Morong, Bataan

The Augustinian Order of Recollects (AOR) arrived in the Philippines in 1606 and a year later, in 1607, they began mission work in Zambales. By 1612, the AOR claimed and organized 12 communities in the surrounding area into towns each with small churches and convents. It is said that in 1607, Morong was officially founded as an ecclesiastical parish by the Augustinian Recollects[7] as well as being founded by Fr. Rodrigo de San Miguel who placed it under the protection of the Our Lady of the Pillar.[8]

The Our Lady of the Pillar Parish of Morong, established in 1607 and is now one of the oldest seats of Catholic faith in the Philippines;.[9] The AOR fortress-church made with local stony corals (Porites species) was built around 1890s. The design of the church is similar to Augustinian Recollect built church, the Sta. Monica Church of Botolan, Zambales, also built with stony corals.

The church has been damaged extensively three times. In 1890, the church was damaged by a strong typhoon and after a few months, fire damaged the convent. During WWII, the church was sent on fire by the invading Japanese Imperial Army, collapsing the roof.

During the Philippine War of Independence from Spain, the anti-friar sentiment among Filipinos reached a boiling point. During this war, several friars were imprisoned and several were also killed by Filipino Revolutionaries. Fray Domingo Cabrejas, cura of Morong and Fray Jose San Juan, cura of Bagac were killed by Filipino Revolutionaries. After several months, the Spanish government sent in retaliation a regiment of the Guardia Civil to capture and kill the revolutionaries of Morong.

For the defense of Bataan, the main and first battle position established by the USAFFE was the Mabatang (Abucay)–Mauban (Morong) Line. General Wainwright was in command of the Mauban side of the defense. The 1st Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, under Gen. Fidel Segundo defended the Morong Town Proper.

On 15 January 1942, the reinforced 1st Infantry Division (Philippines) of Gen. Fidel Segundo, defending the Morong came under heavy bombardment, but successfully held the line.

On 16 January 1942, the Imperial Japanese Army marched towards the town of Morong. An alarm force of combined Filipino and American forces was then positioned in the town decided to engage the Japanese forces. The 26th Cavalry Regiment led by Lieutenant Edwin P. Ramsey successfully forced the Japanese 122d Infantry to a retreat. The 27 heavily outnumbered Filipino and American cavalrymen charged and scattered the surprised Japanese. It was the last charge of American cavalry[10]

On 17 January 1942, the Japanese Army returned and engaged Wainwright's forces which then retreated to the Mauban Line finally abandoning Morong Town Proper.

On 28 July 1942, Capt. Ralph McGuire, Capt. E.S Johnson along with a company of soldiers went to Morong to organize the Guerilla Movement in the town. The Morong Town guerillas came to be what is now formally known as the 3rd Regiment, Bataan Military District, East Central Luzon General Area.

The incumbent town mayor at the time, Mayor Angeles was inducted as Sector Commander and given the rank of Captain. After two months of organizing, in September 1942 over 1,400 residents of Morong joined the guerilla force. With Mayor Angeles leading more than a regiment of guerillas, he was then promoted to Colonel.

In 15 October 1943, Capt. Ralph McGuire was killed-in-action in Poon Bato, Botolan, Zambales and with his passing the Morong Town Guerilla Sector lost their contact with the East Central Luzon General Area. The activities of the Morong Town Guerilla Sector resumed in 1944 when the emissaries of John Boone went to the town to re-establish guerilla activities of the group.

All over the country and the world, the heroism of WWII veterans who fought in Bataan are commemorated. Towns and cities, such as Marikina, have erected monuments to honor their citizens who have fought or fallen in defense of Bataan.

In the whole of Bataan, only the town of Morong has no memorial markers have been erected by the government despite the historical significance and sacrifice of the town and its residents during the war. Ever since after the war, the national, provincial and local government has made no efforts to commemorate the brave souls that fought and died in Morong.

A town left sacrificed and undefended during the war, now filled with graves of heroes forsaken and unrecognized.

The Pawikan Conservation Center is a community-based effort to protect turtles in Morong with a focus on protecting the Olive Ridley species.[12]

Morong has a tropical monsoon climate (Af) with little to no rainfall from December to April and heavy to extremely heavy rainfall from May to November.

Morong is politically subdivided into 5 barangays.[14] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Morong has also had some activity in mining. In 1972 it had mining activity from Long Beach Mining Corporation producing magnetite concentrate from beach sands[27] and in 2017 there was headway into opening 709.6 hectares of land to Gandara minerals and development corporation in order to mine basalt and other associated minerals.[28]

The Bataan Technology Park (informally called the "Technopark") is the main zone of the Morong Special Economic Zone (MSEZ), established in March 1997[29] after a previous ecozone which was established under the 1992 Bases Conversion and Development Act.[30] The park's investors can claim the following benefits:

• A 5% levy on Gross Income Earned (in lieu of all national and local taxes and duties)
• Tax and duty-free importation of raw materials and capital equipment
• Management of the zone as a separate customs territory, ensuring the free flow of movement of goods and capital equipment within, imported and exported out of the zone
• The Atmanda Ecopark also has potential as a retirement haven and a corporate training center