Calabarzon (officially stylized in
all caps
In typography, text or font in all caps (short for "all capitals") contains capital letters without any lowercase letters. For example: All-caps text can be seen in legal documents, advertisements, newspaper headlines, and the titles on book co ...
;
; ), sometimes referred to as Southern Tagalog () and designated as Region IVA, is an
administrative region
Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...
in the Philippines. It is situated southeast of
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...
and is bordered by
Manila Bay
Manila Bay (; ) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the Manila, capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Philippines and ...
and the
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...
to the west,
Lamon Bay and the
Bicol Region
The Bicol Region, designated as Region V, is an administrative region of the Philippines. It comprises six Provinces of the Philippines, provinces, four on the Bicol Peninsula (the luzon#Southeastern Luzon, southeastern end of Luzon): Albay, Ca ...
to the east,
Tayabas Bay
Tayabas Bay is a large bay in the southern part of Luzon island in the Philippines. Several islands are located in the bay, largest of which is Marinduque. It has a total surface area of .
The bay is bordered on the north and east side by Qu ...
and the
Sibuyan Sea
The Sibuyan Sea is a small sea in the Philippines separating Luzon and the Visayas.
It is bounded by the island of Panay to the south, Mindoro to the west, Masbate to the east, and to the north Marinduque and the Bicol Peninsula of Luzon.
...
to the south, and
Central Luzon
Central Luzon (; ; ; ; ), designated as Region III, is an administrative region in the Philippines. The region comprises seven provinces: Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga (with its capital, San Fernando City serving as the re ...
to the north. Comprising five
provinces
A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...
—
Cavite
Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite (; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region. On the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest of Manila, i ...
,
Laguna,
Batangas
Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( ), is a first class province of the Philippines located in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Calabarzon region. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,908,494 people, making ...
,
Rizal
Rizal most commonly refers to:
* Rizal (province), a province of the Philippines
* José Rizal, Filipino national hero whom the province is named after
Rizal may also refer to:
People
* Akmal Rizal Ahmad Rakhli, Malaysian footballer
* Atep Ri ...
, and
Quezon
Quezon, officially the Province of Quezon () and historically known as Tayabas, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon Regions of the Philippines, region on Luzon. Lucena, a highly urbanized ci ...
(hence the
acronym
An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...
)—and one
highly urbanized city,
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 ...
, it is the most populous region in the Philippines, according to the
2020 census (PSA), with over 16.1 million inhabitants. It is also the country's second most densely populated region, after the
National Capital Region.
Calamba in Laguna serves as the regional center, while
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, ...
in Rizal is the most populous city in the region.
Before its creation as a separate region, Calabarzon, along with the
Mimaropa
Mimaropa (officially stylized in all caps), officially the Southwestern Tagalog Region (), is an administrative region in the Philippines. The name is an acronym combination of its constituent provinces: Mindoro (divided into Occidental Mindo ...
region, the province of
Aurora
An aurora ( aurorae or auroras),
also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...
, and parts of Metro Manila, comprised the historical region known as
Southern Tagalog
Southern Tagalog (), designated as Region IV, was an administrative region in the Philippines that comprised the current regions of Calabarzon and Mimaropa, the province of Aurora in Central Luzon, and most of the National Capital Region. ...
until they were
separated in 2002 through Executive Order No. 103.
The history of the area now known as Calabarzon dates back to
early historic times.
Local historians
believe that three of the 10th century place-names mentioned in the Philippines' earliest known written document, the
Laguna Copperplate Inscription
The Laguna Copperplate Inscription is an official acquittance ( debt relief) certificate inscribed onto a copper plate in the Shaka year 822 ( Gregorian A.D. 900). It is the earliest-known, extant, calendar-dated document found within the Phil ...
, pertain to regions or polities (''bayan'') along the shores of Laguna de Bay;
and some
Filipino-Chinese scholars believe the 10th century trading polity known as
Ma-i
Mait (also spelled Maidh, Ma'I, Mai, Ma-yi, or Mayi; Baybayin: ; Hanunoo: ; Hokkien ; Mandarin ), was a medieval sovereign state located in what is now the Philippines.
Its existence was first documented in 971 in the Song dynasty documents k ...
may actually have been the predecessor of the present day town of
Bay, Laguna.
