Founded in 1609 by Franciscan missionaries, Baler is also the last place
hold by the Spaniard until they got kicked off in 1899. In 1951, Baler became
the capital town of the new province of Aurora. It has around 30,000
inhabitants. Baler became famous as the birthplace of surfing in the
Philippines, after the cult movie Apocalypse Now was filmed there in the 1970s
