Nagcarlan, officially the Municipality of Nagcarlan ( tgl, Bayan ng Nagcarlan), is a 2nd 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 ...

in the

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

of Laguna,

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 64,866 people. It is northeast of San Pablo City, or south of

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

. The town is home to the

Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery The Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery ( fil, Libingan sa Ilalim ng Lupa ng Nagcarlan) is a national historical landmark and museum in Barangay Bambang, Nagcarlan, Laguna supervised by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. It was buil ...

, one of the most important cemeteries in the Philippines which has been declared as a National Historical Landmark by virtue of Presidential Decree no. 260, dated August 1, 1973 with amendments by Administrative Order 1505, dated June 11, 1978. Since the declaration, no more burials were allowed in the cemetery. It underwent renovations before it was again opened to the public during the unveiling of the marker on november 24, 1981. The oldest tomb is dated 1887 while the last interment was in 1982 when it was formally declared as a National Historical Landmark.

Etymology

According to the origin, the name ''Nagcarlan'' came from the name of a famous rich and generous woman by Ana Kalang or Ana Panalangin was a native woman who was known for her golden salakot and cane which she always carried when walking around town. She was well-respected by the

townfolk The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. The ...

not just for her wealth but also for the help she extends to those in need. One day, a

Spaniard Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex history, including a number of different languages, both ...

came to her house and upon looking out of the window, he saw branches swaying and hitting one another, and so he asked what was going on. Ana Kalang answered and said "nagkakalang sila". The word was repeatedly mispronounced by the Spaniards until it became Nagcarlan, which is now the name of the town.

History

Before the Spanish conquest of the area, it was headed by Gat Lakilaw.

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...

was propagated to the area in 1578 through Fr.

Juan de Plasencia Miguel Juan de Plasencia () was a Spanish friar of the Franciscan Order. He was among the first group of Franciscan missionaries who arrived in the Philippines on 2 July 1578. He spent most of his missionary life in the Philippines, where he f ...

and Fr. Diego Oropesa, both missionaries of Franciscan Order. The area became a formal town in 1583 under Fr. Tomas de Miranda, who brought and successfully cultivated in Nagcarlan the first wheat seeds ever on our country's soil. The very first Gobernadorcillo was Gaspar Cahupa, a Nagcarleno who served until 1687. The first church was built in 1752 by Fr. Cristobal Torres. In 1851, Fr. Vicente Velloc, a Franciscan Missionary built the Underground Cemetery, the first of its kind in the

. According to Historical records, this is where the historic Biac-Na-Bato pact was planned by Pedro Paterno and General Severino Taino in 1897. It was also in Nagcarlan, where the Brain of the Katipunan, General

Emilio Jacinto Emilio Jacinto y Dizon (; December 15, 1875 – April 16, 1899) was a Filipino general during the Philippine Revolution. He was one of the highest-ranking officers in the Philippine Revolution and was one of the highest-ranking officers of th ...

, coming from Majayjay and wounded, was captured.

The Legend of the Hidden Tunnel of Nagcarlan

Nagcarlan was first colonized in 1571 by Juan de Salcedo, grandson of

Miguel López de Legazpi Miguel López de Legazpi (12 June 1502 – 20 August 1572), also known as '' El Adelantado'' and ''El Viejo'' (The Elder), was a Spaniard who, from the age of 26, lived and built a career in Mexico (then the Viceroyalty of New Spain) and, ...

. It was founded by Franciscan priests

and Diego Oropesa in 1578. The church of Nagcarlan was first built from light materials such as nipa and wood in 1583 under the chaplaincy of its first priest, Father Tomas de Miranda who also pioneered the cultivation of wheat in the country and was dedicated to Saint Bartholomew.Fr. Vicente Velloc supervised the establishment of a cemetery in Nagcarlan in 1845 below Mt. San Cristobal. Unlike the traditional Spanish cemeteries at that time, Fr. Velloc decided to build it away from the town's center. The cemetery is planned to serve as a public resting place for the people of the town while the underground chamber below the chapel of the cemetery will only house remains of Spanish friars and prominent people. It was built together with the construction of the expanded St. Bartholomew Parish Church and rectory. The

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a bu ...

is built with a chapel where funeral masses were held and directly below it is an underground crypt. Pilgrims flock to the Nagcarlan Church to pray before the images of St. Bartholomew and San Diego de Alcala known for their

miraculous healing Faith healing is the practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice. Believers assert that the healing ...

