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Santa Cruz, officially the Municipality of Santa Cruz ( tgl, Bayan ng Santa Cruz), is a first 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 ...
and capital of 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. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 123,574 people. Santa Cruz is situated on the banks of the Santa Cruz River which flows into the eastern part of
Laguna de Bay Laguna de Bay ( Spanish for "Lagoon/Lake of Bay"; tl, Lawa ng Bay, ), also known as Laguna Lake, is the largest lake in the Philippines. It is located southeast of Metro Manila, between the provinces of Laguna to the south and Rizal to the ...
. The town is bounded by the Bay on the north, by Lumban and Pagsanjan towns in the east, Pagsanjan and Magdalena towns in the south, and Pila in the west. It is from Manila via Calamba and Los Baños. It is accessible by land from Metro Manila passing through
Rizal Province 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 José R ...
via
Manila East Road The Manila East Road, also known as National Road and National Highway, is a two-to-four lane primary and secondary highway connecting Metro Manila to the provinces of Rizal and Laguna in the Philippines. Since 2014, the entire road is a p ...
or via
South Luzon Expressway The South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), signed as E2 of the Philippine expressway network and R-3 of the Metro Manila arterial road network, is a limited-access toll expressway that connects Metro Manila to the provinces in the Calabarzon region ...
Santa Cruz is considered as the service and commercial center on the eastern part of the province. The town is composed of five barangays in the Poblacion area and 21 classified urban barangays. Although relatively far from the immediate urbanizing influence of Metropolitan Manila, Santa Cruz continues to progress. It is now classified as first class municipality. The present administration is headed by the Mayor Egay San Luis Sr.. Santa Cruz is also the seat of the provincial government since 1885, giving the municipality an additional administrative function over the entire province. It also functions as the service center for transportation, commerce, health, education, and other social services for the predominantly rural north-eastern municipalities of the province. Boosting the economy of the municipality are the incipient and fast-growing agribusiness industries such as livestock raising, horticulture and aquaculture. The town is composed of twenty-six (26) urban barangays. All barangays are being classified as urban. The development of Santa Cruz as the administrative, commercial, and service center of Laguna makes it accessible for all private/public vehicles going to nearby places particularly
Pagsanjan Pagsanjan (pronounced ''PAG-sang-han''), officially the Municipality of Pagsanjan ( tgl, Bayan ng Pagsanjan), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 44,327 peop ...
, Lake Caliraya,
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 ...
, Paete and
Nagcarlan Nagcarlan, officially the Municipality of Nagcarlan ( tgl, Bayan ng Nagcarlan), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 64,866 people. It is northeast of San P ...
.


History

During the last decade of the 16th century, Santa Cruz was once a well populated barrio of the present municipality of Lumban, as well as other contemporary towns like
Pagsanjan Pagsanjan (pronounced ''PAG-sang-han''), officially the Municipality of Pagsanjan ( tgl, Bayan ng Pagsanjan), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 44,327 peop ...
,
Cavinti Cavinti, officially the Municipality of Cavinti ( tgl, Bayan ng Cavinti), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 23,980 people. It is in the Sierra Madre mo ...
, Paete and Pangil. On September 6, 1602, Santa Cruz separated from Lumban and became a pueblo with its church and local government. Since its foundation in 1602, the town had been ravaged by calamitous forces such as fires, typhoons, floods and human vandalism during the Philippine Revolution of 1896–1899, the war of the Philippine Independence (1899–1902), Battle of Santa Cruz, the assault of the Tulisanes (bandits) during the Spanish times. The Filipino troops of the pre-war 4th and 42nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and recognized guerrillas also came from the town and was involved in the Second Battle of Santa Cruz on January 26, 1945. Characterized by fertile flat lands situated along the coastal plains of Laguna de Bay, the economic base of the town had been traditionally anchored on two primary industries, namely agriculture and fishing which still remain up to the present. In view of the strategic location of Santa Cruz relative to the other coastal settlements about the lake, trading activities have likewise rooted on the town during those early settlement days. The town proper which has always been the focal point of activities used to be accessible to the other lake-shore areas due to the navigable Santa Cruz River aside from the
Laguna de Bay Laguna de Bay ( Spanish for "Lagoon/Lake of Bay"; tl, Lawa ng Bay, ), also known as Laguna Lake, is the largest lake in the Philippines. It is located southeast of Metro Manila, between the provinces of Laguna to the south and Rizal to the ...
itself. Since those early days, water is the principal mode of transportation. Today, Santa Cruz serves as the capital of Laguna and is considered as the business and commercial center on the eastern part of the province.


