Laurel, Batangas

Laurel
Municipality
Municipality of Laurel
View of Laurel from Sky Ranch Tagaytay
Flag Seal
Motto(s):  Responsive, Joint & Effective Actions
Map of Batangas with Laurel highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Laurel Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 14°03′N120°54′E / 14.05°N 120.9°E / 14.05; 120.9
Country	Philippines
Region	Calabarzon
Province	Batangas
District	3rd district
Founded	June 21, 1969
Named for	Miguel and Jose P. Laurel
Barangays	21 (see Barangays)
Government   [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
•  Mayor	Lyndon M. Bruce
•  Vice Mayor	Celso Aristotle M. Parrilla
•  Representative	Ma. Theresa V. Collantes
•  Municipal Council	Members Sylvia E. Austria Angelito M. Rodriguez Francisco U. Endozo Iris Joyce A. Agojo Vincent D. Endaya Norvic M. Garcia Leizl S. de Castro Regina E. Landicho
•  Electorate	26,264 voters (2022)
Area [2]
• Total	71.29 km2 (27.53 sq mi)
Elevation	293 m (961 ft)
Highest elevation	699 m (2,293 ft)
Lowest elevation	5 m (16 ft)
Population  (2020 census) [3]
• Total	43,210
• Density	610/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
•  Households	9,626
Economy
•  Income class	3rd municipal income class
•  Poverty incidence	13.13 % (2018) [4]
•  Revenue	₱ 160.5 million (2020)
•  Assets	₱ 647.4 million (2020)
•  Expenditure	₱ 136.8 million (2020)
•  Liabilities	₱ 277.6 million (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	Batangas 2 Electric Cooperative (BATELEC 2)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	4221
PSGC	041011000
IDD  :  area code	+63 (0)43
Native languages	Tagalog
Website	laurelbatangas.gov.ph

Laurel, officially the Municipality of Laurel (Tagalog : Bayan ng Laurel), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 43,210 people. ^[3]

Laurel is previously part of Talisay, its current neighbor town, until 1969.

Etymology

Bust of José P. Laurel in front of the Laurel Municipal Hall

The town's present name is derived from Miguel Laurel, known as the first notable Laurel in the Philippines and a longtime patriarch of the place and José P. Laurel, a former president and a native of Tanauan, Batangas.

History

Laurel traces its origin to a remote barrio called Bugain (derived from buga, a black cinder formed from fly ashes during Taal Volcano eruption), which was part of Talisay that was established in 1869. ^[5] Located by the Tanauan Bay, the present-day municipality was also the first location of Tanauan's municipal seat (poblacion) until 1754, when it was transferred to the present-day barangay Sala in Tanauan as a result of the Taal Volcano eruption that year. ^[6] In 1903, the barrio became part of Tanauan when Talisay was merged with the former by virtue of Act No. 708. ^[7] A year later, it was transferred to Taal by virtue of Act No. 1244, before it was eventually returned to the reestablished municipality of Talisay. ^[8] After the 1911 Taal Volcano eruption, population grew at the area with agricultural cultivation as the locals' primary livelihood. The area was later called Nayon ng Bayuyungan (derived from bayong) or simply as Bayuyungan and was designated as the center of the area that consisted it and nearby barrios. ^[9]

Locals led by Jose Macaraig, Placido Amo (vice mayor of Talisay), and Severino Amo signed a petition to create an independent town out of barrio Bayuyungan and adjacent barrios. It was first endorsed to Senator Maria Kalaw Katigbak, who in turn presented it to President Diosdado Macapagal. It was also presented to the Talisay municipal government, who in turn forwarded it to Batangas Governor Feliciano Leviste. The Batangas Provincial Board then endorsed the petition as a resolution to Batangas 3rd district Representative José B. Laurel Jr. and finally through House Bill No. 17628. ^[9]

On June 21, 1969, the barrios of Bayuyungan, Ticub, Balakilong, Bugaan, Berinayan, As-is, San Gabriel, and Buso-buso were officially separated from Talisay and constituted into a new and separate municipality of Laurel, by virtue of Republic Act No. 5689; Bayuyungan became the present-day poblacion. ^[10] The first set of officials acted on November 8, 1971, with Placido Amo as Mayor. ^[9]

Geography

Laurel is located at 14°03′N120°54′E / 14.05°N 120.9°E / 14.05; 120.9 .

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 71.29 square kilometers (27.53 sq mi)  ^[11] constituting 2.29% of the 3,119.75-square-kilometer (1,204.54 sq mi) total area of Batangas.

Laurel is 70 kilometers (43 mi) from Batangas City and 93 kilometers (58 mi) from Manila.

