RATIONALE

Gerona, Tarlac wants to grow as a premiere agri-industrial center but struggles

with lack of jobs, weak infrastructure, and climate risks; an Agro-Industrial Hub
can bridge these gaps by boosting farm output, creating new opportunities, and
empowering local communities.

Agriculture’s Contribution to Philippine GDP

Major crops Palay, Sugarcane and Corn boost AFF expansion in the
second quarter of 2025

AFF recorded a 7.0 percent year-on-year increase in the second quarter of 2025, a
rebound from a decline of 2.3 percent in the same period of the previous
year. (Figure 2)

The expansion in the second quarter of 2025 was driven by Palay and Sugarcane
including muscovado sugar-making in the farm, which grew by 14.2
percent and 307.2 percent, respectively. This was followed by Corn, 29.8 percent;
Support activities to AFF, 7.9 percent; and Poultry and egg production, 6.9
percent.

The AFF accounted for 7.5 percent of the total GDP in the second quarter of 2025,
higher than the 7.4 percent share in the same period of the previous year.
2.1 Population Size and Growth Rate

Among the 17 municipalities and one (1) city in the province of

Tarlac, the Municipality of Gerona has the 5th highest population
level in the year 2015, with 87,531 total population; comprising
6.41% of the province’s total population as per 2015 National
Census on Population conducted by the Philippine Statistics
Authority (PSA).

Compared with the municipality’s population of 83,084 in year

2010, the 2015 PSA Census showed an increase of 4,447 persons,
or a total of 87,531, thereby registering an annual growth rate of
1.07%.

The same Census shows that the most populated barangays in the
municipality in year 2015 are: Magaspac 4,627 inhabitants:
followed by Tagumbao 4,586: Abagon 4,428: Pinasling 3,775:
San Antonio 3,106. The least populated barangays, on the other
hand, are: Tangcaran 750 total population Sta. Lucia 778
Carbonel 971 San Bartolome 1,065 New Salem 1,113 total
inhabitants. (See Table 2)

Using the linear growth method, the growth rate of each barangay
was determined. It can be observed that Barangay Salapungan has
registered the highest growth rate with 5.98%. This was followed by
Barangay Padapada with 4.32%, Singat with 3.84%, Oloybuaya with
2.67% and Rizal with 2.58%.

On the other hand, there are 13 barangays that exhibited a negative

percentage growth rate. These are barangays New Salem, Poblacion
2, Caturay, Plastado, Sembrano, Buenlag, Luna, Malayep, Santa
Lucia, Bawa, Ayson, San Jose and Quezon inhabitants. The growth
rate of the municipality which is 1.07% was used in order to project
the population of the said 13 barangays with negative percentage
growth rate. (See Table 3)
2.2. Total Number of Households

In year 2015, the average household size of the municipality is 4.1

based on the 2015 PSA Census. Using this data, the total household
population was determined by dividing the total population of the
municipality to the average household size. (See Table 4)

Using the same computation, the projected household population for

each barangay in the municipality was determined. (See Table 5)
2.3. Urban-Rural Distribution

The Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC) of the Philippine Statistics

Authority report of 2015 shows that the Municipality of Gerona, Tarlac is still
predominantly a rural area. The urban areas of the municipality are as follows:
Poblacions 1, 2, 3, San Antonio, Abagon, Magaspac, and Pinasling.

In 2015, the urban area has a population of 21,924 or 25% of the total population
of the municipality, whereas the rural population has 65,607 or 75% of the
population. (See Table 6)

2.4. Population Density

With a total population of 87,531 in year 2015, the municipality

registers a population density of 6 persons per hectare. Also,
basing on the projected population — the municipality will register 6
persons per hectare from year 2017 to 2026 and 7 persons per
hectare by year 2027. (See Table 7)
As to population density in each barangay, it has been observed
that Poblacion 1 has recorded the highest population density in
year 2017 with 29 persons per hectare. This is followed by
Poblacion 3 with 22 persons per hectare, Magaspac with 17
per hectare, San Antonio with 16 per hectare, and Poblacion 2
with 13 persons per hectare. It is also expected that the same
barangays will have the highest population density until year 2027.

