Province of Batangas
Provincial seal of Batangas
Map of the Philippines with Batangas highlighted
Region	CALABARZON (Region IV-A)
Capital	Batangas City
Divisions
- Highly urbanized cities	0
- Component cities	3
- Municipalities	31
- Barangays	1,078
- Congressional districts	4
Population	9th largest
- Total (2007)	1,905,348
- Density	602/km² (7th highest)
Area	41st largest
- Total	3,165. In the Philippines, regions ( Filpino: rehiyon, ISO 3166-2PH) are administrative division that serve primarily to organize the 81 CALABARZON is one of the regions of the Philippines. It is also designated as Region IV-A and its regional capital is Calamba City in Batangas City ( Filipino: Lungsod ng Batangas) is a city in the province A city ( lungsod, or sometimes siyudad, in Filipino and Tagalog) is a tier of local government in the Philippines A city ( lungsod, or sometimes siyudad, in Filipino and Tagalog) is a tier of local government in the Philippines A municipality ( bayan, sometimes munisipyo in Cebuano or used infrequently in Tagalog) is a local government unit in the Philippines This article refers to a political administrative division See Barangay Ginebra Kings for other uses The House of Representatives of the Philippines ( Filipino: Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan ng Pilipinas) is the lower chamber of the Congress of the Philippines 8 km²
Founded	March 10, 1917
Spoken languages	Tagalog, Spanish, English
Governor	Vilma Santos-Recto (Lakas-CMD)

This article is about the province. Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Tagalog is one of the major languages used in the Philippines. Spanish was the first official language of the Philippines and the country's original national language Philippine English is the variety of English used in the Philippines by the media and the vast majority of educated Filipinos. Vilma Santos-Recto (born Maria Rosa Vilma Tuazon Santos November 3, 1953) is a popular multi-awarded actress and politician in the Philippines. The Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, also more popularly known as simply Lakas or Lakas-CMD is the current ruling Political party in the Philippines For the city, see Batangas City. Batangas City ( Filipino: Lungsod ng Batangas) is a city in the province

For the bay, see Batangas Bay. Batangas Bay is a semi enclosed water body located in the Philippines.

For the knife, see Balisong (knife). A balisong, otherwise known as a butterfly knife or a Batangas knife, is a Philippine folding Pocket knife with two handles counter-rotating

Batangas is a province of the Philippines located on the southwestern part of Luzon in the CALABARZON region. The provinces of the Philippines are the primary administrative divisions of the Philippines. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Luzon is the largest and most economically and politically important Island in the Philippines and one of the three island groups in the country with Visayas CALABARZON is one of the regions of the Philippines. It is also designated as Region IV-A and its regional capital is Calamba City in In the Philippines, regions ( Filpino: rehiyon, ISO 3166-2PH) are administrative division that serve primarily to organize the 81 Its capital is Batangas City and it is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north and Quezon to the east. Batangas City ( Filipino: Lungsod ng Batangas) is a city in the province Cavite is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the Calabarzon region in Luzon, Laguna is a province of the Philippines found in the CALABARZON region in Luzón. Quezon is a province of the Philippines located in the CALABARZON region in Luzon. Across the Verde Island Passages to the south is the island of Mindoro and to the west lies the South China Sea. Isla Verde Passage (Verde Island Passages is one of the busiest Sea lanes in the Philippines. For the unincorporated community of Mindoro Wisconsin in the United States of America see Mindoro Wisconsin. The South China Sea is a Marginal sea south of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from Singapore to the

Batangas is one of the most popular tourist destinations near Metro Manila. Metropolitan Manila ( Filipino: Kalakhang Maynila, Kamaynilaan) or the National Capital Region (NCR ( Filipino: Pambansang The province has many beaches and famous for excellent diving spots only a few hours away from Manila. The City of Manila Some of the more notable ones are Anilao in the Municipality of Mabini, Matabungkay in the Municipality of Lian, Punta Fuego in the Municipality of Nasugbu, the Municipality of Calatagan and Laiya in the Municipality of San Juan. Lian is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Nasugbu is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines.

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. Taal Volcano is an active Volcano on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The Decade Volcanoes are 16 Volcanoes identified by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI as being worthy 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. Taal Lake is a Freshwater lake in the province of Batangas, on the island of Luzon, Philippines. A geologist is a contributor to the Science of Geology, studying the physical structure and processes of the Earth and planets of the solar system A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption

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.

Batangas is also generally accepted by linguists as the 'Heart of the Tagalog Language'. Tagalog is one of the major languages used in the Philippines. Poetically, Batangas is often referred to by its ancient name Kumintang.

Contents 1 Name 2 People 3 Culture 3.1 Way of Life 3.2 Language 4 The Batangan Art 4.1 Mythology and Literature 4.2 Music 4.3 Architecture and Sculpture 5 Museums 6 Products 7 Geography 7.1 Political 7.2 Current Officials 7.3 Cities and Municipalities 7.4 Physical 7.5 Batangas port and STAR 7.6 Flora and Fauna 8 History 8.1 The Prehistoric Batangan 8.2 The Pre-Hispanic Period 8.3 The Spanish Colonization 8.4 The American Colonization 8.5 World War 2 8.6 The Post-American Period 8.7 The 1986 People Power Revolution to the Estrada Administration 8.8 The Second People Power Revolution 9 External links 10 References

Name

The first recorded name of the Province was Kumintang, after the Datu who inherited the dominion from Datu Balensusa. Its centre, the present day Balayan (from balay, the old Tagalog term for houses), was the most progressive town of the Province and the traditional centre of governance. Balayan is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Later, as the eruption of the Taal Volcano destroyed a significant portion of the town, the provincial centre was transferred to Taal, which was then called Bonbon (meaning a group of anything that is tied or piled together) and the name of the province was changed after that of the town. Taal is a 4th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines.

The term batangan means a raft, the people used so that they could fish in the nearby Taal Lake. It also meant 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. Logging is the process in which Trees are cut down for Forest management and Timber.

People

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. Tagalog is one of the major languages used in the Philippines. Therefore, a strong presence of the Tagalog Culture is clearly visible until now. The Tagalog people ( Tgl: Tagalog) is the second largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group.

Linguistically Batangueños are also known for their unique affectation of often placing the particles eh 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, eh!" ("Aye, yes, indeed!"). Filipino is the national and an Official language of the Philippines as designated in the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Some even prolong the particle 'eh' into 'ala eh', though it really has no meaning in itself.

In the recent years, waves of migration from the Visayas had brought significant number of Visayans to the province. There are also a few who can speak Spanish, since Batangas was an important centre during the colonial period.

The province of Batangas also has one of the highest literacy rates in the country at 96. 5%, wherein the males have a little higher literacy rate at 97. 1% than females with 95. 9%.

