, Santos-Hizon House, Pampanga Hotel, and The Chalets of Teopaco Subdivision.

Economic Background

San Fernando is a 1st city income class with revenue reaching up to 1,512,609,363.03. One of the major industrial structures that are highly notable in the city is the PASUDECO Sugar Central. It was formally incorporated in April 1918 after a group of prominent Kapampangans decided to form an organization that will be responsible for constructing a central financed by locals or natives. PASUDECO since then has opened opportunities for San Fernando’s exponential growth in the sugar-making industry.

The Sugar Pugons and San Fernando Water Reservoir are also among the list of industrial structures in the city. Another business establishment in San Fernando is the Arcaded Shop Buildings of Consunji Street which became one of the commercial hubs during the 1950s. Since San Fernando City is popular for its Giant Lantern Festival, there are also several Lantern Factories located in Barangays San Jose, Sta. Lucia, Dolores, Del Pilar, and the Unisite Subdivision.

The city government of San Fernando released statistics showing that the majority of the employed persons (17.7%) in the area engage in trade; while 14.7% are into manufacturing; 12.9% for transport, communication, and storage; and 12.6% for construction. About 9.7% are into community, postal, and social service; 7% for both agriculture and private household employment; 6.8% for electric, water and gas; and 4.3% for insurance, financing, and real estate.

Being at the heart of central Luzon, San Fernando City became the center of commerce and trade and regional growth. It also houses the Clark Special Economic Zone, which is one major investment anchor of the region. The entire commercial and business stretch of the city goes as far as the city proper to Barangay Sindalan. This is about 8 kilometers long which also includes the Gapan-San Fernando-Olongapo Road from Barangay Magliman to the boundary of Mexico. The latter houses the SM Department Store and Robinsons Department Store.

The availability of land area for residential developments totals to 1,604.41 hectares with a rate of 950 per square meter. For commercial establishments, the available area is 304.47 hectares having a rate per square meter of 6,000. The irrigated rice land value is priced at 63,800/sq. meter and 46,130 for un-irrigated rice/corn land. The available land area for agricultural and agri-industrial developments is 1,764.06 hectares that cost 53,880 per square meter for sugar land, 33,880 for horticulture, and 190,240 for farm lot.

San Fernando City is not just a provincial capital but it is also Central Luzon’s Regional Government Center. The Regional Development Council III (RDC-III) has set provisions for land utility by the regional offices for the operations of national agencies all over the region. This has created a major impact in the city’s economic development.

Future projects and infrastructure

A land area of about 6,774 hectares constitutes the city of San Fernando with Calulut as the largest barangay and Barangay Juliana as the smallest. Investment priority areas within the city have rental fees that range from Php 2,000 to Php 6,000 per square meter. These areas are located in the barangays of Poblacion, Sta. Lucia, Sto. Nino, Sta. Teresita, Juliana, Sindalan, San Isidro, Del Pilar, etc. Sectors covered by these investment opportunities are in manufacturing, services/health and wellness, industrial estate, agri business, and eco-tourism.

For manufacturing, the following are the business opportunities:

• Precision assembly
• Retail trading or shops
• Hardware and commercial shops
• Public markets
• Food processing
• Bottling companies

(Photo via OLMCMC)

For health, wellness, and other services:

• Medical facilities and services
• Communications/Water/Power Supply
• Financial Services (Banks)
• Human Resource Development (Training Institutions and Schools)

(Photo via Wikipedia)

For industrial estate:

• IT Parks
• Other Malls

For eco-tourism:

• Accommodation
• Restaurants and Hotels
• Heritage and Tourism Destinations

Due to its strategic location, San Fernando will continue to progress rapidly starting from the city’s town center going outward. There are settlements currently being developed along major highways such as the Mac Arthur Hi-way and GSO road, in the poblacion, and the secondary/feeder roads. Mt. Pinatubo’s eruption in 1991 has altered the pattern of urbanization in San Fernando City most especially in the southern bank of GSO leading down to the poblacion and all the way to the border of the city located at the southernmost part.