Barangays

Laurel is politically subdivided into 21 barangays. ^[12] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

PSGC	Barangay	Population			±% p.a.
		2020 [3]		2010 [13]
041011001	As‑Is	5.4%	2,354	2,133	▴	0.99%
041011002	Balakilong	9.5%	4,118	3,974	▴	0.36%
041011004	Berinayan	4.6%	2,008	1,613	▴	2.21%
041011006	Bugaan East	4.7%	2,028	1,811	▴	1.14%
041011007	Bugaan West	5.5%	2,374	2,290	▴	0.36%
041011008	Buso‑buso	6.2%	2,692	2,445	▴	0.97%
041011010	Dayap Itaas	1.7%	752	494	▴	4.29%
041011011	Gulod	6.4%	2,746	2,501	▴	0.94%
041011012	J. Leviste	5.4%	2,351	1,884	▴	2.24%
041011013	Molinete	3.4%	1,480	1,442	▴	0.26%
041011014	Niyugan	2.8%	1,219	1,252	▾	−0.27%
041011015	Paliparan	2.1%	887	760	▴	1.56%
041011016	Barangay 1 ( Poblacion )	1.3%	570	507	▴	1.18%
041011017	Barangay 2 (Poblacion)	3.3%	1,438	1,265	▴	1.29%
041011018	Barangay 3 (Poblacion)	1.5%	663	759	▾	−1.34%
041011019	Barangay 4 (Poblacion)	1.4%	610	593	▴	0.28%
041011020	Barangay 5 (Poblacion)	1.8%	790	674	▴	1.60%
041011021	San Gabriel	5.9%	2,559	2,340	▴	0.90%
041011022	San Gregorio	7.9%	3,433	2,931	▴	1.59%
041011023	Santa Maria	5.1%	2,217	1,986	▴	1.11%
041011024	Ticub	5.0%	2,155	2,020	▴	0.65%
	Total		43,210	35,674	▴	1.93%

Climate

Climate data for Ibaan, Batangas
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	28 (82)	29 (84)	31 (88)	32 (90)	31 (88)	30 (86)	29 (84)	28 (82)	28 (82)	29 (84)	29 (84)	28 (82)	29 (85)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	19 (66)	19 (66)	20 (68)	22 (72)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	21 (70)	20 (68)	22 (72)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	11 (0.4)	13 (0.5)	14 (0.6)	32 (1.3)	101 (4.0)	142 (5.6)	208 (8.2)	187 (7.4)	175 (6.9)	131 (5.2)	68 (2.7)	39 (1.5)	1,121 (44.3)
Average rainy days	5.2	5.0	7.4	11.5	19.8	23.5	27.0	25.9	25.2	23.2	15.5	8.3	197.5
Source: Meteoblue [14]

Demographics

Population census of Laurel

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1970	13,137	—
1975	15,143	+2.89%
1980	17,889	+3.39%
1990	22,099	+2.14%
1995	23,781	+1.38%
2000	27,604	+3.25%
2007	34,953	+3.31%
2010	35,674	+0.75%
2015	39,444	+1.93%
2020	43,210	+1.81%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [15] [13] [16] [17]

In the 2020 census, Laurel had a population of 43,210. ^[3] The population density was 610 inhabitants per square kilometer (1,600/sq mi).

Economy

Poverty Incidence of Laurel

10 20 30 40 2006 14.80 2009 21.75 2012 31.29 2015 25.67 2018 13.13 2021 6.86 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]

• Fishing – Laurel's main economical source is fish culture in Taal Lake where most of local residents base their trade.
• Farming – Small rice paddies on the foothills of Taal canyon ridge provide for ricefields to farmers.
• Real estate – The town's vast land resource provide ideal location for real estate developers such as Megaworld and Fil-Estate which are mostly based in Metro Manila. Among the major real estate subdivisions located in Barangay San Gregorio are Canyon Woods and Twin Lakes. ^[26]

Government

Local government

Main article: Sangguniang Bayan

Municipal hall

Like other municipalities in the Philippines, Laurel is governed by a mayor and vice mayor who are elected to three-year terms. The mayor is the executive head who leads the municipal's departments in the execution of municipal ordinances and in the delivery of public services. The vice mayor heads a legislative council that is composed of 10 members: 8 elected councilors and 2 ex officio office held by the ABC President as the barangay sector representative and by the SK Federation President. The council is in charge of creating the minucipal's policies in the form of ordinances and resolutions.

House of Representatives (Batangas-3rd district)
Rep. Ma. Theresa V. Collantes ( NPC )
Batangas Provincial Board (3rd District)
BM Fred Corona ( NPC )	BM Rudy Balba ( NP )
Local Government of Laurel (2022–2025)
Mayor
Hon. Lyndon Bruce ( PRP )
Vice Mayor
Hon. Aries Parilla ( PRP )
Sangguniang Bayan Members
Hon. Sylvia Austria ( PRP )	Hon. Vincent Endaya ( Ind. )
Hon. Angelito Rodriguez ( PRP )	Hon. Norvic Garcia ( PRP )
Hon. Francisco Endozo ( PRP )	Hon. Liezl De Castro ( PRP )
Hon. Iris Joyce Agojo ( NPC )	Hon. Regina Landicho ( NPC )
LNB President
Hon. Rufino Dirain (Bugaan West)
SK Federation President
Hon. Cyruz Caesar Mendoza (Buso-buso)

Mayoralty Election Results

2022: Then-incumbent Joan Amo ran for reelection and lost. She faced off businessman and neophyte politician Lyndon Bruce.

