Pagsanjan (pronounced ''PAG-sang-han''), officially the Municipality of Pagsanjan (), 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 44,327 people. Pagsanjan is the tourist capital of Laguna and is the home of the Bangkero Festival held every March. The ''bangkeros'' are tour guides who steer boats along the river to Pagsanjan Falls (also called Magdapio Falls), for which the town is well known but is actually in neighboring Cavinti. Pagsanjan was the capital of the province of Laguna for 170 years (1688–1858) during which the town prospered as the commercial, cultural and learning center of the province.

Etymology

Pagsanjan is located in the

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripar ...

delta formed by the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

of the Balanac and Bumbungan

rivers A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it ru ...

. Originally called ''Pinágsangahán'' ("branching" or "juncture"), this was shortened to "Pagsanjan" by early Spanish colonists because they found the name very difficult to pronounce.

History

Pagsanjan was originally a ''

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...

'' of Lumban. In 1668, eight Japanese and Chinese traders, who were highly impressed by the strategic location of the barrio at the juncture of Balanac and Bumbungan, rivers founded the town. They established a trading settlement and engaged in the

betel nut The areca nut ( or ) or betel nut () is the fruit of the areca palm ('' Areca catechu''). The palm is originally native to the Philippines, but was carried widely through the tropics by the Austronesian migrations and trade since at least 1 ...

industry. In time, the barrio became the flourishing trading center of eastern Laguna and attracted families from the surrounding communities of Cavinti and Pila. On December 12, 1668, then-

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

Juan Manuel de la Peña Bonifaz issued a decree elevating its status to a town. In 1688, Pagsanjan replaced

Bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

as the capital of the province. It remained such until 1858, during which it bloomed as the cultural and commercial center of the province.

List of mayors

*Juan L. Fabella *Fidelino C. Agawin (1959–1963) *Quintin Cabrera (1963–1971) * Gregorio F. Zaide (1971–1975) *Adelina Becina Gabatan *Hernando Zaide (1986–1987) *Augusto Kamatoy (1988–1998) * Abner L. Afuang (1998–2001) * E. R. Ejercito (2001–2010 & 2025-present) * Girlie "Maita" Javier Ejercito (2010–2019) *Peter Casius Trinidad (2019–2022) *Cesar V. Areza (2022–2025)

Geography

Pagsanjan has a land area of 26.4 square kilometres. It is bounded on the east by the Balubad Mountain; on the west by the capital town of Santa Cruz; on the north by the San Isidro Hill and Laguna de Bay; on the north-east by the town of Lumban; on the southeast by the towns of Cavinti and Luisiana; on the south by Mount Banahaw; and on the south-west by the town of Magdalena. Situated from Santa Cruz, southeast of

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

Lucena Lucena (, American Spanish: , European Spanish: ), officially known as the City of Lucena (), is a highly urbanized city situated in the Calabarzon region (Region IV-A) of the Philippines. The city is the largest urban center and capital of ...

, this town can reach via Manila East Road or SLEX.

Barangays

Pagsanjan is politically subdivided into 16

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 and in the image herein. 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 ...

* Anibong * Biñan * Buboy * Cabanbanan * Calusiche * Dingin * Lambac * Layugan * Magdapio * Maulawin * Pinagsanjan * Barangay I (

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 ...

) * Barangay II (

) * Sabang * Sampaloc * San Isidro

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Pagsanjan was 44,327 people, with a density of .

Economy

Culture

Pagsanjan March

The official song of the town is the "Pagsanjan March". The anthem was composed by Rogel Taiño, a native of Pagsanjan.

Bangkero Festival

Also known as "Pagsanjan Bangkero Festival", celebrated in a five-day annual event held every April in honor of The Patron of the town and the skilled local boatmen called Bangkeros. The festival features colorful boat races, street dancing, float parades, trade fairs, concerts, and sports events. Taking place in Bumbungan or Balanac Rivers to the famous Pagsanjan Falls using Bangkeros skills.

Notable personalities

* Gregorio F. Zaide - historian and author, "Dean of Filipino Historiographers" * Pedro Pelaez - educator and priest, considered the "Father of Filipinization of the Church" and "The Godfather of the Philippine Revolution" * Leandro H. Fernández - educator, author and historian * Francisco Benitez - First Dean of

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...

College of Education, educator and author, husband of Paz Marquez Benitez * Conrado Benitez - First Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of the Philippines, educator and author, one of the drafters of the 1935 Constitution. * José Fabella - Filipino physician and a public health

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...

, Father of Public Health and Social Welfare in the Philippines. * Vicente Fabella – first Filipino certified public accountant and founder of José Rizal University * Gelia Tagumpay Castillo –

National Scientist of the Philippines The Order of National Scientists of the Philippines ( Tagalog: ''Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Agham ng Pilipinas''), abbreviated as ONS, is the highest award accorded to Filipino scientists by the Philippine government. Members of the order ...

for Rural Sociology * Ernesto Maceda - former councilor of Manila, former senator, columnist and lawyer * Mario Montenegro - actor *

Louie Ignacio Luisito Lagdameo Ignacio (born April 2, 1968), professionally known as Louie Ignacio is a Filipino television director, film director, music video director, and painter. He studied AB Mass Communication in Centro Escolar University. Ignacio ...

- TV director * Dan Fernandez- Actor, Member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

from Laguna's 1st District * E.R. Ejército - Actor, 17th Governor of Laguna and Mayor of Pagsanjan

References

External links

www.pagsanjan.com.ph
* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census InformationLocal Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Municipalities of Laguna (province) Former provincial capitals of the Philippines