On the other hand, Barangay Sulipa has the least population

density with only 2 persons per hectare, followed by barangays
Carbonel, Padapada, San Agustin, San Jose, Sta. Lucia, and
Tangcaran, all registering 3 persons per hectare. (See Table 8)
2.5. Sex and Age Structure

In 2015, the biggest population is accounted to younger populaces ages 5 to 9

years old that reached 8,768 or 10% of the total population. This is followed by
ages 10 to 14 years old with 8,429 or around 9%. On the other hand, the least
populace belongs to elderly individuals ages 80 years old and above with 969 or
about 1% of the total population.

Moreover, with only small disparity in the population of both sexes from all ages,
the ratio of male to female can still be translated to 1:1.
As shown in the figure above, Gerona has a larger number of young population
which can be an opportunity for the municipality in the future as it can lead to a
greater working force.

2.6. Household Heads by Sex

Based on the records of the Philippine Statistics Authority, dominant household

heads in the municipality in 2015 are males comprising about 82% or 17,483 of
the total number of household heads, whereas females comprise only 18% or
3,819. (See Table 10)
2.8. Labor Force

The working age group of a population is comprised of individuals aged 15 to 64.

For Gerona, 55,893 people belong to this age group as per the 2015 PSA Census.
This means that with a total population of 87,531, a total of 63.87 percent of the
people in the municipality are within the working age. Majority of the labor force
in the municipality engage in agriculture however there are still some professional
and technical-related workers.

As described by the PSA an individual is considered as a gainful worker if he/she

works for at least 10 hours a week for six (6) months (26 weeks) or longer,
including vacation or sick leave, in one or more of these classes of work:

1. Work for pay (wage, salary, commission, tips, and others);

2. Work for profit in own farm, business, private practice of a profession or
trade; and
3. Work without pay on own family farm or business.

The Municipality of Gerona has a total of 35,309 gainful workers; this is 40.35
percent of the whole household population, and 63.17 percent of the working age
population. The gainful workers population in the municipality is composed 68.96
percent males and 31.04 percent females. The table next page shows the
distribution of these gainful workers among the major occupation groups as
defined by the PSA.

The most number of gainful workers are observed to belong to the Elementary
Occupations. This group of occupation involves the performance of simple and
routine tasks which may require the use of handheld tools and considerable
physical effort. On the other hand, the least number of gainful workers are
observed to belong to the Armed Forces Occupations. With reference to the
Philippine Standard Occupational Classification (PSOC), "this major group includes
all jobs held by members of the armed forces and those personnel who are
currently serving in the armed forces, including auxiliary services, whether on a
voluntary or compulsory basis, and who are not free to accept civilian
employment and are subject to military discipline. Included are members of the
army, navy, air force and other military services, as well as conscripts enrolled for
military training or other service for a specified period."
3.1. Location and Total Land Area

Gerona is located between 15.606° to 16° of North Latitude and 120.6° to 121° of
East Longitude. It lies at the heart of the province of Tarlac and is commonly
referred to as the "Melting Pot of Central Luzon." It is bounded on the North by the
Municipality of Paniqui (distance: 7.5 km); on the East by the Municipality of Pura
(distance: 5.8 km); on the South by Tarlac City (distance: 14.4 km), the capital of
the province; and on the West by the Municipality of Sta. Ignacia (distance: 19.3
km). It is accessible by any kind of conveyance from all towns.

The Eastern Area comprising of 31 barangays with total land area of 9,049.66
hectares represents 63.97% of the total area of the municipality. It is
characterized as plain, low-lying agricultural land. The seat of the municipal
government and the center of economic activity belong to this part of the
municipality.

The Western Area comprising of 13 barangays with a total area of 5,097.36

hectares represents 36.03% of the total land area. It is characterized by hilly and
rugged agricultural land and is forested.

Barangay Sulipa has the largest land area with 746.03 hectares or 5.27% of the
municipality’s total land. This is followed by barangay Calayaan with 599 total
land hectarage. On the other hand, Poblacion 2 has the smallest land area with
only 92-hectare land, followed by Poblacion 1 and Poblacion 3.