Maria Aurora is one of the eight municipalities comprising the province of Aurora. It is the only non-coastal municipality of the province. It is bounded by Baler and Dipaculao on the east, San Luis on the south, the Province of Nueva Ecija on the west and the Province of Nueva Vizcaya on the north west. With 35,289 people and 21,942 registered voters, Maria Aurora is the largest municipality in the province.The Millennium Tree in Balete Park and the lush green landscape sets as Maria Aurora's tourists asset.

History

The town was named after Maria Aurora Aragon Quezon, the first daughter of Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon

Manuel L. Quezon

Manuel Luis Quezón y Molina served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. He was the first Filipino to head a government of the Philippines...

 and First Lady Aurora Aragon Quezon. Maria Aurora along with her mother Aurora was ambushed by elements of the Hukbalahap

Hukbalahap

The Hukbalahap , was the military arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines , formed in 1942 to fight the Japanese Empire's occupation of the Philippines during World War II. It fought a second war from 1946 to 1954 against the pro-Western leaders of their newly independent country...

 movement in Nueva Ecija. The municipality of Maria Aurora was formed on July 21, 1949 through the Presidential Decree No. 249 out of various portions of the municipalities of Baler

Baler

A baler is a piece of farm machinery used to compress a cut and raked crop into compact bales that are easy to handle, transport and store...

 and Infanta

Infanta, Quezon

Infanta is a First class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 60,346. It has a land area of 130.1 km², representing 1.5% of the area of Quezon. It is located 144 kilometers northeast of Manila, and 136 kilometers north of...

, both of which were part of Quezon Province.

List of Mayors

Maria Aurora was administered by 12 mayors since its establishment in 1949

• Mayor Pedro C. Montero - Jul 21, 1949 – Dec 31, 1951
• Mayor Pedro S. Wenceslao - Jan 1, 1952 – Jun 21, 1958
• Mayor Brigido E. Collado - Jun 22, 1958 – Dec 31, 1959
• Mayor Leon B. Hulipas - Jan 1, 1960 – Dec 31, 1963
• Mayor Leonardo T. Ong - Jan 1, 1964 – Aug 15, 1977
• Mayor Juan R. Ortiz - Aug 16, 1977 – May 8, 1986
• OJC Adriano C. Bitong - May 9, 1986 – Dec 1, 1987
• OJC (LGO) Nepumuceno W. Gonzales - Dec 1, 1987 – Dec 15, 1987
• Sec. Lorenzo O. Mangaoang - Dec. 16, 1987 - Peb 2, 1988
• Mayor Adriano C. Bitong - Peb 3, 1988 – Jun 30, 1998
• Mayor Brigido M. Noval - Jul 1, 1998 – Jun 30, 2004
• Mayor Ariel S. Bitong - Jul 1, 2004 – Present

Education

Maria Aurora has its education sustained by the Department of Education - Division of Aurora, presently the municipality has 38 public elementary and high schools with 1 central school (Maria Aurora Central School). Private institutions are also present in the municipality some of them are the Wesleyan University- Philippines and Mount Carmel High School.

Health

The Department of Health sustains health in all over the municipality, the municipality has 21 health centers and one hospital that will sustain the medical needs of the whole town population. One provincial hospital serves also the municipality it is the Aurora Provincial Hospital located in Brgy. Buhangin, Baler, 30 kilometers south of the town.

Transportation

Maria Aurora can be accessed by road through two routes - the Canili-Pantabangan Road, which passes Nueva Ecija's northern towns and through Alfonso Castañeda

Alfonso Castaneda, Nueva Vizcaya

Alfonso Castañeda is a 4th class municipality in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 6,655 people in 873 households.-Barangays:Alfonso Castaneda is politically subdivided into 6 barangays....

 in Nueva Vizcaya

Nueva Vizcaya

Nueva Vizcaya is a province of the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital is Bayombong. It is bordered by, clockwise from the north, Ifugao, Isabela, Quirino, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, and Benguet.-History, people and culture:The name was derived from the...

. And the Nueva Ecija - Aurora Road, built on the 1940s that traverses the Sierra Madre Mountains and passes through the towns of Baler and San Luis. Today, the Canili - Pantabangan Road is much more commonly used, though it extends travel time for 1 hour it is the safest route for vehicles. Originally, the Nueva Ecija- Aurora Road is the standard road for bus commuters, the shortest but the steep turns and uncemented roads makes it the most dangerous for heavy vehicles.

There are five bus lines that serve Maria Aurora's vicinity - Maria Aurora Express (PAPIN) (Cabanatuan - Dipaculao); D' Liner (Cabanatuan\Baguio - Maria Aurora, Casiguran

Casiguran

Casiguran may refer to the following municipalities in the Philippines:* Casiguran, Aurora* Casiguran, Sorsogon...

; Genesis Bus Transport (Manila\Cabanatuan - Baler); - Aurora Bus Line ( Cabanatuan - Baler) and Lizardo Transit (Baguio - Baler)

Barangays

The list below shows Maria Aurora's 40 barangays.

Alcala Bagtu Bangco Bannawag Barangay I (Pob.) Barangay II (Pob.) Barangay III (Pob.) Barangay IV (Pob.) Baubo Bayanihan Bazal Cabituculan East Cabituculan West Debucao

Decoliat Detailen Diaat Dialatman Diaman Dianawan Dikildit Dimanpudso Diome Estonilo Florida Galintuja Cadayacan

Malasin Ponglo Quirino Ramada San Joaquin San Jose San Leonardo Santa Lucia Santo Tomas Suguit Villa Aurora Wenceslao San Juan

External links

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 2000 Philippine Census Information