Guimba, Nueva Ecija Philippines

Brief History of Guimba

Guimba was formerly a place of wilderness with virgin forests found in the north and south of the Binituan River. The vast plains north of this river was formerly a place where tall grasses grew, dotted by tall trees all over the area up to the place now called, San Andres. From this place northward to Talugtug, is a dense forest where bounty wildlife existed.

The original settlers mostly came from the Ilocos Region and Pangasinan. The pioneering clans clans where those of Ricos, Danzalans, Cudals, Batangans, Basilios, faigals, Tabaquins, Ramoses, Sawits, and others. People from San Miguel and Bustos of the province of Bulacan also came, which can be traced from the descendant clans of the Dela Cruzes and De Guzmans who settled in one of the barangays of Guimba, now called San Miguel.

Having found the soil productive for agricultural purposes, the early settlers cleared the place, cut down the trees and burned vegetative growth. The trees were sawed into lumber out of which their houses were constructed. Apart from agriculture, the people also engaged in pot making because of the abundance of clay in some areas of the municipality. The process of hardening clay pots was more popularly called “Gebba” for thinking that the foreigners were asking what they were doing . The foreigners repeatedly pronounced Gebba with a nasalized accent “Ghembha” which later spread and became popular. The leaders then were convinced to call the municipality San Juan de Guimba by preserving the old name with the added popularized name the foreigners called the place.

On March 13, 1911, the Philippine Commission on Geography officially adopted the name San Juan de Guimba, which was later shortened and changed to “GUIMBA” hence, the name that until now is being used.

Guimba, originally had an area of more or less 29,000 hectares occupying some portions of Talugtug. When Talugtug was declared a town in 1948, some areas were taken that made the size of Guimba smaller.

Before its formal creation and declaration as a municipality, Guimba was then a part and under the political jurisdiction of Aliaga, Nueva Ecija.