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Lubao is a town in southwestern Pampanga. It is the gateway to Bataan and Zambales provinces.
Understand
[edit | edit source]Lubao is one of the oldest municipalities in Pampanga, having been established in the 1570s. A lowland town along the extensive delta of the Pampanga River, its name is derived from the Kapampangan term lubo which means low or sunken.
In modern Philippine history, Lubao is best known for being the home of the Macapagal dynasty, a political family that began with Diosdado Macapagal, nicknamed the "Poor Boy from Lubao" who became President of the Philippines from 1961 to 1965, and continued with his daughter, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who became the first female vice president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001 and the second female president of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010.
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, passing through Bacolor and Guagua before reaching Lubao.
Lubao is connected to Sasmuan through a road built over a dike.
From San Fernando, there are jeepneys servicing Lubao via JASA. From Bataan, jeepneys run from Dinalupihan to Guagua via Lubao, passing through the old National Highway (OG Road) before merging with JASA in the Santa Cruz junction. Fares from Guagua cost P20.
Buses traveling from Metro Manila to Bataan and Zambales also pass through Lubao via JASA.
Get around
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Tricycles are the main form of transportation between barangays, especially as Jose Abad Santos Avenue bypasses downtown Lubao.
See
[edit | edit source]- 1 Diosdado Macapagal Museum and Library (NHCP Museo at Aklatan ni Diosdado Macapagal), Lubao-Guagua Road, Barangay San Nicolas 1st, ☏ +63 961 875 4030, [email protected]. 8AM-4PM, closed M. It was built behind the bahay kubo where Diosdado Macapagal, the 9th President of the Philippines, once lived. Inside the museum are historical photographs of Macapagal and other memorabilia, and a replica of the Office of the President's desk. Free, donation optional.
- 2 San Agustin Church (Lubao Church), Barangay San Nicolas 1st. The oldest parish church in Pampanga, it has a neoclassical façade and a stone brick structure. The church building and belfry that stands today dates back to 1638. It was declared a National Historical Site in 1952, and an Important Cultural Property in 2013.
- 3 Museo ni Jose B. Lingad, Lubao-Guagua Road, Barangay San Nicolas 1st (shortly past Plaza Lubao). 8AM-4PM, closed M. A museum about the life of Jose B. Lingad, a Kapampangan politician who held senior positions in the provincial government, the executive branch and the national legislature before being assassinated in 1980 when he was a political opponent of President Ferdinand Marcos and his martial law dictatorship. The complex, which converted Lingad's simple two-story ancestral house into exhibition space, also features a monument of Lingad set in a spacious park. Free. Donation optional.
- 4 Plaza Lubao, Lubao-Guagua Road, Barangay San Nicolas 1st (in front of the Municipal Hall). Lubao's main square, featuring a bust of President Macapagal, trees and a Holllywood-like sign of Lubao.
Do
[edit | edit source]- 1 Pradera Verde Golf Club, Jose Abad Santos Avenue, Barangay Prado Siongco. A golf course set in an eponymous tourism and luxury residential estate. The complex also has its own airfield, and hosts the annual Lubao International Balloon and Music Festival.
- 2 Lubao Bamboo Hub & Eco-Park, Santa Catalina. 9AM-4PM. An ecotourism park on the Lubao wetlands featuring an extensive bamboo grove. PHP20.
Buy
[edit | edit source]- 1 Santa Cruz Public Market, Jose Abad Santos Avenue, Barangay Santa Cruz.
Eat
[edit | edit source]Drink
[edit | edit source]Sleep
[edit | edit source]Stay safe
[edit | edit source]A low-lying town, Lubao is highly susceptible to flooding during the rainy season.
Connect
[edit | edit source]Go next
[edit | edit source]| Routes through Lubao |
| San Fernando ← Guagua ← | E  W | → Dinalupihan → Olongapo/Balanga |
