Plaridel (Bulacan)

Plaridel is a first-class urban municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the, it has a population of people.With the expansion of Metro Manila, the city is now part of Manila's built-up area which reaches as far north as San Ildefonso, Bulacan.HistoryLike many towns in Bulacan, Plaridel has its niche in Philippine history as the site of the Battle of Quingua during the Philippine-American War as part of the defense of the First Philippine Republic against the Northern Campaign of the American Army. The battle, manned by Pablo Tecson—Lt. Colonel Pablo Ocampo Tecson of San Miguel, Bulacan—under Gregorio del Pilar on the side of the First Philippine Republic, led to the death of Col. John Stotsenberg of the American Army on April 23, 1899. A marker now stands at the site of the battle in Barangay Agnaya.Plaridel's history can be traced through records back to 1581 in the early years of the Spanish colonization. The Augustinian friars from Malolos Convent discovered a vast forest in 1581 then named as Binto; this would later be known as Quingua. As per the history of the Parish of St. James the Apostle, 2001 issue, Quingua was established by the Augustinian Friars of Malolos who initially named it "Encomienda Binto" (Brgy. Bintog got its name from this settlement). They built a visita (chapel of ease) and placed it under the jurisdiction of Fray Mateo Mendoza, the prior of Malolos.