Culture

Way of Life

Maria Kalaw Katigbak, a Filipino historian, was quoted to call the Batangueños the Super-Tagalogs. Filipinos or the Filipino people are the citizens of the Philippines. See also History An historian is an individual who studies and writes about History, and is regarded as an Authority on it The Tagalog people ( Tgl: Tagalog) is the second largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group. This is because these group of people belonging to the Tagalog stock is the paramount example of what one can expect from this ethnolinguistic group. The Tagalog people ( Tgl: Tagalog) is the second largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group. Ethnolinguistics is a field of linguistic anthropology which studies the language of a particular Ethnic group. And indeed, when you ask someone to overact a Tagalog, they would imitate the Batangueños.

One particular custom in the Batangan culture is the so called Matanda sa Dugo (lit. older by blood) practice wherein one gives respect not because of age but of consanguinity. During the early times, the custom of having very large families are very common. Thus, it may be expected that the someone's uncle could be of the same age, or even younger than himself. In this case, the older one would call the younger one in an honorary title (such as tiyo or simply kuya if they can no longer establish the relationship), not the other way around. This often draws confusion to those from other provinces who are not accustomed to such practices.

Batangueños are very regionalistic. When one learns that a person in the room is also from Batangas, expect them to be together until the end of the event. It is also expected that those in office would favour their fellow Batangueños as long as the rules could allow it. Thus the running joke, the Batangas Mafia came to existence. The Mafia (also known as Cosa Nostra) is a Sicilian Criminal Secret society which is believed to have first developed in the mid-19th century

They also tend to live in a large extended family. It is but common that a piece of land remains undivided until the family connection becomes to far-off related. Marriages between relatives of the fifth generation is still restrained in the Batangan culture even if Philippine laws allow it. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP

Most Batangueños are either farmers or fishers who sell their own products in the market. Although most of them has also finished a degree, a lot of the people not to use what they have studied and put up their own small businesses instead. This is perhaps due to the subconscious idea that he who has no land to cultivate or trade to make is a lazy person.

Since Batangas has long been declared a tourism area by late President Ferdinand Marcos, people from other places could find a very hospitable culture in the Batangueños. The President of the Philippines is the head of state and government of the Republic of the Philippines. Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralín Marcos ( September 11, 1917 &ndash September 28, 1989) was President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986 They will feed you more than the usual with the food they eat. Actually, these folks would appreciate it greatly if they see that you are trying to be one of them.

Batangueños are heavy drinkers. Men, and sometimes women, could spend long hours of drinking sessions as if there would be no more work the next day. This is specially true if you are to visit the far-flung barangays. This article refers to a political administrative division See Barangay Ginebra Kings for other uses

Aside from drinking too much liquor, Batangueños like sweet food. Perhaps this is because there has never been a shortage of sugar in the province due to the presence of the Central Azucarera Don Pedro, the current largest producer of sugar in the whole archipelago.

And if they like their liquors strong and their foods sweet, Batangueños also like their coffee strong. During the early 1900s, Batangas was the largest producer of coffee in the whole of Asia. CoFFEE is an Open source Software for computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL in a digital classroom In the barrios, the people would drink brewed coffee, which the locals call kapeng barako, translated as the stud's coffee. At present, steps are being made, especially in the city of Lipa to regain the title of having the largest coffee production in Asia. The City of Lipa ( Filipino: Lungsod ng Lipa)is a first class city in the province of Batangas

Language

Main article: Batangas Tagalog

There is no better way to describe a Batangueño than the language he or she speaks. Batangas Tagalog also known as Batangan is a Dialect of the Tagalog language spoken primarily in the province of Batangas Batangueños, being mainly descendants of the ancient Tagalogs, speak a dialect of the language with a very strong accent. Indeed, one can easily recognize a Batangueño the moment he opens his mouth.

The vocabulary of the Batangan Dialect is more closely related to the ancient Tagalog. Rarely do Batangueños use Taglish, as is the custom in Manila. In fact, when you ask someone from the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino to describe the Tagalog spoken in Batangas, it will easily be labelled 'makaluma' (old style. )

Although much can be said about the way a Batangueño speaks his or her Tagalog, the high literacy of the locals means English is also widely spoken in the province. Spanish is also understood up to some extent. In fact, some towns like Nasugbu, Taal and Lemery still have a significant minority of Spanish speakers. Nasugbu is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Visayan is also spoken by a significant minority due to the infulx of migration from the Southern Philippines. "Cebuano" redirects here For the inhabitants of Cebu see Cebuano people Cebuano (Cebuano Sinugbuanon, "language

The Batangan Art

Mythology and Literature

Scholars also identified that the ancient Batangueños, like the rest of the Tagalog Tribe, worship the Supreme Creator, known as Bathala. For the fictional character in Encantadia and Mulawin, see below. Lesser gods like Mayari, the goddess of the Moon and her brother Apolake, god of the sun, were also present. In Tagalog mythology Mayari (also known as Bulan) is the beautiful lunar Deity who was the daughter of Bathala, the king of the gods And although people would not easily connect it with mythology, the Northeast Monsoon is still called Amihan, while the Southwest Monsoon is called Habagat.

For literature, Padre Vicente Garcia came to be known when he wrote an essay to defend José Rizal's Noli Me Tangere. Padre Vicente Garcia is a Filipino Priest, hero and a defender of Dr Dr José P Rizal (full name José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda) (June 19 1861 – December 30 1896 was a Filipino Polymath, Noli me tangere, meaning "don't touch me" is the Latin version of words spoken according to, by Jesus to Mary Magdalene

In 2004, the Province of Batangas gave its Son Domingo Landicho (familiarly called Inggo be Batangueños) the 'Dangal ng Batangas Award' (Pride of Batangas) for being the 'Peoples' Poet'. He, together with Ambassador Lauro Baja, former Executive secretary Renato de Villa, Current Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona, and Transport Secretary Leandro Mendoza received the award in a ceremony which highlighted the celebration of the 423rd year of the founding of the Province. Renato de Villa (born July 20, 1935) is a political figure in the Philippines and founder of the rightist Partido ng Demokratikong Reporma-Lapiang Eduardo R Ermita, the current Executive Secretary of the Philippines, and spokesperson for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Renato C Corona (born October 15, 1948) is an incumbent Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. Leandro Ramos Mendoza, current Philippine Secretary of Transportation and Communications was born on March 24, 1946 in San Juan, Batangas.

Music

Main article: Filipino Traditional Music

for full discussion. Traditional Music in the Philippines, like the Traditional music of other countries reflects the life of common folk mainly living in rural areas rather than urban ones

Batangueños have always been visible in the Philippine music scene, whether it is in the field of traditional music, popular music or even popular music.

