Calauan (), officially the Municipality of Calauan ( tgl, Bayan ng Calauan), is a 2nd class
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 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 outsi ...
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 ...
. The municipality has a land area of 25.25 square miles which constitutes 3.41% of Laguna's total area. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 87,693 people.
Situated at southeast of
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...
, via Calamba and Los Baños, and from
Santa Cruz. The town got its name from the term ''kalawang'', which means rust. Folklore has it that the town got its name when the Spanish started construction of the Municipal Church and water seeped in from the holes dug into the ground for the Church's foundation. The water was colored brown and rusty in character hence the name Calauan (Kalawang). Calauan is known for the Pineapple Festival, which is celebrated every 15 May.
The
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholic Church, Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocacy, advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, ...
of Calauan is
Isidore the Laborer
Isidore the Labourer, also known as Isidore the Farmer ( es, San Isidro Labrador) (c. 1070 – May 15, 1130), was a Spanish farmworker known for his piety toward the poor and animals. He is the Catholic patron saint of farmers and of Madrid, El ...
, the patron of farmers, known in
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...
as San Isidro Labrador.
Calauan's population is expected to rise, as the town is being used as resettlement of informal settlers in
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...
through the ''Bayan ni Juan'' and the ''Kapit-Bisig para sa Ilog Pasig'' project of the
ABS-CBN Foundation.
Popular destinations in the area include the Field of Faith situated in Barangay Lamot 2 and the Isdaan Floating Restaurant located along the National Highway going to Victoria Laguna.
History
The fertile soil of Calauan attracted the oattention of Captain Juan de Salcedo, when he passed through Laguna and Tayabas (now Quezon) on his way to Bicol Region in 1570. Ten years later, Spanish authorities established a town government two kilometers from the site of the present Poblacion, in what is now Barrio Mabacan. They called the townsite “Calauan” (
Tagalog
Tagalog may refer to:
Language
* Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines
** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language
** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language
* Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...
word for rust). Following in epidemic in 1703, the town was moved to its present site at the fork of three roads---now to the south-west leading to San Pablo City, the other southeastward to Santa Cruz, the provincial capital, and the third going North to Manila.
At the turn of the 18th century, when Bay was designated as the provincial capital of Laguna, Calauan became a sitio of Bay. Merchants going to Southern Luzon passed through Bay and Calauan. One of them, an opulent Spaniard by the name of Iñigo, bought large tracts of land in Calauan in 1812. The landholdings of Iñigo and, later, of his heirs were so vast that many portions were still unsettled. The property was and still is, known as Hacienda Calauan. About a century later, the people of Calauan fought a “guardia civil” during the Philippine Revolution. Basilio Geiroza (better known as Cabesang Basilio) and his men routed a battalion of “guardia civiles” in a five-hour battle in Bario Cupangan (now Lamot I) in December 1897. During the subsequent Philippine-American hostilities, Calauan patriots fought numerically superior forces of General Otis in Barrio San Diego of San Pablo. With the establishment of civilian authority in Calauan in 1902, the Americans assigned Mariano Marfori as first “presidente”. Hacienda Calauan financed the construction of a hospital in 1926, and Mariano O. Marfori Jr. son of the first municipal presidente, as hospital director and the resident physician, respectively.
In
1939
This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history.
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1
** Third Reich
*** Jews are forbidde ...
, by the request of President Quezon, Doña Margarita Roxas vda. de Soriano, granddaughter of the
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 i ...
, Iñigo., subdivided Hacienda Calauan and sold it to the tenants, part of what remained was converted into a rest house and a swimming pool and it became one of the tourist attractions until 1956.
In 1993, the town became the focus of media attention when
Antonio Sanchez, who was serving as
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...
at the time, got involved into
a rape and double murder case involving two
UPLB students. Sanchez and several other men were given a life sentence in March 1995.
Geography
Geographical landmarks
Barangay Lamot 2 in Calauan is the site is the site of Mount Kalisungan,
known for being site where retreating Japanese soldiers made their last stand in Laguna at the end of World War II.
The 760 MASL mountain is sometimes also known as Mount Nagcarlan or Mount Lamot, and is a traditional during holy week hiking site among locals.
It is considered a hiker's favorite because it offers a clear view of
Talim Island,
Mount Tagapo, the Jalajala peninsula and
Mount Sembrano to the north, the
Caliraya
Lake Caliraya is a man-made lake situated in the municipalities of Lumban, Cavinti, and Kalayaan in Laguna province, Philippines. Created in 1939, the lake has developed as a popular spot for water sports and outdoor recreation including fishing. ...
highlands to the east, the seven lakes of San Pablo,
Mount San Cristobal and
Mount Banahaw
Mount Banahaw (; also spelled as Banahao and Banájao) is an active complex volcano on Luzon in the Philippines. The three-peaked volcano is located at the boundary of Laguna and Quezon provinces. It is the highest mountain in both provinc ...
to the south, and
Mount Makiling
Mount Makiling (also known as Mount Maquiling), is an inactive stratovolcano located in the provinces of Laguna and Batangas on the island of Luzon, Philippines. The mountain rises to an elevation of above mean sea level and is the highest fe ...
to the west.
Barangays

Calauan is politically subdivided into 17
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 metropolit ...
s.
* Balayhangin
* Bangyas
* Dayap
* Hanggan
* Imok
* Lamot 1
* Lamot 2
* Limao
* Mabacan
* Masiit
* Paliparan
* Pérez
* Kanluran (
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 the ...
)
* Silangan (
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 the ...
)
* Prinza
* San Isidro
* Santo Tomás
Climate
Demographics
In the 2020 census, the population of Calauan, Laguna, was 87,693 people, with a density of .
Economy
Government
Municipal officials (2013-2016):
George Berris" (
UNA)
* Vice Mayor: Allan Jun "Dong" V. Sanchez (
UNA)
Municipal Councilors:
* Chesskha J. Caumban (
UNA)
* Allan Antonio V. Sanchez II (
UNA)
* Bobby Ramilo (
UNA)
* Dante Escarez (
LP)
* Ma. Jesusa M. Larona (
UNA)
* Joselito M. Manalo (
UNA)
* Joseph P. Larona (
UNA)
* Kraft Kingsly (
LP)
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 ...
br>
Philippine Census InformationLocal Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control
Municipalities of Laguna (province)
Populated places on Laguna de Bay