Baclaran

This article is about the barangay in Parañaque. For other uses, see Baclaran (disambiguation).

Baclaran is a barangay located in the northern area of the city of Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is also known to be located at the borders of the cities of Parañaque and Pasay.

Baclaran
Barangay
Karakol celebration on Roxas Boulevard in Baclaran, May 2019
Baclaran
Coordinates: 14°31′55″N 120°59′39″E
Country	Philippines
Region	National Capital Region
City	Parañaque
District	1st Legislative District of Parañaque
Established	1971
Government
• Type	Barangay
• Barangay Captain	Julius Anthony Zaide
• Sangguniang Barangay	Kagawad Vincent Ace Mangosing Wilmer Agnas Joseph Oliver Lim Carlito Vacal Romulo Fernandez Carlito Gabriel
Area
• Total	0.6372 km2 (0.2460 sq mi)
Population  (2020)
• Total	33,850
• Density	53,000/km2 (140,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
Postal Code	1702
Area code	02
Patron Saint	St. Rita of Cascia

Because of its proximity to the shore of Manila Bay, the place was named after a piece of fishing equipment called "baklad". Baklad is a rattan fence placed around the fish to protect them until they are ready to be sold in the market. Many of these baklads were assembled at the seashore, so people started calling the place "Bakladan". The Filipino grammatical feature of changing d's to r's when a suffix is added changed this to "Baclaran".

History

Then a barrio, Baclaran was excised, alongside barrio Tambo, from the then-municipality of Parañaque to form part of the newly established municipality of Baclaran in 1965, when both municipalities were part of Rizal province. However, the Supreme Court of the Philippines later voided the creation of the new municipality, thus returning the aforementioned barrios to Parañaque.

Baclaran was established in 1971 in the municipality, now city, of Parañaque. It was later converted into a barangay alongside all other barrios in the Philippines in 1974.

In 1973, Cardinal Karol Józef Wojtyła (later Pope John Paul II), then the Archbishop of Kraków, visited the Baclaran Church and celebrated Mass there during a brief, unofficial stopover in Manila, which was his first visit to the Philippines. In 1981, Wojtyła as Pope John Paul II returned to the shrine as part of his apostolic visit to the Philippines.

The area is well known for the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, also known as the Redemptorist Church or Baclaran Church, dedicated to Our Mother of Perpetual Help. The first Wednesday of every month is dedicated to the shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. There was also once Muslim mosque, the Baclaran Mosque, now demolished by the City of Pasay. Baclaran is known for its children and youth membership in the local rondalla, which won at NAMCYA in 1996, and the Drum and Lyre Band, as well as its street welding. There are a number of tiangges (flea markets) occupying the westbound lane of Taft Avenue.

Transportation

Located near the intersection of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue and Roxas Boulevard, Baclaran is a major transportation hub and transfer point. The Baclaran station, the southern terminal station of the Manila Light Rail Transit System Line 1 located in Pasay, serves the barangay. Line 1 Extension is currently under construction to extend the line southwards to Cavite, with Redemptorist station being built in the barangay. Many bus and jeepney routes pass through Baclaran or have it as their end destination, especially transportation to and from the province of Cavite to the south. Baclaran also has the closest street near the four terminals of Ninoy Aquino International Airport, more known as the Airport Road. Wednesdays are generally busier as novena devotees come to pray at the Baclaran Church.

Cycle rickshaws can also be used to navigate the interior streets.