Villasis

Villasis was a mere barrio of Malasiqui in the early part of the 17th century and was known by its former name, "Pandoyocan." The place had no fixed boundaries. It was simply a frontier settlement, a thickly forested region covering most of the southeastern parts of the province. Few people lived in this place due to the unavailability of open space for farming. In this thick forest however, was a nesting ground of bees called "oyocan". The abundance of honey attracted Spaniards and inhabitants of neighboring places to settle in this village. Because of this, the place was called "Pandoyocan", meaning "colony of bees."
Today though, its accessibility to all kinds of land transportation has made Villasis a bustling center of trade and commerce. It is intersected by the Manila North Road from north to south; therefore allowing all major bus lines plying the Manila-Region I CAR route to pass through the town 24-hours a day. The main agricultural crops of the town are rice, corn, cassava, cabbage, varieties of vegetables and fruits. Raising livestock is another livelihood of the townspeople who raise poultry, swine, cattle and goats.
There are fifty-six (56) registered small to medium sized industries in Villasis. These include rice mills, metalcraft industries, cement production, poultry raising and piggeries and an ice-plant.
Investment Potentials (as of 1995)
Villasis is an ideal site for investors in agro-industry for the following reasons; it is strategically located and accessible to all points of Luzon. It has well-developed infra-support facilities such as power, water, transportation and communication, a wide agricultural base and availability of skilled and disciplined labor force. It has one of the lowest crime rates in the region as well as having an efficient and traffic-free transport system, relatively low real estate value and strong people and LGU support.
Other potential investment areas include agri-based manufacturing industries due to abundant raw materials; banking; marketing due t available private spaces for shopping malls; and a plant for fertilizers for which there is a high domestic and export demand. Possible projects for the BOT scheme could involve the expansion of the public market or a new slaughterhouse.