Cabanatuan City

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The recent travel I made in the Philippines put me on longer stay in one province: Nueva Ecija. This province, which is considered one of the major rice-producing provinces of the Philippines, is located in Central Luzon. It has several major cities that are considered either economic hubs or centers of commerce, transportation and industry. One such city is Cabanatuan City, located at the southern part of the province. From Manila, a bus ride can take you to the city proper in two to three hours time, depending on the traffic on its only major highway, called Maharlika Highway. This major thoroughfare leads all the way to Aparri in Cagayan Valley. What attracted me to Cabanatuan City is the enormous number of tricycles that crowd its major streets and narrow pathways. Foreign tourists should experience this transportation phenomenon and come to this city. While the city is still expanding with its 89 barangays or barrios, it's a wonder of city planning and management how it could accomodate almost 30,000 tricycles to operate and still remain a city of progress and prosperity. Huge posters bearing a photo of its current mayor are posted in major street corners, reminding its residents to observe order and discipline and to abide by the rules and regulations of the city. At the same time, the posters allow a path of messages informing the people of the various programs of the city government for its residents. But the attraction of Cabanatuan city remains to be its multitude of tricycles, plying the various short routes within the city and serving the transportation needs of its people, mostly students, city workers, housewives, teachers, employees, etc. The city is home to many schools and universities, colleges and major hospitals, major branches of banks and commercial establishments, businesses big and small, busy public markets and hotels and restaurants and eateries that are scattered all over this major provincial metropolis. Although a quick look of the city's list of tourist attractions show that it has a church that is hundred years old and it was the site of the assassination of one of its national heroes, Major Antonio Luna, as he was ambushed which on his way to Palanan Isabela. Also, Cabanatuan City boasts of a tourist spot in an area where during World War II, Japanese Imperial Army built a prison camp in the city to house captured American soldiers. Then in 1945, elite forces from the US Army conducted a daring raid of the prison camp and freed the American prisoners. The raid has been known in history books as the successful Raid at Cabanatuan.

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Comments

[lorie]

Appreciation
Thanks to Mr Edgar for his appreciation on the beauty of Cabanatuan City. It really takes other person to see the beauty of your place before you realize it was. Cabanatuan is really beautiful not to mention our longganisa or batutay. Mr edgar will appreciate more of cabanatuan if he tasted our longganisa. Again tahnkyou very much.