One notable development is Megaworld Corporation’s Php 30B township, The Capital, which will be constructed over 35.6 hectares of property near San Fernando. It is the first mixed-use project with a targeted development period of 10 years by Megaworld in Central Luzon applying the company’s “live-work-play” concept. Megaworld’s Senior Vice President Jericho Go said that the development was part of the company’s plan to keep up with the robust economic growth and urbanization in the region. It will be a combination of office, commercial, residential, institutional, and retail infrastructure.

The company’s vice president also plans to draw out local skilled workers in the BPO industry by building a cyber park, which will also usher in business partnerships and provide more employment opportunities to the locals. Said township will be 70 kilometers away from Manila and will be accessible via the North Luzon Expressway and the Jose Abad Santos Avenue.

Public Facilities in San Fernando

(Photo via New Era University)

Universities and Colleges

• Harvardian Colleges
• New Era University
• University of the Assumption
• St. Scholastica’s Academy, San Fernando
• East Central Colleges – Our Lady of Fatima University Educational System, San Fernando
• CELTECH College
• City College of San Fernando, Pampanga
• RCC Colegio de San Rafael, San Fernando
• Colegio De Sebastian
• Our Lady of Fatima University, San Fernando
• St. Nicolas College of Business and Technology

(Photo via TESDA Pampanga)

Vocational Schools

• TESDA PEO Training Center
• La Plata Science and Technology, Inc.
• Lorraine Computer & Technical School
• North Point Academy for Culinary Arts
• Emmanual John Institute of Science and Technology

(Photo via Wikipedia)

Hospitals

• Pampanga Provincial Hospital
• Virgen de los Remedios Hospital
• San Fernando Hospital Inc.
• Mother Teresa of Calcutta Medical Center
• Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital

(Photo via Villa Alfredo’s)

Malls/Entertainment Hubs

• Villa Alfredo’s
• Citronelle Spa & Café
• Jump Yard Indoor Trampoline Park
• Bren Z. Guiao Sports Complex and Convention Center
• Everybody’s Café
• Pampanga Eye
• SM City Pampanga
• Jenra Mall Sindalan
• Robinsons Starmills
• BuyMaxx Supermarket
• Saver’s Mall Dolores
• SM City San Fernando
• SM City Telebastagan
• S & R Membership Shopping
• Paseo de Andalusia
• Walter Mart San Fernando
• Macario Arnedo Park
• The Benigno Aquino Hall

(Photo via Wikipedia)

Places of Worship

• Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando
• Church of San Vicente Ferrer
• Virgen de los Remedios Church
• Jeosay Shinhonkong Temple

(Photo via Wikipedia)

Government Agencies

• City Hall of San Fernando
• Pampanga Provincial Capitol
• Presidio
• Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
• Cooperative Development Authority

(Photo via HelloTravel)

Important Events Happening in the City

• January 31 – Pedro Abad Santos Day
• February 4 – Cityhood Anniversary
• Good Friday – San Pedro Cutud Lenten Rites
• May 7 – Jose Abad Santos Day
• First Saturday of May – El Circulo Fernandino
• May 30 – San Fernando City Fiesta
• September 10 – San Fernando Women’s Day
• Around October to November – San Fernando Frog Festival (Piestang Tugac)
• Around November to December – Sinukwan Festival
• December 11 – Pampanga Day
• December to First Week of January – Giant Lantern Festival

(Photo via Wikipedia)

Transportation Hubs

• San Fernando Train Station
• Calulut Train Station

Real Estate Overview

A growing interest in San Fernando’s real estate sector

According to data culled by Lamudi, the country’s premier property development portal, there has been a significant increase among property seekers looking for homes in Pampanga from 2017 compared to 2018. For page views, the increase was a whopping 581 percent, close to a six-fold increase of property seekers who searched for homes in the province in 2018 compared to 2017. In terms of sessions or those who actually stayed longer on the listing pages of homes in Pampanga, the increase was 418 percent. The most significant increases were the leads generated or the number of searches that turned into actual queries on those properties in Pampanga that property seekers searched for. There was a 1,609 percent jump in 2018 compared to its 2017 figure. All these figures reflect not just a growing interest in properties in Pampanga, particularly in San Fernando, but the emergence of the city’s and the province’s real estate sector.