. However, there is also one interesting belief among the locals about a hidden tunnel which is referred to as "the Jewel of Nagcarlan" the stories about the existence of a "hidden tunnel of the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery" circulated and never ceased to depart from the minds of the believers. This legend has been passed from generations after generations of Nagcarleños about the hidden

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

somewhere in the very heart of

that is believed to be connected behind the church's

Altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in pagan ...

. Stories unendingly chronicled that the Franciscan Father Vicente Belloc who supposedly had the first hand knowledge of the secret tunnel, protectively carried the secret of the underground tunnel to his grave. To this date, many in Nagcarlan still believe and adhere to the "hearsays" that if one can locate "the Jewel of Nagcarlan", "the Hidden Tunnel of Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery that connects below the Altar of Nagcarlan

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Church, he might also be tracking his way up to the summit of the Legendary Mount Banahaw.

Geography

Barangays

Nagcarlan is subdivided into 52

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 metropolita ...

s. * Abo * Alibungbungan * Alumbrado * Balayong * Balimbing * Balinacon * Bambang * Banago * Banca-banca * Bangcuro * Banilad * Bayaquitos * Buboy * Buenavista * Buhanginan * Bukal * Bunga * Cabuyew * Calumpang * Kanluran Kabubuhayan * Silangan Kabubuhayan * Labangan * Lawaguin * Kanluran Lazaan * Silangan Lazaan * Lagulo * Maiit * Malaya * Malinao * Manaol * Maravilla * Nagcalbang *

Poblacion ''Poblacion'' (literally "town" or "settlement" in Spanish; ) is the common term used for the administrative center, central, downtown, old town or central business district area of a Philippine city or municipality, which may take up th ...

I (

) * Poblacion II (

) * Poblacion III (

) * Oples * Palayan * Palina * Sabang * San Francisco * Sibulan * Silangan Napapatid * Silangan Ilaya * Sinipian * Santa Lucia * Sulsuguin * Talahib * Talangan * Taytay * Tipacan * Wakat * Yukos

Climate

Distances

Based on the great-circle distance (the shortest distance between two points over the surface of the Earth), the cities closest to Nagcarlan are San Pablo, Tayabas, Calamba, Tanauan,

Lucena Lucena, officially the City of Lucena ( fil, Lungsod ng Lucena), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Calabarzon region of the Philippines. It is the capital city of the Provinces of the ...

, and Lipa. The nearest municipalities are

Liliw Liliw, officially the Municipality of Liliw ( tgl, Bayan ng Liliw), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 39,491 people. It is one of the highland towns forming ...

Rizal Rizal, officially the Province of Rizal ( fil, Lalawigan ng Rizal), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Its capital is the city of Antipolo. It is about east of Manila. The province is named after Jos� ...

, Majayjay, Magdalena,

Calauan Calauan (), officially the Municipality of Calauan ( tgl, Bayan ng Calauan), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. The municipality has a land area of 25.25 square miles which constitutes 3.41% of Laguna's tota ...

, and

Luisiana Luisiana, officially the Municipality of Luisiana ( tgl, Bayan ng Luisiana), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 20,859 people. Locals call the town ''Little ...

. Its distance from the national capital is 68.58 kilometers (42.62 miles). The following list delineates such distance measurements. ;Nearest towns *

Liliw, Laguna Liliw, officially the Municipality of Liliw ( tgl, Bayan ng Liliw), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 39,491 people. It is one of the highland towns forming ...

, 2.65 kilometers (1.65 miles) to the East‑Southeast (S76°E)

Rizal, Laguna Rizal, officially the Municipality of Rizal ( tgl, Bayan ng Rizal), is a 5th class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 18,332 people. The municipality, named after the co ...

, 3.25 kilometers (2.02 miles) to the Southwest (S40°W)

Majayjay, Laguna Majayjay, officially the Municipality of Majayjay ( tgl, Bayan ng Majayjay), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 27,893 people. It is located at the foot of M ...

, 6.53 kilometers (4.06 miles) to the East (N81°E)

Magdalena, Laguna Magdalena, officially the Municipality of Magdalena ( tgl, Bayan ng Magdalena), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 27,816 people. History Magdalena was former ...

