Batangas Province


Batangas is a province of the Philippines located on the southwestern part of Luzon in the Calabarzon region. Its capital is Batangas City and it is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north and Quezon to the east. Across the Verde Island Passages to the south is the island of Mindoro and to the west lies the South China Sea.

Founded on March 10, 1917, with a population of approximately 1,905,348, Batangas is one of the most popular tourist destinations near Metropolitan Manila. The province has many beaches and famous for excellent diving spots only a few hours away from Manila. Some of the more notable ones are Anilao in the Municipality of Mabini, Matabungkay in the Municipality of Lian Punta Fuego, Calatagan and Laiya in the Municipality of San Juan.

Found in the province is world-known Anilao (Mabini) and its many dive sites that are ideal for observing marine life, and outstanding for macro photography. Located only 110 kilometers south of Metropolitan Manila, it is very accessible by land or by sea.

Batangas is also where Taal Volcano, one of the Decade Volcanoes is located. The volcano has a water-filled crater and sits on an island in the center of Taal Lake, which geologists believe is an ancient caldera.

The town of Taal is famous for its hand embroideries, knives, and sausages; and it reigns as one of the two most culturally preserved sites of the Spanish colonial era in the Philippines.

Before the province came to be called Batangas, it was known in ancient times as the town of Bonbon. When it’s Capital Town was declared to be Taal, the province also changed its name to Taal. After some time, the Capital was transferred to the Town of Batangan, later Batangas City, and the Province changed its name once more after the Capital.

The term batangan means a raft, the people used so that they could fish in the nearby Taal Lake.


People and culture
The Province of Batangas is most famous for their production and market of the ‘Balisong’ or Filipino Butterfly knife.

Batangas is the ‘Heart of the Tagalog Language’ as the dialect of Tagalog spoken here closely resembles the Tagalog spoken before the arrival of the Spanish.

Linguistically Batangueños are also known for their unique affectation of often placing the particles e or ga (equivalent of particle ba Filipino), usually as a marker of stress on the sentence, at the end of their spoken sentences or speech; for example: “Ay, oo, e!” (“Aye, yes, indeed!”). Some even prolong the particle ‘e’ into ‘ala e’, though it really has no meaning in itself.

Religion also plays an important part in the daily lives of Batangueños, as it is home to the Archdioces of Lipa, one of the most powerful centres of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines.

According to historians and musicologists, Batangas is also the home of the Kumintang, an ancient Filipino war song, later evolved to be the Kundiman, the paramount of Filipino Art Songs. Aside from the Kundiman, the province is also the origin of the lively Balitao or Balitaw (though the province of Cebu may argue) and the worship dance Subli.

As music forms an integral part of Batangas history, Batangueños are frequently heard singing the Huluna (a Tagalog lullabby, so taxing because of its lengthy mellismas), the Duplo and Karagatan (a debate made by singing), the Pasyon (a narrative of the passion and death of Jesus Christ) and many other song forms.


Cities
   * Batangas City
   * Lipa City
   * Tanauan City


Municipalities
   * Agoncillo
   * Alangilan
   * Alitagtag
   * Balayan
   * Balagtas
   * Banaba Center
   * Banaba East
   * Banaba South
   * Banaba West
   * Balete
   * Bauan
   * Calaca
   * Calatagan
   * Catandala
   * Cuenca
   * Kumintang Ilaya
   * Kumintang Ibaba
   * Ibaan
   * Laurel
   * Lemery
   * Lian
   * Libjo
   * Lobo
   * Mabini
   * Malvar
   * Mataas Na Kahoy
   * Nasugbu
   * Padre Garcia
   * Rosario
   * San Jose
   * San Juan
   * San Luis
   * San Nicolas
   * San Pascual
   * Santa Teresita
   * Santo Tomas
   * Taal
   * Talisay
   * Taysan
   * Tingloy
   * Tuy


History
Long before the arrival of the Spaniards in the Philippines, large centers of population already thrived in Batangas. Native settlements lined the Pansipit River, a major waterway. The province had been trading with the Chinese since Yuan Dynasty until first phase of Ming Dynasty in the 13th and 15th century. Inhabitants of the province were also trading with Japan and India.

The present Batangueños are descendants of the Bornean datus, Datu Dumangsil and Datu Balensusa, who sailed from Borneo to Panay Island as far as Taal Lake. They organized the first Malay settlement at the mouth of Taal River. They eventually set up their own settlement in the place and founded the town of Taal in 1572. The towns of Balayan, Lipa, and Batangas were founded later.

In 1570, Spanish generals Martin de Goiti and Juan de Salcedo explored the coast of Batangas on their way to Manila and came upon a Malay settlement at the mouth of Taal River. In 1572, the town of Taal was founded and its convent and stone church were constructed later.

Batangas was founded in 1581. Originally, it was composed of the present provinces of Batangas, Mindoro, Marinduque, southeast Laguna and Camarines. After several devastating eruptions of Taal Volcano, the old Taal town site was buried. The capital was eventually transferred to Batangas (now a city) in 1754 where it has remained to date.

