San Fernando (Pampanga) 6.36

San Fernando, officially and often referred to as the City of San Fernando and shortened or abbreviated as CSFP or SFP is a first-class component city in the Philippine province of Pampanga, of which it is the provincial capital. The regional center of Central Luzon (Region III), it has a population of 306,659 people according to the 2015 census. It is located north of Manila, east of Subic in Zambales, and south of Clark Air Base in Angeles City.The city is named after King Ferdinand VI of Spain and placed under the patronage of Saint Ferdinand III of Castile and León, whose feast is celebrated every 30 May. Popularly known as the "Christmas Capital of the Philippines", the city holds the annual Giant Lantern Festival every December where large parol are displayed in competition.BarangaysThe City of San Fernando is politically subdivided into 35 barangays.HistoryThe town of San Fernando was founded in 1754 from the towns of Bacolor and Mexico. The first church was built in 1755 with wooden walls and nipa roofing. The municipal tribunal was erected later in the year in front of the town plaza using durable materials and thatched nipa roofing. Don Vidal de Arrozal served as its first gobernadorcillo that year.