Balanga , Bataan City

Proposed Domestic Airport construction

Introduction

Balanga was formerly a vista of Abucay before it was established as a mission of the Dominican Order in the Provincial
Chapter of April 21, 1714 and later declared a vicariate on April 18, 1739, under the patronage of Saint Joseph. Upon the
establishment of Bataan as a separate province in 1754, Balanga was made its capital by General Pedro Manuel Arandia
due to its favorable location, at the heart of the new territorial jurisdiction. The word Balanga originates from the
Tagalog word bañga (clay pot), which the town used to produce and, which was among the best that can be found in the
country.

The city has a land area of 111.63 square kilometers or 43.10 square miles which constitutes 8.13% of Bataan's total
area. Its population as determined by the 2020 Census was 104,173. This represented 12.21% of the total population of
Bataan province, or 0.84% of the overall population of the Central Luzon region. Based on these figures, the population
density is computed at 933 inhabitants per square kilometer or 2,417 inhabitants per square mile.

Population arranged by age group:

Topography

The City of Balanga has four (4) slope classifications as shown in Table 2. While 55% of the City is under the 0-3% slope,
which is level to nearly level, the other 45% needs to be protected as erosion has been observed over the years
(Barangay consultations). This is due to the lack of appropriate cover or plants that cover the soil especially in Cabog-
cabog, Tanato and Dangcol.
Sun path

Soil type

In Bataan, the mountain soils is mostly silt clay loam to fine sand, although most of it is

undifferentiated and have developed from the pyroclastic materials from volcanic centers of

Mts. Natib and Samat. The soils of the alluvial plains are clay to clay loam, which were derived

from epiclastic materials from these volcanic centers (PEMSEA and MBEMP-MBIN, 2007).

There are seven (7) types of soils located within the municipality. Descriptions of these

types are as follows (Municipality of Balanga, 2000):

Hydrosoil - This is a miscellaneous land type consisting of alluvial materials of mixed

origin overlying very deep recent marine and brackish water and organic deposits. They

occur within the tidal zones along the shore of Manila Bay which most of the times are

continuously under salty tidal water. These soils are composed of predominantly gray;

slightly firm sandy clay loam, silty clay loam, clay loam. Silt loam or loam surface layer no

more than 30 to 50 centimeters thick. Below this, extending to a depth of l50 to 250

centimeters is partly or wholly decomposed organic matter. Underneath are stratified

layers of silt loam, fine sandy coarse and/or loamy fine sand with sometimes presence of

marine shells.
Pilar silt loam - is a member of some fine clayey family, deep and poorly drained soils.

These soils have dark gray, gray, dark grayish brown, grayish brown, light brownish gray,

grayish gray, bluish gray, light bluish gray. These soils are formed on nearly level former

tidal flat or coastal plain landscape.

La Paz Fine Sand or fine sand - is a member of fine loamy over sandy skeletal family,

shallow to moderately deep over gravel and well-drained soils. They have dark brown,

brown, dark grayish brown and dark yellowish brown, friable to slightly firm, silt loam,

loam, silty clay loam and clay loam horizons no more than thirty (30) centimeters thick. B

horizons are comprised of brown, dark brown, yellowish brown and dark yellowish

brown, friable to firm, silty loam, silty clay loam and clay loam. C horizons below 40- 90

centimeters from the surface are predominantly brown and are composed of weekly

stratified gravelly to very gravelly loamy sand and sand deposits. These soils are formed

Comprehensive Land-and Water-use Plan of the City of Balanga, 2012-2020 10

on nearly level to locally, gently sloping (0-0.5% slopes) positions on point bare and flats

of recent river floodplains.

San Manuel fine sandy loam and San Manuel silt loam or fine sandy loam - members of

the fine loamy family, deep and well-drained soils. These soils have dark brown, dark

yellowish brown, brown, grayish brown, dark grayish brown and very dark grayish

brown, friable to firm clay loam, silty clay loam, loam, and silt loam and sandy clay loam

A no more than 50 centimeters thick. Few brownish to reddish mottles may be present.

B horizons are composed of predominantly brown, dark brown, yellowish brown and

dark yellowish brown, friable to firm clay loam, silty clay loam, loam, silty loam and

sandy clay loam with few brownish to reddish mottles. C horizons below l00-l50

centimeters from the surface are predominantly brown and are composed of weakly

stratified loamy and sandy deposits. These soils are formed on nearly level to locally,

gently sloping (0-5% slopes) position on flats or recent river floodplains.

Pilar fine sandy loam or sandy loam - member of the fine clayey family, moderately deep

sand well drained soils. They have dark yellowish brown, slightly firm to firm sandy clay

loam and clay A horizons with brownish sand and reddish mottles, no more than 20 to

40 centimeters thick. When used for paddy rice cultivation, mat matrix color varies from
grayish brown and very grayish brown few gray mottles. B horizons are reddish brown,

dark reddish brown and yellowish red, slightly firm clay with few red mottles and few

manganese concretions. C horizons are reddish brown, dark reddish brown, yellow red

and red, slightly firm to firm clay loam and clay. Few to common stones and boulders are

present.

Antipolo Clay or clay - member of the fine clayey family, shallow to moderately deep and

well-drained soils. These soils have brown to dark brown, strong brown, light reddish

brown, reddish brown, dark reddish brown and yellowish red, slightly firm to firm clay

loam and clay A horizons with reddish mottles, no more than 20 to 40 centimeters thick.

Few to common rock outcrops are present. B horizons are composed of reddish brown,

yellowish red and red, firm clay with reddish yellow and red mottles. Partially weather

parent materials probably basalt and igneous rocks are present. Embedded are few to

common stones and boulders. C horizons are yellowish red, reddish yellow and yellow

and dark red, firm clay with sometimes presence of dusky red and weak red mottles.

Common stones, boulders and bedrocks are present. These soils are formed from basalt,

igneous and other volcanic rocks. These soils occur from gently sloping to very steep

mountain slopes.
Climate

Climate in the country is characterized by the distribution of rainfall in the locality during

the different months of the year. The City falls under Type I climatological type, which is dry in

the months of November to April, and wet or rainy during the rest of the year. The normal

annual rainfall is about 2,030 mm. Typhoons occasionally occur during July to November.

However, due to the global change in climate, there are times when longer spell of dry season or

longer rainy season are experienced. In 2010, there was lesser occurrence of typhoons

compared to the previous years.

Temperature and humidity

Flooding is the most frequently occurring hazard in the City. The assessment of Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB,
2009) rated the barangays with low, moderate or high susceptibility based on the rating parameters presented in Box. 3-
The results of the assessment were as follows:

Nine barangays with low susceptibility in most areas are Cabog-Cabog, Tanato, Dangcol, Munting Batangas, Camacho,
Bagong Silang, Talisay, Tenejero and Ibayo

Existing land development

Site pictures
SWOT analysis

Strengths

-accessibility

-immediate access to the city’s Central Business District

-immediate access to residential homes

-tourism potential

-economic growth

-environmental aesthetics

-not to far away from the CBD area but not near enough to cause noise pollution to neighboring residents
Weakness

- flood hazards

-completion time

-lack of resources

-near a fault line that may cause earthquake

-building codes and restrictions

Opportunities

-balanga bataan considered one of the emerging cities in 2023

-growing market

-collaboration potential

-technological advancements