Obando, Bulacan Etymology
- Jack Maico
- Sep 15
- 3 min read
The town of Obando was established on May 14, 1753, and was named after the incumbent Governor-General of that time, Don José Francisco Solís de Obando.
Previously, Obando was part of Meycauayan during the 16th century. It was called by the name Catangalan (now Catanghalan), derived from the word tangal, which is a kind of tree growing abundantly in the swampy part of the place. The extract of the skin of the tangal was made into dampol for the kutod (things used for fishing) and the fisherman’s net.
Special credits:
Church in town: 𝐒𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐨́𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐒𝐞𝐧̃𝐨𝐫𝐚 𝐝𝐞 𝐥𝐚 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐨
The San Pascual Baylón Parish and National Shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Immaculada Concepcion de Salambao, commonly known as Obando Church, is a Roman Catholic church located in the municipality of Obando in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Malolos.
Founded by Franciscan missionaries, under the Spanish Empire, it is the venue of the three-day Obando Fertility Rites held annually in honor of three patron saints, namely: St. Pascual Baylon, St. Claire of Assisi and Our Lady of Salambao, a celebration that was mentioned by Jose Rizal, the Philippine national hero, in the pages of his Spanish-language novel, the Noli Me Tangere (in Chapter 6: Captain Tiago). During May, parishioners and other devotees perform the three-day Obando Dance (formerly known as the Kasilonawan, now locally called Sayaw sa Obando, literally "the dance in Obando") inside the church, followed by a street procession.
The Obando Church was built by the Franciscan Order, headed by Rev. P. Manuel de Olivencia, the first curate of Obando, on April 29, 1754. The church was destroyed in World War II during the fight for liberation from Japanese rule. According to some reports, the original statues of Our Lady of Salambao, Saint Clare, and Saint Paschal Baylon were also destroyed during the fighting, and the images presently venerated are commissioned replicas of the original images. The church was rebuilt in 1947 through the efforts of Rev. Fr. Marcos C. Punzal with the help of local Obandeño parishioners.
Other parish priests who also managed the Obando Church since the 1900s include: Rev. Fr. Juan Dilag, Rev. Fr. Padre Exequiel Morelos, Rev. Fr. Ricardo Pulido, Rev. Fr. Marcos Punzal, Rev Msgr. Rome R. Fernandez, Rev. Fr. Marcelo K. Sanchez, Rev. Fr. Danilo G. delos Reyes, Rev. Fr. Avelino A. Sampana, y Rev. Fr. Virgilio C. Ramos. It was Rev. Fr. Rome Fernandez, with the assistance of the Cultural Commission of Obando, who revived the celebration of the Obando Fertility Rites or the Obando Dance in 1972. This was after a prohibition of the practice was imposed by the archbishop of Manila after World War II.
𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐎𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲
The town of Obando was established on May 14, 1753, and it was named after the incumbent Governor-General of that time, Don Jose Francisco Solis de Obando. The decree on the said establishment was enacted the following year, 1754. Before, Obando just used to be a part of Meycauayan during the 16th century.
𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨:
- San Pascual Baylón Parish and National Shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Immaculada Concepcion de Salambao
- Kasilonawan Festival (The Fertility dance festival in Obando)
𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨:
- None in the list
𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐲 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨:
- Constancio Bernardo (painter and professor known for making the earliest modern geometric abstract paintings in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia).
- Jess Santiago (painter and professor known for making the earliest modern geometric abstract paintings in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia.)
- Bishop Francisco San Diego (Second Bishop of the Diocese of San Pablo, Laguna, and First Bishop of the Diocese of Pasig, Metro Manila).
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