22-639: The Bocaue Pagoda Festival , also known as the Bocaue River Festival , is an annual religious celebration in Bocaue , Bulacan , Philippines . It is best known for its river procession dedicated to the Catholic relic , the Holy Cross of Wawa ( Tagalog : Krus sa Wawa ). The Bocaue River Festival's devotion is connected to the Holy Cross of Wawa. Made of wood, it was found rushing through
44-475: A barrio and visita of Meycauayan in 1582 and as a town on April 11, 1606, under the advocacy of San Martin de Tours . It was the first town to be granted independence from the old Meycauayan that was then a very large town comprising the present territories of Meycauayan City, Marilao , Santa Maria , San Jose del Monte City , Obando , and Valenzuela City . After the Philippine–American War ,
66-570: A campus in Bocaue. Private colleges and universities include the Dr. Yanga's Colleges and Jesus Is Lord Colleges Foundation Inc. New Era University and St. Paul University Quezon City also established branch campuses in the municipality. The municipality also has several elementary and secondary schools, both public and private. Sangguniang Bayan (2022–2025) Municipal Councilors: Balagtas, Bulacan Too Many Requests If you report this error to
88-564: A few other minor rivers and creeks, all of which are distributaries of the Angat drainage basin . The main source of Angat River and the Angat drainage basin, as well as their distributaries, is the Sierra Madre mountain range. Along these rivers are many man-made fish ponds used for raising and farming fish like bangus and tilapia . Bocaue, along with Balagtas, Guiguinto , and Pandi ,
110-605: A former veteran character actor of Premiere Productions from the early 1950s to the late 1970s, was born in Barangay Bunducan. The Philippine Stadium , also known as the New Era University Stadium , is a sports stadium located inside the Ciudad de Victoria , a 75-hectare tourism enterprise zone located in the towns of Bocaue and Santa Maria, Bulacan . With a capacity of up to 25,000, it became
132-461: A portion of the municipality of Santa Maria ; by the municipalities of Marilao and Obando on the south; a larger portion of Santa Maria on the east; a portion of the municipality of Bulakan on the extreme southwestern side; and a portion of Balagtas on the western side. Bocaue is traversed by the Bocaue River, a continuation of the confluence of Santa Maria River and San Jose River and
154-475: A series of explosions within the area and injuring 7 people. Bocaue is 27 kilometers (17 mi) north-east of Manila if reached via the MacArthur Highway and is 18 kilometers (11 mi) from Malolos City . It is at the mid-southwestern portion of Bulacan. Its land area is 3,187 hectares or 31.87 km (12.31 sq mi). The town is bounded on the north by the municipality of Balagtas and
176-415: Is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan , Philippines . According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 141,412 people. With the continuous expansion of Metro Manila , Bocaue is part of Manila's built-up area which reaches San Ildefonso in its northernmost part. The Bocaue River runs through most of the municipality. Among its tourist attractions are a town museum located near
198-483: Is also held, while the municipal government also hold other entertainment events as part of the festivities. Since 2014, a mass is also said on the floating pagoda to pray for victims of the 1993 tragedy, the barge moored over the exact place in the river where the overloaded pagoda sank. Bocaue Bocaue [bɔˈkawɛ] , officially the Municipality of Bocaue ( Tagalog : Bayan ng Bocaue ),
220-407: Is one of the oldest churches in the province of Bulacan. The reputed Mahal na Krus ng Wawa (Beloved Holy Cross of Wawa) is kept here. The Feast of the Holy Cross of Wawa is a festival held on the first Sunday of July, observed in honor of the Holy Cross of Wawa (Mahal na Krus sa Wawa), a relic believed to have saved the life of an old woman drowning in the Bocaue River. The main feature of this fiesta
242-609: Is the Pagoda, a gaily decorated structure riding on a huge bangka , which glides along the town river carrying people from all walks of life. Other religious denominations in the town include Iglesia ni Cristo , Jehovah's Witness , Methodist , Aglipayan , Adventist , Baptist , and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . There are also a number of Evangelical , Pentecostal , Members Church of God International and Charismatic churches, ministries, fellowships, and groups in
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#1732782929687264-593: Is the expressway's middle route. The town's major industry is fireworks-making, which has earned it the tag "Fireworks Capital of the Philippines". Among the prominent firecracker stores in Bocaue is Eat Bulaga Fireworks, owned by fireworks maker Rommel Eustaquio and named after Eat Bulaga! , the longest-running noontime variety program in the Philippines. In November 2024, Senator Joel Villanueva , Vice Mayor Sherwin Tugna and National Commission for Culture and