Since the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines, the region has served as home to some of the most important Philippine historical figures, including the Philippine
national hero,
José Rizal
José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is popularly considered a na ...
, who was born in Calamba.
Etymology
The name of the region is an acronym of its five component provinces:
Cavite,
Laguna,
Batangas,
Rizal and
Quezon, hence Calabarzon.
History
On June 5, 1901, a convention was called on whether or not the province 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 ...
should annex the
district of Morong, which was found to be unable to be self-sufficient as a province. Eventually, on June 11, ''Act No. 137'' of the
First Philippine Commission abolished Morong and created a new province, named after the Philippines' national hero, Jose Rizal, who, coincidentally, was a native of Laguna. The new province comprised 29 municipalities, 17 from Manila and 12 from Morong. In 1902,
Macario Sakay
Macario Sakay y de León (March 1, 1870 – September 13, 1907) was a Filipino general who took part in the 1896 Philippine Revolution against the Spanish Empire and in the Philippine–American War. After the war was declared over by the Un ...
, a veteran
Katipunan
The Katipunan (), officially known as the (; ) and abbreviated as the KKK, was a revolutionary organization founded in 1892 by a group of Filipino nationalists Deodato Arellano, Andrés Bonifacio, Valentin Diaz, Ladislao Diwa, José Dizon, an ...
member, established the
Tagalog Republic
Tagalog Republic (; ) is a term used to refer to two revolutionary governments involved in the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish Empire and the Philippine–American War. Both were connected to the '' Katipunan'' revolutionary movement.
...
in the mountains of Rizal. Ultimately, Sakay's Tagalog Republic ended in 1906 when he and his men were betrayed under the guise of holding a national assembly aimed at the self-determination of the Filipino people.
On September 7, 1946, the
Third Philippine Republic
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system
Places
* 3rd Street (di ...
enacted ''Republic Act No. 14'', which renamed the province of Tayabas to ''Quezon'', in honor of
Manuel Quezon
Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina (, , , ; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier, and politician who was president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 until his d ...
,
the second
President of the Philippines
The president of the Philippines (, sometimes referred to as ) is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-ch ...
and elected governor of Tayabas in 1906 and congressman of 1st district of Tayabas in 1907 and a native of
Baler
A baler or hay baler is a piece of farm machinery used to compress a cut and raked crop (such as hay, cotton, flax straw, salt marsh hay, or silage) into compact bales that are easy to handle, transport, and store. Often, bales are config ...
(now part of
Aurora
An aurora ( aurorae or auroras),
also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...
), formerly one of the towns of Quezon Province. In 1951, the northern part of Quezon became the sub-province Aurora, named after Quezon's
wife
A wife (: wives) is a woman in a marital relationship. A woman who has separated from her partner continues to be a wife until their marriage is legally dissolved with a divorce judgment; or until death, depending on the kind of marriage. On t ...
, also a native of Baler.
One obvious reason for creating the sub-province was the area's isolation from the rest of Quezon Province: there were no direct links to the rest of the province and much of the terrain was mountainous and heavily forested, which made the area relatively isolated, and its distance from Quezon's capital Lucena.
On September 24, 1972, President
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...
enacted ''Presidential Decree No. 1'', which organized the provinces into 11 regions as part of Marcos' Integrated Reorganization Plan.
[ ] The IRP created Region IV, known as the
Southern Tagalog
Southern Tagalog (), designated as Region IV, was an administrative region in the Philippines that comprised the current regions of Calabarzon and Mimaropa, the province of Aurora in Central Luzon, and most of the National Capital Region. ...
region, and was the largest region in the Philippines. At this time, Region IV consisted of Batangas, Cavite, Laguna,
Marinduque
Marinduque (; ), officially the Province of Marinduque, is an island province in the Philippines located in Southwestern Tagalog Region or Mimaropa, formerly designated as Region IV-B. Its capital is the municipality of Boac, the most popul ...
,
Oriental Mindoro
Oriental Mindoro (), officially the Province of Oriental Mindoro (), is a province in the Philippines located on the island of Mindoro under Mimaropa region in Luzon, about southwest of Manila. The province is bordered by the Verde Island P ...
,
Occidental Mindoro
Occidental Mindoro (), officially the Province of Occidental Mindoro ( or ''Lalawigan ng Occidental Mindoro''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Mimaropa region. The province occupies the western half of the island of Mindoro. I ...
