Bulacan is a province in the Philippines. It is located just north of Metro Manila and shares boundaries with Pampanga and Nueva Ecija in the north, and Manila Bay on the south west.
The province is divided into three cities and 21 municipalities (or towns).
There is no generally agreed pattern on dividing Bulacan into geographical regions, but a rough division can be:
Bulacan, while still agricultural in background, has become part of Manila's ever-expanding sprawl that has converted most farmland and paddies into subdivision, malls, and industrial parks. In 2015, it has a population of over 3 million, and is one of the most densely populated provinces in the Philippines.
Residents of the province call themselves Bulakenyo (derived and sometimes spelled as Spanish Bulaqueño). Most of the locals are culturally and linguistically Tagalog, but towns at the boundary with Pampanga also have significant numbers of Kapampangan speakers, and the sparsely populated areas of the province are the traditional land of the Dumagat, a Negrito tribe inhabiting the foothills of the Sierra Madre.
Native Bulakenyos speak and write Tagalog. As a matter of fact, a good number of famous Filipino writers hail from Bulacan. Francisco Balagtas (after whom Balagtas town is named) was born here and wrote "Florante at Laura", which is deemed a classic in Philippine Literature and is a required reading in high schools. Jose Corazon de Jesus ("Huseng Batute") and the National Artist Virgilio Almario also hail from Bulacan. It is safe to regard the province as one of the seats of the Tagalog Language. Bulakenyo dialect retains many features of ancient Tagalog in terms of grammar and vocabulary.
Nevertheless, a good number of Bulakenyos can understand and speak English, thanks to mandatory English education in the country. In particular, the younger generation of Bulakenyos have more exposure with the mass media and the Internet and, thus, with English.
The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) is a major motorway that can get you into Bulacan from Metro Manila (particularly Quezon City and Valenzuela) and the neighbouring province of Pampanga. Exits in Bulacan include Marilao, Bocaue, Tabang, Sta. Rita and Pulilan. Comparatively and almost parallel to the NLEX, travellers can take the at-grade McArthur Highway, stretching from the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan City up to Pangasinan.
Asian Highway 26 enters Bulacan from Nueva Ecija, running south towards Manila. It follows NLEX near Malolos.
There are provincial buses to and from Manila to most key cities and towns in the province. Some operators are:
San Jose del Monte is served by city buses from Metro Manila, mostly via Fairview in Quezon City.
Bulacan is halfway between Ninoy Aquino International Airport (IATA: MNL) and Clark International Airport (IATA: CRK), both served by international and domestic flights, but transportation from either airport to anywhere in Bulacan is rather bewildering.
The municipality of Bulakan, southeast of Malolos, is the location of the future New Manila International Airport, which is eyed to replace the airport in Manila. The Philippine government has approved the proposal, but no construction has started yet. If completed, the airport will have four runways, which can be expanded to six (as compared to the present Manila airport, which has two), and ground transportation to Manila is through an expressway and a railway.
Bulacan has never been served by train since the 1990s, but there is ongoing construction of a electric railway that will travel between Manila and Clark Airport. As of 2022, parts of that line are nearly complete, with partial operation (between Valenzuela and Malolos) to begin at least by 2023.
San Jose del Monte will be served by the nearly-complete MRT Line 7 (MRT-7), but the trains will never serve the city proper itself, stopping short of the Bulacan border at Caloocan.
In the major highways, the main mode of transportation is by bus of jeepney.
There are also van shuttles (UV Express) that service longer routes within the province (for example, from Meycauayan to Malolos via the NLEX).
Within most cities and towns, you can get by tricycles.
Many parts of the province are low-lying, and prone to flooding during the monsoon season. This includes the coast of Manila Bay, the banks of Angat River, and the Candaba swamp and Pampanga River delta. High tide and dam outflows can also worsen floods.
Owing to their proximity to Manila and the accompanying suburban industrialization, southern Bulacan also suffer from air pollution.
Primary administrative division