Some like to think that Juan de Salcedo, the Spanish conquistador, was the first voyager from New Spain (Mexico) to see the coast of Aurora province.  Very likely, the first were Fray Esteban Ortiz, with companion, Fray Juan de Porras, OFMs, but no one has placed them with certainty. So Fray Blas Palomino, OFM, and seven of his Franciscan brothers goes the credit for its first authentication in 1609.

For more than a century since the shore of Aurora (Baler andCasiguran), were visited by the missionaries, it idled away its days in what it seemed  to the outside world, at least content, nearly in unlived-in state.  In fact, none of the residents probably even noticed when Fray Esteban Ortiz and Fray Juan de Poras, OFMs, reconnoitered the area in 1578.

They continued their quiet existence until 1611, when the first missionary, Fray Juan Francisco de San Antonio arrived in Baler, built the church and introduced the teaching of Christ.

When they discovered the region, they reminisced the “Exploit of Esplandia,” an imaginary place somewhere along the scene resembled Aurora.  The Spanish chart was imprecise what they found is a strip of land along the shoreline of the Pacific Ocean that belongs to the Empire of Pampanga during the early years of its discovery. Indeed, the mid-eastern land that stretched the foothill of the Sierra Madre mountain range was a paradise, undeniably blessed.

Aurora took shape on the maps of Spanish chart makers, it was seen to be a coastline of geologic variety hardly matched anywhere else in the Philippine Archipelago.  The northern section, from the present Isabela border to the northern boundary of Quezon province, is a jagged front of promontories, inlets, and set off by hundreds cliffs.  The rest of the coast is the complicated work of volcanic upheaval broken by rocky headlands, marshes, and breathtaking beaches.  From Dilasag to Dingalan, the prevailing pattern is that of long, thin coastal barriers.

Its Central Valley is the most productive agricultural land in the entire province. The mist-covered jungles are home of the Dipterocarp unparalleled elsewhere in the world.  It is extravagantly lush, with ferns dangling overhead and mosses sheathing massive tree trunks like green velvet.  An emerald glow suffuses the air as sunlight filters through the canopy.

Equally grand is Aurora’s 328 kilometer coastlines.  This dramatic rim of the province has been source of inspiration ever since the Spanish friars began building missions along this Pacific coast 388 years ago. It stretches along vast expanse of the ocean at the edge of Aurora.  Here, nature is in balance, as well as abundance.Sky, sea and shore meet in unimaginable beauty that does indeed seem near to gods, or at least divinely inspired.

In reality, it had a strangely seductive out-of-time pace that proved a match for anyone dreamlike style.  And if there is a Philippine version of “La Dolce Vita”, you can find it along the shores of Aurora.  Its long and languorous expanse stretching from the grayish-white sandy beach of Dingalan Bay to the sandy cove of Dilasag are beauties to behold.   The vast Pacific brushes with its white foamy waves the shores along the rocky cliff blanketed by the blue-green vegetation.  Its sandy beach glitters like gold attracting developers to build lavish and fanciful resorts.

Some years ago, Duval and Sheen descended here to film the “Apocalypse Now.” Since then, Aurora has been a favorite haunt of the beautiful people, who consider it their own quaint playground.

During the discovery of Baler and Casiguran, plus the two established missions: Mision San Jose de Casecnan/San Joseph (Maria Aurora) and Mision de San Miguel (Dipaculao) by the Franciscan friars, the region was part of the Empire of Pampanga ruled by Prince Malang Balagtas.  In 1591 when Tayabas was created into a province under Governor Gomez Perez Dasmariñas, Baler and Casiguran was obtained from the Empire of Pampanga and became a town of Tayabas including Nueva Ecija, which was then a military district of Pampanga established in 1701 by Governor Fausto Cruzat y Gongora.  Around 1778 the district Commander of Nueva Ecija, Colonel Manuel Monet with approval from the Governor repartitioned the military district under his jurisdiction.   The western part became the new military district of Tarlac and assigned to a new district commander.  The eastern part remained under him with Baler as its established capital.

In 1785, the capital of Nueva Ecija was moved to Bongabong and later to Cabanatuan.

When Governor Rafael Maria de Aguilar took over as Governor of the Philippines, he decreed the separation of the military- district of Nueva Ecija from the province of Pampanga and became a regular province on 25 April 1801 including the town of Baler acquired from Tayabas.

