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Town

Sasmuan

Fishing town with a Ramsar-listed coastal wetland for birds and the first church built by Augustinians in Pampanga.

Sasmuan is a fishing town of 12 barangays with about 29,000 residents at the 2020 census. Fish ponds surround it, aquaculture is its main industry, and the catch is sold at the town's fish port.

Its coastal waters, mangroves and mudflats form the Sasmuan Pampanga Coastal Wetlands, about 3,667 hectares designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in February 2021, the first in Central Luzon.

The Santa Lucia Parish Church, beside the Río Grande, is described as the first church in the province built by Augustinian priests. Devotees from across Pampanga come for Saint Lucy's feast on December 13.

Good to know about Sasmuan

Is Sasmuan a Ramsar site?

Yes. The Sasmuan Pampanga Coastal Wetlands, about 3,667 hectares of coastal waters, mangroves and mudflats, were designated a Ramsar site on February 2, 2021.

What is Sasmuan known for?

Fishing and aquaculture, its Ramsar-listed coastal wetlands, and the Santa Lucia Parish Church.

When is the Sasmuan fiesta?

The feast of Saint Lucy, the town's patron, is on December 13.

Things to do in Sasmuan

Adventure

Birdwatching at the Sasmuan wetlands

Watch waterbirds such as egrets and curlews at the Ramsar-listed Sasmuan wetland, by boat and by arrangement with local authorities.

Sasmuan

Attractions

Sasmuan Public Market

Riverside market of a fishing town, beside the church and the footbridge to San Pedro.

Sasmuan
White facade and bell tower of Santa Lucia Parish Church, Sasmuan© Ralff Nestor Nacor on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA

Attractions

Santa Lucia Parish Church, Sasmuan

Sasmuan's Baroque church of Saint Lucy, an Augustinian foundation of 1590 with a distinctive pineapple-shaped cupola.

Sasmuan
The Pampanga River winding through the Sasmuan wetlands© Judgefloro · CC BY-SA

Hidden Gems

Sasmuan Pampanga Coastal Wetlands

Ramsar-listed coastal wetland of mangroves, mudflats and fish ponds on Manila Bay, the first in Central Luzon.

Sasmuan

Upcoming events in Sasmuan

Saint Lucy Parish Church in Sasmuan© Judgefloro · CC BY-SA

Sun

13

Dec

Sun, Dec 13

Feast of Santa Lucia, Sasmuan

Devotees from across Pampanga gather at Sasmuan's riverside Santa Lucia Church for Saint Lucy's feast.

Sasmuan

Wed

6

Jan

Wed, Jan 6

Kuraldal, Sasmuan 2027

Sasmuan's January 6 celebration for Saint Lucy, patron of the blind, whose devotees also ask for healing and children.

Sasmuan

Mar

Date TBA

Good Friday, March 26, 2027

Biyernes Santo Procession, Sasmuan 2027

Sasmuan's Good Friday procession, a rare mix of church and folk traditions with flagellants following the dead Christ and the Sorrowful Mother.

Sasmuan

Itineraries & guides in Sasmuan

Getting Around

How to get to Sasmuan

Sasmuan is off the main highways, reached from Guagua or Lubao by car or tricycle, with boats to its southern barangays.

Sasmuan

Latest stories in Sasmuan

A mud crab held up by a crab fisher (illustrative photo)© Vengolis on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA

Community

The crab women of Mabuanbuan

In Sasmuan's wetlands, birds and families depend on the same coast. A look at the people who work the Ramsar site.

Sasmuan

Nearby destinations