, 7.21 kilometers (4.48 miles) to the North‑Northeast (N14°E) Calauan, Laguna, 10.55 kilometers (6.55 miles) to the West (N83°W)

Luisiana, Laguna Luisiana, officially the Municipality of Luisiana ( tgl, Bayan ng Luisiana), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 20,859 people. Locals call the town ''Little ...

, 11.74 kilometers (7.29 miles) to the East‑Northeast (N63°E) ;Nearest cities *

San Pablo, Laguna San Pablo, officially the City of San Pablo ( fil, Lungsod ng San Pablo), is a 1st class component city in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 285,348 people. It is located in the souther ...

, 11.95 kilometers (7.43 miles) to the Southwest (S52°W)

Tayabas, Quezon Tayabas, officially the City of Tayabas ( fil, Lungsod ng Tayabas), is a 6th class component city in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 112,658 people. It is known for ''lambanog'' (coco ...

, 22.86 kilometers (14.21 miles) to the East‑Southeast (S58°E)

Calamba, Laguna Calamba, officially the City of Calamba ( fil, Lungsod ng Calamba), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Laguna (province), Laguna, Philippines. According ...

, 28.09 kilometers (17.46 miles) to the West‑Northwest (N73°W)

Tanauan, Batangas Tanauan, officially the City of Tanauan ( fil, Lungsod ng Tanauan), is a 2nd class component city in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 193,936 people. It is incorporated as a city und ...

, 28.63 kilometers (17.79 miles) to the West‑Southwest (S79°W)

, 31.02 kilometers (19.28 miles) to the Southeast (S44°E)

Lipa, Batangas 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 ...

, 34.44 kilometers (21.40 miles) to the Southwest (S51°W) ;From national capital * Distance from

: 68.58 kilometers (42.62 miles) to the Northwest (N43°W)

Demographics

{{Philippine Census , align= none , title= Population census of {{PH wikidata, name , 1903 = {{PH census population, 1903 , 1918 = {{PH census population, 1918 , 1939 = {{PH census population, 1939 , 1948 = {{PH census population, 1948 , 1960 = {{PH census population, 1960 , 1970 = {{PH census population, 1970 , 1975 = {{PH census population, 1975 , 1980 = {{PH census population, 1980 , 1990 = {{PH census population, 1990 , 1995 = {{PH census population, 1995 , 2000 = {{PH census population, 2000 , 2007 = {{PH census population, 2007 , 2010 = {{PH census population, 2010 , 2015 = {{PH census population, 2015 , 2020 = {{PH census population, 2020 , 2025 = , 2030 = , footnote= Source:

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 in ...

{{PH census, 2015{{PH census, 2010{{PH census, 2007{{LWUA population data In the 2020 census, the population of Nagcarlan, Laguna, was 64,866 people,{{PH census, current with a density of {{convert, {{sigfig, 64,866/78.10, 2, PD/km2, disp=or.

Economy

{{PH poverty incidence

Election

2022

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" , - ! colspan="10", 2022 Nagcarlan local election , - ! rowspan="2" colspan="2", Party ! rowspan="2", Candidates ! colspan="5", Running Mate ! rowspan="2", Votes ! rowspan="2", % , - ! colspan="2", Party ! Candidate ! Votes ! % , - , style="background:{{party color, Nacionalista Party;" , ,

Nacionalista The Nacionalista Party ( Filipino and Spanish: ''Partido Nacionalista''; ) is the oldest political party in both the Philippines and in Southeast Asia in general. It is responsible for leading the country throughout the majority of the 20th ...

, Elmor Vita , style="background:{{party color, Aksyon Demokratiko;" , , Aksyon , Rexon Arevalo (Incumbent) , 25,357 , 68.64 , 21,974 , 57.78 , - , style="background:{{party color, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan;" , , PDP{{endashLaban , Lourdes Arcasetas (Incumbent) , style="background:{{party color, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan;" , , PDP{{endashLaban , Evelyn Sotoya , 11,587 , 31.36 , 16,055 , 42.22 , - ! colspan="6", Total votes , style="background:lightgray;" , 36,944 , style="background:lightgray;" , 100.00 , style="background:lightgray;" , 38,029 , style="background:lightgray;" , 100.00 , - , style="background:lightgray;" colspan="10" align="left", Winner :