, Quezon, Rizal,
Romblon
Romblon (, , ), officially the Province of Romblon, is an archipelagic province of the Philippines located in the Mimaropa region. Its main components include Romblon, an archipelagic municipality of the same name that also serves as the provi ...
, and
Palawan
Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...
. In 1979, Aurora formally became a province independent of Quezon and was also included in Region IV.
On May 17, 2002, President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (; born April 5, 1947), often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 2001 to 2010 ...
signed ''Executive Order No. 103'', which reorganized the Southern Tagalog region. Due to its size, Region IV was split into two separate regions, Region IV-A (Calabarzon) and Region IV-B (Mimaropa). Aurora was transferred to Region III,
Central Luzon
Central Luzon (; ; ; ; ), designated as Region III, is an administrative region in the Philippines. The region comprises seven provinces: Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga (with its capital, San Fernando City serving as the re ...
, the province's geographic location;
the total separation of Aurora from Quezon & transfer of Aurora to Central Luzon were the fulfillment of the wishes of the residents of the original Municipalities of Baler and Casiguran to be truly independent from the Quezon Province for the first time & the result of original formation of Pampanga since the Spanish occupation. Many residents and government leaders of Aurora objected to the change, as Aurora maintains strong historical and cultural connections to the rest of Southern Tagalog, particularly Quezon Province, thus also of the memory of Manuel Quezon, and with that, Aurora residents self-identified with Quezon; but Aurora's transfer to Central Luzon means that geographically, the province is more accessible by land from
Nueva Ecija
Nueva Ecija, officially the Province of Nueva Ecija ( ; ; ; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Palayan, while Cabanatuan, its former capital, is the largest Local gove ...
and of course,
San Fernando, Pampanga
San Fernando, officially the City of San Fernando (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it h ...
, the regional capital of Central Luzon. The next year, Arroyo signed ''Executive Order No. 246'', which declared
Calamba as the regional center of the region.
[ ] On the other hand, Lucena is home to most of the branches of governmental agencies, businesses, banks and service facilities in the region.
Geography
The region is the 12th largest region in the Philippines, with an area of . The region itself is relatively flat, but also consists of coastal areas and highlands.
It is bordered by
Manila Bay
Manila Bay (; ) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the Manila, capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Philippines and ...
in the west,
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...
,
Bulacan
Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan (; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on ...
, and
Aurora
An aurora ( aurorae or auroras),
also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...
in the north,
Lamon Bay and
Bicol in the east, and the
Isla Verde Passage in the south. Each province in the region is composed of different environments, ranging from low coastal areas to rugged mountainous ones.
Cavite is characterized by rolling hinterlands punctured by hills, with a shoreline bordering
Manila Bay
Manila Bay (; ) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the Manila, capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Philippines and ...
and a rugged portion bordering Batangas near
Mount Pico de Loro.
Tagaytay
Tagaytay (), officially the City of Tagaytay (), is a component city in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 85,330 people.
It is one of the country's most popular destinations for domestic ...
is located in Cavite, bordering
Alfonso
Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. I ...
,
Silang,
Calamba, and
Santa Rosa.
Mount Sungay
Mount Sungay, also known as Mount Gonzales, is a mountain in the province of Cavite in the Philippines. Located in eastern Tagaytay, the inactive stratovolcano is the highest point in the province of Cavite, at .
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sung ...
is the highest peak in the province and can be found in Tagaytay. There are nine islands in Cavite, most notable of which is the island of
Corregidor
Corregidor (, , ) is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of Cavite City and thus the province of Cavite. It is located west of Manila, the nation's capi ...
. Historically a site of great strategic importance, Corregidor is found at the mouth of Manila Bay and is under the jurisdiction of
Cavite City
Cavite City, officially the City of Cavite ( and ) is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 100,674 people.
The city was the capital of Cavite, ...
.
Laguna has rugged terrain, with narrow plains near the shores of
Laguna de Bay
Laguna de Bay ( Spanish for "Lagoon/Lake of Bay"; , ), also known as Laguna Lake and alternatively spelled "Laguna de Bae", is the largest lake in the Philippines. It is located southeast of Metro Manila, between the provinces of Laguna to t ...
and mountainous ranges further inland. Laguna de Bay is the largest lake in the Philippines, and is named after the town of
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 ...
