Santa Cruz, officially the Municipality of Santa Cruz (Sambal: Babali nin Santa Cruz; Ilocano: Ili ti Santa Cruz; Filipino: Bayan ng Santa Cruz), is a municipality in the province of Zambales, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 66,647 people.
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Geography
Santa Cruz is 136 kilometres (85 mi) from Olongapo, 58 kilometres (36 mi) from Iba, and 262 kilometres (163 mi) from Manila. It is between Candelaria and Infanta, Pangasinan on the Olongapo–Bugallon Road.
Barangays
Santa Cruz is politically subdivided into 25 barangays, as indicated below. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
Demographics
In the 2024 census, the population of Santa Cruz was 66,647 people, with a density of 150 inhabitants per square kilometre or 390 inhabitants per square mile.
Economy
Poverty incidence of Santa Cruz (%)
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority
The banking and financial sectors are well developed in this town. Several banks such as Philippine National Bank, Bank of Commerce, BDO Network Bank, and some rural banks are in place, as well as remittance centers including Palawan Pawnshop, Cebuana Luillher, Western Union and LBC Express including other local pawnshops. Convenience store, local department stores, grocery stores and pharmaceutical shops serve the public.
Two cinema houses (the Ebido and Mose) previously served the locals but due to the high availability of recording media from VHS tapes, CDs and DVDs, the cinema houses eventually closed in the 90s.
Cable television services, the PLDT Telephone/Fiber network (previously Digitel) and more recently Converge ICT have been supplemented by the internet.
Education
There are two school districts which govern all educational institutions within the municipality. They oversee the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools. These are Santa Cruz North Schools District Office, and Santa Cruz South Schools District Office.
The town has both public and private educational institutions, including those run by religious organizations, foundations and individuals.
Primary and elementary schools
Santa Cruz has plenty of schools for primary education. Every barangay has its own elementary school, and some also have high school departments.
St. Michael School is a private school that caters preparatory, elementary, and secondary education. Children of Zion Montessori School is a private school that caters preparatory up to elementary.
Secondary schools
Santa Cruz Academy is a parochial secondary school operated and controlled by St. Michael the Archangel Parish of Santa Cruz. The Santa Cruz High School is operated by the local government alongside Lipay High School, Santa Cruz South High School, Don Marcelo Marty High School, San Fernando High School, Acoje Mines High School, Mena Memorial Higj School and Guisguis National High School.
Higher educational institutions
The President Ramon Magsaysay State University (PRMSU) Sta Cruz Campus is part of the PRMSU system operating in the whole of Zambales Province, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in teaching and other courses.
Columban College - Santa Cruz campus is part of the Columban College System controlled by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Iba, headed by the Bishop of Diocese of Iba.
Micro Asia College of Science and Technology - Santa Cruz campus offers primary, junior and senior high school, and college degrees in computer science and computer engineering, as well as TESDA courses.