, Aksyon , -

2019

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" , - ! colspan="10", 2019 Nagcarlan local election , - ! rowspan="2" colspan="2", Party ! rowspan="2", Candidates ! colspan="5", Running Mate ! rowspan="2", Votes ! rowspan="2", % , - ! colspan="2", Party ! Candidates ! Votes ! % , - , style="background:{{party color, Nacionalista Party;" , ,

, Lourdes "Ody" Arcasetas , style="background:{{party color, Nacionalista Party;" , ,

, Felipe Arcigal III , 12,041 , 38.53 , 17,781 , 54.78 , - , style="background:{{party color, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan;" , , PDP{{endashLaban , Amie Malabag-Hernandez , style="background:{{party color, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan;" , , PDP{{endashLaban , Rexon Arevalo , 13,171 , 42.14 , 10,897 , 33.58 , - ! colspan="3", , style="background:{{party color, Independent politician;" , , Independent , Cecille Plantilla , 3,946 , 12.63 ! colspan="2", , - , style="background:{{party color, Lakas-CMD;" , , Lakas{{endashCMD , Manolo Cura , style="background:{{party color, Lakas-CMD;" , , Lakas{{endashCMD , Neri Monteza , 2,094 , 6.70 , 3,777 , 11.64 , - ! colspan="6", Total votes , style="background:lightgray;" , 32,455 , style="background:lightgray;" , 100.00 , style="background:lightgray;" , 31,252 , style="background:lightgray;" , 100.00 , - , style="background:lightgray;" colspan="10" align="left", Winner :

, PDP{{endashLaban

Transportation

Tricycles and jeepneys are popular modes of transportation in Nagcarlan.

Tourism

{{Advert, section, date=October 2020 Nagcarlan Church San Bartolome Apostol Parish

Nagcarlan has clean flowing rivers, gushing water falls, calm lakes and lush hills and mountains, historic Spanish colonial sites, restaurants with competitive and affordable dishes, resorts and vacation houses. Along Rizal Avenue, leading from the market to the municipio still stands many old

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...

buildings built during the 1920s to the 1930s. The presence of many narrow three-story buildings where the ground floors are rented out to commercial establishments in Nagcarlan is an indication that the town may have played the role of the central trading center early in the previous century. There are also many natural attractions within Nagcarlan. The little known Bunga Falls is a favorite getaway among the locals, while the hidden Yambo Lake can be accessed through the back roads going to Calauan. The "baby" mountains can be climbed in a day, the assistance of a local guide is usually required, as the trails are usually covered with vegetation. Another interesting attraction is the San Bartolome Apostol Church. Located on an elevated ground overlooking the rest of the town, the 18th century church built by the Franciscans has an elegant stone and red clay façade with an imposing bell-tower on the right and an attractive convento on the left. The parish officials still allow visitors to climb up to the top of the bell tower to see where Anne Curtis shot most of her scenes in the famous TV series ''Kampanerang Kuba''.{{citation needed, date=September 2020 Nagcarlan's best known attraction is

. This one of its kind cemetery in the

, where there are 240 niches laying above ground and 36 niches underground. Members of the town's elite were buried underground below the funeral

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...

. It is said that the underground cemetery was used by the Katipuneros to hold their secret meetings.

Notable personalities

* Esteban Baldivia - (September 2, 1928 – October 10, 1997), better known as Dencio Padilla or Tata Dens, was a veteran Filipino actor and comedian. * Jak Roberto - Jan Rommel "Jak" Osuna Roberto (born December 2, 1993) is a Filipino actor, model and singer. He was a member of the trio boy band 3LOGY alongside Jeric Gonzales and Abel Estanislao. Roberto is currently working as an exclusive artist of GMA Network, and is known for his role as Andres "Andoy" dela Cruz in the 2017 television series ''Meant To Be'' . Roberto is brother to fellow GMA artist Sanya Lopez.

References

{{reflist

External links

{{Commons category * {NSCB detail Philippine Standard Geographic Code
Philippine Census Information

Local Governance Performance Management System
{{Geographic location , Centre = Nagcarlan , North = Pila , Northeast = Magdalena , East =

, South = Dolores, Quezon /

Candelaria, Quezon Candelaria, officially the Municipality of Candelaria ( tgl, Bayan ng Candelaria), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 137,881 people. It is the third most po ...

, Southwest =

, West =

San Pablo , Northwest = Victoria {{Laguna {{CALABARZON {{Laguna Special Zones {{Authority control Municipalities of Laguna (province)