. Laguna is also home to
Mount Makiling
Mount Makiling (also spelled Maquiling) is an inactive stratovolcano located in the provinces of Laguna and Batangas on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The mountain rises to an elevation of above mean sea level and is the highest feat ...
, a
dormant volcano
A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often ...
near
Los Baños reputed for its mystical properties. There are also a lot of
hot spring
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...
s near the Makiling area, especially in
San Pablo. Another famous landmark in Laguna are the
Pagsanjan Falls, in
Cavinti
Cavinti, officially the Municipality of Cavinti (), is a municipality located in the Sierra Madre mountain range in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 Census, it has a population of 23,980 people.
Major produce are ...
. The water from the Pagsanjan Falls comes from the
Bumbungan River
The Bumbungan River () is a river in the province of Laguna in the Philippines. It is commonly referred to as the Pagsanjan River because of the popularity of the municipality of Pagsanjan and Pagsanjan Falls, one of the province's tourist de ...
.
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 provinces ...
borders Laguna and Quezon, and is similarly considered to be a
holy mountain like Makiling.

The Batangas area is mostly elevated, with small low flat lands and scattered mountain areas. Batangas is also home to the
Taal Volcano
Taal Volcano (; ) is a large caldera filled by Taal Lake in the Philippines. Located in the province of Batangas about south of Manila, the volcano is the second most List of active volcanoes in the Philippines, active volcano in the country ...
, a
complex volcano
A complex volcano, also called a compound volcano or a volcanic complex, is a mixed landform consisting of related volcanic centers and their associated lava flows and pyroclastic rock. They may form due to changes in eruptive habit or ...
and one of the 16
Decade Volcanoes
The Decade Volcanoes are 16 volcanoes identified by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI) as being worthy of particular study in light of their history of large, destructive eruptions and pr ...
. The Taal Volcano is situated within
Taal Lake
Taal Lake (, ), formerly known as Bombón Lake, is a fresh water Volcanic crater lake, caldera lake in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Batangas, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The lake fills Taal Volcano, a large volc ...
, making Taal a third-order island, and possibly one of the largest in the world. Other islands in Batangas are
Verde Island, near the Isla Verde Passage, and
Fortune Island in
Nasugbu
Nasugbu, officially the Municipality of Nasugbu (), is a municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 136,524 people.
Several bus services provide transportation to and from Na ...
. Batangas borders Cavite via Mount Pico de Loro, known for the views that could be found in its summit.
Mount Macolod
Mount Macolod (other spelling: Maculot) is a dormant stratovolcano located in the municipality of Cuenca, Batangas in the Philippines. Popular with mountain climbers and campers, it is the main tourist attraction of Cuenca.
The mountain is s ...
and
Mount Batulao
Mount Batulao is an inactive stratovolcano in the Calabarzon region of the Philippines, located in northwest Batangas province along its border with Cavite. It is a dissected andesitic stratovolcano at the northwestern rim of the Taal Caldera whi ...
can also be found in Batangas.
Rizal is situated north of Laguna de Bay, and consists of a mixture of valleys and mountain ranges, with flat low-lying areas in the western portion of the province near Manila. The eastern portion of Rizal has hills and ridges which form part of the
Sierra Madre range.
Talim Island, the largest island in Laguna de Bay, is under the jurisdiction of the province of Rizal.
Quezon province is mountainous, with few plains and swamps, and the tail-end of the Sierra Madre running through it. Quezon is a narrow province, with the
Tayabas Isthmus comprising the southern part of the province and connecting it to the
Bicol Peninsula
The Bicol Region, designated as Region V, is an administrative region of the Philippines. It comprises six provinces, four on the Bicol Peninsula (the southeastern end of Luzon): Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, and Sorsogon, and two ...
. The southern part also consists of the
Bondoc Peninsula
The Bondoc Peninsula (commonly known as BonPen) is a narrow peninsula located in the southeastern part of Quezon Province in Calabarzon Region, southern part of Luzon, Philippines. The peninsula consists of 12 municipalities: Agdangan, Buenavi ...
, sandwiched between the
Tayabas Bay
Tayabas Bay is a large bay in the southern part of Luzon island in the Philippines. Several islands are located in the bay, largest of which is Marinduque. It has a total surface area of .
