Orani

According to legend, while a Spaniard was exploring a dense forest in what is now Orani, Bataan, he encountered a native who was chopping down a large tree. When the Spaniard asked the name of the tree, the native replied "narra." However, the Spaniard misunderstood and thought the native said "no ira," which means "unselfish" in Spanish. The Spaniard rearranged the letters from these words to form the name "Orani," which eventually became the official name of the town.[5]

In 1714, the town and church of Orani were established as an independent missionary center. The Dominican friars constructed the church, which served as their quarters in Bataan. Orani grew into a prosperous town, but suffered significant damage during the earthquake of September 16, 1852, which destroyed the church and municipal government building. Reconstruction began in 1891, but progress was interrupted by a major fire on March 16, 1938, which burned most of the town, including schools, the church, and town hall. Reconstruction efforts were halted by the outbreak of World War II, which caused further devastation. However, after the war, the town began rebuilding again.[6]

Orani is 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from Balanga and 110 kilometres (68 mi) north-west of Manila and accessible via the Bataan Provincial Expressway, off Exit 20. It is bounded on the north by Hermosa, south by Samal, west by Dinalupihan and east by Manila Bay. It has a total land area of 64.90 square kilometres (25.06 sq mi) covering 29 barangays. About 1,231 hectares (3,040 acres) are used for agriculture, 1,943.86 hectares (4,803.4 acres) are forestland, 971.93 hectares (2,401.7 acres) are forest reservation and 1,295.9 hectares (3,202 acres) are reserved for the National Park. The rest are classified as wetland.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 64.90 square kilometres (25.06 sq mi) [7] constituting 4.73% of the 1,372.98-square-kilometre- (530.11 sq mi) total area of Bataan.

In the 2020 census, Orani had a population of 70,342.[3] The population density was 1,100 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,800/sq mi).

Palay, coffee, vegetables, peanut, citrus trees and fruit trees are the major produce. Cutflowers like aster, chrysanthemum and gerbera are locally cultivated while bamboo and jungle vines can be gathered from Orani's forestlands. Aquamarine resources like milkfish, tilapia, prawn, crabs, mussels and oysters are caught in Orani's fishing grounds and fishponds.

Orani Church

Orani's attractions, events and historical landmarks include:[26]

• Orani People's Park, center of Poblacion, Plaza
• The 1714 Orani Church, commonly known as the "Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish Church of Orani" ("Our Lady of the Rosary of Orani", "Nuestra Señora del Rosario Parish Church", "Church of Orani" or "Virgen Milagrosa Del Rosario del Pueblo de Orani Shrine") is a Neoclassical (heritage) Diocesan Marian Shrine and Pilgrimage church (recognized by the 1959 Vatican's Papal Bull, located in Poblacion).
• Our Lady of Orani
• Death March Marker (Silahis), Bataan Death March. Kaparangan was used as a temporary prisoners’ camp by the Japanese soldiers starting on April 11, 1942, the second day of the infamous “Death March”. To commemorate the pitiful event, the National Historical Institute constructed a bronze memorial at the corner of Barangay Silahis and the Bataan National Road in 1987.
• Pawikan Festival[27]

• 
  Welcome arch
• 
  Public market
• 
  Park and plaza
• 
  Saint John the Evangelist Parish Church
• 
  The bamboo makeshifts

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Orani, Bataan.

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code