Laurel mayoralty elections

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	PRP	Lyndon Bruce	13,711	57.77%
	NPC	Joan Amo	10,021	42.23%
Margin of victory			3,690	15.54%
Total votes			23,732	100%
	PRP gain from NPC

2019: Then-incumbent Randy James Amo was term-limited and ran for Board Member (lost). His party nominated his wife, Joan Amo. She faced then-incumbent Vice Mayor Felimon Austria and businessman Roderick Natanauan.

≥u

Laurel mayoralty elections

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	PDP–Laban	Joan Amo	10,737	52.56
	Independent	Roderick Natanuan	7,369	36.07
	Nacionalista	Felimon Austria	2,321	11.36
Margin of victory			3,368	16.67%
Valid ballots			20,427	98.07%
Invalid or blank votes			403	1.93%
Total votes			20,830	100%
	PDP–Laban hold

2016: Then-incumbent Randy James Amo ran for reelection and won. He ran against businessman Roderick Natanauan and then-incumbent Municipal Councilor Vincent Endaya.

Laurel mayoralty elections

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Randy James Amo	10,743	54.8%
	NPC	Roderick Natanauan	8,338	42.5%
	PDP–Laban	Vincent Endaya	528	2.7%
Total votes
	Liberal hold

2013: Then-incumbent Mayor Randy James Amo ran for reelection. He faced off against former Mayor Atty. Natalio Panganiban.

Laurel mayoralty election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Randy James Amo	10,529	61.62
	UNA	Natalio Panganiban	6,559	38.38
Total votes			17,479	100.00
	Liberal hold

2010: Then-incumbent John Benedict Panganiban ran for reelection against then-incumbent Vice Mayor Randy James Amo (won) and Aristotle Parilla.

Laurel mayoralty elections

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	'Randy James Amo'	5,993
	Nacionalista	John Benedict Panganiban	5,495
	PMP	Aristotle Parilla	3,143
Total votes
	Liberal gain from Nacionalista

Former Municipal Mayors

No.	Name	Term of Office
1	Placido Amo	1969-1986
2	Natalio Panganiban	1986-1988
(1)	Placido Amo	1988-1992
3	Joven de Grano	1992-1995
(2)	Natalio Panganiban	1995-2004
4	John Benedict Panganiban	2004-2010
5	Randy James Amo	2010-2019
6	Joan Amo	2019-2022

Gallery

• 
  Laurel Municipal Hall
• 
  Laurel Police Station
• 
  Street in Poblacion Laurel
• 
  Laurel welcome arch
• 
  Laurel Church
• 
  Twin Lakes shopping village

References

1.   Municipality of Laurel | (DILG)
2. "2015 Census of Population, Report No. 3 – Population, Land Area, and Population Density" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. Quezon City, Philippines. August 2016. ISSN   0117-1453. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
3. Census of Population (2020). "Region IV-A (Calabarzon)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved 8 July 2021.
4. "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
5. "History". Talisay, Batangas. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
6. Hargrove, Thomas (1991). The Mysteries of Taal: A Philippine volcano and lake, her sea life and lost towns. Manila: Bookmark Publishing. pp. 13, 33–55. ISBN   9715690467.
7. Act No. 708 (28 March 1903), An Act Reducing Thirteen of the Municipalities in the Province of Batangas to Five , retrieved July 5, 2023
8. Act No. 1244 (7 October 1904), An Act Annexing the Barrios of Bayuyungan, Bugaan, Balaquilong, San Gabriel, and Binirayan, Now a Part of the Municipality of Tanauan, Province of Batangas, to the Municipality of Taal, in the Same Province , retrieved July 5, 2023
9. "History". Laurel, Batangas. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
10. Republic Act No. 5689 (21 June 1969), An Act Creating the Municipality of Laurel in the Province of Batangas, The Corpus Juris, retrieved July 3, 2023
11. "Province: Batangas". PSGC Interactive. Quezon City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved 12 November 2016.
12. "Municipal: Laurel, Batangas". PSGC Interactive. Quezon City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved 8 January 2016.
13. Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region IV-A (Calabarzon)" (PDF). Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. National Statistics Office . Retrieved 29 June 2016.
14. "Laurel: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
15. Census of Population (2015). "Region IV-A (Calabarzon)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved 20 June 2016.
16. Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region IV-A (Calabarzon)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. National Statistics Office.
17. "Province of Batangas". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
18. "Poverty incidence (PI):". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
19. "Estimation of Local Poverty in the Philippines" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 29 November 2005.
20. "2003 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 23 March 2009.
21. "City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates; 2006 and 2009" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 3 August 2012.
22. "2012 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 31 May 2016.
23. "Municipal and City Level Small Area Poverty Estimates; 2009, 2012 and 2015". Philippine Statistics Authority. 10 July 2019.
24. "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
25. "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
26. "Twin Lakes : Tagaytay Philippines". Twinlakestagaytay.com.ph. Retrieved 2016-11-26.

External links

• Official website
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code