Brief History
Balanga City, the capital of Bataan, was formerly a visita of Abucay before it was established as a mission of the Dominican Order during the Provincial Chapter of April 19, 1739, under the patronage of St. Joseph. Upon the establishment of Bataan as a separate province in 1754, Balanga was made its capital by General Pedro Manuel Arandía due to its favorable location at the heart of the new territorial jurisdiction. The word Balanga originates from the Tagalog word banga (clay pot), which the town used to produce and which was among the best that could be found in the country.
Today, Balanga has recently been transformed into a city. Prior to this development, the city extended its urban fringe to the west of the Roman Superhighway, and a new growth center in Barangay Tuyo was delineated in the Comprehensive Land Use Plan. In recent years, the city has experienced a high rate of residential growth. As a result of the expansion of the physical limits of the urban core, the expected large increase in population, and its growing attractiveness to commercial and employment activities, the City Government of Balanga decided to undertake a master planning exercise and various development projects to establish Balanga as a well-planned community with quality, character, and an innovative identity.
The Schools Division of the City of Balanga was established by virtue of Republic Act No. 8984, filed and sponsored by Congressman Enrique T. Garcia of the 2nd Congressional District of Bataan, pursuant to the Local Government Code of 1991. This establishment was further supported by a letter from the DepEd Central Office dated January 20, 2003; DepEd Order No. 50, s. 2000; and Regional Memorandum No. 47, s. 2003, which provided for the establishment of the Interim Balanga City Schools Division on June 9, 2003.
It was officially declared separated from its mother division, the Division of Bataan, effective June 6, 2003. The newly occupied Division Office is located at Phase III, Doña Francisca Subdivision, Balanga City. The building was constructed by the city government under the leadership of City Mayor Melanio S. Banzon.