Our Province was formally founded in 1788.
From Bacolor, Pampanga came intrepid leaders,
namely Don Carlos Miguel and Don Narciso Castaneda
who, years before 1788, with their families
and followers trekked through the forests and
hills of Porac and Bamban before finally settling
down in what is now known as the town of Tarlac.
They cleared the forest and tilled the fertile
soil until a settlement emerged along the bank
of the river which flowed across the township.
The community grew rapidly with settlers coming
from Zambales, Pampanga, Bataan, Pangasinan,
Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and elsewhere. The Pampanga
dialect became the lingua franca in the community,
as it was part of Pampanga province in those
days. The two leaders, Miguel and Casta?? succeeded
in carrying out their pioneering venture through
benevolent leadership, which elicited the cooperation
of their followers. Thus roads were built, barrios
were established without monetary expenditure,
only through the common efforts of everyone.
It also marked the beginnings of Tarlac as a
?melting pot? of Central Luzon, with a mixture
of divergent people working mightily for the
common good.
Peace, happiness and self-sufficiency reigned
during those early days. Enough agricultural
and fish products were supplied by a rich soil
and a flowing river, waiting for the hands of
its hardworking settlers.
Later, it was unanimously agreed by the growing
populace to request the authorities in Manila
to convert the community into a town. Don Carlos
Miguel prepared the needed resolution and forwarded
it to the Spanish authorities. In 1788, a decree
was issued by Captain General Don Felix Berenguer
de Marquina, proclaiming Tarlac as a town under
territorial jurisdiction of Pampanga, whose
capital then was Bacolor.
The first governadorcillo (later called municipal)
was Don Carlos Miguel in 1788 who, together
with Don Narciso Casta??, established the foundation
of Tarlac town. He was followed by Don Luis
Briones 1789. It was during his term as the
second governadorcillo that the ?legend of San
Sebastian? started. It is said that sometime
that year, an armed band of tulisanes were stopped
from marauding the town by a you