Musicologists identified Batangas as the origin of the kumintang, and ancient war song, which later evolved to become the signature of Filipino love songs the kundiman. From the ancient kumintang, another vocal music emerged, identified as the awit. The huluna, a psalm-like lullaby, is also famous in some towns, especially Bauan. And during the Lenten Season, the Christian passion-narrative, called Pasyon by the natives, is but expected in every corners of the province.

Debates may also be done while singing. While those from the Province of Bulacan are known for their Balagatasan (a form of debate done in poetry), Batangueños are famous for the duplo (a sung debate where each lines of the verse must be octosyllabic) and the karagatan (a sung dabate where each lines of the verse must be dodecasyllabic. ) The latter, whose literal meaning is the ocean, got its name from the opening lines. Always, the karagatan is opened by saying some verses that alludes the depth of the sea and comparing it to the difficulty of joining the debate. And as mentioned above, the debate must be sung.

Batangas is also the origin of the Balitao (although Cebuanos may argue. ) Aside from being a form of vocal music, the Balitao is also a form of dance music. The Balitao, together with the Subli is the most famous form of dance native to Batangas.

In the field of serious music, no one can underestimate the contribution of Batangas. Batangas is the birthplace of the famous Filipino soprano Conching Rosal, dubbed as the First Lady of the Philippine Operatic Stage. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Lorenzo Ilustre, a local composer, also became famous for his wide array of religious and liturgical music.

On the other hand, the Maestro of Philippine Music, Ryan Cayabyab is no less than a Batangueño, whose mother Celerina Pujante was in her own right a well sought operatic soprano in the 1950s, about the same time as Rosal. Ryan Cayabyab (born Raymundo Cipriano Pujante Cayabyab but affectionately known as Mr This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Ogie Alcasid, known to fans as Mr. Herminio Alcasid Jr, more popularly known as Ogie Alcasid (born August 27, 1967) is a Filipino singer songwriter comedian composer Composer, also hails from this province. The famous Musical Family Of the Laurels are also one of Batangas' finest musical and political family.

Architecture and Sculpture

As shown in its ancient churches, Batangas is home to some of the best architectures of the country. Along with Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, Batangas has the best preserved colonial architectures. The City of Vigan is a 3rd class city in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. Ilocos Sur is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. This is very evident when one visits the Municipality of Taal.

Though not as popular as the carving industry of Laguna, Batangas is still famous for the sculptures engraved on the countless furniture that came from their Province. Often, altar tables coming from Batangas was called the friars' choice because of its delicate beauty.

According to Milagros Covvarubias-Jamir, another Filipino scholar, the furniture that came from Batangas during the colonial times was comparable to the beautiful furniture from China. The built of the furniture was so exquisite, nails of glues was never used. Still, the Batangueños knew how to maximize the use of hardwoods. As a result, furniture made about a hundred years ago are still found in many old churches and houses even today.

Museums

• Apolinario Mabini Shrine *

Marcela Agoncillo Historical Landmark,

Barangay Talaga, Tanauan City, Batangas

• Miguel Malvar Hospital *

Leon Apacible Historical Landmark,

Sto. Tomas, Batangas

• Museo ng Batangas at Aklatang Panlalawigan

Dr. Jose P. Laurel Library,

Tanauan City, Batangas

Tourist Information and Assistance

• Batangas Tourism Office

Batangas Museum and Provincial Library Bldg. ,

Batangas City 4200, Tel. No. : (63-43) 723-0130

• Office of the Governor

2nd Floor, Provincial Capitol Bldg. , Batangas City 4200

Tel. No. : (63-43) 723-1905, Fax (63-43) 723-1338

Products

Batangas also has other industries that makes it famous not only in the country but also in the world. More than anything else, Batangas is known for its fan knife, called balisong by the natives. A balisong, otherwise known as a butterfly knife or a Batangas knife, is a Philippine folding Pocket knife with two handles counter-rotating This industry has become so famous that an urban legend exists about every Batangueño carrying a balisong everywhere they go. An urban legend or urban myth is a form of modern Folklore consisting of stories thought to be factual by those circulating them This is also the reason why most Filipinos would warn never to mess with a Batangueño.

Pineapples are also common in the province. Pineapple ( Ananas comosus) is the common name for an edible Tropical Plant and also its Fruit It is native to the southern part of Brazil Aside from the fruit, the leaves are also useful that it becomes an industry of its own. In the Municipality of Taal, pineapple leaves are being processed to be a kind of cloth known as the gusi. This is further processed to become the Barong Tagalog, the National Costume of the Philippines. A Barong Tagalog (or simply Barong, from the word baro) is an embroidered formal garment of the Philippines. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP In fact, the Barong Tagalog that was used by the heads of states in the last Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation in 1995 was from Batangas. Princess Diana Spencer was also known to possess a scarf made of gusi. Princess is the feminine form of Prince (from Latin Princeps, meaning principal citizen

Batangas is also known for its livestock industry. Cattle from Batangas is widely sought throughout the country. In fact, the term Bakang Batangas (Batangas Cow) is actually synonymous to the country's best species of cattle. Indeed, the cattle industry in Batangas is so famous, that every Saturday is an auction day in the Municipalities of San Juan, Bauan and widely-known and famous Padre Garcia every Thursday and Friday.

Being near the sea, it is only expected that fishing plays a very important part of the Batangan Economy. Although the tuna industry in the country is mainly centred in General Santos City, Batangas is also known for the smaller species of the said fish. Tuna, are several Species of ocean-dwelling Fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. The City of General Santos (abbreviated GSC or Gensan Filipino: Lungsod ng Heneral Santos, Cebuano The locals even have their own names for the said fish. Some of them include the term, Tambakol,yellow-finned Berberabe, tambakulis, Tulingan, Bonito and another species also called Bonito but actually the Gymnosarda unicolor. The bigeye tuna, Thunnus obesus, is an important food Fish and highly sought after recreational game fish Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis are some of the biggest and fastest fish in the Pacific Ocean. The dogtooth tuna is a large fast-swimming fish in the family Scombridae. There is also an important industry for the Tanigue. wahoo ( Acanthocybium solandri) is a dark blue scombrid Fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas

Aside from the South China Sea, Taal Lake also provides a source of fresh water fishes to the country. The South China Sea is a Marginal sea south of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from Singapore to the Taal Lake is a Freshwater lake in the province of Batangas, on the island of Luzon, Philippines. The lake is home to Sardinella tawilis or simply tawilis, a species of freshwater sardine that is endemic to the lake. Sardinella tawilis (sometimes obscurely referred to as the freshwater sardinella) is a freshwater sardine found exclusively in the Philippines Sardinella tawilis (sometimes obscurely referred to as the freshwater sardinella) is a freshwater sardine found exclusively in the Philippines Taal Lake also provides farmed Chanos chanos or bangus. Taal Lake is a Freshwater lake in the province of Batangas, on the island of Luzon, Philippines. The milkfish, ( Chanos chanos) is an important food Fish in Southeast Asia and is the sole living Species in the family Chanidae There is also a good volume of Oreochromis niloticus niloticus and Oreochromis aureus, both locally called tilapia. The Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus is a Cichlid fish of African origin which is native from Syria into east Africa through the It is ecologically important to note that neither bangus nor tilapia are native to the lake. Thus they are considered invasive species to the lake. Introduced species|Weed Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions

