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Gabaldon is a municipality in Nueva Ecija province in the central part of the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Situated in the middle of the Sierra Madre mountains, it is one of the least explored areas of the province and is overlooked by most travelers heading to the beaches of neighboring Dingalan, but is a destination for nature-based tourism in its own right.
Understand
[edit | edit source]Gabaldon was established in 1950 from a merger of the settlements of Bitulok and Sabani, the latter being contiguous with an eponymous 6,000 hectares (15,000 acres) cattle ranch. It was renamed in 1955 in honor of politician Isauro Gabaldon, who legislated the construction of public schools across the Philippines during the American occupation and gave his name to an iconic and standard architectural design of heritage school buildings nationwide.
Gabaldon sits on a gap in the Sierra Madre mountains formed by the Philippine Fault System and the headwaters of the Pampanga River, and is separated from Dingalan Bay, an extension of the Pacific Ocean, by the Mingan Range, a subsection of the Sierra Madre. Its mountains are also included in the Doña Aurora Memorial National Park, a 5,676 hectares (14,030 acres) protected area straddling the boundaries of Nueva Ecija and Aurora that is home to some endemic species such as the Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), the country's national bird.
The people of Gabaldon are a mix of indigenous Dumagats and migrants from across Central Luzon. From the logging heydays of the 1970s, they are now primarily engaged in farming and tourism. They speak a variety of languages including Tagalog, and Dumagat. It is home to about 40,000 people (census, 1 July 2024) 
Get in
[edit | edit source]The only way of entry to Gabaldon is through a highway (Route 114) that runs from Nueva Ecija's commercial capital Cabanatuan on its way to Dingalan in Aurora province.
There are limited once-a-day bus services from Metro Manila, while a more frequent option is to disembark in Cabanatuan and ride another bus or passenger van heading to Dingalan or Gabaldon itself. The main transport terminal in town is beside the public market. Travel time from Metro Manila is between 5-6 hours, while it takes 2 hours to drive from Cabanatuan.
- 1 Gabaldon Transport Terminal, North Poblacion (beside the public market).
Get around
[edit | edit source]Tricycles are the main form of transport in the downtown. Due to the uneven terrain and poor roads, a 4WD is recommended.
See
[edit | edit source]- 1 Calabasa River, Calabasa. A shallow spot along the headwaters of the Pampanga River that is a preferred picnic and swimming spot for locals, with a string of wooden huts and cottages available for rent.
- 2 Dupinga River (Sabani River), Ligaya. A shallow spot at a point where one of the headwaters of the Pampanga River leaves the Sierra Madre and enters the plains. It is also a popular picnic and swimming spot for locals, with a string of wooden huts and cottages available for rent.
- 3 Mount Sawi (Sawing Balete), Ligaya. A 594 metres (1,949 ft) high peak in the Mingan Range. Its name derives from a suicide that occurred at a balete (ficus) tree near its summit. The views at the top can reach as far as Mount Arayat in Pampanga, on the western boundary of Nueva Ecija.
- 4 Gabaldon Falls, Sawmill. A cascade in the Mingan Range along the Danglan River, a tributary of the Pampanga River. The site is part of an ecopark complex within the campus of the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology.
Do
[edit | edit source]Buy
[edit | edit source]- 1 Gabaldon Public Market, North Poblacion.
- 2 Aldi Mart Shopping Center, Palayan-Gabaldon-Dingalan Road, North Poblacion.
Eat
[edit | edit source]A common crop in town is squash/pumpkin (kalabasa).
Drink
[edit | edit source]Sleep
[edit | edit source]Stay safe
[edit | edit source]Flashfloods and landslides can occur in the rainy season, with the memory of inundations of Tropical Cyclones Winnie and Yoyong in 2004 still a traumatizing topic among some residents.
Gabaldon is located smack in the middle of the Philippine Fault System, which also forms the low-lying pass on which the town stands, and was devastated in the 1990 Luzon earthquake.
Stay healthy
[edit | edit source]Avoid getting into a major medical emergency during your stay at all costs, as facilities and resources at the town's community hospital are limited. The nearest standard hospitals are in Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija.
Connect
[edit | edit source]The town's postal code is 3131.
Cellphone and internet signals can be quite patchy in some places.
Go next
[edit | edit source]Despite being a landlocked municipality in a landlocked province, Gabaldon is much nearer to the Pacific coast of Dingalan in Aurora province than it is to its neighboring towns in Nueva Ecija, enabling visitors to go hiking in Gabaldon in the morning and then go for a swim in Dingalan afterwards.
| Routes through Gabaldon |
| Cabanatuan ← Laur ← | W  E | → Dingalan |