Bustos, Bulacan. Exploring the Town's Attractions on Foot.

Bustos, Bulacan is not your usual tourist destination. It does not have grand attractions like the other towns of Bulacan. But in its own way, the municipality has rich history, heritage, and local flavors worth exploring. The town got its name from Jose Pedro Perez de Bustos, a mining engineer from Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain who served as the right-hand of Simón de Anda y Salazar and was appointed teniente general alcalde (Provincial Governor) of Bulacan. Bustos was a part of the town of Baliuag as its barrio during the Spanish Period. The town was separated from Baliuag by an incident in 1860, when a group of natives from Bustos with babies in their arms were on their way to Baliuag Church for baptismal when they drowned after the raft they were riding capsized while crossing the Angat River. This event led the people of Bustos to request and build their own parish church to avoid the river crossings. The locals chose the Holy Child Jesus (Santo Niño) as their patron saint in honor of those infants that died in the river. Bustos gained its independence from Baliuag on April 29, 1867, with the integration of barrios Bonga Mayor and Bonga Menor. However, it was returned to Baliuag on October 8, 1903, with San Rafael merging as well. Bustos became a distinct municipality on January 1, 1916, during the Philippine Assembly through Assemblyman Ricardo Lloret Gonzalez (Bulacan–2nd). The town inaugurated its municipal hall on January 1, 1917. Leon Prado became its first Municipal Mayor and served from 1917 to 1919. Gabriel Alvarez served as the first parish priest of the institutionalized Santo Niño de Bustos Parish Church. During World War II, Bustos served as the military headquarters of soldiers in the province of Bulacan being led by Bustosenyo then Capt. Alejo Santos. Bustos has its own trademark product, the finger food 'minasa'. Minasa refers to "cassava cookies", made from cassava flour, egg yolk, yeast, butter, and coco milk. Join us as we explore Bustos on foot.