Mabitac, officially the Municipality of Mabitac (), 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 Laguna,

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 21,275 people. Mabitac was an excellent hunting ground for wild game three centuries ago. Native hunters used numerous cave-ins or trap-ins called "''bitag''" in the local dialect. Hence, the place was referred to as "Mabitag" meaning "a place with many traps". Mabitac is from Santa Cruz, from

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 ...

, and from

Antipolo Antipolo, officially the City of Antipolo (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Rizal (province), Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, ...

History

The first Spaniards who came to this place were the friars who established the first Spanish settlement in the area and began to Christianize the local population. The Spaniards, having difficulty in pronouncing the "G" consonant, called this place "Mabitac" whenever they mentioned this place. Eventually, the name found its way in the official records and maps of Laguna made by Spanish cartographers and mariners who chartered the coastal areas of Laguna de Bay. This town was formerly a barrio of

Siniloan Siniloan, officially the Municipality of Siniloan (), is a municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 39,460 people. Sinilóan is a center of education, commerce and transportation ...

, an immediate neighboring town. It became an independent municipality only in the year 1611, not by legislation, but by mutual agreement by and between the Spanish friars of both towns who were then the influential ruling class. Mabitac was the site of a battle in the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

, when on September 17, 1900, Filipinos under General

Juan Cailles Juan Cailles y Kauppama (November 10, 1871 – June 28, 1951) was a Philippines, Filipino general and politician. A member of the revolutionary movement Katipunan, he was a commanding officer of the Philippine Revolutionary Army who served durin ...

defeated an American force commanded by Colonel Benjamin F. Cheatham.

World War II and Japanese occupation

The Japanese occupation of the Philippines occurred between 1942 and 1945, when Imperial Japan occupied the Commonwealth of the Philippines during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The invasion of the Philippines started on 8 December 1941, ten hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor. In 1942, Japanese soldiers entered and occupied Mabitac. In 1945, the Philippine guerrillas and irregular forces defeated the Japanese Imperial forces liberated Mabitac.

Geography

Barangays

Mabitac is politically subdivided into 15

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 below: Each barangay consists of

purok A ''purok'' () is an informal division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a ''purok'' often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay. ''Pur ...

s and some have

sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own bar ...

. * Amuyong * Lambac (

Poblacion ''Poblacion'' (from Spanish '' población'', meaning "population"), sometimes abbreviated as Pob., is a term used in the Philippines to refer to the administrative center, downtown, old town, or commercial area of a city or municipality. It ...

) * Lucong (

) * Matalatala * Nanguma * Numero * Paagahan * Bayanihan (

) * Libis ng Nayon (

) * Maligaya (

) * Masikap (

) * Pag-Asa (

) * Sinagtala (

) * San Antonio * San Miguel

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Mabitac was 21,275 people, with a density of .

Economy

Gallery

File:MabitacSiniloan,Lagunajf1370 14.JPG, Welcome marker Mabitac,LagunaChurchjf1234 19.JPG, Hilltop view of Mabitac File:Mabitac,Lagunajf1094 17.JPG, Town hall File:MabitacChurchjf1168_21.JPG, Nuestra Señora de Candelaria Parish Church

Notable personalities

(born Juan Cailles y Kauppama; November 10, 1871 – June 28, 1951) was a Filipino of French-Indian descent. A member of the revolutionary movement Katipunan, he was a commanding officer of the Philippine Revolutionary Army who served during the Philippine Revolution and Philippine–American War. He later served as a provincial Governor of Laguna and a member of the

Philippine 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 ...

Legislature.

References

External links

"Municipality of Mabitac", Province of Laguna Website
*

Philippine Standard Geographic Code The Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC) is a systematic classification and coding for geographic areas in the Philippines. It classifies areas based on the country's four levels of administrative divisions: regions, provinces, municipalities ...

br>Philippine Census InformationLocal Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Municipalities of Laguna (province) Populated places on Laguna de Bay