Region 3 -- the Central Luzon Region. It is made up of 6 provinces -- Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales. To its north are Pangasinan and Nueva Vizcaya; to its south, Rizal and Look ng Maynila; to its east, Aurora; and to its west, the China Sea.

    The whole region is one big plain, with some mountains. And one of these is Mt. Pinatubo, which erupted in 1991. The eruption caused great disaster to the region for a long time.

    It's sunny here from November until April, and rainy for the remaining months.

    The region used to be the top producer of rice in the Philippines, thus the name "Rice Bowl of the Philippines"; but because of the eruption, the region was practically buried in ash. Aside from palay, the region also harvests corn and tubo. In Tarlac and Pampanga, there are big factories that make sugar from the tubo. Fishing is a common industry in the provinces near Look ng Maynila (Bataan, Zambales, Pampanga, and Bulacan).

    Region 3 is a historical place. The provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, and Tarlac are four of the eight provinces which revolted and fought against the Spaniards in 1896. The said provinces are 4 of the provinces represented by the rays of the sun in the Philippine flag.

Look back into the past, visit :

Dambana ng Kagitingan

Barasoain Church -- a church located in Malolos, Bulacan. It is no ordinary church because this is where the first president of the Philippines took his oath. And 1998 being the centennial year, Pres. Joseph Estrada chose the same church for his oath-taking last  June 30, 1998.

Corregidor Island -- Now a peaceful island and a historical attraction, Corregidor was once the site of the bloodiest battles in World War II. Located at the mouth of Manila Bay, the tadpole-shaped island can be reached via cruise ship which docks on the bay along Roxas Boulevard in Manila. Traveling time is around 70 minutes. Relive history by exploring the Malinta Tunnel, the abandoned barracks and buildings, as well as rusty cannons, tanks, and other wartime paraphernalia. Half-day and whole-day tours are available at hotels and travel agents in Manila. You can book a room at the Corregidor Inn or arrange a tour  with Sun Cruises at 831-1994.

Subic, Zambales -- A three-hour ride from Manila, Subic is now among Asia's most promising destinations. Subic offers five-star hotel accomodations, restaurants, casinos, duty free sgops and convention facilities. One can choose from a wide range of aqua sports like diving, snorkeling, yachting, windsurfing, jet skiing and fishing. For the adventurous, there's bungy jumping and jungle survival tours through 37,000 acres of well-preserved rainforest. For more information, contact the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority at telephone number : (63-47)222-5454.