Titled as the “Egg Basket of Central Luzon”, Minalin is a small but powerful municipality from the province of Pampanga which has also mastered the art of camaraderie.
According to reports, Minalin can produce 1-million chicken eggs per day.
It added that the simple town celebrated its first egg festival in 2008 as a celebration of the town’s blessings since the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991.
Aside from its poultry products, Minalin is also prideful for mastering the art of camaraderie between government officials and townsmen through “Aguman Sanduk.”
“Aguman Sanduk” or the “Fellowship of the Ladle” is an annual New Year’s Day celebration in the afternoon wherein straight men wear women’s dresses, apply make-up and use their wives’ or mothers’ jewelries to poke fun at their manliness.
The homegrown dance parade began in 1934 solely to spread happiness at the start of the year and not to discriminate gay men.
According to history, Minalin, originally named Minalis (a Kapampangan word ‘to move to’) since it separated from its mother town Macabebe, derived its name from “Mina Linda de las Mujeres” (mine of beautiful women) after Spaniard soldiers found groups of beautiful women from the town.
Gobernadorcillo (Mayor) Diego Tolentino wrote Minalin in lieu of Minalis and the Calendario Manual y Guia de Forasteros, 1839 to 1841, spelled Minalis, thus Minalin.
The town of Minalin was also very proud of its 403-year old Santa Monica Church which was also considered as a National Cultural Treasure by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the National Museum of the Philippines on August 27, 2011.
The church’s design includes motifs reflective of pre-Hispanic culture and it measures 52 meters (171 ft) long, 13 meters (43 ft) wide and 11 meters (36 ft) high.
The four concrete arched structures capilla posas of Santa Monica Church distinguishes as the only church in the Philippines that have these features fully preserved today.
During the Hispanization of Minalin, these altars were used by Filipinos (termed by the Spaniards as Indios) as the church interior was reserved for “peninsulares” (full-blooded Filipino-Spaniards).
On the 26th of August 2011,Fr. Greg Vega discovered an embedded, sculptured bas-relief of what seemed to be a heart pierced with an arrow that is hidden inside an old wood ceiling of the church.
In Augustine’s Confessions, an image of a burning heart appears which represents the lifestyle of St. Augustine of Hippo during the height of its pride, arrogance, and sin.
He then realizes his heart burns for misdirected aspirations and he alters his desires in order to journey to God.
Santa Monica Parish Church was named after St. Agustine’s mother, Saint Monica of Africa.
Minalin may look small and simple compared to other towns, but this town is so rich in history that can be perfect to live in if you are into peaceful and quiet town who wishes to begin a small poultry business and bond with people who have an easy access to the public servants.
