Apalit is a municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. It is a primarily commercial town at the crossroads between the Pampanga River delta, Bulacan, and the rest of Pampanga.
Understand
[edit]Apalit is one of the oldest towns in Pampanga, having been established by the Spanish in 1582. For much of its history, Apalit has prospered thanks to its location at the southern edge of the Candaba Swamp and the Pampanga River, then a vital trade artery that also sustains its agricultural and fishing industries while at the same time providing chronic headaches through flooding during the rainy season.
Since the shift to motorized transportation beginning in the 20th century, Apalit has further prospered, first due to its location along a now-defunct railroad (now being revived), its position along the MacArthur Highway and it being at the junction leading to the towns of Macabebe and Masantol further downstream along the Pampanga River.
Get in
[edit]Apalit lies along MacArthur Highway, the main thoroughfare of Pampanga. To avoid chronic traffic congestion, most travelers from Metro Manila take instead the Pulilan or San Simon Exits of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) before entering Apalit from either Calumpit or San Simon via MacArthur Highway.
From Trinoma in Quezon City, passenger vans link Apalit with Metro Manila from 4AM to 12MN, but will involve waiting for the vehicle to fill up before leaving. There are also passenger vans in the adjacent SM North EDSA mall.
Victory Liner also offers limited bus services from Apalit to Metro Manila. It is also a stopover on some buses along the San Fernando-Metro Manila route, especially if the bus signages indicate “Inner Cities”.
Apalit is the terminus of a minibus route running south from Dau in Mabalacat, ideal for those commuting from Clark. It is also along the jeepney and minibus route from Malolos in Bulacan to San Fernando, the capital of Pampanga, as well as the ones running between San Fernando and Macabebe and Masantol. All four routes traverse MacArthur Highway.
- 1 Victory Liner Bus Terminal, MacArthur Highway, San Vicente.
Get around
[edit]
Tricycles are the main form of transportation between barangays, especially as Apalit Church and the Municipal Hall are bypassed by MacArthur Highway, 500 metres (1,600 ft) away. The tricycle terminal leading to these sites is along Gonzalez Avenue, a few meters from the junction with MacArthur Highway. Fares start at P20.
See
[edit]- 1 Saint Peter the Apostle Parish Church (Apalit Church), Gonzalez Avenue, San Juan. Apalit's main Roman Catholic church, built during the Spanish era in a Renaissance Revival style during the 19th century and featuring exquisite ceiling paintings made by local artists. Its large dome is visible from the North Luzon Expressway.
- 2 Apalit Municipal Hall, Gonzalez Avenue, San Juan. The seat of Apalit's municipal government was built in imitation of the back of the White House, complete with an ellipse filled with trees, a park and a Hollywood-like sign of the town.
- 3 Casa Sulipeña (Arnedo Ancestral House), Alauli Road, Sulipan. A 19th-century bahay na bato that belonged to one of Apalit's elite families and hosted visiting Spanish and dignitaries from other countries including future US president William Howard Taft.
- 4 Timoteo-Uyan House, Gonzalez Avenue, San Juan. A Spanish-era residence.
Do
[edit]- 1 ADD Convention Center, MacArthur Highway, Sampaloc (inside La Verdad Christian College). A .5 hectares (1.2 acres) multi-purpose venue with a 100,000-seat capacity, commonly used by the Members Church of God International (MCGI), a homegrown evangelist Christian sect.
Buy
[edit]- 1 Savemore Market Apalit, MacArthur Highway, San Vicente.
- 2 New Apalit Public Market, San Vicente.
- 3 Puregold Apalit, MacArthur Highway, San Vicente.
- 4 588 Shopping Mall, MacArthur Highway corner Sulipan Road, San Vicente.
- 5 7Mart Shopping Mall, MacArthur Highway, San Vicente.
- 6 Red Camia Supermarket, MacArthur Highway, San Vicente.
Eat
[edit]- 1 Funnside Ningnangan, Apalit-Macabebe-Masantol Road, San Vicente. A Pampanga-based restaurant and grill chain serving Filipino dishes.
Drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]- 1 Hotel Impressa, MacArthur Highway, Sampaloc.
Stay safe
[edit]A low-lying town, Apalit is susceptible to flooding from the Pampanga river during the rainy season, which is exacerbated by typhoons and high tide from Manila Bay.
Stay healthy
[edit]Due to chronic flooding, medication against leptospirosis (a disease carried by rat urine) is necessary after wading into floodwaters.
Respect
[edit]Apalit is the birthplace of the Members Church of God International (MCGI), an evangelist Christian sect founded by televangelist Eli Soriano colloquially known as Ang Dating Daan (The Old Road). Known for Soriano's fiery and sometimes controversial oratory and its long-running feud with another denomination, the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), tread carefully when mentioning the topic in town.
Connect
[edit]Go next
[edit]| Routes through Apalit |
| San Fernando ← San Simon ← | N  S
|
→ Calumpit → Malolos |