During the ascension of Antonio de Urbiztondo y Equia as the new Governor of the Philippines in 1853, he created the towns of Nueva Ecija along the Pacific coasts to a new district of El Principe that included Baler, the capital; Casiguran, Mision de San Miguel (Dipaculao), Mision San Jose de Casecnan (San Joseph/Maria Aurora).

At the conclusion of the Spanish-American War when Spain lost the Philippines to the United States, Tayabas province was assigned to the care of Colonel Cornelius Gardener as Military Governor on March 12,1901. He abolished the district of El Principe, and again incorporated Baler and Casiguran back to the province of Tayabas.  Mision San Jose de Casecnan/San Joseph (Maria Aurora) and Mision de San Miguel (Dipaculao) were absorbed by Baler as a barrio.  Thus, consolidated the town along the Pacific seaboard to a single province that extended from the boundary of Camarines Sur to the south, and north to the boundary of Isabela province.

Aurora is young compared to the other provinces that bordered it.  Its 21st anniversary was celebrated last August 13, 1997. However, the major towns (Baler and Casiguran) that represent it are as old as most towns in the entire island of Luzon.

The postwar years found that Baler and Casiguran (northern Quezon Province) were languishing due to its extreme isolation from the neighboring provinces and cities.  The late Aurora A. Quezon, wife of the late President Quezon, worked for the appointment of Pedro V. Guerrero as mayor of Baler, and Antonio A. Angara as mayor of Casiguran.

Agitated by the difficulty to journey to Lucena, the capital of the province to transact official business, the late Mayor Pedro V. Guerrero and Mayor Antonio A. Angara, innovatively and inceptively sought the creation of a Sub-Province of Aurora to ease the burden of traveling over a narrow and rugged Sierra Madre road, through the fringes of the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Rizal, the City of Manila, Laguna, and Batangas. Moreover, to create a sub-province to materialize, creations of more municipalities are necessary.

Before 1901, the capital of Kalilayan (Tayabas) now, Quezon province was the town of Tayabas.  However, after the defeat of the Iberian sovereignty and pacification of the Filipino insurgents, the capital of Quezon was relocated to Lucena in 1901 by the American regime.  Lucena during the early period was mere sitio of Buenavista, later renamed Oroquieta.  On 5 November 1879, Oroquieta was adopted the name Lucena in honor of Fray Mariano Granja, who was from Lucena in Andalucia, Spain and responsible for its development.  On June 1,  1882, Lucena became a municipality.

On 21 July 1949, San Jose de Casecnan/San Joseph was created as a municipality.  During its creation, a new name (Maria Aurora) was given, to honor the death of Maria Aurora (Baby) A. Quezon, daughter of the late commonwealth first lady, Mrs. Aurora A. Quezon who died with her in an ambush on April 28, 1949.   It was followed by Mision de San Miguel (Dipaculao) on November 27, 1950. With the addition of the two municipalities, the late Congressman Honorable Gaudencio Vera of the Second District of Quezon submitted a bill creating the subprovince of Aurora.  The bill was subsequently passed and approved by the Congress on June 14, 1951, known as Republic Act 648.  President Elpidio Quirino appointed Mayor Pedro V. Guerrero as the first Lieutenant Governor.

On  June16, 1959, San Luis became a municipality followed by Dingalan on June 16, 1962.  Seven years later on June 21, 1969 Dilasag followed, and subsequently Dinalungan as a municipal district.

Congressman Moises Escueta submitted a bill creating the Province of Aurora.  The House of Representative passed it, but slaughtered in the Senate.   Attempts to convince the Senate of making Aurora an independent province did not prevail, until the imposition of Martial Law by President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

Lieutenant Governor Luis S. Etcubañez, in 1978, sensing the right time has finally arrive for him to act because of his political affiliation with the 21 Assemblymen of Region IV, requested their assistance to co-sponsor a Parliamentary Bill for the establishment of Aurora as an independent province.  The bill was passed overwhelmingly.  Moreover, the approval of the people is required to know if they are really determined to be an independent province separated from Quezon.  The plebiscite of May 1979 was held with flying colors.  By virtue of Batas Pambansa Blg. 7, Aurora province was born and officially declared and signed by President Ferdinand E. Marcos as the seventy-third province of the Philippines, on August 13, 1979, making the town of Baler as its Capital.