As mentioned in the section of culture, Batangueños are indeed fond of drinking. This is of no surprise as it lies in what is called the coconut belt that is the raw material for the local liqueurs, the lambanog (with 90% proof) and the tuba (which is mae of 5. A liqueur is a sweet Alcoholic beverage, often flavored with Fruits, Herbs Spices Flowers Seeds Roots Plants Arrack is an Alcoholic beverage that is distilled mainly in South Asia and South East Asia from fermented Fruit, 68% alcohol and 13% sugar). In Chemistry, an alcohol is any Organic compound in which a Hydroxyl group ( - O[[hydrogen H]]) is bound to a Carbon Sugar is a class of edible Crystalline substances mainly Sucrose, Lactose, and Fructose.

Sugar is also a major industry. As a matter of fact, after the Hacienda Luisita, the country's former largest sugar producer, was broken-up for land reform, the Municipality of Nasugbu has been the home of the current largest sugar producing company, the Central Azucarera Don Pedro. Nasugbu is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. This also means that Batangas is also a home for a wide industry of sweets. Rice cakes are also a strong industry.

Although Batangas has already lost its distinction as Asia's largest producer of coffee, this industry is still thriving, especially with the boost of coffee shops all over the country. CoFFEE is an Open source Software for computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL in a digital classroom

Blankets and mosquito nets are also widely available anywhere in the province. If you are lucky enough, you can buy it from peddlers.

And as the mythology of the Philippines say that from the bamboo came men and women, Batangueños learned to make a living out of it. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Bamboo is a group of Woody perennial Evergreen Plants in the True grass family Poaceae, subfamily Some towns (those that are adjacent to Laguna) have a very prosperous bamboo based industry. Laguna is a province of the Philippines found in the CALABARZON region in Luzón. Here, you can see houses that are made of bamboo, furnitures made of bamboo, and even food cooked in bamboo. Natives say that food cooked in bamboo has an added scent and flavour.

But if the locals cook in bamboos, some also eat bamboos. Baby bamboos to be exact. In these towns also, labong or the baby bamboo is cooked with coconut milk or even with other ingredients to make a truly Batangas delicacy.

One must also remember that the Capital City of Batangas hosts the second most important international seaport in the Island of Luzon. Next only to that of Manila International Port, Batangas International Port is a primary entry point of goods not only coming from the Southern part of the country but from everywhere in the world.

Geography

Political

Together with the provinces in the Island of Panay, Ilocos Sur and Pampanga, Batangas was one of the earliest encomiendas made by the Spaniards who settled in the country. Panay is an Island in the Philippines located in the Visayas. Ilocos Sur is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Pampanga is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. It was headed by Martin de Goiti and since then it became one of the most important centres of the Philippines, not only the Tagalogs. Martín de Goiti (15?? &ndash 1574) was a Spanish Basque Conquistador and founder of the city of Manila. 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. It was in 1889 that the capital was moved to the present, Batangas City.

Batangas is also known in the Philippine History as the Cradle of Noble Heroes, giving homage not only to the heroes it produced but the statesmen the came to lead the country. Among the luminaries of Batangas politics are Teodoro M. Kalaw, Apolinario Mabini, Jose Laurel, Claro M. Recto, Felipe Agoncillo and Don Apolinario Apacible

For the third time, Eduardo "Eddie" Dimacuha is once again elected as Mayor of Batangas' Capital City, while Lipa City, the province's religious center, chose their out-going 4th District Representative, Oscar 'Oca' Gozos, to take-over the post of mayor from Governor Santos-Recto after serving three terms. José Paciano Laurel y García ( March 9, 1891 &ndash November 6, 1959) was the president of the Japanese-Sponsored Republic of the Philippines Politician Claro M Recto launched his political career as a legal adviser to the first Philippine Senate in 1916 Felipe Agoncillo ( May 26, 1859 &ndash September 29, 1941) was the Filipino Lawyer representative to the negotiations The City of Lipa ( Filipino: Lungsod ng Lipa)is a first class city in the province of Batangas

Current Officials

• Governor: Vilma Santos-Recto

• Vice Governor: Jose Antonio "Marc" Leviste II

• Board Members:

1st District: Benjamin Bausas & Ramon Rosales
2nd District: Godofredo Berberabe Jr. Vilma Santos-Recto (born Maria Rosa Vilma Tuazon Santos November 3, 1953) is a popular multi-awarded actress and politician in the Philippines. , Florencio De Loyola & Joel Atienza
3rd District: Rodolfo Balba & Chona Maloles-Dimayuga
4th District: Marieta Igarta, Amado Carlos Bolilia & Mabelle Virtusio

Elected Representatives
1st District: Elenita Ermita-Buhain
2nd District: Hermilando Mandanas
3rd district: Victoria Hernandez-Reyes
4th District: Mark Llandro L. Mendoza

Cities and Municipalities

Batangas is subdivided into 31 municipalities and 3 cities. A municipality ( bayan, sometimes munisipyo in Cebuano or used infrequently in Tagalog) is a local government unit in the Philippines A city ( lungsod, or sometimes siyudad, in Filipino and Tagalog) is a tier of local government in the Philippines

City/Municipality		No. A city ( lungsod, or sometimes siyudad, in Filipino and Tagalog) is a tier of local government in the Philippines A municipality ( bayan, sometimes munisipyo in Cebuano or used infrequently in Tagalog) is a local government unit in the Philippines of Barangays	Area (km²)	Population (2000)	Pop. This article refers to a political administrative division See Barangay Ginebra Kings for other uses Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of density (per km²)
	Agoncillo	21	54. Agoncillo is a 4th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. 70	26584
	Alitagtag	19	27. Alitagtag is a 5th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. 40	20192
	Balayan
	Balete
	Batangas City
	Bauan	40
	Calaca
	Calatagan
	Cuenca
	Ibaan
	Laurel
	Lemery	46
	Lian	19		39,129
	Lipa City	72
	Lobo
	Mabini
	Malvar	15
	Mataas Na Kahoy
	Nasugbu	42	276. Balayan is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Balete is a 5th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Batangas City ( Filipino: Lungsod ng Batangas) is a city in the province The Municipality of Bauan ( Filipino: Bayan ng Bauan) is a first class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines Calaca is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Calatagan is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Cuenca is a 4th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Ibaan is a 4th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Laurel is a 4th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Lemery is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Lian is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. The City of Lipa ( Filipino: Lungsod ng Lipa)is a first class city in the province of Batangas Lobo is a 4th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Mabini is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Malvar is a 4th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Mataas na Kahoy is a 5th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Nasugbu is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. 33	96,113	347
	Padre Garcia	18
	Rosario
	San Jose	33
	San Juan
	San Luis	23
	San Nicolas
	San Pascual
	Santa Teresita
	Santo Tomas	30		113,105
	Taal	42		43,455
	Talisay
	Tanauan City
	Taysan
	Tingloy
	Tuy