Geography

Situated at the central portion of Laguna province along the south-eastern coast of Laguna de Bay, Santa Cruz lies southeast of Metro Manila via Calamba and is geographically located at approximately 14 degrees 17' latitude and 121 degrees 25' longitude. The municipality is bounded on the north and north-west by Laguna de Bay, on the north-east by Lumban, on the east by Pagsanjan, on the southeast by Magdalena, on the south by Liliw, and on the south-west by Pila. It has 26 barangays and covers approximate land area of 3860 hectares which comprises about 2% of the total land area of Laguna Province. *Land Area: 3,860 hectares *Residential: 381.97 *Commercial: 35.96 *Institutional: 92.17 *Functional Open Space: 31.27 *Roads: 157.73 *Total Built-up: 696.10 *Agricultural: 3,048.57 *Special Use: 115.33


Geology

The two types of rocks found in Santa Cruz are alluvium and
clastic rock Clastic rocks are composed of fragments, or clasts, of pre-existing minerals and rock. A clast is a fragment of geological detritus,Essentials of Geology, 3rd Ed, Stephen Marshak, p. G-3 chunks, and smaller grains of rock broken off other rocks ...
s. Clastic rocks are located at the eastern portion of the municipality specifically in Barangay Alipit, San Jose, Oogong, Jasaan, San Juan, Palasan, and portions of Barangays Pagsawitan, Patimbao, Bubukal, Labuin and Malinao. These rocks consist of inter-bedded shale and sandstone with occasional thin lenses of limestone,
tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock ...
, and reworked sandy tuffs, calcareous sandstone and partly tuffaceous shale.


Climate

Like most areas in the province of Laguna, the climate of Santa Cruz is characterized by two pronounced seasons: dry from January to April and wet during the rest of the year. The municipality has annual temperature of 27.2 degree Celsius and annual rainfall of 1962.7mm. Northeasterly winds with an average wind speed of 9 knots prevail in the municipality.


Barangays

Santa Cruz is politically subdivided into 26
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. * Alipit * Bagumbayan * Bubukal * Calios * Duhat * Gatid * Jasaan * Labuin * Malinao * Oogong * Pagsawitan * Palasan * Patimbao *
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 * Poblacion IV * Poblacion V * Poblacion VI New * Poblacion VII New * Poblacion VIII New * San Jose * San Juan * San Pablo Norte * San Pablo Sur * Santisima Cruz * Santo Angel Central * Santo Angel Norte * Santo Angel Sur


Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Santa Cruz, Laguna, was 123,574 people, with a density of .


Economy


Commerce

The provincial capital of Laguna, Santa Cruz serves as service center of the province particularly for the municipalities on its north-eastern part. Trade and commerce remain to be one of the primary economic activities in the locality. The presence of jeepney services plying Lumban, Paete, Siniloan, San Pablo, Pila, Victoria,
Cavinti Cavinti, officially the Municipality of Cavinti ( tgl, Bayan ng Cavinti), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 23,980 people. It is in the Sierra Madre mo ...
-Caliraya,
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 ...
,
Majayjay 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 ...
, Calumpang, Nagcarlan, Liliw, Magdalena, Pagsanjan,
Lucban Lucban, officially the Municipality of Lucban ( tgl, Bayan ng Lukban), is a 2nd class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population o ...
,
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 Calamba has further enhanced the municipality's role as a commerce and trade center. The center of business activities is in the poblacion specifically at Barangay V where the four (4) buildings of Public Market is situated. Santa Cruz has many establishment that contribute to its development. Development in this vicinity has been a quasi-residential commercial type as manifested by the proliferation of structures which are used both for business and residential purposes by the proprietors/owners. There is also a concentration of business establishments at the section of the national highway/expressway especially Barangay Gatid where a Mall is located, and the abandoned PNR Railway (road) while a strip pattern of commercial development is noticeable along the Quezon Avenue and along the old highway and Pedro Guevarra Avenue. Along P Guevarra Avenue, several establishments are also located such as Hospitals, Meralco office, PLDT office, Red Cross, several Banking Institutions, and Executive Eminent Lending Company. There is also SL Agritech Corporation, in Barangay Oogong, Santa Cruz, Laguna.


Tax collection

Annual local government collection: *2008 — 160,196,679.38 *2007 — ₱ 135,792,097.46 *2006 — ₱ 128,812,429.41 *2005 — ₱ 117,351,293.14


Points of interest

Santa Cruz may not have natural tourist spots and no wide areas to develop but one thing the townsmen of Santa Cruz are proud of are the local foods available in the town. Santa Cruz boasts of the famous white cheese or kesong puti, freshly made from carabao's milk. * Immaculate Concepcion Parish Church *
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 ...
Shrine Burial Site * Villa Valenzuela * Santa Cruz Town
Plaza A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
* Provincial Capitol of Laguna * Aglipayan Cathedral with our Lady of maulawin shrine.


