BARANGAY STO. CRISTO HISTORY
Barangay Sto. Cristo is another part of the Metro District Division of Barangays in Tarlac City. Barangay San Nicolas bound it on the North, Barangay Ligtasan on the South, Barangay Poblacion on the Northwest, and Barangay San Juan Bautista on the East.
It is approximately 1.0 kilometer away from city proper. It has a total land area of 37.85 hectares corresponding to both residential and industrial area. Different kinds of business firms were located here.
Barangay Sto. Cristo classified as Rural Barangay, it has a total population of four thousand one hundred ninety four (4,194) as of 2005, and a household population of seven hundred thirty six (736).
Barangay Sto. Cristo was both commercial and industrial Barangay. Different types of business firms situated here. Some of them are Mc Donald’s, Mercury Drugs, Botica Sto. Cristo and more. Residense of this Barangay were mostly employees, laborers, construction workers, professional, drivers and, so on. Some of them have their own mini business such as sari-sari store, bakery and so on.
Historical sources reveal that in 1902, this Barrio was only a sitio known by the name of Sampalok. A certain Julian Pangalawgan from Bautista Pangasinan inherited a full sized black image of crucified Sto. Cristo. When their family migrated to this place in 1880, Julian brought the image with him.
From then on, the image showed some miraculous happenings. In 1902, Sitio Sampalok became a Barrio given the name Sto. Cristo. Don Isaac Elias appointed as the first “barrio lieutenant”.
In 1911, Julian and his family left Sto. Cristo, went back to Pangasinan and took with them the image of Sto. Cristo. During the absence of the image, a fire started right away in the Pangalawgan’s house that broke out and razed the whole block to the ground.
Year 1929, the late Mr. Pantalleon Rivera expressed his desire to bring back the image of black Sto. Cristo from Pangasinan with a group of sympathizers and friends, they succeeded in bringing back the image to Tarlac in 1934.
After the ravages of the war fire and storm, the black image of Sto. Cristo still exists. It was moved to the new Chapel of Sto. Cristo in 1951 and it stayed there up to the present time.
Now, after almost 100 years of continuous development and progress, the people of now Barangay Sto. Cristo will be happy to welcome friends, old and balikbayans.
It will always be the firm conviction of the constituents to celebrate their baranagy fiesta in honor to the miraculous patron Saint “Apung Sto. Cristo” every May 02 and 03 of the year.
Ninety percent of the total populations are Pampango, and the rest are Tagalog, Bisaya, Pangasinense, and Ilocano.
Barangay Sto. Cristo celebrates their feast day every May 03, as a thanksgiving to their Patron Saint is Saint Christ.