Physical

Batangas is a combination of plains and mountains. Padre Garcia is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Rosario is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. San Jose is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. San Juan is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. San Luis is a 4th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. San Nicolas is a 5th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. San Pascual is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Santa Teresita is a 5th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Santo Tomas is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Taal is a 4th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Talisay is a 4th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. The City of Tanauan ( Filipino: Lungsod ng Tanauan) is a third class city in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Taysan is a 4th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Tingloy is a 5th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Tuy (Read as "too-wee" is a 4th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Not to mention the wide shoreline, being at the Southwest of the Philippines' biggest island. It is very just fitting that the writers of yore called it the 'Land of the Rolling Hills and Wide Shorelands' Some the most famous mountain in the province is the world's smallest volcano, Mt. Taal with an elevation of 600 meters. Taal Volcano is an active Volcano on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It is at the centre of the Taal Lake, famous for its endemic fish, the tawilis. Taal Lake is a Freshwater lake in the province of Batangas, on the island of Luzon, Philippines.

Other important peaks are Mt. Makulot with an elevation of 609. 6 m, Mt. Talamitan with 700 m, Mt. Pico de Loro with 664 m, Mt. Batulao with 811 m, Mt. Manabo with 830 m, and Mt. Daguldol with 672 m. All of these mountains are considered level 1 mountains, meaning one can easily climb them with little training.

The Municipality of Nasugbu is the home of the plantation of Central Azucarera Don Pedro, the Philippines' largest producer of sugar and other sugarcane products.

Batangas is also known for its many islands, which include the municipality of Tingloy, Fortune Island of the Municipality of Nasugbu, and Sombrero Island in the Province of Mabini. And of course, Mt. Taal itself is an island.

Being at the southwest of Luzon, a lot of sea turtles visit the place. Luzon is the largest and most economically and politically important Island in the Philippines and one of the three island groups in the country with Visayas Sea turtles ( Superfamily Chelonioidea) are Turtles found in all the world's oceans except the Arctic Ocean. but due to the massive hunting that takes place, the Provincial Government has passed a law prohibiting the killing of this marine reptile.

Batangas port and STAR

On January 19, 2008, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo opened Phase II project of the Batangas City International Container Port (with turn-over to the Philippine Ports Authority). Events 1419 - Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Maria Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (born Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal on April 5 1947 is a Filipina Politician. Batangas City ( Filipino: Lungsod ng Batangas) is a city in the province The Philippine Ports Authority ( Filipino: Pangasiwaan ng mga Daungan ng Pilipinas, abbreviated PPA) is a Government-owned corporation under the She also inspected a major road project in Southern Tagalog. She then inspected the P1. 5-billion Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), Stage II-Phase 1 connecting Lipa (19. The Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (also known as the STAR Tollway or CALABARZON Expressway as townsfolk call the tollway is a four-lane 42 km Expressway 74 kilometers and Batangas and the Southern Luzon Expressway (SLEX) road widening, expansion and the STAR toll way development projects in Batangas. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand Luzon is the largest and most economically and politically important Island in the Philippines and one of the three island groups in the country with Visayas An expressway is a Divided highway for high-speed traffic with at least partial Control of access. ^[1]

Flora and Fauna

Although attached to the big Island of Luzon, Batangas boasts of flora and fauna that is distinctively theirs. An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant Luzon is the largest and most economically and politically important Island in the Philippines and one of the three island groups in the country with Visayas In Botany, flora ( Plural: floras or florae has two meanings The first meaning flora of an area or of time period, refers to all Fauna is all of the Animal life of any particular region or time The local tree malabayabas is endemic to the province alone while the endangered flying fox thrives there without fear. Bats of the genus Pteropus, belonging to the Megachiroptera sub-order are the largest Bats in the world Batangas is also home to the kabag, one of the world's smallest fruit bat. For other uses of the term "Flying fox" see Flying fox (disambiguation Megabats is the term used informally to refer to bats In the Municipality of Nasugbu, wild deers are still inhabiting the remote areas of Baranggay Looc. Nasugbu is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines.

But although Batangas has these land flying mammals, marine wildlife remains to be the province's crowning glory. Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands The South China Sea is a Marginal sea south of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from Singapore to the Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants animals and other organisms In fact, in the second half of 2006, scientists from the United States discovered that the Sulu-Sulawesi Triangle has its centre at the Isla Verde Passage, a part of the province. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For the Star Trek character see Hikaru Sulu. For the sultanate see Sultanate of Sulu. Sulawesi (formerly known as Celebes, ˈsɛlɛbiz is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Isla Verde Passage (Verde Island Passages is one of the busiest Sea lanes in the Philippines. According to this study, made by the American Marine Biologist Dr. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Marine biology is the scientific study of living Organisms in the Ocean or other marine or Brackish bodies of water Kent Carpentier, Batangas Seas host more than half of the world's species of coral reefs. It is also home to dolphins and once in a while, a passage of the world's biggest fish the whale shark or the butanding, as the locals call it. Dolphins are Marine mammals that are closely related to Whales and Porpoises There are almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genera. The whale shark, Rhincodon typus, is a slow filter feeding Shark that is the largest living Fish Species. The Municipality of San Juan, as a matter of fact, has a resident marine turtle or pawikan. San Juan is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Sea turtles ( Superfamily Chelonioidea) are Turtles found in all the world's oceans except the Arctic Ocean. Pawikans were also prevalent in the Municipality of Nasugbu during the 1970s. Sea turtles ( Superfamily Chelonioidea) are Turtles found in all the world's oceans except the Arctic Ocean.

History

The Prehistoric Batangan

Long before the arrival of the Spaniards in the Philippines, large centers of population already thrived in Batangas. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Native settlements lined the Pansipit River, a major waterway. The Pansipit River is a short river located in the Batangas province of the Philippines. The province had been trading with the Chinese since Yuan Dynasty until first phase of Ming Dynasty in the 13th and 15th century. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Yuan Dynasty ( Pinyin: Yuáncháo Dai Ön Ulus (Дай Юан Улс was a ruling Dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led Inhabitants of the province were also trading with Japan and India. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country

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. Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located at the centre of Maritime Southeast Asia. Panay is an Island in the Philippines located in the Visayas. Taal Lake is a Freshwater lake in the province of Batangas, on the island of Luzon, Philippines. 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.