The bay is bordered on the north and east side by Qu ...
and
Ragay Gulf
Ragay Gulf is a large gulf in the Bicol Peninsula in Luzon, part of the Sibuyan Sea. It is separated from Tayabas Bay by the Bondoc Peninsula in the west. The gulf covers the provinces of Quezon
Quezon, officially the Province of Quezon ...
.
The largest islands in Quezon are the
Alabat and
Polillo islands, which are both located in
Lamon Bay, connecting to
Calauag Bay
Calauag, officially the Municipality of Calauag (; ), is a municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 71,809 people.
History
According to the writings of Valentin Martin in his " ...
of the town of
Calauag
Calauag, officially the Municipality of Calauag (; ), is a municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 71,809 people.
History
According to the writings of Valentin Martin in his " ...
. Laguna shares a border with Quezon via Mount Banahaw.
Administrative divisions
Provinces
Calabarzon comprises five provinces, 1 ''highly urbanized'' city, 21 ''component'' cities and 4,019 barangays.
Cities

Calabarzon has 22
cities
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
(21 ''component'' cities and 1 ''highly urbanized'' city of
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 ...
) in total, making it the region with the most cities amongst the Luzon regions.
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, ...
is the most populous city in the region, as well as the 6th most populous city of the whole Philippines, while Bacoor and San Pedro is the most densely populated cities in the whole region. A large section of Calabarzon is considered part of the
Greater Manila Area
The Greater Manila Area () is the contiguous urbanization region surrounding the Metro Manila, Metropolitan Manila area of the Philippines. This built-up zone includes Metro Manila and the neighboring provinces of Bulacan to the north, Cavite and ...
; while
Batangas City
Batangas, sometimes called Batangas City and officially called the City of Batangas (), is a component city and capital of the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 351,437 people.
Batangas City ...
is the center of the
Batangas metropolitan area. The region has a
gross regional product
Gross regional domestic product (GRDP), gross domestic product of region (GDPR), or gross state product (GSP) is a statistic that measures the size of a region's economy. It is the aggregate of gross value added (GVA) of all resident producer unit ...
of
₱
The Philippine peso sign (₱) is the currency symbol used for the Philippine peso, the official currency of the Philippines. The symbol resembles a Latin script, Latin letter P with two horizontal strokes. It differs from the currency symbol u ...
1.65 trillion (at current prices), which accounts for 17% of the national
GDP
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performance o ...
.
On August 7, 2000, the municipality of
Los Baños, Laguna
Los Baños (IPA: Help:IPA/Tagalog, ɔs bɐˈɲɔs, officially the Municipality of Los Baños (), colloquially 'elbi' or simply LB, is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Laguna (province ...
, was declared as a "Special Science and Nature City of the Philippines" through Presidential Proclamation No. 349 in recognition of its importance as a center for science and technology, being home to many prestigious educational, environmental and research institutions. This proclamation does not convert the municipality to a city or give it corporate powers that are accorded to other cities.
Notes
Demographics
Calabarzon has a population of 16.1 million people, the largest of all the regions of the Philippines. The population growth rate between 2000 and 2010 of 3.07% decreased from the growth rate between 1990 and 2000 of 3.91%, a trend which coincided with the rest of the nation. Life expectancy in Calabarzon is 68.9 years for men and 75.2 years for women. There are an estimated 356,000
Overseas Filipino Workers
Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) is a term often used to refer to Filipino migrant workers, people with Filipino citizenship who reside in another country for a limited period of employment. The number of these workers was roughly 1.77 million ...
originating from Calabarzon.
A vast majority of people living in Calabarzon are
Tagalogs
The Tagalog people are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the Philippines, particularly the Metro Manila and Calabarzon regions and Marinduque province of southern Luzon, and comprise the majority in the provinces of Bulacan, Bataan, N ...
. It is estimated that around 5.8 million Tagalogs live in Region IV-A.
Taal, in particular, is considered the "Heartland of Tagalog Culture" and is currently the "center" of the Tagalog culture and people. Calabarzon is also home to a sizable number of people with
Chinese and
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 countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
ancestry on account of Chinese immigration and Spanish colonization, respectively.
Languages
Because of the large majority of Tagalog natives, the majority of people living in Calabarzon speak the Tagalog language.
Filipino, being a version of Tagalog, is predominant in the region, which is spoken as a lingua franca of Tagalog speakers of different dialects.
