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- Not to be confused with Bacoor, Cavite.
Bacolor is a town in Pampanga, the Philippines. Formerly the provincial capital, it was devastated by lahar flows from the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo but has since recovered with the help of renewed interest in its ruined state.
Understand
[edit | edit source]Bacolor is a Hispanicized version of the Kapampangan “baculud” (plateau). Even today, residents and Kapampangan signage frequently refer to their town in the Kapampangan original. It also has a vibrant student population on account of it hosting the main campus of Don Honorio Ventura State University (DHVSU, pronounced as Davsu)
Bacolor is one of the oldest municipalities in Pampanga, having been founded in 1576 and served as the provincial capital since 1755 and was additionally the temporary capital of the Spanish Philippines during the British occupation of Manila from 1762 to 1765. However, in 1904, the provincial capital was moved to San Fernando, resulting in a slow decline that climaxed in the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo.
Although Bacolor was not initially affected by the eruption, succeeding lahar flows carried along rivers originating from the volcano virtually wiped Bacolor from the map over the succeeding rainy seasons, with the worst episode burying the parish church in 1995. The town was nearly abandoned, and there are some houses that remain buried up to their roofs. But thanks to the construction of dikes and residents' determination to salvage the town's heritage, Bacolor gradually recovered, with some of its sunken ruins becoming the town's main tourist destinations.
It is home to about 59,000 people (census, 1 July 2024) 
Get in
[edit | edit source]From Manila, take the San Fernando exit along the North Luzon Expressway leading to the Gapan-Olongapo Road, also known as Jose Abad Santos Avenue (JASA). From San Fernando, head west and follow the signs leading to Olongapo.
From San Fernando, there are jeepneys servicing downtown Bacolor on their way to Guagua via the old National Highway (OG Road). Fares from San Fernando to Bacolor cost P22. There are also jeepneys servicing Bacolor via JASA.
Buses traveling from Metro Manila to Bataan and Zambales also pass through Bacolor via JASA.
Secondary roads doubling as dikes connect Bacolor with Minalin, but these consist of secluded narrow two-lane roads without much safety barriers.
Get around
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Tricycles are the main form of transportation between barangays, especially as Jose Abad Santos Avenue bypasses downtown Bacolor.
The main thoroughfare in downtown Lubao is Don Ceferino Joven Street, which runs from the Public Market at the junction with OG Road, to its junction with JASA to the north, passing through Bacolor Church in the process. It takes an average of 12 minutes to walk the entire stretch.
See
[edit | edit source]- 1 San Guillermo Parish Church (Bacolor Church, Sunken Church), Don Ceferino Joven Street, Barangay Cabambangan, ☏ +63 916 667 7277, sanguillermo1576@gmail.com. Bacolor's main Roman Catholic church, which also doubles as a memorial to the 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption. The original church building dates back to 1587 but was destroyed by an earthquake, and the present church is from 1897. During a lahar flow from Mount Pinatubo exacerbated by a typhoon in 1995, the church, along with its cemetery became half-buried in lahar, which has since hardened.
The church remains a place of worship, following an effort to hollow out the structure's ceiling to provide space and the conversion of the choir loft into the main entrance. It also hosts an ecclesiastical and local history museum housing religious artefacts and paintings by local artists of the 1991 eruption, along with photographs showing what the church looked like before it was half-sunk. At the museum's exit is a stall selling church-related souvenirs. - 2 Sunken Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes of Cabetican (Cabetican Shrine), Bacolor-Betis Road, Barangay Cabetican. A Catholic shrine built in the Brutalist style. It was also buried to its roof by lahar flows from Mount Pinatubo in 1995, but was partially excavated in 2005. The structure lost 6 metres (20 ft) of its height to the volcanic mud, and its interior, which was partially cleared out, exudes a cave-like atmosphere, with the jungle-like altarpiece also carved from lahar.
- 3 De Jesus Ancestral House, Don Ceferino Joven Street, Cabambangan. An 18th century residence that somehow managed to survive the Pinatubo eruption intact and unburied by lahar.
Do
[edit | edit source]Buy
[edit | edit source]- 1 Bacolor Public Market, Don Ceferino Joven Street, Barangay Cabambangan.
- 2 Puregold Bacolor (San Fernando Road, Cabambangan), at the junction with Don Ceferino Joven Street.
- 3 Solana Plaza, Jose Abad Santos Avenue, Cabalantian.
Eat
[edit | edit source]- 1 Kapampangan Asan Pakamalan, Don Ceferino Joven Street, Cabambangan, ☏ +63 917 469 5208. 10AM-10PM Sun-Thu, 10AM-11PM Fri-Sat. A restaurant serving Kapampangan dishes.
Drink
[edit | edit source]- 1 Nuan Café, Nuan Farm and Resort, San Vicente, ☏ +63 998 977 7778. 7:30AM-10PM.
- 2 Katrina's Cafe, Dungca Avenida Road, Brgy. Calibutbut, ☏ +63 929 757 4998, katrinascafe23@gmail.com. 10AM-10:30PM.
- 3 Artisanos Cafe, A.M. Gratia Bldg, Don Bosco Hway, Brgy. Cabalantian, ☏ +63 962 415 9365, artisanoscafe@gmail.com. 10AM-10PM.
- 4 Blanc & Blue Cafe, Blanc & Blue in front of DHVSU, blancnbluecafe@gmail.com. 8:30AM-7:30PM.
- 5 On The Good Coffee, San Vicente, ☏ +63 969 643 3327, onthegoodcoffee@gmail.com. 8AM-8PM.
- 6 Coffee Drip, coffeedrip2022@gmail.com. 9AM-10PM.
- 7 Coftea Cafe, 2nd Floor, Chu Building, Don Ceferino Joven St., Cabambangan, ☏ +63 915 470 3326.
- 8 Happy Kopi, Barangay Sta. Ines (Near DHVSU Bacolor Main Campus, beside Bacolor Water District). 9AM-6PM.
- 9 CoHo Café, Banlic Cabalantian, ☏ +63 931 068 6808, Calyxstarcorporation@gmail.com. 9AM-9PM.
- 10 Kōhī Tea, Cabambangan, kohiteaph@gmail.com. 9AM-9PM.
Sleep
[edit | edit source]- 1 Sky Hotel Pampanga, Sitio Gugu Bridge, San Vicente, ☏ +63 966 952 0167, skyhotelpampanga@gmail.com. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: noon. ₱2,640-3,500.
Stay safe
[edit | edit source]A low-lying town, Bacolor is highly susceptible to flooding during the rainy season. Cabetican Shrine in particular becomes a giant sink during those times.
Respect
[edit | edit source]Be respectful when discussing the chronic flooding situation, as many residents have had enough from the long-term disruptions and displacement. Since 2025, protests have erupted in town after it emerged that public funds meant for the construction of dikes and flood control measures have been embezzled by corrupt politicians, engineers and contractors. Be careful also when discussing the subject of Mount Pinatubo, as residents continue to deal with the changed landscape and long-term displacement that came about as a result of the devastating lahar flows.
Connect
[edit | edit source]Go next
[edit | edit source]| Routes through Bacolor |
| Gapan ← San Fernando ← | E  W | → Guagua → Olongapo |