On the occasion of  August  19, 1979, the town fiesta, Atty Luis S. Etcubañez was appointed and sworned-in by the President as Governor of Aurora. He was the first governor and the last Lieutenant Governor of the subprovince of Aurora.

The Ilongots, also known as Bugkalots, are well-known for their intense aggressiveness and cultural conservatism. Their communities straddle the boundaries of Quirino, Aurora, and Nueva Vizcaya, mostly in

Dupax, Kasibu, and the Sierra Madre and Caraballo mountains in the headwaters of the Cagayan, Tabayon, and Conwap Rivers.

The Ilongot, who are of Indonesian descent, have five subgroups: Italon (who have Mongolian features), Ilongot, Kadayacan, Abaca, and Dagkan. Each group has its own dialect and customs.

The Dumagats belong to the ethnic minority and now live in the uplands of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, Aurora and Quezon. They used to be semi-nomadic, putting up temporary homes wherever they could find sustenance from hunting, fishing and from crops, fruits and other products from the forest.

Commonly referred to as Negritos, Agtas do belong to the Negrito ethnolinguistic group. There are many Agta tribes, scattered over Regions I to V in the island of Luzon. The Casiguran Dumagat Agtas can be found on the eastern coast of Aurora Province in Central Luzon Region.

Nodes of History

1572– the conquistador Juan de Salcedo , exploring northwestern Luzon, crosses the Cordillera Ranges and comes down Luzon’s eastern coast to the edge of the Pacific Ocean. He becomes the first European to set foot on the virgin region that will eventually become Aurora

1578– Franciscan missionary Fray Esteban Ortiz starts proselytizing in the forested areas and the coastal strip facing the Pacific Ocean.

1591– Spanish authorities establish the district of Kalilaya to include what will later become the provinces of Quezon, Nueva Ecija, and Laguna. In the early years of Spanish rule, the area that will eventually comprise the province of Aurora was ecclesiastically linked to Infanta-the biggest municipality of the district of Kalilaya-later to become the province of Quezon.

1609-Fray Blas Palomina leads six other Franciscans in crossing the Sierra Madre to reach a Christian community by the Pacific Coast that will eventually be named Baler.

Among the inhabitants are farmers, fishermen, and hunters, and will be later joined by Christian families resetting from the province of Nueva Ecija. Another Franciscan Fray Valeriano, establishes a village government, making the settlement the first official poblacion I all of the coastal territory.

1611– Under the leadership of Fray Francisco de San Antonio, the Franciscans build Baler’s first church of nipa and wood.

1658– for the lack of missionaries to serve the growing population, the Franciscans turn over the region to the Augustinian Recollects.

1701– Nueva Ecija is separated from Kalilaya and given its own government

1703– The Franciscans return to the region, setting up a mission in Casiguran. They administer the region until the end of the Spanish regime.

1719-Fray Sebastian de la Madre de Dios establishes the mission of Dipaculao

1735– A tsunami hits Baler. The members of the Angara, Bitong, Bihasa, Carrasco, Lumasac and Poblete families survive by scrambling to higher ground. The neighboring villages of Casiguran, Dipaculao and Dingalan are spared from the catastrophe called Tromba Marina

1749– The provincial capitol is transferred from Kalilaya to the southern town of Tayabas. The whole province takes as the name of Tayabas.

1798- Balingingi pirates from Ticao and Burias in Southern Luzon raid the coastal town of Tayabas, including Baler. Three Franciscan priests and 450 residents lose their lives.

1818– Nueva Ecija annexed the towns of Palanan from the Province of Isabela, as well as Baler, Casiguran, Infanta and Polillo Island, from Tayabas

1855 -1885– Aurora (then named El Principe) was declared a comandancia politico-militar, with its capital at Baler

1888-On February, Aurora Antonia Aragon is born to Pedro Aragon and Maria Zenaida Molina in Baler (the Tayabas province). The couple had four children: Maria, married to Gonzales, called by her  siblings Kaka Malaki; Emilia, married to Angara, referred to Kaka Munti; Amparo , referred to as Kaka Nanis; and the youngest, Aurora, affectionately called Nene by everyone.