English is also used in Calabarzon. In Cavite,
Chavacano
Chavacano or Chabacano () is a group of Spanish-based creole language varieties spoken in the Philippines. The variety spoken in Zamboanga City, located in the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao, has the highest concentration of spea ...
, a
creole language
A creole language, or simply creole, is a stable form of contact language that develops from the process of different languages simplifying and mixing into a new form (often a pidgin), and then that form expanding and elaborating into a full-fl ...
, was once commonly spoken; however, its usage is now in steep decline, and it is now only spoken by a handful of elderly residents in the province. The other native language spoken in Calabarzon is
Hatang Kayi, also named as Sinauna, a
Central Luzon language spoken in
Tanay, Rizal
Tanay, officially the Municipality of Tanay ( ), is a municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 139,420 people.
Tanay is home to the namesake Tanay–Paete dialect of Tagalog, whi ...
and
General Nakar
General Nakar, officially the Municipality of General Nakar (, Ilocano: ''Ili ti Heneral Nakar''), is a municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 34,225 people.
It was named after ...
, Quezon; this is related to Kapampangan and
Sambalic languages
The Sambalic languages are a part of the Central Luzon language family spoken by the Sambals, an ethnolinguistic group on the western coastal areas of Central Luzon and the Zambales mountain ranges.
Demographics
The largest Sambalic languages a ...
. Other native languages spoken in the region are the ''
Manide language
Manide is a Philippine language spoken throughout the province of Camarines Norte in Bicol region and near the eastern edge of Quezon in Southern Tagalog of southern Luzon in the Philippines. Manide is spoken by nearly 4,000 Negrito people, mos ...
'' in east Quezon and a small portion in north Quezon, the ''
Umiray Dumaget language'' in north Quezon and a small area in central Quezon, the ''
Inagta Alabat language
Inagta Alabat (Alabat Island Agta) or Ayta Kadi is a Philippine Negrito language spoken in central Alabat Island, Philippines. Its speakers began arriving on the island in the 1970s but originated from Villa Espina in Lopez, with earlier settle ...
'' on
Alabat Island
Alabat Island is an island of the Philippine archipelago, in the Quezon Province of the Calabarzon region, situated just off the east coast of Southern Luzon. The island has an area of and a population of 41,822. The island has a mountain ri ...
, and the ''Tagabulós language'' in Infanta. Languages not native in the region are also spoken by minority residents, including
Bicolano,
Butuanon,
Cebuano, various
Cordilleran languages
The Northern Luzon languages (also known as the Cordilleran languages) are one of the few established large groups within Philippine languages. These are mostly located in and around the Cordillera Central of northern Luzon in the Philippines. A ...
,
Cuyunon
Cuyonon refers to an ethnic group populating the Cuyo Islands, along with northern and central Palawan. The Cuyonons hail originally from Cuyo and the surrounding Cuyo Islands, a group of islands and islets in the northern Sulu Sea, to the n ...
,
Hiligaynon,
Ilocano (especially in Quezon bordering Aurora),
Karay-a,
Kapampangan
Kapampangan, Capampañgan or Pampangan may refer to:
*Kapampangan people, of the Philippines
*Kapampangan language
Kapampangan, Capampáñgan, or Pampangan, is an Austronesian language, and one of the eight major languages of the Philippines. ...
, Lumad (indigenous tribal languages in Mindanao),
Surigaonon,
Waray,
Maguindanaon,
Maranao
The Maranao people ( Maranao: ''Bangsa'' ''Mëranaw''; Filipino: ''mga'' ''Maranaw''), also spelled Meranaw, Maranaw, and Mëranaw, is a predominantly Muslim Filipino ethnic group native to the region around Lanao Lake in the island of Mi ...
and
Tausug.
Religion
The large majority of the population of Calabarzon are part of a Christian denomination, with the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
forming the largest proportion with its adherents accounting for 89% of the regional population. It is then followed up by the (3.06%) ,
Philippine Independent Church
The Philippine Independent Church (; ), officially referred to by its Philippine Spanish name (IFI) and colloquially called the Aglipayan Church, is an independent catholic Christian denomination, in the form of a nationalist church, in the ...
(0.066%) and the
Jesus is Lord Church (0.4%). A small
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
population also exists, accounting for 0.4% of the regional population.