Archeological findings, show that even before the settlement of the Spaniards in the country, the Tagalogs, especially the Batangueños, had a very high level of civilization. The Tagalog people ( Tgl: Tagalog) is the second largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group. This was shown by some jewelry, made from a chambered nautilus' shell, where some tiny holes were drilled by some tube. The way it was drilled shows that early Batangueños had an idea of what is beautiful.

Later, the pre-historic Batangueños was influenced by India as shown in some ancient potteries. In fact, a Buddhist image was reproduced in mould on a clay medallion in bas-relief from the Municipality of Calatagan. According to experts, the image in the pot strongly resembles the iconographic portrayal of Buddha in Siam, India and Nepal. The pot shows Buddha Amithaba in the tribhanga pose inside an oval nimbus. Scholars also noted that there is a strong Mahayanic orientation in the image, since the Boddhisattva Avalokitesvara was also depicted. Mahayana ( Sanskrit: mahāyāna, Devanagari: महायान 'Great Vehicle' is one of the two main existing schools of Buddhism and a term for

One of the major archeological findings happened last January 1941, where 2 crude stone figures were found in Palapat in the Municipality of Calatagan. It was later donated to the National Museum. Unfortunately, one of it suffered a bad fate and was destroyed during the holocaust of the World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

In 1942, the Japanese Imperial forces occupied in Batangas. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

In 1945, The decorated to the Filpino soldiers & Filipino guerrillas against the Japanese forces liberated in Batangas. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar

Eighteen years later, a grave was excavated in the nearby Punta Buaya. Once again, it showed that early Batangueños have an appreciation of art, since pieces of brain coral were carved behind the heads of the 12 remains that were found. The site was named 'Likha' (meaning 'Creature'). The remains were accompanied by furniture that could be traced as early as the 14th century. Potteries, as well as bracelets, stoneware and metal objects were also found in the area, suggesting that the people who lived there had an extensive contact with people from as far as China.

The presence of believed also suggested that prehistoric Batangaueños believed in the idea of life-after-death, since someone might need a plate where he would eat or chalices where he could drink. This also related the Batangueños to its neighbors in Asia, where it was a custom to bury some furniture with the dead.

Like the nearby tribes, the Batangan or the early Batanueños were non-aggressive people. Partly because most of the tribes in the immediate environs are related to them by blood. However, when there is no choice but to defend your life, Batangans would use the bakyang (bows and arrows), the bangkaw (spears) and the suwan (bolo).

Another proof of civilization from the Batangans was the presence of religion. Though it was highly superstitious, such as the use of amuret (witchcraft), it showed that these people believed in the presence of higher beings and other things unseen. Thus, there is a strong connection between the Batangans and nature.

Although it is widely accepted that the term Tagalog came from the word 'Taga-Ilog' o river Dwellers, (referring to the Pasig River), Wang The-Ming pointed out in his writings that Batangas was the real centre of the Tagalog Tribe, which he then identified as Ma-yi. The Tagalog people ( Tgl: Tagalog) is the second largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group. According to this Chinese Annals, Ma-yi had its centre in the Province and extends to as far as Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Quezon, Bataan, Bulacan, Mindoro, Marinduque, Nueva Ecija, Some parts of Zambales and Tarlac. Cavite is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the Calabarzon region in Luzon, Laguna is a province of the Philippines found in the CALABARZON region in Luzón. Rizal is a province of the Philippines located in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 20 kilometers east of Manila. Quezon is a province of the Philippines located in the CALABARZON region in Luzon. Bataan is a province of the Philippines occupying the whole of Bataan Peninsula on Luzon. This article is about the province For the municipality see Bulacan Bulacan. For the unincorporated community of Mindoro Wisconsin in the United States of America see Mindoro Wisconsin. Marinduque is an Island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region in Luzon. Nueva Ecija is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region For the mountain chain see Zambales Mountains. For the ethnic group see Sambal people. For the city see Tarlac City. For the river see Tarlac River. However, many historians interchangeably use the term Tagalog and Batangueño.

Henry Otley Beyer, an American archaeologist, also showed in his studies that the early Batangueños have a special affinity with the precious stone known as the jade. In fact, the named the Late Paleolithic Period of the Philippines as the Batangas Period in recognition of the multitude of jade found in the excavarted caves in the province. Beyer identified that the jade-cult reached the Province as early as the year 800 BC and lasted until 200 BC.

The Pre-Hispanic Period

According to legend, 10 datus from the Isle of Borneo travelled northward to escape the tyranny of a Sultan, known as Makatunaw from the 13th Century history of the Sri Vaishaya Empire. Datu or datto is the title for ancient tribal chieftains and monarchs in pre-Hispanic Philippines. In a book entitled 'Kumintang, the Creation, Development and Demise of a Civilisation', Sultan Makatunaw not only did grab the lands from the other datus, he even took away their wives. This led Datu Puti, together with 9 other datus decide to leave to seek for a more peaceful abode.

The group landed in the present day island of Panay where they met a tribe of Negritoes led by Marikudo. Panay is an Island in the Philippines located in the Visayas. Being skilled in diplomacy, Datu Puti convinced the negritoes to give them a place where they could settle. Marikudo and his tribe agreed to give the Malayans a place in exchange of the golden sukud (also called a salakot, a head dress worn by noble men during those times). From then on, the negritoes went back to the mountains where most of them settle until today.

After the purchase, Datu Puti founded a confederation of three dominions, which came to be called the Madia-as Confederation. The confederation was composed of the dominions of Hantik (later Antique) led by Datu Sumakwel, Aklan led by Datu Bankaya and Irong-irong (later Iloilo) led by Datu Paiburong. The dominion easily became a thriving centre, which is proven by Chinese chronicles saying that their ships pass this Dominion for trade. According also to the said chronicles, the Madia-as Confederation was already in existence in 1252.

It was not long when Datu Puti realised that the Dominion became too crowded and decided to find another place where he and his dominion could find a greener pasteur. He then left the Confederation under the rule of Datu Sumakwel (said to be the wisest among the three rulers of the Madia-as Confederation) and sailed further North with Datu Balensusa and Datu Domangsil. There, they found a place of many rivers that drained into the prsent day Taal Lake. Taal Lake is a Freshwater lake in the province of Batangas, on the island of Luzon, Philippines. Here, Datu Puti founded the Kingdom of the Tagalogs, with its centre in the present day Balayan and extended up to the present day provinces of Quezon, Rizal, Cavite, Minodro, Marinduque and even some parts of Romblon and Palawan. Balayan is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Later, studies suggested that the Kingdom included the present day Metropolitan Manila, Bulacan, Bataan, parts of Nueva Ecija, Tarlac and Zambales. Today, all of these provinces have a significant population of Tagalogs.

