Gloria, Oriental Mindoro

Gloria, officially the Municipality of Gloria (Tagalog: Bayan ng Gloria), is a municipality in the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 52,296 people.^[5]

The town was previously a barangay called Maligaya, the largest barangay during the administration of President Diosdado Macapagal. Local politicians, led by former guerrilla chief Nicolas Jamilla, Sr., battled for the conversion of Maligaya into a new town. They renamed it after the ten-year-old daughter of the President, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who later on herself became the fourteenth President in 2001. Jamilla became the first mayor of the town, which kept the old name "Maligaya" as the name of a barangay in the poblacion.

Gloria was once part of the municipality of Pinamalayan. In 1915, migrant families from Marinduque settled in Barrio Tambong, and in 1930, when a national road was built through Pinamalayan, they moved west and occupied the area along this road. Tambong was later divided into two barrios: the first retained the original name, while the second was called Maligaya (meaning "happy"), alluding to the settlers' happiness at the bountiful yield of their agricultural crops.^[6]

The residents of 25 barrios (Maligaya, Kawit, Malusak, Balite, Dalagan, Tinalunan, Calamundingan, Bulbogan, Langang, Banus, Agus, Batingan, Papandungin, Malamig, Tubag, Malayong, Malubay, Mirayan, Guimbonan, Agsalin, Manguyang, Banutan, Boong-Lupa, Tambong and Maragooc) grouped together and petitioned for the separation of their barrios from the municipality of Pinamalayan. The petition was granted on October 1, 1964, through Executive Order No. 117 issued by President Diosdado Macapagal. Executive Order No. 140, issued on February 25, 1965, by the same President, defined and fixed the boundaries of Gloria as a new municipality. On December 24, 1965, however, the Supreme Court nullified its status as a municipality. Gloria was finally recognized as a distinct municipality on June 9, 1966, when Housebill No. 6107, sponsored by Congressman Luciano Joson, was enacted into law. (It later became known as RA 4651.)^[6]

The new municipality was named Gloria, primarily as a token of gratitude to President Macapagal, whose daughter is named Gloria, and secondarily from the word "glory", celebrating the settlers' "glorious" life in Barrio Maligaya.

Barrio Maligaya later became the poblacion and the official seat of the municipal government. Nicolas M. Jamilla Sr. was appointed first Mayor of Gloria by President Diosdado Macapagal, serving from 1964 to 1967. He then ran in the local election of 1967 and won. The first session of the Municipal Council was held in the residence of Mr. Albino Janda. The town's official functions were held in this house from February 1964 to November 1965; then in the residences of Genaro Olavidez from March to June 1965 and Arsenio Arriola from July 1965 to 1973.^[6]

The name of the following barangays were changed: Bulbugan to Santa Maria; Dalagan to San Antonio; Malusak to Narra; Batingan to A. Bonifacio; Tubag to Macario Adriatico; Tinalunan to Gaudencio Antonino; Langang to Santa Theresa and Calamundingan to Lucio Laurel. The new barangays of Bulaklakan and Alma Villa were created later. In 1968, a legal entity called "GLORIA REALTY & DEV. CORP." (Gloria Realty Development Corporation) donated two hectares to the municipality, and this became the site of the Municipal Building in 1972. Under the leadership of Mayor Jamilla, the municipality later bought a ten-hectare lot, which became the site of the Municipal Cemetery, Sports Center, Agricultural Center and Breeding Station, and the Medicare Hospital.^[6]

In October 2016, anticrime crusader Zenaida Luz, 51 was shot dead at Barangay Maligaya by the then Police Chief of Socorro and another policeman assigned to the province's Provincial Public Safety Company, disguised a "riding-in-tandem".^[7][8] They were allowed to post a million pesos bail and returned to active service^[9][10][11](albeit on a limited/restricted basis such as not being authorized to carry & draw their service firearm).^[10] Over three years later, they were acquitted by the trial court for the prosecution's failure to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The petitioners intend to appeal [all the way to the Supreme Court].^[12] Luz's sister, Perlita alleges that the suspects tried to pay them 2.5 million pesos to drop the case and the policemen who nabbed them also received threats.^[11]

Gloria is located 77 kilometres (48 mi) from the provincial capital, Calapan.

It is one of the 7 towns comprising Oriental Mindoro's second district. On its north lies its mother town Pinamalayan, on the west is the town of Sablayan in Occidental Mindoro. On the south is the town of Bansud, while on the east is the Tablas Strait.

Gloria is politically subdivided into 27 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Nine (9) barangays are situated along the national highway - Bulaklakan, Maligaya, Kawit, Narra, Balete, Lucio Laurel, G. Antonino, Santa Maria and Banus; six (6) are coastal barangays - Tambong, San Antonio, Santa Theresa, Guimbonan, Maragooc and Agsalin; and twelve (12) interior barangays on the west side - Agos, A. Bonifacio, Alma Villa, Mirayan, Buong Lupa, Malamig, Malubay, M. Adriatico, Papandungin, Malayong, Banutan and Manguyang.^[14]

Poverty incidence of Gloria

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^{[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]}

Members of the municipal council (2025-2028):

• Nicolas M. Jamilla, Sr. (1964–1986; 1988–1995)+
• Amando Medrano (1986–1987)+
• Felix V. Jarabe (1987)+
• Alonzo San Agustin (1987–1988)+
• Jimmy S. de Castro (1995–2001)
• Romeo D. Alvarez (2001–2010)+
• Loreto S. Pérez (2010-2016)+
• German Rodgerio (2016-2025)

• February 14–15: Town fiesta honouring the Sacred Heart of Jesus
• September 29 to October 1: Kawayanan Festival
  • Through Presidential Proclamation 688, October 1, 2024 was declared a special non-working day for the celebration of the Kawayanan Festival.^[28]
• October 1: Foundation Day

The Gloria Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools.^[29]

• Erhard Science and Technological Institute
• Gloria Institute of Science and Technology

• Zaijian Jaranilla - Filipino actor best known for his role as the orphan Santino in the 2009–2013 ABS-CBN religious-themed teleserye, May Bukas Pa.
• Zymic Jaranilla - Zaijian Jaranilla's sibling who is a GMA Network contract artist.

• Media related to Gloria, Oriental Mindoro at Wikimedia Commons
• Gloria Profile at PhilAtlas.com
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
• Official website