Calabarzon, sometimes referred to as Southern Tagalog and designated as Region IV‑A, is an administrative region in the Philippines. It is situated southeast of Metro Manila and is bordered by Manila Bay and the South China Sea to the west, Lamon Bay and the Bicol Region to the east, Tayabas Bay and the Sibuyan Sea to the south, and Central Luzon to the north. Comprising five provinces—Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon —and one highly urbanized city, Lucena, 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 in Rizal is the most populous city in the region.
Aurora, officially the Province of Aurora, is a province in the Philippines located in the eastern part of Central Luzon region, facing the Philippine Sea. Its capital is Baler and borders, clockwise from the south, the provinces of Quezon, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, and Isabela. Maria Aurora is the only landlocked town in the province and yet, the most populous. It is the only province in Central Luzon that has no chartered cities.
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. It was the largest region in the Philippines in terms of both land area and population. After its partition on May 17, 2002, Southern Tagalog continues to exist as a cultural-geographical region.
Central Luzon, designated as Region III, is an administrative region in the Philippines. The region comprises seven provinces: Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales; and two highly urbanized cities, Angeles and Olongapo. San Jose del Monte is the most populous city in the region. The region contains the largest plain in the country and produces most of the country's rice supply, earning itself the nickname "Rice Granary of the Philippines". It is also the region to have the most number of provinces.
Baler, officially the Municipality of Baler, is a municipality and capital of the province of Aurora, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 43,785 people.
Aurora Antonia Aragon Quezon was the wife of Philippine President Manuel Luis Quezon and the First Lady of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. Although she is recognized as the second First Lady of the Philippines, she was actually the first spouse of a Philippine president to be addressed as such, the honorific being unknown in the Philippines prior to Manuel Quezon's presidency. Much beloved by Filipinos, Quezon was known for involvement with humanitarian activities and served as the first chairperson of the Philippine National Red Cross.
Maria Aurora, officially the Municipality of Maria Aurora, is the only landlocked municipality in the province of Aurora, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 44,958 people.
General Nakar, officially the Municipality of General Nakar, is a municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 34,225 people.
San Francisco, officially the Municipality of San Francisco, is a municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 62,097 people.
Edgardo Javier Angara was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as Senate President from 1993 to 1995. Angara had the second longest tenure in the history of the Senate, serving four terms and a total of twenty-three years. As a legislator, Angara has championed numerous important laws and bills including the free high school law, the Senior Citizen discount law, and many more.
The legislative districts of Quezon are the representations of the province of Quezon and the highly urbanized city of Lucena in the various national legislatures of the Philippines. The province and the city are currently represented in the lower house of the Congress of the Philippines through their first, second, third, and fourth congressional districts.
Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Manalang Angara is a Filipino lawyer and politician who has served as the 39th secretary of education since 2024. He previously served as a senator from 2013 to 2024 and as the representative of Aurora's lone district from 2004 to 2013. He is also the chairman of Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, the governing body of basketball in the Philippines, since 2016. He is also a member of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino party, where he currently serves as the chairman.
Quezon, officially the Province of Quezon and historically known as Tayabas, is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Lucena, a highly urbanized city governed separately from the province, serves as its the provincial capital and its most populous city. The name of the province came from Manuel L. Quezon, the president of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. The province was known as Kalilayan upon its creation in 1591, renamed as Tayabas by the 18th century, before settling on its current name in 1946. To distinguish the province from Quezon City, it is also known as Quezon Province, a variation of the province's official name.
The Aurora Provincial Board is the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the Philippine province of Aurora.
Athena Mae Duarte Imperial-Rodriguez is a Filipino news field reporter, communication researcher and beauty pageant titleholder. She competed in the eleventh edition of the national Miss Philippines Earth beauty pageant where she emerged as the winner and was crowned Miss Philippines Earth 2011. She was crowned Miss Earth-Water 2011 during the coronation night of the Miss Earth 2011 pageant held in the Philippines.
Arturo J. Angara, otherwise known as Arthur Angara or AJA, was a Filipino politician, dentist, and national awardee for public service. He was the former national deputy secretary-general of and former national adviser for the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP). He was the longest-serving mayor of the municipality of Baler in the Philippine province of Aurora, with his terms of office covering a period of 18 years.
Bellaflor Javier Angara-Castillo, simply known as Bella Angara, is a former member of the Philippine House of Representatives representing the lone district of Aurora. She previously served three consecutive terms as governor of Aurora province from 2004 to 2013. She was the third female governor of Aurora province. Prior to being governor, she served three consecutive terms as representative of the lone district of Aurora from 1995 to 2004. She was the first and so far the only woman in the history of the Philippine Congress to become House majority floor leader.
Rommel Rico Teh Angara, better known as Rommel T. Angara is a Filipino politician. He is the incumbent representative of the lone district of Aurora elected in May 2019. He was the acting governor of the province of Aurora from mid-2018 to early 2019. He was the vice governor of the same province from 2013 to 2019. As a former vice governor, he acted as the presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, or the provincial board or legislature, of Aurora province.
Aurora's at-large congressional district is the sole congressional district of the Philippines in the province of Aurora. It has been represented in the House of Representatives since 1987 and earlier in the Batasang Pambansa from 1984 to 1986. Aurora first elected a single representative provincewide at-large for the Regular Batasang Pambansa following its creation as a regular province separate from Quezon in 1978 and the subsequent 1984 Philippine constitutional plebiscite that amended the 1973 constitution and abolished the regional at-large assembly districts. Before 1978, the province was represented in the national legislatures as part of Quezon's 1st and at-large congressional districts. The district was re-created on February 2, 1987 following the ratification of the 1987 constitution that restored the House of Representatives. It is currently represented in the 18th Congress by Rommel T. Angara of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP).