The name ‘Batangas’ was derived from the word ‘batang,’ which is a term of the natives for the numerous logs found in the Calumpang River, the body of water that runs through the northeastern portion of the town and assumes the shape of a tuning fork.

Batangas was also among the first of the eight Philippine provinces to revolt against Spain and also one of the provinces placed under Martial Law by Spanish Governor General Ramon Blanco on August 30, 1896.

During the Spanish-American War, many Batangueños made their mark on history. Most notable of them are Apolinario Mabini, also known as the sublime paralytic and ‘Brains of the Revolution’; Marcela Agoncillo who made the present Philippine flag, and General Miguel Malvar who was recognized as the last Filipino general to surrender to the United States in the Philippine-American War.

Batangas first came to be known as Bonbon. It was named after the mystical and fascinating Taal Lake, which was also originally called Bonbon. Some of the earliest settlements in Batangas were established at the vicinity of Taal Lake.

In 1534, Batangas became the first practically organized province in Luzon. Balayan was the capital of the province for 135 years from 1597-1732. In 1732, it was moved to Taal, then the flourishing and most progressive town in the province.

Batangas was also one of the few provinces in the country which can boast of having a distinctive culture of its own. The song and dance repertoire called ‘kumintang’ is of Batangas origin. Because of this, it came to be known as ‘La Provincia del Cumintang.’


Batangas City

Batangas City is a first-class city in the province of Batangas, Philippines. It is the capital and largest city of Batangas. Batangas City is an important seaport and trade center for the province, which is a sugar-growing region. Silk and cotton fabrics and coconut oil are manufactured in the city. It is located 112 kilometers south of Manila.The city is also the largest seaport in the Calabarzon region. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 247,588 people in 50,223 households.

Batangas City is a major recreational, religious, commercial, industrial and educational center in Batangas, as shown with the presence in the city of entities like Saint Bridget College; Batangas State University, the premier tertiary school institution in the province with two campuses and several extension campuses in the province of Batangas; the University of Batangas; the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in the city center; SM City Batangas; as well as numerous hotels, (Hotel Pontefino, Alpa Hotel, Batangas Country Club and Days Hotel.) 

Batangas City is known as the 'Industrial Port City of Calabarzon' and classified as one of the fastest urbanizing cities in the country. It was proclaimed as a city on July 23, 1969 which became the accelerating point of trading, commercial and industrial activities in the locality. The city is presently classified as a Regional Growth Center and identified as one of the sites for the Regional Agro-Industrial center and Special Economic Zone as mandated by the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan and the Ecozone Act of 1995. 

Batangas City is one of the nation's top revenue earning cities and the site of one of the biggest oil refineries in the Philippines. The city is also has the first three power plants using natural gas with a combined capacity of 2700MW.

Bauan, Batangas


Bauan is a municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines, situated in the southern part of the province along the coastal area and lies one hundred twenty kilometers (120 kms.) due south of Metropolitan Manila accessible by a modern road network. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 72,604 people in 15,353 households. Bauan offers most of the advantages of an industrial location together with the more relaxed lifestyle of the country.

The town is strategically located in relation to transport routes to Cebu and other major seaports in the Philippines. Transport services are well developed and rates are competitive. Bauan’s diverse industrial base indicates the availability of a wide range of services and commodities. The Bauan Region produces a wide range of agricultural raw materials and processed primary produce.

The people of Bauan aside from being traders are engaged in industries, fishing, agriculture, poultry, swine and large cattle raising. Women of Bauan are noted for their handicraft activities and the most popular of which are embroidery and dressmaking.

The leadership in Bauan is forward, looking unfettered by bureaucratic red tape and supportive of entrepreneurial efforts. The crime rate in Bauan is lowest in the entire Province of Batangas and there has been no strike in any of the industrial firm in Bauan over the last several years. The socio-economic conditions in Bauan and the surrounding areas are the principal deterrents to the spread of insurgency to this community.

The Bauan Region has a concentration of enterprises in wood, clothing and embroidery products, shipbuilding & ship repair and steel fabrications.


Barangays
Bauan is composed of forty (40) barangays (including Poblacion), thirty-six (36) of which are classified as rural and the rest as urban areas:

   * Alagao
   * Aplaya
   * As-Is
   * Bagong Silang
   * Baguilawa
   * Balayong
   * Barangay I (Pob.)
   * Barangay II (Pob.)
   * Barangay III (Pob.)
   * Barangay IV (Pob.)
   * Bolo
   * Colvo
   * Cupang
   * Durungao
   * Gulibay
   * Inicbulan
   * Locloc
   * Magalang-Galang
   * Malindig
   * Manalupong
   * Manghinao Proper
   * Manghinao Uno
   * New Danglayan
   * Orense
   * Pitugo
   * Rizal
   * Sampaguita
   * San Agustin
   * San Andres Proper
   * San Andres Uno
   * San Diego
   * San Miguel
   * San Pablo
   * San Pedro
   * San Roque
   * San Teodoro
   * San Vicente
   * Santa Maria
   * Santo Domingo
   * Sinala