San Juan, officially the Municipality of San Juan (Tagalog: Bayan ng San Juan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 114,068 people.[3]
The town is known for its baroque church, ancestral houses, the Pinagbayanan excavation, the most important archaeological site in the municipality, and the famous Laiya Beach.
History
San Juan used to be called Bolbok during the Spanish colonial period up to the 1920s. In the years 1698 until 1836, it was just a barrio of the large town of Rosario located in the eastern part of Batangas. From 1837, the barrio was governed by tinientes or deputies with a term of one to two years. However, when the barrio was recognized as a separate town in 1843, the position of tinientes was replaced by cabezas de barangay serving one for each new barrio. It was only in 1848 when the Spanish government officially recognized the independence of San Juan from its mother town of Rosario and was given the name San Juan de Bocboc.[5]
San Juan was headed by a Gobernadorcillo in 1864. The first Goberdanorcillo was Don Camilo Perez, a prominent citizen who initiated the separation of San Juan from Rosario. He is considered as the founder of the town, and was honored for his contribution in public works and peace and order in the newly created town.
On October 28, 1883, San Juan experienced a major disaster due to continuous winds and intense storm rain. Huge flood from the Bancoro and Bangbang Rivers hit the town resulting to the destruction of houses, drowning of livestocks and planted crops, and the devastation of the church and its convent. In 1886, the flooding become worse in the town. The parish priest had to erect a temporary church and convent in a site seven kilometers away from the town.[6]
On January 18, 1886, the officials of the town initiated the transfer of the new town to Calitcalit. The transfer of the Lumang Bayan to its present location was approved by Governor GeneralValeriano Weyler on December 12, 1890, during the administration of Gobernadorcillo Benedicto De Villa. San Juan de Bocboc was renamed to Bolbok by virtue of Act No. 2390 dated February 28, 1914.[7] In the early years of 1920, Bolbok was then renamed as San Juan, in honor of San Juan Nepomuceno, the town's patron saint.[8]
On April 4, 1945, the town was liberated from Japanese occupation by the F Company, 188th Infantry of the United States Army as part of their clearing operations to liberate the Bicol peninsula from the hands of the Japanese.[9]
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 273.40 square kilometres (105.56 sq mi)[10] constituting 8.76% of the 3,119.75-square-kilometre- (1,204.54 sq mi) total area of Batangas.
Barangays
Political map of San Juan, showing the 42 barangays under its jurisdiction.
San Juan is politically subdivided into 42 barangays.[11] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
San Juan is a first class municipality in the province of Batangas. It is initially identified as one of the Special Economic Zones ( ECOZONES). According to RA 7916 or the Special Economic Zone Act of 1995, ecozones are selected areas with highly developed or which have the potential to be developed into agro-industrial, industrial, tourist/recreational, commercial, banking, investment and financial centers.[24]
San Juan is a tourist destination known for its white-sand beaches. The tourism and aquaculture industries provide jobs to the town's people and income to the town economy.
Because of its fertile land, the municipality is one of the top suppliers of agricultural products in the province.
The town has also a coconut wine and pottery industry.
Income
Here's the list of the total annual income, assets, expenses and equity of San Juan since 2015, according to the Annual Audit Reports of the Commission on Audit:
The 2022 local elections in San Juan was held on May 9, 2022. Five municipal councilors, elected on May 13, 2019, were re-elected while the three others will serve their first term. The following are the elected government officials of San Juan. Their term will expire on June 30, 2025.
Municipal Government of San Juan (2022-2025)
Mayor
Ildebrando D. Salud
Vice Mayor
Octavio Antonio L. Marasigan
Sangguniang Bayan Members
Wenilo G. Ada
Gerardo R. Tantay Jr.
Florencio M. De Chavez
Meynardo V. Robles
Angelo Luis T. Marasigan
Rodello A. De Chavez
Rowena M. Magadia
Grenalyn L. Virtusio, Ll. B.
