Taal, Batangas
', officially the ', is a of the Philippines| in the province of,. According to the, it has a population of people.
Taal is famous for its old ancestral houses, one particular ancestral house where Marcela Coronel Mariño de Agoncillo grew up in Taal, Batangas built in the 1770s by her grandparents, Don Andres Sauza Mariño and Doña Eugenia Diokno Mariño,. Its poblacion is designated as a National Historical Landmark. The municipality is known as the Balisong and Barong Tagalog Capital of the Philippines. The town is home to hundreds of heritage structures dating from the Spanish colonial period. Scholars have been pushing for its inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
History
The town of Taal was founded by Augustinian friars in 1572. In 1575, the town transferred later to the edge of Domingo lake, now Taal Lake in 1575. In 1754, Taal Volcano erupted endangering the town of Taal which stood at present day San Nicolas. Threatened by the new danger, the townspeople, together with the Augustinian Francisco Benchucillo, sought refuge in the sanctuary of Caysasay.In 1955 the northern barrios of San Nicolas, Gipit, Bangin, Pansipit, Calangay, Sinturisan, Talang, Abilo, Balete, Bancora, Saimsim, Maabud, Mulawin, Tambo, Calumala, Alasas, Calawit, and Pulangbato were separated from Taal and formed into the municipality of San Nicolas.
Geography
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the has a land area of constituting of the total area of Batangas.A dominant feature of the province of Batangas is Taal Lake. It covers an area of and is drained by Pansipit River down into Balayan Bay. Pansipit is one of the major ecological highways that allow migration of two fish species: maliputo and muslo which are unique to lake Taal. Adult fish migrate to the sea from Taal Lake via Pansipit River and Palanas River in Lemery. The tawilis is a freshwater sardine also endemic to Taal lake.
Climate
Taal has two seasons: dry from November to April, and wet during the rest of the year. The lowest minimum temperature does not drop below while the highest maximum temperature of occurs from March to July of each year.Cultural events
- The EL PASUBAT Festival, celebrated annually during the month of April, is the conglomeration of the trademarks of Taal. "EL PASUBAT" stands for Empanada, Longganisa, Panutsa, Suman, Balisong, Barong Tagalog, Tapa, Tamales, Tawilis, Tulingan — the delicacies and crafts that Taal is known for.
- The Feast of St. Martin of Tours is held November 11 every year. Celebrations are in the form of prayer, hymns, declamation, flower offerings and big religious processions. Most families celebrate with food and drinks for visitors thereafter.
- The Feast of Our Lady of Caysasay, the well known miraculous image of the Immaculate Conception, is celebrated every December 8. A joint town fiesta celebrated on December 9 honoring both Our Lady of Caysasay and Saint Martin of Tours.
- Lua is a traditional declamation in the vernacular recited by a maiden to honor the Virgin Mary or a boy in praise of a male saint like Saint Martin of Tours. In the procession, young girls and ladies in their pretty gowns make up the hila, so called because they are supposed to pull the cord of lights originating from the Virgin's karosa bedecked with flowers.
Barangays
Demographics
In the, had a population of. The population density was.The first census in 1903 recorded a total population of 17,525. The 2007 population was 51,459 growing at 2.44% annually over the previous 7 years, with 7,961 households. By 2010, the population slightly increased to 51,503.
Local products and delicacies
Since the Spanish period, the people of Taal lived by farming and commerce. The main produce are cotton, cacao and sugar which are made through the use of crude sugar mill called trapeche. Weaving and embroidery of barong and camisa made from piña are popular home industries. Local embroidery businesses later expanded their products to include curtains, piano covers, pillow cases, table cloth, table napkins and bed covers, adding more fame already earned by Taal embroidery.Other products produced in the town are: balisong and various food treats such as the panocha and suman salehiya, tapa and the local longganisa, all of which are available at the public market. Popular Filipino dishes that originated from Taal are Adobo sa Dilaw and Sinaing na Tulingan.
Notable people
Philippine Revolution
- Gliceria de Villavicencio was named as the “godmother of the revolutionary forces” by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. She supported the revolution against the Spaniards, and later the Americans inflamed by the death of her husband, Eulalio Villavicencio, in February 1898.
- Felipe Agoncillo is a revolutionary hero, statesman, and diplomat Philippine Republic to the United States and to the Treaty of Paris in 1898.
- Doña Marcela Mariño de Agoncillo is best known as "The Mother of the Philippine Flag",, the maker of the present flag of the Philippines, first unfurled at the declaration of Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898 in Kawit, Cavite.
- Vicente Ilustre was associated with other Filipino patriots like Rizal, Plaridel, Naning Ponce, Galicano Apacible and others in Madrid. He later became a member of the Philippine Commission under Gov. Gen. Francis Burton Harrison where he served as president of the Committee for Mindanao and Sulu. Thereafter, he became a Senator in the First Senate of the Philippines. He was also instrumental in the installation of public light and water utilities in Taal.
- Ananias Diokno was the only Tagalog general to lead a full-scale military expedition to the Visayas against the Spanish forces.
- Galicano Apacible, a cousin of Jose Rizal, was a co-founder of La Solidaridad. He later became a politician and co-founded the Nacionalista Party.
Other notable Taaleños
- Father Fernando Suarez, a Catholic priest known worldwide for faith healing, was born here in 1967.
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