Balayan, officially the Municipality of Balayan (), is a

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

in the

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

of Batangas,

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 95,913 people. The town is rich among the natural resources of

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

s, coconuts and corn. Significant events includes the ''Parada ng Lechon'' (every June 24) and the Feast of Immaculate Conception celebrated annually every December 8. Widely known products originating from the area include the ''Bagoong Balayan''.

Etymology

''Balayan'' is derived from the Old Tagalog word ''balayan'', meaning "to walk past the paddy, from a basket to another"Juan José de Noceda and Pedro de Sanlúcar, Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala, (Manila: Imprenta de Ramírez y Giraudier, 1860), 30. and "carry or accomplish anything with the tip of any batten". Other possible source is from the old Tagalog word ''balayang'' which means "wood".

History

Balayan has a close affinity to early history. The towns position on the basin of a good harbour was one of the reasons it became the first lands for local settlements in the

, with existing records of local indigenous residents exchanging barter goods with Chinese traders dating back to the mid-14th century. The indigenous inhabitants of Balayan had close ties with the Kingdom of Maynila under the leadership of Rajah Sulayman and his uncle Rajah Matanda. There are historical accounts that Rajah Sulayman stayed on this area when he tried to battle the Spaniards around Intramuros. In 1578, Balayan covered the modern-day municipality and some areas of Calaca, Calatagan, Lian, Nasugbu and Tuy. It became the capital of Balayan Province (present-day Batangas) from 1597 to 1732. It was the most progressive town of the Province and the traditional center of governance. The eruption of the Taal Volcano destroyed a significant portion of the town, moving the provincial capital to Bonbon (present-day Taal) in 1732 and the name of the province was renamed after that town. Despite the presence of Spanish forces protected by the newly built stonefort in nearby Maynilad or

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

, Fort Santiago and Fort Intramuros

, due to its natural harbor, a number of areas around the archipelago were often become launching grounds of counterattacks from the seafaring Moro people. These events prompted local Spanish officials to set up a fort to prevent yearly Moro counterattacks. Scholars and historians believed that Tagalog songs: '' Kumintang'' and '' Kundiman'' originated from Balayan. Spanish writer and historian Wenceslao E. Retana recorded the lyrics of a popular Kundiman when he visited Batangas in 1888. In 1934, the barangays of Baha and Talibayog, which were parts of Balayan at the time, were annexed to Calatagan since surveys showed that they are part of the land titled to the original owner of Hacienda Calatagan. This added a big area to the municipality. From 3rd class municipality in 1992, Balayan jumped to 2nd class municipality in 1995, and to 1st class in July 1996, suggesting the continuous improvement of Balayan's financial status.

Geography

Balayan is a lowland town in western Batangas. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of constituting of the total area of Batangas. Balayan is bounded to the north by Tuy, to the west by Calatagan and Lian, to the east by Calaca, and to the south by Balayan Bay. Distance from

, the country's capital, is and from Batangas City, the provincial capital.

Topography

Balayan is strategically located at the center of western Batangas. The town is bounded on the north by Tuy, north-east by Nasugbu, east by Calaca, west by Lian, south-west by Calatagan, and south by Balayan Bay.

Climate

Balayan falls under the first type of climate:

Dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The t ...

from November to April and

Wet season The wet season (sometimes called the rainy season or monsoon season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Generally, the season lasts at least one month. The term ''green season'' is also sometimes used a ...

from May to October. Balayan's Atmospheric Temperature is (English Mercurial Barometer Scale). The average annual temperature in Balayan is . The Average Annual Rainfall is .

Barangays

Balayan is politically subdivided into 48

barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

s, as indicated in the matrix below. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios. The largest barangay in town is Patugo while the smallest is Barangay 12.

Demographics

In the 2020 census, Balayan had a population of 95,913. The population density was . The main language used by the people in Balayan is Tagalog but some can still speak and understand basic Spanish. Literate people can speak English but it is often used in formal occasions or events only.

Religion

Churches: * Immaculate Conception Parish Church (Balayan) *Ermita Church *Jesus the Peace Maker Christian Church *Jesus Is Lord Church

Economy

*Phil Steel Corporation (Steelcorp) – manufacturer of coated steel sheets, coils and irons *Batangas Sugar Cane Central – the mother company of Muscuvado Food Sugar Corp. and processes sugar cane *ProGreen Distillery (Emperador) * Walter Mart Balayan *Me & City Shoppers Mall Balayan

Government

Elected officials

*Mayor – Emmanuel Salvador "JR" Fronda *Vice Mayor – Atty. Efren R. Chavez *Councilors: *Raquel Aniwasal *Raymund De La Vega *Joebert Mapalad *Jhun Santos *Alfred Solis *Demet Hernandez *Bernardo Pantoja *Elmer Del Carmen

Tourism

In January 2009, Balayan renovated a mini park called Balayan BayWalk Park which provides locals and tourists a view of Balayan Bay similar to what is seen in the country's capital Manila.

Healthcare

Hospitals in Balayan include: *Medical Center Western Batangas *Balayan Bayview Hospital and Medical Center *Don Manuel Lopez Memorial District Hospital *Metro Balayan Medical Center

Education

Balayan has several schools, institutions and university both public and private located within and outside the Poblacion. Public schools include: *Balayan East Central School *Balayan West Central School * Balayan National High School *Balayan Senior High School *Batangas State University – Balayan Campus Private schools include: *Immaculate Conception College *Blessed Christ Child Montessori Foundation *Balayan Colleges *Lyceum of Southern Luzon - Balayan *Balayan Kiddie Learning Center *Our Lady of Miracles Learning Center * STI College – Balayan *Kim Harold Computer and Technical School (Fraternidad St.) *Core Science Academy *Saint Paul College Balayan *Schola Nazaria Inc. *Kiddie Learning

Notable personalities

* Sixto C. López – propagandist and negotiator for Philippine independence from the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Leo Martinez Leo Martinez (born March 7, 1945) is a Filipino actor, comedian and director. Martinez also served as Director General of the Film Academy of the Philippines. Personal life He is married to Gina Valenciano (sister of Gary Valenciano), and has chi ...

- actor, comedian, and director * Kim de Leon - winner of 7th season of '' StarStruck''

References

External links

* * Philippine Standard Geographic Code {{DEFAULTSORT:Balayan, Batangas Municipalities of Batangas Former provincial capitals of the Philippines