Mataasnakahoy, officially the Municipality of Mataasnakahoy ( tgl, Bayan ng Mataasnakahoy), is a 4th class

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Batangas Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( tl, Lalawigan ng Batangas ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Its capital is the city of Batangas, and is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and La ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 30,621 people. Mataasnakahoy was created through ''Executive Order No. 308'' signed by George C. Butte, acting Governor General of the Philippines on March 27, 1931, effective January 1, 1932. Although the town's name is written as one word, it comes from the Tagalog phrase ''mataás na kahoy'', which means "tall tree." It has 16

barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...

s and its total land area is . It is bounded by Balete and

Lipa City Lipa (), officially the City of Lipa ( fil, Lungsod ng Lipa), is a 1st class component city in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 372,931 people. It is the first city charter in the pro ...

with Taal Lake on its western edge. The town is known for its cool climate due to its high elevation of .

Etymology

The name of the municipality is explained in a May 1953 documented written by a commission composed of the town's schoolteachers. According to them, the name "''mataas na kahoy''" dates from 1862, when the Capitan Municipal of Lipa first decided to establishment the settlement in that particular place as a barrio of Lipa. The head of the settlement recalled a tall tree - literally "''mataas na kahoy''" - which was in their settlement, and named the new barrio after it.

Geography

According to the

Philippine Statistics Authority The Philippine Statistics Authority (Filipino: ''Pangasiwaan ng Estadistika ng Pilipinas''), abbreviated as PSA, is the central statistical authority of the Philippine government that ''collects, compiles, analyzes and publishes statistical inf ...

, the municipality has a land area of constituting of the total area of Batangas.

Barangays

Mataasnakahoy is politically subdivided into 16

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, Mataasnakahoy had a population of 30,621. The population density was .

Religion

The townsfolk are predominantly

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, with minorities belonging to other religious groups like the Iglesia ni Cristo,

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

, Baptist denominations,

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...

Jesus is Lord Church Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide (JILCW), or more commonly known as Jesus Is Lord Church (JIL), is a Christianity in the Philippines, Christian megachurch based in the Philippines. It describes itself as a Full Gospel, Christ-centred, and Bible-ba ...

and Members Church of God International.

Economy

Its economy is primarily agricultural with

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

and

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

as the major crops. Fish culture, with milkfish and tilapia being the major culture species, is also practiced in the coastal

s of Nangkaan, Lumang Lipa and Kinalaglagan. Piggery and

poultry Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, their meat or their feathers. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, quails, a ...

farms from backyard to large scale operation represent a big part of the town's economy. Supporting the town's agribusiness are two feed mills namely, MAGICORP and AICOM. Several banks (Mataasnakahoy Rural Bank, Lipa Development Bank, Savings and Loan Association of Mataasnakahoy) serve the townspeople. Small businesses like stores and groceries abound and the town center has a

flea market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously-owned (second-hand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...

(''talipapa'' or ''tiangge'') where fresh fish,

meat Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...

and

vegetables Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...

are available daily and a pharmacy, Generika Drugstore. Several small garment factories partly fuel the town's business activity.

Telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...

service and

internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

access are already available.

Residential development

Residential subdivisions (Victomar, Crisanta Homes, Immaculate Conception Village, Sinforosa and Monte Vista among others) have started real estate development in the town.

Gawad Kalinga Gawad Kalinga (GK) ("to give care" in Tagalog) is a Philippine poverty alleviation and nation-building movement known officially as the Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation. Its mission is to end poverty for 5 million families by 2024. ...

(a free house and lot project for the poor sponsored by the religious organisation

Couples for Christ The Couples for Christ (CFC) is an international Catholic lay ecclesial movement whose goal is to renew and strengthen Christian values. It is one of 123 International Associations of the Faithful. The organization is linked to the Vatican thr ...

) is also established in Barangay Bubuyan.

