Baler, Province of Aurora, Central Luzon Region, Philippines

🇵🇭 Baler, officially the Municipality of Baler, is a 3rd class municipality and capital of the province of Aurora, Philippines.

Baler is located 231 km (144 mi) north-east of Manila via a mountain pass accessible by bus and private vehicles. It is host to spectacular geographic formations and is situated on a vast plain at the south end of Baler Bay, a contiguous segment of the Philippine Sea.

It became the capital of Aurora on June 14, 1951, under Republic Act No. 648 signed by President Elpidio Quirino. It remained the seat of government of Aurora on November 21, 1978, under Batas Pambansa Blg. 7 signed by President Ferdinand Marcos.

History In 1609, seven Franciscan missionaries, led by Fray Blas Palomino, founded the settlement of Baler, which was later converted into a pueblo (town) by the Augustinians and the Recollects in 1658. Due to scarcity of religious missionaries, the Franciscans again took over the administration of the settlement in 1703.

On December 27, 1735, a great storm came and a huge wave called tromba marina devastated the old town settlement, then located in Barrio Sabang. Among the survivors were the Angaras, Bijasas, Bitongs, Lumasacs, Carrascos, and Pobletes who swam toward the nearby Ermita Hill. A new community sprang into what is now the Poblacion of Baler, leaving "Kinagunasan", the place of devastation. A mural depicting this wave can be found in the Museo de Baler in town.

On June 27, 1898, 15 days after the Philippine Declaration of Independence, 54 Spanish soldiers of the Baler garrison, under the command of Captain Enrique de las Morenas y Fossi, made San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Church, named in Spanish for Louis of Toulouse, their barracks. When de las Morenas died on November 22, 1898, Lieutenant Saturnino Martín Cerezo replaced him. On June 2, 1899, the last Spanish garrison in the Philippines surrendered after the Siege of Baler, effectively ending over 300 years of Spanish rule in the country.

American colonial period In 1901, the Americans incorporated the town into the province of Tayabas. Before the Americans came, Baler was under the district of El Príncipe.

The Comedia de Baler of Aurora mounted its first production in 1927. It was supported by then President Manuel L. Quezon and enjoyed the collaboration of artists Fortunato Esoreña and Alejandro Ferreras and arnis expert Antonino Ramos. Still alive until today, it features a group of colorfully attired performers using authentic weapons, like swords and knives, in their plays.

Japanese occupation In 1942, the Imperial Japanese Army entered Baler, where they made the Baler Elementary School building as their garrison under the command of a certain Captain Hattori. The general headquarters and camp base of the Philippine Commonwealth Army from January 3, 1942, to June 30, 1946, and the Philippine Constabulary from October 28, 1944, to June 30, 1946, were stationed in Baler.

In 1945, Filipino and American troops landed in Baler, including Filipino troops of the 3rd Infantry Division, the 5th Infantry Division, the 51st Infantry Division, and the 52nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army, the 5th Constabulary Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary, the local recognised guerrilla unit, and the American troops of the 6th Infantry Division of the United States Army. The retreating Japanese troops destroyed the San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Church in Baler.

Post-war period On June 14, 1951, by virtue of Republic Act No. 648, Baler became the capital town of the sub-province (and later, province) of Aurora.

In 1956, the barrio of Dingalan was converted into a municipal district within Baler and later became a town in its right.

In 1976-7 the helicopter attack and surfing sequences of the film Apocalypse Now were filmed at Baler. The film is credited with having created the Philippine surfing culture and the headland at Baler is known as "Charlie's Point" from a line in the film.

Cityhood In the 19th Congress of the Philippines, house bills were filed by various representatives which seeks Baler including other capital towns of provinces with no current component cities, independent component cities or highly urbanized cities to automatically convert into cities.

Geography According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 92.55 square km (35.73 sq mi)  constituting 2.94% of the 3,147.32-square-kilometre- (1,215.19 sq mi) total area of Aurora.

Barangays Baler is politically subdivided into 13 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Demographics People with connections to the town are referred to as Balereños. Prior to the arrival of Spanish missionaries in Baler in 1609, settlements by Aeta people and Bugkalot in Baler's coast and mountain areas already exists. Tagalogs, some originating from Palanan and Infanta, Quezon, came in to the area to trade by boat. Some Tagalogs settled in Baler and married with the Aeta and Bugkalots.

The Spanish brought in Filipino acolytes from other areas of Luzon from 1609 to 1899. During this period, Baler can only be access by sea though the town saw increase migration from other parts of Luzon such as Laguna, Tayabas, and Bicol from the south.The opening of the Baler-Bongabon Road allowed easier migration of people from Ilocos and Isabela areas from the north. The road also allowed Igorot people and Batangueños to settle in Baler. In 1896, a group of Ilocanos from Aringay, La Union came to settle in San Jose, now called Maria Aurora. In 1906, another group of Ilocanos arrived from La Union and Pangasinan. The guerrilla movement during the Japanese occupation brought Novo Ecijanos (people from Nueva Ecija) to Baler; Novo Ecijanos include Tagalogs, Ilocanos, and Kapampangans. The Balereños learned trade from the Batangueños and the Novo Ecijanos; where before they used to share what they have, now they would sell coconut to their neighbors.

In the 2020 census, Baler had a population of 43,785. The population density was 470 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,200/sq mi).

Languages The Tagalog and Ilocano languages are the main languges spoken in Baler. The town province primarily speaks a Tagalog dialect with some Ilocano influences called Salitang Baler. The Tagalog dialect of Balereños is also known for distinctive expressions like akkaw, used to express surprise, wonder, disgust, and objection; it is also akin to the English term "Wow!" Other regional term expressions spoken in Aurora are are(h), used to express a negative feeling of surprise; anin, used to express regret or pity for a situation; and many other words are also spoken similarly to neighboring Quezon, like adyo, meaning to climb, and puropur, which pertain to rain with gusty wind. Manuel L. Quezon who was called the Father of National Language was born and raised in Baler & because he chose Tagalog as the national language and lingua franca. Ilocano is mostly spoken by the Ilocano minority population.

Culture Baler annually observes the Philippine–Spanish Friendship Day which commemorates the end of the Siege of Baler and celebrates the bilateral relations that have developed since then. It is held every June 30 and the rites which was first done in the provincial capital are also observed in other parts of the country, as well as parts of Spain.

Media Baler has 1 TV station - GMA 5 Baler, & 1 radio station - DZJO Spirit FM (Catholic Media Network/Radio Veritas). 1 media network (both radio and TV) is based in the town named RTV Baler.