DepEd Regional Office III

Introduction

Region III is the largest contiguous area of lowland in the country. Technically,  it lies between latitudes 120 and 160 north of the equator and between longitudes of 120 and 121. It has a land area of 2,201,463  hectares.   Nueva Ecija province occupies the biggest land area while Bataan peninsula has the smallest land holding.

Central Luzon Region is located north of Manila, the nation’s capital. Bordering the region are the regions of Ilocos, Cordillera Administrative Region and Cagayan Valley regions to the north; National Capital Region and CALABARZON to the south; and of waters of Manila bay to the south; South China Sea to the west; and The Philippine Sea to the east.

Region 3 is composed of seven (7) provinces, 14 cities, 116 municipalities and 3, 102 barangays.  The provinces are  Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija,   Pampanga, Tarlac,  and  Zambales.   The fourteen (14) cities include Balanga in Bataan; Malolos, Meycauayan and San Jose del Monte in Bulacan; Cabanatuan, Gapan, Muñoz, Palayan and San Jose in Nueva Ecija; Angeles, Mabalacat and San Fernando in Pampanga; Tarlac City in Tarlac; and Olongapo City in Zambales.   Aurora was transferred from Region IV through Executive Order No. 103  on May 2002.  The City of San Fernando, in Pampanga, is the regional center.

Central Luzon produces the most rice in the whole country. Excess rice is delivered and imported to other provinces of the Philippines. The saucer-shaped Pampanga River basin waters all the fertile valleys in Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, and part of Tarlac, while the Agno River drains the northern portion of the region.