Gallery

File:Pila & Sta Cruz Laguna.JPG, Aerial view with Santa Cruz in the centre and Pila in the foreground File:Santa Cruz Laguna.jpg, Santa Cruz Public Market viewed from Regidor Street near Santisima Elementary School File:Pedro Guevarra Street.jpg, Pedro Guevara Avenue, in front of the Iglesia ni Cristo church. File:Pedro Guevara Avenue.jpeg, Pedro Guevara Avenue. At left is the Spanish-era ''Escuela Pía'' building. The bell tower of the Church of the Immaculate Conception can be seen at the background.


Events

Santa Cruz hosted the Palarong Pambansa from May 4–10, 2014. ;Festivals *
Kesong puti ''Kesong puti'' is a Filipino soft, unaged, white cheese made from unskimmed carabao milk and salt curdled with vinegar, citrus juices, or sometimes rennet. It can also be made with goat or cow milk. It has a mild salty and tart flavor. When a ...
Festival — April 4–11 * Anilag Festival — March 8–17


List of Mayors


Mayors (1995–Present)


Government


Elections


2022 Santa Cruz local elections

, - , colspan="5" style="background:#000000;" , , -


2019 Santa Cruz local elections


2016 Santa Cruz local elections


2013 Santa Cruz local elections


2010 Santa Cruz local elections


Education

;Kindergarten schools: * Public: 35 * Private: 12 ;Elementary (primary and intermediate): * Public: 16 * Private: 11 ;High schools: * Public: 2 * Private: 6 Colleges: * Public: 2 * Private: 8 ;Vocational: * Public: 1 * Private: 2 ;Number of students: * Elementary: 15,291 * High school: 8,155 * Tertiary: 10,914 ;Partial list of schools:


Hospitals

Private Hospitals: 4 Rural Health Units: 2 Government Hospital: 1 ;Health Centers: 26 * Laguna Medical Center * Santa Cruz Laguna Polymedic, Inc. * Laguna Doctors Hospital * Laguna Holy Family Hospital * Jesus the Saviour Hospital


Notable people

* Gen.
Juan Cailles Juan Kauppama Cailles (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 Arm ...
- First Filipino Military Governor of Laguna, Teacher, Soldier, and Public Servant * Gen. Agueda Kahabagan - First Filipino Female General of 1st Republic of the Philippines *
Pedro Guevara Pedro Guevara y Valenzuela (February 23, 1879 – January 19, 1938), was a Filipino soldier, lawyer, legislator, and Spanish writer who became Resident Commissioner of the Philippines during the American Occupation. Early life Pedro Guevar ...
- Soldier, Legislator, Lawyer and Writer *
Eduardo Quisumbing Eduardo Quisumbíng y Argüelles ( Filipino: ''Eduardo Argüelles Quisumbing''; November 11, 1895, Santa Cruz, Laguna – August 23, 1986, Quezon City) was a Filipino biologist, a leading authority of plants in the Philippines. Education He e ...
- National Scientist of the Philippines for Plant Taxonomy, Systematics, and Morphology *
Emil Q. Javier Emil Q. Javier (born September 11, 1940) is a Filipino plant geneticist and agronomist best known for having served as the 17th President of the University of the Philippines between 1993 and 1999. He was conferred the rank of National Scientist o ...
, National Scientist of the Philippines for Agriculture, and 17th President of the
University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 20 ...
*
Nena Saguil Nena Saguil (September 19, 1914 – February, 1994) was a Filipina artist of modernist and abstract paintings and ink drawings. She was most known for her cosmic, organic, and spiritual abstract works depicting internal landscapes of feeling and ...
- modernist and abstract art painter * Socorro Ramos – entrepreneur and co-founder of
National Book Store National Book Store, Inc. (also spelled National Bookstore and abbreviated as NBS) is a retail company based in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. It operates a bookstore and office-supplies store chain of the same name. It is the largest bo ...
, the largest bookstore chain in the Philippines. *
Carmina Villarroel María Carmina Muñiz Villarroel-Legaspi (; August 17, 1975) is a Filipino actress, television presenter, and product endorser. Personal life Villarroel was previously married to Rustom Padilla in 1994; the two had no children, and Villarroe ...
- Filipina actress, presenter, former child actress. * Gov. Felicisimo T. San Luis - Former Provincial Governor of Laguna (1960–1992) * Jacinto Vallenzuela - Former Mayor (1926–1929) * Ariel Magcalas - Former Mayor (2007–2010) * Rodolfo S. San Luis - Former Mayor and Representative of the 4th District of Laguna * Henry Bautista - Former Mayor (1995 to 1998) * Domingo G. Panganiban - Former Mayor (1998–2007; 2010–2019)


Sister cities

*
Makati Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...
, Philippines


References


External links

*
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 ...

Philippine Census Information

Local Governance Performance Management System

Santa Cruz, Laguna
Official Website)
Profile of Santa Cruz, Laguna
{{Authority control Municipalities of Laguna (province) Provincial capitals of the Philippines Populated places on Laguna de Bay