About Angeles City
Angeles City (Tagalog: Lungsod ng Angeles; Kapampangan: Ciudad ning Angeles), located within the province of Pampanga in the Philippines, is locally classified as a first-class, highly-urbanized city.[1] The city administers itself autonomously from Pampanga and, as of August 2007, it has a population of 314,493.[2]
Angeles has been dubbed the "Entertainment Capital of Central Luzon According to the Center for Kapampangan Studies, the dish sisig originated in this city and has been on the menu since the 1730s. Thus Angeles has also become well-known as the culinary center of Pampanga.
Angeles is served by the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport inside the Clark Special Economic Zone (formerly Clark Air Base and now renamed Clark Freeport Zone), which is located in the northwestern part of the city.[3] As the former home of the largest United States Air Force base outside of the continental United States, it was significantly affected by the base pullout brought about by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 as the economy of Angeles was heavily dependent on the American base at that time.[4]
Independence and Cityhood
After World War II, the Philippines gained independence from the United States on July 4, 1946 but then would be tied to a neo-colonial relationship. The "Treaty of General Relations" signed on independence day itself signified the Americans’ withdrawal and surrender of possession, control and sovereignty over the Philippines, except the use of their bases. It was followed by the Philippine-American Military Bases Agreement in March 14, 1947, allowing the U.S. to maintain territorial integrity and sovereignty over Clark Air Base and Subic Naval Base for the next 44 years. Clark occupied 63,103 hectares and served as the tactical operational U.S. air force installation in the entire Southeast Asian region that had the capacity to accommodate the U.S. military transport planes, which served the entire Western Pacific.
Through the years, although Fort Stotsenburg continued to expand to become what is now known as Clark Air Base, Angeles, despite its proximity to the American camp, did not progress fast and remained fairly small until the end of World War II. It was finally inaugurated on January 1, 1964 as a chartered city under Republic Act No. 3700 and then it entered a period of tremendous growth that has resulted in its present position as the "Premier City in Central Luzon." It was then Mayor Rafael del Rosario’s brainchild that Angeles became a city. He gained the distinction of being the last municipal mayor of Angeles. He was assisted in the preparation of the City Chapter by Attorney Enrique Tayag, a prominent resident of the town. Congresswoman Juanita L. Nepomuceno of the first district of Pampanga sponsored the bill in Congress, which was approved by then President Diosdado Macapagal, the ninth Philippine president and a native of the province of Pampanga.
Due to the presence of the U.S. base, Angeles has become home to a large colony of expatriates as many Americans chose to permanently settle in Angeles, particularly in the Balibago district. During the American colonial period (1898-1946), more than 800,000 Americans were born in the Philippines and a large concentration of Filipino mestizos or Filipinos with American ancestry were located in this city.[ It is said that aside from the high Amerasian population in the city, prostitution was another consequence of the U.S. bases’ presence in the country. Since the early days of Clark Air Base, Fields Avenue, a honky-tonk area frequently visited by the U.S. servicemen, has been known as a center for prostitution,which increased greatly after the end of World War II.
Mount Pinatubo eruption and Angeles today
On June 15, 1991, Angeles was affected by the cataclysmic eruption of nearby Mount Pinatubo, with up to 60,000 people being evacuated from the city. It was the second-largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century and, by far, the largest eruption to affect a densely populated area. Angeles and Clark were badly hit and the agricultural lands, as well as other businesses, were covered by tons of lahar. There were no casualties reported inside Clark since two days before the initial eruption, the 18,000 personnel and their families were transported to Subic Naval Base in Zambales and Guam, most of whom were returned to the United States.
The eruption of Mount Pinatubo forced the hand of the U.S. to prematurely abandon its military installation at Clark Air Base. This is in addition to the voting by the Philippine Senate in 1991 to no longer extend the Laurel-Langley Act, which allows the presence of U.S. military forces on Philippine territory, thus ending the long chapter of Filipino-American relations in the history of Angeles. The U.S. military never returned to Clark, turning over the damaged base to the Philippine government on November 26, 1991.
In 1993, cleanup and removal of volcanic ash deposits began. The former base re-emerged as Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) approved by then President Fidel V. Ramos on April 3 of the same year and in 2001, Clark International Airport was renamed Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in honor of Diosdado Macapagal, the father of current President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The airfield infrastructure was improved and destined to be the premiere airport in the country in the next five years and one of the most modern in Asia. The creation of CSEZ has helped to offset the loss of income and jobs previously generated by the presence of the U.S. base in Angeles. Today, Angeles and Clark together form the hub for business, industry, aviation and tourism, as well as the entertainment and gaming center of
Other landmarks in Angeles City
Angeles City is known for it’s red light district and entertainment value. Field’s Avenue is a well known area for Bars, Discos and beer houses, pubs , Angeles City Hotel, Angeles City Condominium and Hotel. Angeles City is where you would want to be if you like ENTERTAINMENT for the cheapest possible price.
Angeles City Properties are now the hottest in the Philippines because of the development going on in the area. Angeles City now boast 4 Malls and including SM Clark and Ayala’s Marquee Mall.
Source: http://Wikipedia.Org
