Mabalacat, officially the City of Mabalacat (; ), is a 3rd class component city in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 293,244 people. Etymology The town's name was derived from indigenous Negrito word mabalacat meaning "forest of balacats". Geography Mabalacat has a land area of . It is from Manila, from Angeles, and from the provincial capital, San Fernando. The soil is charcoal black and shiny, a sign of fertility, and is suitable for growing rice, sugarcane and other rootcrops. Like the neighbouring cities of Angeles and San Fernando and the towns/municipalities of Porac, Bacolor, Santa Rita, Mexico, Magalang and Arayat, this city rarely gets inundated by floods from heavy rains and typhoons because it is situated on an elevated, well-drained part of the Central Luzon plains known as the "Upper Pampanga". Barangays Mabalacat is politically subdivided into 27 barangays. Atlu-Bola (PB: Kap. Benjamin Pangan) Bical (PB: Kap. Rolando Liwanang Bundagul (PB: Kap. Manny Tolentino) Cacutud (PB: Kap. Arnold Reyes) Calumpang (PB: Kap. Armando Yalung) Camachiles (PB: Kap. Edgar Garcia) Dapdap (including Madapdap Resettlement) (PB: Kap. Javier Taruc) Dau (PB: Kap. Derrick Llanos Dee) Dolores (PB: Kap. Jerry Tanglao) Duquit (PB: Kap. Irene Villanueva) Lakandula (PB: Kap. Fernando De Guzman) Mabiga (PB: Kap. Elmer Calaguas) Macapagal Village (PB: Kap. Lamberto Dizon) Mamatitang (PB: Kap. Jayson Viray) Mangalit (PB: Kap. Fernando Maglalang) Marcos Village (PB: Kap. Archiebon Estanislao) Mawaque (Mauaque) (PB: Kap. Noel Dimarucut) Paralayunan (PB: Kap. Rey Pineda) Poblacion (PB: Kap. Elmer Mendiola) San Francisco (PB: Kap. Robert Layson) San Joaquin (PB: Kap. Davidson David) Santa Ines (PB: Kap. Noel Sicat) Santa Maria (PB: Kap. Enrico Espino) Santo Rosario (PB: Kap. Jomer Ong) Sapang Balen (PB: Kap. Gener Lagman) Sapang Biabas (PB: Kap. Soraida Cabuang) Tabun (PB: Kap. Danilo De Leon) The largest barangay is Dau, which became a barrio in 1936 by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 1. It is now a business center whose commercial output runs parallel to that of downtown. A former terminus of the North Luzon Expressway, it is the most urban and most populous area in Mabalacat, home to roughly 23% of the city's population. San Francisco, the second largest barangay, along with San Joaquin, Santa Ines, Poblacion, Calumpang and other barangays are categorized as urban in view of their proximity to the city proper. Sapang Balen, with a population of 166 persons, is the