Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Mabalacat" in English language version.
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Notwithstanding, I find it alarming as it is again perpetrating a historical inaccuracy that misinformed us for many decades now. The author of said post did not cite his source but it was actually Mariano Henson, in his The Province of Pampanga and its towns (AD 1300-1962) (see photo of the page done by Henson on Mabalacat). Henson, on his part, is citing the Census of 1918 on the History of Tarlac as his reference on this. Unfortunately, this was actually the source of many earlier publications, including many of my earlier works on Tarlac Province and that of Mabalacat itself (East of Pinatubo: Former Recollect Missions in Tarlac and Pampanga, 1712-1898 [Museo Archivo Recoletos, 1997). The write-up of Fr Evaristo Marcelino on the centennial of the Province of Tarlac in 1974 is another victim of this misinformation (see photo on the Founding of Tarlac). Henson's fatal error (or the Philippine Census of 1918 for that matter) is not in making distinction between the Comandancia Militar de Tarlac and the Comandancia Politico-Militar de Porac. Created by a Royal Decree of 30 April 1858, the Comandancia Militar de Tarlac comprised of San Miguel de Camilin (Camiling), Panique (Paniqui) and Gerona (from Pangasinan) and the pueblos of Tarlac, Magalang, Capaz (Capas), Bamban, and La Paz (from Pampanga). On the other hand, the Comandancia Politico Militar de Porac was created by a Royal decree of 24 May 1861. It comprised mainly of the pueblo of Porac and the barrio of Caumpauit (present-day Floridablanca). In the book of Francisco Baranera (Compendio de Geografía de las Islas Filipinas, Marianas, y Jolo, 1880), he placed the foundation of the District of Porac in September 1862. The creation of the Porac District posed many boundary disputes as it included some barrios of Lubao and Guagua, especially those of "Balete, y los sitios Gutat, Pamanlic y Sulip." Mabalacat, as can be determined from both decrees, was never part of any Comandancia.