1898-1899-A provincial revolutionary government is established in Baler and in all of El Principe in 1898. From June 27, 1898 to June 21, 1899, Spanish forces under the command of Capt. Enrique de las Morenas barricade themselves inside the church of Baler, refusing to surrender to the Filipino revolutionary forces.

On April 12, 1899, Filipino forces under Major Nemesio Bartolome capture American forces under Lt. James Gilmore. The Americans arrive in Baler upon the request of the Spanish authorities to rescue the  beleaguered garrison.

1902– a civil government for this “district”, established

1918– On December 14, Manuel Luis Quezon and Aurora Aragon are married civilly at American Consulate General in Hong kong. Three days later,

they are married at Catholic Cathedral in rites solemnized by the archbishop og Hongkong.

1919-1926– On September 23, Aurora given birth to Maria Aurora, nicknamed Baby. She is followed by Maria Zeneida or Nini, born on April 9, 1921. Luisa Corazon Paz lived from February 27 to December 14,1927. She died o Meningitis. Manuel Jr., or Nonong, was born on June 23, 1926.

1925- Construction of the Baler-Bongabon Road  begins the road, completed 15 years later, links Baler to Central Luzon.

1935– Manuel Quezon is elected as the first president of the Philippines Commonwealth. Aurora Aragon Quezon becomes the first Filipino first Lady and the First Filipino Malacañang hostess following 14 American predecessors.

1938– On March 30, Ateneo de Manila confers the Ozanam Award or Mrs. Quezon in recognition of her distinctive and exemplary service to mankind through her involvement in many charities.

1941– On December 17, Japanese forces attack Baler.

1942– Major Robert Lapham organizes guerilla in Baler on November 15.

1944– August 29- an American Submarine , the USS Naewhal surfaces at Dibut near Baler and unloads arm and supplies for the Filipino resistance movement.

August 1, Philippines  President Manuel Luis Quezon died at Saranade Lake, New York.

1945– Japanese forces evacuate Baler on January 28 and head northwards.

1949-April 28, Aurora Quezon with daughter Maria Aurora, sin-in-law Philip Buencamino III, Quezon City Mayor Ponciano Bernardo, and Col. Tony San Agustin are assassinated by a renegade group of communist rebels under a certain commander Viernes in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija . The party of Mrs. Quezon was on its way to Baler to inaugurate the Quezon Memorial Hospital.

April 29-the remains of Aurora Quezon, daughter Maria Aurora, and son-in-law Philip Buencamino III are interred at the north cemetery.

On July 21, San Jose de Casecnan, later renamed Maria Aurora, after the daughter of President Manuel Luis Quezon, is created as Municipality.

November 27- Dipaculao becomes a separate municipality

1951– the municipalities of Baler, Casiguran, Dilasag, Dipaculao, Dinalungan, Dingalan, Maria Aurora and San Luis were officially formed into the Sub-Province of Aurora by virtue of Republic Act 648.Dr. Juan C. Angara becomes the first elected governor of the district.

1979– August 13, Batas Pambansa Blg. 7, establishes the province of Aurora with Baler as its capital. Etcubañez was appointed as the first Governor of Aurora when it became the 73rd province of the country . Etcubañez issued an Executive Order declaring February 19 of each year Aurora Foundation Day in honor of the late Doña Aurora Quezon.

In May, the people of Aurora sub-province vote in favor of complete autonomy from Quezon Province.

2003- On June 30, the first Philippines –Spanish Friendship Day id celebrated in Baler.

2007– In June 27, President Gloria signs into law Republic Act # 9490, creating the Aurora Special Economic Zone.

2010– In April, RA 9490 is amended bt RA 10083 which renamed the economic zone the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone (APECO), covering 12, 424 hectares.

2011- The Aurora Memorial Hospital is inaugurated.

Current Situation (2015)

The onset of urbanization and technology and the fast-growing population of Aurora have flawed the quiet and unhurried existence of the Auroranians. Vehicular noise replaced the sound of crickets and the night birds. Kaingeros populate the forests and do damage to the environment. Catch from the sea have become minimal. Fishermen have to venture far into the ocean to haul fish in commercial quantities.

There are three (3) existing Indigenous Peoples group ,the Agta/Dumagat, Egongots, and Igorots.