ABC President
Liwelyndo A. Vergara
SK Federation President
Jerick Dwight Rafhael R. Bait
List of former Municipal Mayors
Order
Name
Years in Office
Achievement
1
Don Esteban de Villa
1900-1905
Built the town's public market
2
Don Gregorio de Villa
1905-1906
Constructed the town's elementary school (Gabaldon)
3
Don Benedicto de Villa
1906-1907
Pioneered the town's sugar industry that brought prosperity to the town
4
Don Raymundo Balinos
1907-1910
Encouraged the education of the town's people
5
Don Florencio Perez
1910-1913
Built a public cemetery for the poor and the non-Catholics
6
Don Gregorio de Villa
1913-1916
7
Don Esteban de Villa
1916-1919
8
Don Juan R. Quizon
1919-1922
Constructed the municipal building and acquired the site for the town plaza
9
Don Nicolas Virrey
1922-1925
10
Don Juan R. Quizon
1925-1928
11
Don Filemon Malabanan
1928-1934
Built the water reservoir and worked for the electrification of the town
12
Don Miguel Lopez
1934-1942
Instrumental in the building of San Juan East Central School
13
Guillermo de Villa
1942-1945
Maintained peaceful relationship with the Japanese government while working secretly with the guerillas
14
Vicente Castillo
1945; 1946-1955
Built the Lawaye River Dike, and organized the town's police force
15
Jose Garcia
1956-1963
Built the Sampiro-Quipot feeder road
16
Estelito Castillo
1964-1967
Repaired municipal building, implemented the minimum wage law, and managed to acquire fire trucks from the national government
17
Vicente Lecaroz
1968-1986
Built feeder roads and bridges; responsible for the construction of additional school buildings; he also eradicated cattle-rustling
18
Abelardo de Villa
1986-1998
Electrification of barrios; built new feeder roads, new bridges and cemented road to Laiya.
19
Rodolfo Hernandez Manalo
1998-2007
a) Carried out the Computerization of Real Property Tax Administration and Business Permit and Licensing System. b) Built Farm to Market Roads and Bridges.
20
Danilo Salapare Mindanao
2007-2010
Asphalting of roads; he envisioned the cityhood of San Juan
21
Rodolfo Hernandez Manalo
2010‑2019
Establishment of 13 national high schools, opening of barangay roads and massive concreting of Farm To Market Roads, construction of hanging and foot bridge in various barangays, scholarships to indigent constituents from elementary to college, massive mangrove rehabilitation, tree planting, no to mining, no to plastics, regulated cutting of trees.
22
Ildebrando Dañas Salud
2019‑present
Official seal
Horse – The municipality is known for its horses and other farm animals like cows, pigs, and goats.
Tuba Container – locally known as batang, a container in which tuba is gathered from the coconut tree.
Fruits – Fruits such as mangoes, citrus, atis and tamarind which are grown abundantly in the town.
Roundels – signifies the number of barangays (42) comprising the municipality
Tourism
San Juan Nepomuceno Parish ChurchLaiya Beach
On June 29, 2010, then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed the Executive Order No. 904, series of 2010 designating the Municipality of San Juan, Batangas as a priority area for Tourism Development.[31]
Attractions include:
San Juan Nepomuceno Church – The church was built during the Spanish colonial period.
Laiya Beach – San Juan has a coastline with several beach resorts for swimming, diving and other outdoor activities
Mount Daguldol – The highest mountain in San Juan, 670 metres (2,200 ft) high
Mangrove Forest at Barangay Poctol – One of the largest mangrove areas in San Juan; located in Sitio Pontor
Ancestral houses – Built during Spanish and American colonial periods in the town.
Old Municipal Hall – Erected on 1928 under the administration of Juan R. Quizon, the then Presidente Municipal. It has a simple yet enticing architectural style
Malaking River at Barangay Poctol – This river serves as a boundary between Batangas and Quezon Province.
Naambon Falls - A secluded, undisturbed series of falls and small pools. It has several look-out points with views of dense forest and Tayabas Bay.[32]
Education
Private schools in town include Joseph Marello Institute, Batangas Eastern Colleges, CCFI Christian Academy, South Ridge Asian Integrated Montessori School, and San Juan Institute of Technology founded in 1947, 1940, 1991, 2011, and 2018 respectively. San Juan has also a campus of Batangas State University located at Barangay Talahiban II.
Almost all barangays have their own elementary and high schools, where tuition fees are relatively low.
Despite improvements of the town's education system, parents of some students from well-off families send their children to Metro Manila for college.
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