Poblacion (from Spanish , meaning "population"), sometimes abbreviated as Pob., is a term used in the Philippines to refer to the administrative center, downtown, old town, or commercial area of a city or municipality. It may consist of a single barangay or multiple barangays. Colloquially, the poblacion area is also referred to as the bayan (see also other definitions of ) or plaza.
History
During the Spanish rule, the colonial government founded hundreds of towns and villages across the archipelago modeled on towns and villages in
Spain. The authorities often adopted a policy of Reducción, for the resettlement of inhabitants in far-flung scattered
Barangay state to move into a centralized
cabecera (town/district capital) where a newly built church and an
ayuntamiento (town hall) were situated.
This allowed the government to defend, control and
Christianization the indigenous population, to conduct
census, and to collect
taxes.
Features
The
población is considered the commercial and industrial center of the city or municipality. Most citizens of a city or municipality residing in the outlying barangays and satellite
flock to the
población on market days (which is set by a
local ordinance of the
local government) because most local products and goods from the
are brought to the public market located in the
población. In this way their products could be sold faster by a wide range of buyers, though there are instances where some citizens would choose to go to another town's
población because it is closer to their residences. In some cities and towns, the
población (usually the areas surrounding the parish church) doubles as an
old town district that features one or more of a few remaining Spanish-built structures in the country. There are also some cases of cities that have multiple
poblaciónes, like
Iloilo City, where each geographical district has its own, as they were former independent municipalities during the Spanish era.
The cabecera (or the población of a municipio/ pueblo) has a basic plan, with a Plaza, church and attached Parish house, civic buildings such as the town hall, and houses of prominent Spaniards.
Other features include the public market, the central elementary school and high school, police station, fire station, and hospital.
File:Inbound807053493928591831.jpg|Balanga city plaza showing the church
File:Loboc Bohol 1.jpg|The población of Loboc, Bohol, showing structures typical to most town centres: the plaza, town hall, gazebo, and arena
File:View from Mayor's Office, San Narciso - panoramio.jpg|San Narciso, Zambales poblacion, showing the church and town plaza
File:Rizal Monument in the Guiuan Town Plaza in April 2022.jpg|Plaza at Guiuan, Eastern Samar with the church in the background
File:ZAMBOANGA CITY Asia's Latin City City Hall and Plaza Rizal (Ayunamiento y Plaza Rizal).jpg| Plaza Rizal at Zamboanga City showing houses with Spanish Colonial architecture
See also