House and lots dominate property types

The preference for house and lots, as well as lands, in Pampanga, shows that the prices of these property types in the province are still relatively more affordable compared to those in Metro Manila. More than 50 percent of property seekers who searched for homes in Pampanga were looking for house and lots. In terms of page views, they made up 60.86 percent; in terms of sessions, the figure was at 67.36 percent; while the percentage for the leads generated stood at 53.57 percent, according to Lamudi’s data. The next property type in Pampanga that property seekers searched for was land. The page views for land among property seekers was at 18.51 percent. The sessions on those listings stood at 15.83 percent while leads generated was at 20.72 percent.

Apartments were the third most searched for the property type in Pampanga. The page views for those apartments comprised 11.51 percent of property seekers while sessions stood at 9.27 percent and leads generated at 14.19 percent. Even though they did not generate some of the highest interest in the area, residential condo units, commercial properties, and even foreclosures in Pampanga are beginning to tap into a new market of buyers and can be expected to take off alongside the city’s continued development.

The majority would rather buy than rent

Lamudi’s data also show that the majority of property seekers prefer to purchase properties in Pampanga instead of renting. The page views of those Pampanga listings comprised 72.24 percent of property seekers looking for properties to buy. The sessions stood at 77.68 percent and lead generated at 58.96 percent. Meanwhile, the page views for those listings that were for rent comprised 27.76 percent of property seekers. The sessions stood at 22.32 percent while leads generated at 41.04 percent.

Male property buyers were more interested in San Fernando’s property landscape

In terms of demographics, although the page views and sessions were almost evenly divided among property seekers between 25 years old to 54 years old, all of the leads came from the younger market that belongs to the 25- to 34-year-old bracket, or those commonly referred to as millennials. They also comprised the biggest number of property seekers looking for properties in Pampanga. But in San Fernando, male property seekers who used Lamudi to search for properties there had a slight upper hand compared to their female counterparts, especially when it comes to leads generated. In most emerging areas that involve the remarkable growth of the real estate sector, Lamudi’s data often show female property seekers searching the most and generating the most leads.

(Photo via BusinessMirror)

More Metro Manila residents searching for San Fernando properties

The highest leads generated from San Fernando properties came from property seekers in Quezon City, followed by those who reside in Angeles City, Pampanga and then those from Manila. Property seekers from Baguio, Olongapo, and Paranaque also showed interest in San Fernando properties listed in Lamudi, as well as those who were from outside the country such as Singapore. The top 10 areas in San Fernando with the most leads generated were Telabastagan and Calulut, comprising 13 percent and 11 percent of the leads, respectively. This was followed by San Isidro, Sindalan, Del Carmen, Dolores, Panipuan, Maimpis, and Quebiauan.

According to Lamudi’s data, the top months based on leads generated occurred in April, July, August, and October last year, with July being the highest at 14.3 percent. In terms of page views and sessions, the figures were consistent starting in the second half of the year.

With substantial support from the national government and a healthy and thriving local economy, which is to further drive growth with Megaworld’s Capital Town in the pipeline, San Fernando, Pampanga is proving to be one to look out for among real estate investors and aspiring property owners.

What to do in San Fernando?

San Fernando is an excellent starting point when planning trips to Angeles City and Clark Expo, or the nearby municipalities of Lubao and Porac. It is also a great staging point for hikes up Mount Pinatubo in Zambales. Within San Fernando itself are some of the most notable things to do in Pampanga with the city poised to become the next go-to for family fun and adventure.

Places to Visit in San Fernando, Pampanga

(Photo via Philippine Primer)

Giant Lantern Festival

Even before the recent economic boom in Central Luzon, the first-class city of San Fernando in Pampanga had already earned the distinction of being the Philippines’ Christmas Capital. The Giant Lantern Festival held every December celebrates the local tradition of creating elaborate and beautiful Christmas lanterns. Many of these are in the shape of ‘parols’ or stars, the ubiquitous Filipino Christmas symbol. This event draws tourists from near and far to watch the parade of exquisite lanterns in the streets.

