San Narciso, officially the Municipality of San Narciso (Ilocano: Ili ti San Narciso; Tagalog: Bayan ng San Narciso; Sambal: Babali nin San Narciso), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Zambales, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 30,759 people.^[3]

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San Narciso
Municipality
Municipality of San Narciso
View of San Sebastian Church and plaza from San Narciso Municipal Hall
Flag Seal
Map of Zambales with San Narciso highlighted
OpenStreetMap
San Narciso Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 15°01′N 120°05′E
Country	Philippines
Region	Central Luzon
Province	Zambales
District	2nd district
Named for	Narciso Clavería y Zaldúa
Barangays	17 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	LaRaine Abad-Sarmiento
• Vice Mayor	Lance Ritual
• Representative	Doris E. Maniquiz
• Municipal Council	Members Jecyl M. Fran Menandro M. Maybituin Sebastian F. Arichea Bienvenido V. Paz Jr. Peter T. Lim Dan O. Alvarado Lendyl L. Ligsay Jessie A. Requiño
• Electorate	20,270 voters (2022)
Area [2]
• Total	71.60 km2 (27.64 sq mi)
Elevation	12 m (39 ft)
Highest elevation	182 m (597 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[3]
• Total	30,759
• Density	430/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
• Households	8,397
Economy
• Income class	4th municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	5.00 % (2018)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 118.3 million (2020)
• Assets	₱ 323.9 million (2020)
• Expenditure	₱ 84.98 million (2020)
• Liabilities	₱ 41.57 million (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	Zambales 2 Electric Cooperative (ZAMECO 2)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	2205
PSGC	037112000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)47
Native languages	Ilocano Tagalog Sambal

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The Municipality of San Narciso was founded in the early part of 18th century. The migrants from the Ilocandia arrived in the area and established their settlement in Alusiis which was the first name of the pueblo that later became San Narciso.

San Narcsio became the official name of the town by a Royal Decree issued by the Spanish Governor General Narciso Claveria and Archbishop Jose Soque on February 12, 1846.

The people of San Narciso participated in the Philippine Revolution against Spain. When the Katipunan was organized by Andres Bonifacio and sent his representatives in San Narciso, many prominent men of the town became members. Pantaleon Dumlao became the head of the local organization.

San Narciso is located in a relatively flat plain. West of the town is the South China Sea and to the east is bordered by the Sto. Tomas river are the Zambales Mountain Ranges. Average elevation is 3.6 metres (12 ft) above sea level and the highest elevation is 800 metres (2,600 ft) above sea level.

It is 41 kilometres (25 mi) from Iba, 37 kilometres (23 mi) from Olongapo, and 163 kilometres (101 mi) from Manila.

In the 2020 census, the population of San Narciso, Zambales, was 30,759 people,^[3] with a density of 430 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,100 inhabitants per square mile.

Poverty Incidence of San Narciso

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^{[11][12]
[13][14][15][16][17]}

The town is mostly agricultural with most families owning farmland to plant rice and other crops such as string beans, onions and other vegetables. Commerce is centered in the town center and the public market. There are also a number of poultry and pig farms in the municipality mostly located in the outskirts. In recent years, tourism has increased in the municipality. Due to its close proximity to Manila which is just a 3-hour drive away, many residents of the capital visit its beaches specially around summertime. This in effect has increased the economic activity in the municipality and have provided jobs and opportunities to its residents.

The first settlers of San Narciso came from Paoay, Ilocos Norte and Agno, Pangasinan which was then a part of Zambales. They brought forth with them customs and traditions such as honoring their dead thru prayers and novenas. Family members and relatives come together to offer prayers and recite names of deceased relatives. One unique part about these practices is the serving of food, usually pancit, puto and ginataang bilo-bilo or what locals call tambo-tambong. It is a local delicacy made from glutinous rice balls, cassava, banana, jackfruit, coconut milk and tapioca pearls.

San Narciso is famous for its beaches along the South China Sea that are suited for surfing.

The Philippine Merchant Marine Academy or PMMA is located here. San Narciso also houses the Magsaysay Memorial College, which offers bachelors courses and other 2-year courses. Also located in San Narciso is the Zambales Academy, one of the oldest secondary education institution in the province, it is where former president Ramon Magsaysay took his secondary education.