286-485: The Philippine Commission was established, part of whose functions was the reorganization of Philippine municipalities and provinces. In 1903, Bulacan province reduced the number of towns from 26 to 19. The town of Balagtas merged with Bocaue, with the former serving as the seat of government from October 8 to November 20 before it was transferred to the latter. Bocaue later regained its independence and
308-579: The pagoda that carries the Cross sank due to overloading. The accident came to be known as the Bocaue Pagoda tragedy . The procession was scaled down until 2014 when a "grand pagoda " featured again in the festival. Celebrations were limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic , with the Cross borne by a government yacht instead. The Bocaue River Festival is observed every first Sunday of July, in honor of
330-536: The Arts Executive Director Eric Zerrudo led the groundbreaking and time capsule laying for a P45- million Bocaue Museum and Cultural Hub at the 18th century Casa de Municipal de Bocaue which will feature a performance arts center and history hub. Nationally known Bocaueños in the arts include choreographer Francisca Reyes Aquino , TV actress Jewel Mische , and contemporary painter Noli Principe Manalang . Lauro Delgado ,
352-420: The Holy Cross of Wawa. The Cross, enshrined at Saint Martin of Tours Parish Church , is considered miraculous by devotees. The highlight is the fluvial procession with the pagoda as its centrepiece. The Cross itself, or a replica, is placed on top of the pagoda for this procession. A custom is the ligiran (from the word "surround"), where smaller boats encircle the pagoda . The Lutina or nine-day novena
374-471: The Wawa section of the Bocaue River during a typhoon in 1850. Local legend says a drowning woman clung to the Cross and was saved, an event later deemed a miracle. The Cross was retrieved and enshrined in a riverside church; the timber of the object is believed to have come from an old, burnt-down church. A fluvial parade has been held since then as tribute to the relic. In 1993, the large, ceremonial barge called
396-615: The biggest stadium in the Philippines upon its completion. The Philippine Arena , an indoor multi-purpose arena and the centerpiece of Ciudad de Victoria , is located just adjacent to the Philippine Stadium . With a seating capacity of 55,000 it became the largest indoor arena in the world upon its completion in 2014. Bocaue is also an education center for the Meycauayan, Marilao, Santa Maria, and Balagtas municipalities area. The state-owned Bulacan Polytechnic College has
418-559: The municipality's center and the town's river festival celebrated on the first Sunday of every July. The river festival is in commemoration of the Holy Cross of Wawa, believed to be miraculous by the town's predominantly Roman Catholic population. The town's name comes from the Old Tagalog word " Bukawe ", which refers to a type of long bamboo ( Schyzostachyum lima ). Bocaue was first established by Franciscan missionaries as
440-601: The municipality. Muslims are also found in the municipality. Poverty incidence of Bocaue Source: Philippine Statistics Authority Bocaue's town center is 27 kilometers north of Manila if reached via the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and the Bocaue Exit (in Barangay Turo). NLEX provides fast transport to Metro Manila from where it begins at Mabalacat , Pampanga , and Bocaue
462-514: Was once known as comprising the 2nd district of Bulacan. The grouping would later be known as the 5th district of Bulacan. Bocaue is politically subdivided into 19 barangays . Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios . In the 2020 census, the population of Bocaue, Bulacan, was 141,412 people, with a density of 4,400 inhabitants per square kilometer or 11,000 inhabitants per square mile. The St Martin of Tours Church of Bocaue , otherwise known as The Diocesan Shrine of Bocaue,
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#1732782929687484-695: Was reestablished as a town in 1911. During the Bocaue River Festival of July 2, 1993, around 500 people rode the "floating pagoda" for the Holy Cross of Wawa way beyond the boat's capacity and caused the boat to sink, killing more than two hundred people. Despite the lives lost, no one has been made accountable for the tragedy. This incident became known as the Bocaue Pagoda Tragedy . On the morning of December 31, 2007, ten fireworks stores burned in Barangay Turo, causing
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