Christmas is not the only time to visit San Fernando. This city annually draws devotees for its unique Holy Week traditions collectively known as Maleldo.

(Photo via MrsCloverLeaf)

Sky Ranch Pampanga

All year round, the Sky Ranch Pampanga, with its statuesque Ferris Wheel known as the Pampanga Eye, is open to the public. This kid-friendly park has classic rides such as carousels, trains, and carnival food stalls.

(Photo via Brideworthy)

Historical Sites in Pampanga

Attractions in San Fernando include touring historical sites such as the old San Fernando Train Station or old churches such as the Arzobispado de Pampanga Church.

(Photo via Villa Alfredo’s)

Villa Alfredo’s Resort

Families wanting a quieter vacation can head to Villa Alfredo’s, a garden resort in the city. This hideaway boasts of crystalline pools and lush gardens perfect for rest and relaxation for all ages.

Where to Eat in San Fernando, Pampanga

Among the many Filipino cuisines, Kapampangan cooking is said to be unparalleled in terms of quality as well as decadence. The chefs and restaurateurs of San Fernando, Pampanga have carried on this culinary tradition, with the addition of international influences from the city’s cosmopolitan past.

(Photo via Hotsta)

Everybody’s Café

MacArthur Highway, Del Pilar, San Fernando, Pampanga

Everybody’s Café is a local mainstay for Kapampangan cuisine. Located on the Manila North Road, Everybody’s offers specialties such as morcon, noodles, and the field cricket camaru served hot and crispy.

(Photo via Flickr)

Denlim’s Kitchen

Maharlika Street, San Fernando, Pampanga

Another homegrown favorite is Denlim’s Kitchen on Maharlika Street. The approach at Denlim’s is closer to degustation, with small helpings of house delights such as five-cheese baked mussels or the favored Pugon Liempo Wrap.

(Photo via FLickr)

The SOUQ Pampanga

Lazatin Blvd, San Fernando, Pampanga

More esoteric offerings abound in the SOUQ Pampanga. This haven on Lazatin Boulevard serves up local dishes such as palitaw and adobo, but with fusion twists sure to appeal to more adventurous diners.

(Photo via Pepper.ph)

L.A. Bakeshop

Valencia Bldg, MacArthur Highway, San Fernando, Pampanga

For a light snack or to indulge one’s sweet tooth, L.A. Bakeshop is the place to go to sample heavenly cheese bread and other pastries with a side of hot chocolate prepared the traditional batirol way.

Throughout the years, San Fernando in Pampanga has maintained its reputation as a culinary destination. With the rise of Pampanga as a booming region, one can only expect great dining to continue to become a tourism draw to the area. Food trippers may also venture past San Fernando to other local favorites in Angeles City, Lubao, and Porac, or to more international offerings in Clark’s different hotels and attractions.

Popular Neighborhoods in San Fernando, Pampanga

San Fernando City in Pampanga is not only attractive to investors, but also to enterprising people seeking a home away from Metro Manila.

With the rise of important infrastructure and thoroughfares in new hubs such as Clark, Pampanga’s provincial capital San Fernando has risen in popularity for property developers. Now, there are many new options for young entrepreneurs, students, starting families and even retirees seeking to live in this up and coming city.

(Photo via Megaworld Corporation Makati)

This development boom is exemplified by the rise of Capital Town. This Megaworld project, a homage to the Philippines’ first Filipino-owned sugar mill, is a place where home, leisure and work can co-exist harmoniously in the same neighborhood. Apart from its residential complex, Chelsea Parkplace, Capital Town will soon feature a mall and green spaces for the comfort and leisure of residents.

(Photo via Century Properties)

The Resort Residences at Azure North is a strategically located neighborhood that also combines home and work in a resort-themed luxury community complex. Apart from its amenities that include pools and winding paths, this neighborhood also has its very own retail boardwalk. Being situated near NLEX, this complex is ideal for residents with work in Angeles City or Clark, or those interested in expanding to the nearby municipalities of Porac and Lubao.

The most popular neighborhoods in San Fernando, Pampanga, are places where both work and home can happily co-exist. This is in line with the new healthy lifestyles so advocated in urban living.