As the Kingdom became more and more complex, Datu Puti decided to decongest Balayan by making two other centres for different important aspects of the lives of the Tagalog. He founded the Town of Lipa to be the centre of worship as he was also the founder of a religion called Bathalismo. For the fictional character in Encantadia and Mulawin, see below. Led by a Babaylan, Lipa was the most important centre of religion until the foundation of the Diocese (later Archdiocese) of Manila. Babaylan is a term identifying an indigenous Filipino religious leader who functions as a healer a Shaman, a seer and a community "miracle-worker" According to the chronicles of the priests who first came into the town, they saw temples where people gathered in worship.

Datu Puti also transferred the centre of governance to Tanauan. Tanauan may refer to either of two places in the Philippines: Tanauan City, Batangas province Tanauan Leyte, Leyte province Being near the lake, it is a very good place to rule the Kingdom. Edicts could easily reach all the other parts of the Kingdom through the Lake. He could also easily go to Lipa when it is time for him to attend his religious duties.

The Commercial Centre, however, remained in Balayan since it is near the sea. Balayan is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. This is also because this town was an estblished trading route as Chinese Vessels were known to pass this path as early as the 10th Century.

It was also under the rule of Datu Puti when the people of the Tagalog Kingdom built the first national highway (in its sense). All around the lake, the Tagalogs made an even road by putting stones (called sapaw). The road streched up to 40 kilometres and greatly facilitated the travel to the nearby towns. However, the Taal Lake grew older and was filled with water and the sapaw became submerged under water. There, it was forgotten for more than half a century and only discovered in the late 1970s by an underwater archeologist.

Though great was the Kingdom Datu Puti founded, he still could not forget the Island from where he came. He still dreamt to liberate Borneo from the tyranny of Sultan Makatunaw. So in 1234, he left the Kingdom he founded to sail back South and fight the Sultan. He divided the Kingdom among the six other Datus (namely Domangsil, Balensusa, Bankaya, Paduhinog, Dumalogdog and Lubay). These datus selected Datu Balensusa to lead them and Datu Puti went on to liberate Borneo. And that was the last account that pertained to the Great Datu.

When Datu Balensusa came to age, the Kingdom over which he ruled was inherited by Datu Kumintang, that part of the Kingdom was named after its chieftain. During that time, the island of Luzon was identified as May-I in the Chinese annals. The Kingdom of Kumintang remained to be one of the most progressive towns when the Spaniards arrived.

The Spanish Colonization

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 Pansipit River. Martín de Goiti (15?? &ndash 1574) was a Spanish Basque Conquistador and founder of the city of Manila. Juan de Salcedo ( 1549 &ndash March 11, 1576) was a Spanish Conquistador. The Pansipit River is a short river located in the Batangas province of the Philippines. In 1572, the town of Taal was founded and its convent and stone church were constructed later. Taal is a 4th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines.

Officially, the Province of Bonbon was founded by Spain in 1578, through Fr. Estaban Ortiz and Fr. Juan de Porras. It was so named after the name that was given to it by the Muslim natives who inhabited the area. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion

In 1581, the Spanish government abolished the Province of Bonbon and created a new province which came to be known as the Province of Balayan. The new province was composed of the present provinces of Batangas, Mindoro, Marinduque, southeast Laguna and Camarines. For the unincorporated community of Mindoro Wisconsin in the United States of America see Mindoro Wisconsin. Marinduque is an Island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region in Luzon. Laguna is a province of the Philippines found in the CALABARZON region in Luzón. Camarines redirects here This page refers to the former province 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 history of Batangas as a province can never be separated from the history of the Christianization of the Islands. In the same yeas that de Goiti and Salcedo visited the province, the Franciscan missionaries came to Taal. The place later became the first settlement of the Spaniards in Batangas and one of the earliest in the Philippines. In 1572 the Augustinians founded Taal in the place of Wawa, now San Nicolas, and from there began preaching in Balayan and in all the big settlements around the lake of Bombon (Taal). Indeed, the Augustinians did a very good job. Not only did they make Batangas the second most important religious centre of the Archipelago, they did it in a mere 10-year period. In fact, up to now, Batangas remains to be one of the most 'Christianised' and even the most 'Catholic' Province in the Philippines. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP

The first missionaries in the diocese were the Augustinians, and they remained until the revolution against Spain. Among the first missionaries were eminent men like Alfonso de Albuquerque, Diego Espinas, Juan de Montojo and others.

The first centers of faith were established in Taal, then in Balayan, Bauan, Lipa, Sala, Tanauan, all around the lake of Bombon (Taal).

The first missionaries were extraordinary men. And during the first ten years, the whole region around the lake of Bombon was completely Christianized. It was done through the preaching of men who had learned the first rudiments of the language of the people. At the same time they started writing manuals of devotion in Tagalog. What is more, they wrote the first Tagalog grammar that served other missionaries who came.

The year of foundation of important parishes follows: 1572 the Taal parish was founded by the Augustinians; 1581 the Batangas parish under Fray Diego Mexica; 1596 Bauan parish administered by the Augustinian missionaries; 1605 Lipa parish under the Augustinian administration;1774 Balayan parish was founded; 1852 Nasugbu parish; and 1868 Lemery Parish.

Nasugbu became a very important centre of trade during the Spanish occupation of the country. Nasugbu is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. So important was this town that the first recorded battle between two European Forces in Asia was in Fortune Island, Nasugbu, Batangas. Nasugbu is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. In the late part of the 20th Century, the inhabitants of Fortune Island discovered a sunken galleon that contained materials sold in the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade. Today, the Galleon stands majestically in the islands as a reminder of the grandeur of Batangan Past.

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. Events 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and Year 1896 ( MDCCCXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year This event was given distinction when Marcela Agoncillo, also a native of the province, made the Philippine Flag. Marcela Mariño de Agoncillo (June 24 1860 – May 30 1946 also simply known as Marcela Agoncillo, was a Filipina renowned for her legacy in Philippine Indeed, the official Philippine flag has a sun with eight rays to represent these eight provinces.

Another notable hero from this era is Apolinario Mabini, also known as the sublime paralytic and "Brains of the Revolution.

The American Colonization

The struggles of the Batangueños did not end when the Spaniards left the Philippines. Batangas was also in the watch-list of the Americans when they occupied the Islands.

When the Americans forbade the Philippine flag from being flown anywhere in the country, Batangas was one of the places where the revolutionaries chose to propagate their propaganda. Many, especially the revolutionary artists chose Batangas as the place to perform their plays. In an incident recorded by Amelia Bonifacio in her diary, the performance of Tanikalang Ginto in the province led not only to the arrest of the company but all of the audience. Later, the play was banned from being shown anywhere in the country.

