Santa Rosa, Nueva Ecija Philippines

Brief History of Santa Rosa

During the Spanish Regime, Banga-banga, a former barrio of Cabanatuan at that time is what this present Municipality of Santa Rosa, Nueva Ecija is known. It was told that this was so-called because of the people’s way of fetching water by use of jars-commonly known as “Banga” to us. The jar or “banga” is made of clay and it is very important to most Filipinos because it is used in fetching water from the river to their houses.

The Spaniards named it after this, because according to Mr. Marcelo D. Liwag (a revolutionary of the Filipino-Spanish war) the first Spanish Missionaries who were assigned at this place asked women they met on their way if they have seen anyone from their origin, the women unaware of what have been asked, innocently answered “banga-banga” thinking that the Spaniards did ask of the thing on top of their heads, and so since then the place was called as such.

Banga-banga is a small town that encountered rapid changes. Development was fast growing and there came the time when heads of this barrio petitioned to government authorities that it must be made a Municipality, independent from Cabanatuan. The petition was granted but the name was changed. Santa Rosa, the new name was after a patron saint found inside an abandoned Spanish headquarter.