Batangas Province History

Profile of Batangas Province (Geography)
Location –> Southern Tagalog Region, Philippines (See map below)
Neighboring Provinces –> Cavite, Laguna, and Quezon
Capital –> Batangas City
Area –> 3,119.75 km2 (1,204.54 sq mi)
Population –> 2,694,335
Terrain –> Rolling Hills, Coastal Plains
Industries –> Agriculture, Manufacturing
Major Products –> Rice, Coconut, Poultry and Egg, Pork, Livestock, Refined Petroleum, Chemicals, Steel, Ships, Other manufactured items
People/Language –> Tagalog
Cities –> Batangas, Lipa, Tanauan, Sto. Tomas
Municipalities (Towns) –> (31) Agoncillo, Alitagtag, Balayan, Balete, Bauan, Calaca, Calatagan, Cuenca, Ibaan, Laurel, Lemery, Lian, Lobo, Mabini, Malvar, Mataas na Kahoy, Nasugbu, Padre Garcia, Rosario, San Jose, San Juan, San Luis, San Nicolas, San Pascual, Santa Teresita, Taal, Talisay, Taysan, Tingloy, Tuy

Government Officials
Governor –> Hermilando Mandanas
Vice Governor –> Mark Leviste
Predecessor –> Sofronio Ona
Representative (1st District) –> Ma. Elenita R. Ermita-Buhain
Representative (2nd District) –> Raneo E. Abu
Representative (3rd District) –> Maria Theresa Collantes
Representative (4th District) –> Lianda B. Bolilia
Representative (5th District) –> Mario Vittorio A. Mariño
Representative (6th District) –> Vilma Santos-Recto
Provincial Board Members (Sangguniang Panlalawigan or SP Members)
Carlo Roman Rosales – 1st District
Glenda Bausas
Wilson Leandro Rivera – 2nd District
Arlina Magboo
Jhoanna Corona-Villamor – 3rd District
Rodolfo “Rudy” Balba
Jonas Patrick Gozos – 4th District
Jesus De Veyra
Maria Claudette Ambida – 5th District
Arthur Blanco
Lydio Lopez Jr. – 6th District
Aries Emmanuel “Bibong” Mendoza
Wilfredo Maliksi – President, Association of Barangay Captains
Leo Malinay – President, Provincial Councilors’ League
Maria Louise Gamo-Vale – President, Provincial SK Federation

Batangas Province History

Batangas was the first administrative unit to be organized by the Spaniards in the island of Luzon. Prior to its official organization as a province in 1581, it was a juridical district that included the islands of Mindoro, Marinduque and parts of Laguna. Balayan was the capital of the province before it was moved to Taal in 1732. At that time, Taal was a flourishing town being the center of the coffee industry. However, the old town was totally ruined after Taal Volcano erupted in 1754 prompting the transfer of the capital to Batangas City which remained as the provincial capital up to this day.

As one of the earliest provinces to join the revolution against Spain, Batangas earned the right to be represented in one of the rays of the sun on the Philippine Flag.

On January 12, 2020, Taal Volcano erupted, its first in the twenty-fist century.

Go here to see all the famous people from Batangas Province.

Go here to see the results of the 2022 elections in the province of Batangas.

Go here to see all the candidates and election results of Batangas 2019 election.

Read the history of Batangas Province in Tagalog here.

Economy of Batangas Province

Although many people are still into farming and fishing, agriculture has declined steadily in importance as a source of income in the province. Many farmlands has given way to residential, commercial, and industrial zones. Farm products include rice, corn, sugar, coffee, pineapple, and vegetables.

Large manufacturing firms include petroleum refining, iron and steel, chemical, electronics, and processed food. Batangas province is also home to large power generating plants such as Ilijan, Sta. Rita, San Lorenzo, and Calaca power plant.

A modern international seaport was built in Batangas City as an alternative to the congested Manila ports. The city is also a major port for interisland shipping and the main exit point for travellers to Mindoro Island, Visayas, and Mindanao using the roll-on roll-off (RORO) mode of transportation. An expressway has been built to connect the capital city of Batangas to the South Expressway providing hassle free travel from Metro Manila to this province.

Due to the many attractions in the province such as fine beaches and historical places, tourism is now a major industry. Hundreds of resorts line up the coastal areas and still many are on the drawing boards of Manila’s big real estate companies.

RELATED: Profile of Isabela Province
See also: List of Philippine Provinces and Capital by Region

Batangas Province Map