General Miguel Malvar is recognized as the last Filipino general to surrender to the United States in the Philippine-American War. Miguel Malvar y Carpio ( September 27, 1865 - October 13, 1911) was a Filipino commander who served during the Philippine Revolution The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

World War 2

On 1942, The Japanese troops occupied in Batangas.

On 1945, Fought the liberation in Batangas with the defenders of the Philippine troops and guerrillas against the Japanese forces during the Second World War. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

The Post-American Period

After Douglas MacArthur made his famous landing in the Island of Leyte, he came next to the town of Nasugbu to mark the liberation of Luzon. General MacArthur redirects here for other meanings see General MacArthur (disambiguation. Nasugbu is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. Luzon is the largest and most economically and politically important Island in the Philippines and one of the three island groups in the country with Visayas This historic landing is remembered by the people of Batangas every last day of January, a holiday for the Nasugbugueños. And if Leyte is proud of the bronze statues of McArthur, Batangas can is also proud of their own version of that.

After the Philippines was freed from America, the Batangueños once again entered the picture. Statesmen from Batangas became famous in the government. These include the legislators Felipe Agoncillo, Galicano Apacible (who later became the Secretary of Agriculture), Ramon Diokno, Apolinario R. Felipe Agoncillo ( May 26, 1859 &ndash September 29, 1941) was the Filipino Lawyer representative to the negotiations Apacible, Espedito Leviste, Gregorio Katigbak, Teodoro Kalaw, Claro M. Recto, and Jose Laurel. Politician Claro M Recto launched his political career as a legal adviser to the first Philippine Senate in 1916 José Paciano Laurel y García ( March 9, 1891 &ndash November 6, 1959) was the president of the Japanese-Sponsored Republic of the Philippines

Most of these legislators became well known not only in the country but also in the world as many of them held executive offices afterwards. some of them were even sent as Philippine Envoys to other countries.

It is also notable that when Quezon left the Philippines during the Japanese Occupation, the Japanese government in the Philippines chose the Batangueño Jose Laurel to the de jure President of the Puppet Republic. José Paciano Laurel y García ( March 9, 1891 &ndash November 6, 1959) was the president of the Japanese-Sponsored Republic of the Philippines

The 1986 People Power Revolution to the Estrada Administration

The 1986 People Power Revolution in EDSA marked another time where Batangueños enter the picture. Epifanio de los Santos Avenue ( EDSA) is the main circumferential road and Highway of Metro Manila in the Philippines. When Corazon Aquino was inaugurated as president by the bloodless revolution, the Batangueño Salvador Laurel is no less than her Vice-President. María Corazón Cojuangco-Aquino (born María Corazón Sumulong Cojuangco on January 25, 1933) widely known as Cory Aquino, was the 11th __FORCETOC__ For the Vice President of the United States, their roles and other information see Vice President of the United States.

She also appointed Renato de Villa as the Chief of Constabulary and Director-General of the Integrated National Police, and later the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Renato de Villa (born July 20, 1935) is a political figure in the Philippines and founder of the rightist Partido ng Demokratikong Reporma-Lapiang The Armed Forces of the Philippines ( AFP) ( Filipino: Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas) is composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine It was under his leadership that the Military remained loyal to Aquino despite the many coup d'etat attempts of Gregorio Honasan. María Corazón Cojuangco-Aquino (born María Corazón Sumulong Cojuangco on January 25, 1933) widely known as Cory Aquino, was the 11th Gregorio Ballesteros Honasan II (born March 14, 1948) better known as Gringo Honasan, is a Filipino political figure He was also one of the influences behind the Second People Power in 2001 .

During the Presidency of Joseph Estrada, he also chose four Batangueños to be his closest advisers. Jose Marcelo Ejercito (born on April 19, 1937) better known as Joseph Ejercito Estrada, or Erap, is a Film actor in the Philippines The group was composed of Domingo Panganiban (Department of Agriculture), Benjamin Diokno (Department of Budget and Management), Dong Apacible (Legislative Liaison), Tony "Lepili" Leviste (Board of Investments Governor), and Ped Faytaren (Economic Intelligence Chief). The Philippines' Department of Budget and Management ( DBM) ( Filipino: Kagawaran ng Pagbabadyet at Pamamahala) is an executive body under the Office of the This is not to mention Dennis Hernandez, special assistant to Alfredo Lim of the Department of Interior and Local Government. Early life Alfredo Lim was born in Manila, and is of mixed Chinese and Filipino descent The Philippines ' Department of the Interior and Local Government ( DILG) ( Filipino: Kagawaran ng Interyor at Pamahalaang Lokal) is the executive During the Estrada Impeachment trial, Hernando Perez, a known lawyer from Batangas City served as private prosecutor.

The Second People Power Revolution

The Second People Power in 2001 also became an important event for the Batangueños. After Joseph Estrada was thrown off from power, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo replaced him and chose De Villa as her executive Secretary. Jose Marcelo Ejercito (born on April 19, 1937) better known as Joseph Ejercito Estrada, or Erap, is a Film actor in the Philippines Maria Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (born Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal on April 5 1947 is a Filipina Politician. Renato de Villa (born July 20, 1935) is a political figure in the Philippines and founder of the rightist Partido ng Demokratikong Reporma-Lapiang He was replaced by Eduardo Ermita, another Batangueño, whom she first appointed as Secretary of the Department National Defence. Eduardo R Ermita, the current Executive Secretary of the Philippines, and spokesperson for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Three other Batangueños were in the Original the Arroyo Cabinet namely, Noel Cabrera from the Office of the Press Secretary, Renato Corona who was the Presidential Spokesman then later became a Supreme Court Justice, and Hernando Perez who was the Secretary of the Department of Justice. Renato C Corona (born October 15, 1948) is an incumbent Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. The Department of Justice ( Filipino: Kagawaran ng Katarungan) abbreviated as DOJ, is the executive department of the Philippine government

Leandro Mendoza, who was also chief of the Philippine National Police, was appointed Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communication upon his retirement, while Lauro Baja, former Undersecretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs was appointed the Philippine Envoy to the United Nations. Leandro Ramos Mendoza, current Philippine Secretary of Transportation and Communications was born on March 24, 1946 in San Juan, Batangas. A minister for foreign affairs, or foreign minister, is a governmental cabinet minister who helps form the Foreign policy of a sovereign nation The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security

External links

• Online Community of Batanguenos
• Pinoy Ako! World Proud to be Pinoy Worldwide!
• Batangas Now
• Batangas Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Government of Nasugbu
• [1]
• Batangas Photo Gallery

References

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