About Bataan

Discover the magic of the Philippines’ Third Region with this amazing historical and cultural province, only an hour by ferryboat across the bay from Manila. Until recently not a traditional tourist destination, Bataan is now proving to be a tourist haven boasting a multitude of exciting places to visit, and interesting things to do. The province has much to offer – a rich culture and history, the beauty of unspoilt beaches, and a warm hospitality that is truly Filipino.

Bataan is the peninsula in the western part of Luzon that shields the Manila Bay on its south and east from the South China Sea on its west. Zambales and Pampanga form its boundaries on the north.

Balanga City, 124 km. from Manila, is the provincial capital. The twelve towns lying in its coast integrade 238 barangays and 11 cultural minorities or sitios.

Tagalog is the main language and is widely used, followed by Pampango and Ilocano. English is used mostly as the medium of transaction in business.

Bataan remains basically an agricultural province in spite of the rapid industrialization during the last decade. Mariveles is the site of an export-processing zone that accounts for heavy industry in the province. Cattle and carabao fattening, hog raising, and poultry industry, especially broilers and ducks and egg production, are some of the promising livelihood programs in the province.