Caloocan is one of the cities that comprise Metro Manila, the National Capital Region
of the Philippines.
Located north to northeast of Manila, Caloocan is the country's third most populous city
with a population of 1,489,040 as of the 2010 census.
Geography Caloocan is divided into two separate areas.
Southern Caloocan City 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 City is the northernmost territory of Metro Manila; 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
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.
Among all 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 located in District 1 directly west of the second
biggest zone in Caloocan which is Zone 16.
Barangay Bagong Silang is the largest barangay in the country with a population of 221,874
people.
History
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.
It was in a house in Caloocan where secret meetings were held by Andrés Bonifacio and
his men, and it was within the city's perimeters where the very first armed encounter took
place between the Katipunan and the Spaniards.
In 1899 the city saw heavy fighting in the Philippine–American War, at the Battle of
Caloocan and the Second Battle of Caloocan.
The word caloocan comes from the Tagalog root word lo-ok; kalook-lookan means "innermost
area".
The City borders many other cities such as Quezon City, Manila, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela
and San Jose del Monte in the north.
During the formation of the province of Rizal, Caloocan was included in its matrix until
1975.
Territorial controversy By the 1920s, Caloocan had annexed the neighbouring
town of Novaliches, bringing its total area to about 15,000 hectares.
When Quezon City was created in 1939, 1,500 hectares of land from Caloocan was to be given
to the new capital city.
Instead of opposing it, Caloocan residents willingly gave land to Quezon City in the
belief it will benefit the country's new capital.
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.
This caused the division of Caloocan into two parts, the southern section being the
urbanised portion, while the northern section becoming suburban-rural.
Demographics As of 2010, the city has a population of 1,489,040
people which makes it the third largest city in the Philippines in terms of population.
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 in
the city.
There is a significant presence of Ang Dating Daan, Iglesia ni Cristo and other Protestant
churches.
Economy Caloocan City'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 Victory Central Mall, Puregold Monumento, Araneta Square, Uniwide Warehouse Club Monumento,
and SM Hypermarket Monumento which are located in Monumento area in the south; and Zabarte
Town Center and Puregold Zabarte, which are located in Barangay 175 Camarin area at the
north.
Manila North Tollways Corporation, is headquartered in Caloocan.
Local government List of Mayors and Vice Mayors
Infrastructure Transportation
The LRT-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 whole stretch can be travelled in about 30 minutes.
Philippine National Railways also has a line, with its terminal at Samson Road, and passes
through Caloocan railway station, Asistio Avenue railway station, & C-3 railway station.
The city has an extensive network of roads, the most prominent being Epifanio de los Santos
Avenue, which begins in the Monumento area.
Also, the North Luzon Expressway's Operations and Maintenance Center and the motorway's
Balintawak Toll Barrier are in Caloocan City.
Bus line Victory Liner Incorporated has its headquarters and terminal along in Rizal Avenue
Extension near the Monumento Station.
Landmarks The city's most celebrated landmark is the
monument to 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.
City hall stands along A. Mabini Avenue in the southern part of the city, across the
street from San Roque Parish Cathedral.
The old city hall, on the other hand, still stands today in its present location at 9th
Avenue.
There is also a city hall in the northern part of the city.
The city's District Office of the Bureau of Internal Revenue is along EDSA.
Education The city's lone public university is the University
of Caloocan City.
Other educational institution of higher learning are the University of the East - Caloocan,
ABE International Business College, Holy Redeemer School of Kalookan, World Citi Colleges, Caloocan
Central Elementary School and Manila Central University.
Several high schools, such as Caloocan High School, Maria Clara High School, Notre Dame
of Greater Manila, Caloocan National Science and Technology High School, Caloocan City
Science High School, Caloocan City Business High School, Guardian Angel School, Holy Infant
Montessori Center, Saint Benedict School of Novaliches, Saint Andrew School MHANLE Inc.,
Philippine Cultural College, Northern Rizal Yorklin School, Systems Plus Computer College,
St. Mary's Academy of Caloocan City, St. Gabriel Academy, 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,Our
Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, Maranatha Christian Academy of Caloocan, Camarin High
School,Bagumbong High School, and the two campuses of La Consolacion College in which
one is located in Novaliches in the northern part and the other one is located on the southern
part, near the city hall.
There is a campus here of Access Computer College, AMA Computer College Campus, a degree-awarding
tertiary educational institution.
Sister cities San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan, Philippines
Malabon, Philippines Calamba City, Laguna, Philippines
Gallery
References
External links History of Caloocan City, Philippines
Official website