Economy

Calabarzon is the second largest contributor to the national GDP, accounting for 17% of the gross domestic product. The region boasts a 2.1% inflation rate, lower than the national average of 3%. The region has a 9.2% unemployment rate which is higher than the national average of 7%. Calabarzon, much like the rest of the country, is caught in the middle of being an industrial and an agricultural economy.
Due to the region's proximity to
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...
, a large amount of urbanization has taken place over the years. Cavite and Laguna in particular are sites of manufacturing and high-tech industries, with companies like
Intel
Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and Delaware General Corporation Law, incorporated in Delaware. Intel designs, manufactures, and sells computer compo ...
and
Panasonic
is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Kadoma, Japan. It was founded in 1918 as in Fukushima-ku, Osaka, Fukushima by Kōnosuke Matsushita. The company was incorporated in 1935 and renamed and c ...
setting up plants in the region. Santa Rosa, Laguna, is home to a host of semi-conductor and automotive companies such as
Amkor and
Toyota
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...
, while
General Trias
General Trias (), officially the City of General Trias (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popul ...
is home to Cavite's largest economic development zone, the PEC Industrial Park.
The region still has a large agricultural base. As of 2002, the region had 282,700 farms, covering , or 36.3% of the region's total land area. Cavite alone has almost of agricultural land. Laguna is home to the
International Rice Research Institute
The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is an international agricultural research and training organization with its headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna, in the Philippines, and offices in seventeen countries. IRRI is known for its w ...
, which can be found within the
University of the Philippines Los Baños
The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB; ), also referred to as UP Los Baños or colloquially as Elbi (), is a public research university primarily located in the towns of Los Baños and Bay in the province of Laguna, some 65 kilo ...
, whose main goal is to find sustainable ways to help rice farmers. Batangas, meanwhile, is home to a large pineapple and coconut industry, which is used to make
barong tagalog
The barong tagalog, more commonly known simply as barong (and occasionally baro), is an Embroidery, embroidered long-sleeved formal shirt for men and a national dress of the Fashion and clothing in the Philippines, Philippines. Barong tagalog ...
s and
lambanog
Lambanóg is a traditional Philippines, Filipino distilled palm wine, palm liquor made from the naturally fermented sap (tubâ) of the coconut palm. It originates from Luzon and the Visayas Islands (where it was historically known as ''dalisay ...
. Quezon is the country's leader in coconut products such as
coconut oil
Coconut oil (or coconut fat) is an edible oil derived from the kernels, meat, and milk of the coconut palm fruit. Coconut oil is a white solid fat below around , and a clear thin liquid oil at higher temperatures. Unrefined varieties have a disti ...
and
copra
Copra (from ; ; ; ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted ...
. Quezon's towns such as
Tayabas City,
Mauban and
Infanta
Infante (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as "infant" or translated as "prince", is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to the ...
are also known producers of commercialized native
liqueur
A liqueur ( , ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of Liquor, spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-age ...
s such as
lambanog
Lambanóg is a traditional Philippines, Filipino distilled palm wine, palm liquor made from the naturally fermented sap (tubâ) of the coconut palm. It originates from Luzon and the Visayas Islands (where it was historically known as ''dalisay ...
and tuba. Rizal is known for its piggeries. Region IV-A's agricultural base, however, is slowly decreasing. Due to their proximity to large bodies of water, Laguna and Batangas also have sizable fishing industries.
Taal Lake
Taal Lake (, ), formerly known as Bombón Lake, is a fresh water Volcanic crater lake, caldera lake in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Batangas, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The lake fills Taal Volcano, a large volc ...
is a large source of fresh water fishes for the country.
Tourism

Due to the region's history and natural resources, tourism plays a major role in the regional economy.
Cavite
Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite (; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region. On the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest of Manila, i ...
and
Laguna are homes to various historical sites, such as the
Rizal Shrine in
Calamba, and the
Aguinaldo Shrine
The Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine (or the Cavite El Viejo Shrine) is a national shrine located in Kawit, Cavite in the Philippines, where the Philippine Declaration of Independence from Spain was declared on June 12, 1898, or Independence Day (Philip ...
in
Kawit
Kawit, officially the Municipality of Kawit (), is an urban municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 107,535. It is one of ...
.