Government

Elected officials

Municipal council (2019-2022): * Mayor: Janet Magpantay Ilagan * Vice Mayor: Jay Manalo Ilagan * Councilors: ** Joseph S. Calinisan, Sr. ** Carmelita V. Acemiro ** Herwin D. Del Mundo ** Merlyn M. Caraan-Laqui ** Karen Joy A. Laqui ** Lemuel V. De Ocampo ** Angelito L. Subol ** Jerry M. Reyes

List of chief executive

Transportation

The town is easily accessible via

though passenger jeepneys plying the route from dawn (3:00 AM) till night (9:00 PM). It is also accessible via the national road through a two-kilometer

concrete road Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

along the southern boundary of

Fernando Air Base Basilio Fernando Air Base, or simply Fernando Air Base (formerly known as Lipa Air Base) is the site of the Philippine Air Force's (PAF) pilot training and education facilities located in the city of Lipa, Batangas, Philippines. It is named aft ...

. Tricycles are available for going around town and the innermost

Barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...

Tourism

Several resorts operate in different

s and the town is starting to be known for these resorts. Shercon Resort, the first one which ventured in this line of business, is located in Barangay San Sebastian. Subsequently, El Madero in Barangay II and Galilee Place (Barangay San Sebastian) and La Virginia in Barangay Manggahan started operation.

Fiesta and religious celebrations

Mataasnakahoy celebrates its town fiesta every January 3. The series of activities leading to the celebration starts several days before the actual fiesta and this would consist of sporting events, singing contests, street dancing competitions and the likes. The actual feast would be observed with food (not to mention, alcoholic drinks) in almost every household. The celebration is almost a sort of annual reunion among relatives and friends. Marching bands, usually hired or sponsored by the barangay officials, go all over the town with their music adding to the already reverberating songs and sounds from rented

videoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...

machines of some households. The celebration is usually concluded by a variety show in the town plaza with invited performers and popular names in the show business and this would usually last till early morning of the next day. The town also celebrates various religious feasts with mass and processions. The

Holy Week Holy Week ( la, Hebdomada Sancta or , ; grc, Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, translit=Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas, lit=Holy and Great Week) is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, w ...

(week before Easter Sunday) is observed solemnly by the townsfolks. Religious families usually sponsor a "pabasa" which relates the passion of the Christ in hymns (in agonizing and melodramatic tempo) usually with loudspeakers. Several processions are also conducted within this week. Easter Sunday concludes this celebration. All Saint's Day (November 1) is observed by throngs of people going to cemetery to visit the burial site of the departed relatives. Flowers, candles and prayers are brought to each burial site by the living relatives who are sometimes even coming from far places. The feast of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception (December 8), the town's patron saint, is also a well observed celebration. There is usually a mass and a procession around town with elaborate fireworks. There will also be food in the church for the religious and the parishioners. As is everywhere in the Philippines, the town celebrates a very long

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

Season. This starts with the elaborate Christmas decorations being displayed as early as November 2 and lasting until early January. There will be lanterns, posters, Santa Claus, Christmas trees, Christmas lights and any decor imaginable helping to boost the festive atmosphere. On Christmas Day (December 25), kids will be going around asking for their godparents' and relatives' blessings which can also be interpreted as asking for Christmas gifts.

Education

The town is home to several secondary schools: La Purisima Concepcion Academy (Barangay II), Holy Trinity School of Padre Garcia, Bats., Mataasnakahoy Branch Inc. (Barangay IV), Mataasnakahoy National High School (Barangay IV), Bayorbor National High School (Bayorbor), Mataasnakahoy Senior High School (Bayorbor) and Mother Chiara Biagiotti School (Santol).

Notable personalities

* Gen. Efren L. Abu - former

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

of the Armed Forces of the Philippines * Aga Muhlach - actor *

Darius Semaña Darius Gerard L. Semaña (born June 30, 1973) is a Filipino lead guitarist for the band Parokya ni Edgar and is the oldest member of the group. Biography Semaña grew up in Mataasnakahoy, Batangas and attended Fine Arts in the University of t ...

- musician, lead guitarist of the band

Parokya ni Edgar Parokya ni Edgar (lit: Edgar's Parish) is a Filipino band formed in 1993. The band is known for its original rock novelty songs and often satirical covers of popular songs both foreign and local. The band is adept at playing in various musica ...

References

External links

Mataasnakahoy official website
*

Philippine Standard Geographic Code The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mataasnakahoy, Batangas Municipalities of Batangas Populated places on Taal Lake