San Pablo is famous for its
seven lakes,
Pagsanjan
Pagsanjan (pronounced ''PAG-sang-han''), officially the Municipality of Pagsanjan (), is a municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 44,327 people.
Pagsanjan is the tourist capi ...
for its majestic waterfalls and both
Taal Lake
Taal Lake (, ), formerly known as Bombón Lake, is a fresh water Volcanic crater lake, caldera lake in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Batangas, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The lake fills Taal Volcano, a large volc ...
and the historic
Taal town in
Batangas
Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( ), is a first class province of the Philippines located in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Calabarzon region. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,908,494 people, making ...
.
Tayabas
Tayabas, officially the City of Tayabas (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 112,65 ...
is known as the City of Festivals, Rest and Recreation Destination of Quezon and famous for ''lambanog''.
The Minor Basilica of Saint Michael Archangel is the religious testaments of the Tayabenses and declared as National Cultural Treasures of the Philippines, the Casa Comunidad de Tayabas, the former office of the then President Manuel Luis Quezon and the place where Hermano Pule was sentenced to death, and the Malagonlong Bridge and the 9 other century-old Spanish arch type and National Cultural Treasure bridges. Local festivals include the Taytsinoy Festival, Mayohan Festival, Pa'yas Festival Hagisan Festival, Baliskog Festival, Angel Festival, Aguyod Festival and the Turumba Festival every Holy Week.
Lucban
Lucban, officially the Municipality of Lucban (), is a municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 53,091 people.
Lucban is dubbed as the Summer Capital, Art Capital, Dance Capital, ...
is most famous for its annual
Pahiyas Festival
Lucban, officially the Municipality of Lucban (), is a municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 53,091 people.
Lucban is dubbed as the Summer Capital, Art Capital, Dance Capital, ...
or locally known as Pahiyas, an event not only visited by local tourists but also by international tourists as well. Devotees and pilgrims also visit Lucban's
Kamay ni Hesus Shrine, which has a 50-foot statue of the Ascending Christ on top of a hill.
Batangas is also famous for its scenic beaches in
Nasugbu
Nasugbu, officially the Municipality of Nasugbu (), is a municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 136,524 people.
Several bus services provide transportation to and from Na ...
and
Calatagan
Calatagan, officially the Municipality of Calatagan (), is a municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 58,719 people.
Calatagan comprises the Calatagan Peninsula between the ...
. Antipolo is another major tourist spot, found in Rizal. The region is also home to a multitude of
baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
churches.
Infrastructure
Roads and bridges
Being an industrialized region, Calabarzon is dotted with expressways and highways to serve the people traveling to factories and industries, as well as to accommodate traffic that comes to and from Metro Manila, as it is located just east and south of the region. The
Pan-Philippine Highway
The Pan-Philippine Highway, also known as the Maharlika Highway (; ), is a network of roads, expressways, bridges, and ferry services that connect the islands of Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao in the Philippines, serving as the country's p ...
is an important road that crosses through Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, and Quezon, serving as a gateway to the southern parts of Luzon.
The
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 controlled-access highway that connects Metro Manila to the provinces in the Calabarzon, Mimaropa a ...
and
Southern Tagalog Arterial Road link the port of Batangas to Metro Manila, while the
Cavite–Laguna Expressway
The Cavite–Laguna Expressway (CALAX or CALAEX), signed as E3 of the Philippine expressway network, is a partially operational controlled-access toll expressway in the provinces of Cavite and Laguna, Philippines. The construction of the exp ...
and
Manila–Cavite Expressway (also known as CAVITEX) seamlessly link industrial towns and cities that dot around Cavite and Laguna. All the aforementioned expressways also help accommodate the inter-modal traffic between Calabarzon and Metro Manila, serving as a faster, more viable alternative compared to primary highways that directly cross municipal and city centers.
The Laguna Lake Highway, a joint project of DPWH NCR and Region IV-A, is the widening/rehabilitation at Taytay, Rizal segment, a 3.34-kilometer road.
Currently, there are two more bridges being built - Barkadahan Bridge and Napindan Bridge - which will provide additional 2 lanes crossing over Manggahan Floodway and Pasig River, respectively.
Notable people
Batangas
Cavite
Laguna
Quezon (including Lucena)
Rizal
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Authority control
Regions of the Philippines
Luzon