Victoria, Laguna

Victoria
Municipality
Municipality of Victoria
Victoria countryside with Mt. San Cristobal in the foreground
Flag Seal
Nickname:  Duck Raising Capital of the Philippines [1]
Map of Laguna with Victoria highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Victoria Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 14°13′30″N121°19′30″E / 14.225°N 121.325°E / 14.225; 121.325
Country	Philippines
Region	Calabarzon
Province	Laguna
District	3rd district
Founded	November 15, 1949
Named for	Victoria Quirino
Barangays	9 (see Barangays)
Government   [2]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
•  Mayor	Dwight C. Kampitan
•  Vice Mayor	Recto D. Kampitan Jr.
•  Representative	Loreto S. Amante
•  Municipal Council	Members Florencio M. Laraño Wilfredo O. Herradura Ma. Fe B. Tope Homer N. Herradura Sonny U. Lazaro Analyn E. Nava Jhon Paul D. Pahutan Joselito D. Corcuera
•  Electorate	29,744 voters (2022)
Area [3]
• Total	22.35 km2 (8.63 sq mi)
Elevation	14 m (46 ft)
Highest elevation	212 m (696 ft)
Lowest elevation	1 m (3 ft)
Population  (2020 census) [4]
• Total	43,408
• Density	1,900/km2 (5,000/sq mi)
•  Households	11,943
Economy
•  Income class	4th municipal income class
•  Poverty incidence	7.44 % (2021) [5]
•  Revenue	₱ 130.7 million (2020)
•  Assets	₱ 276.9 million (2020)
•  Expenditure	₱ 130.5 million (2020)
•  Liabilities	₱ 83.93 million (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	Manila Electric Company (Meralco)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	4011
PSGC	043430000
IDD  :  area code	+63 (0)49
Native languages	Tagalog

Victoria, officially the Municipality of Victoria (Tagalog : Bayan ng Victoria), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 43,408 people. ^[4]

It is southeast of Laguna de Bay, 76 kilometers (47 mi) south of Manila and 11 kilometers (6.8 mi) from Santa Cruz. It is bordered by the Municipality of Calauan to the south-west, Nagcarlan to the southeast and Pila to the north-east. The municipality has a total land area of 22.83 square kilometers (8.81 sq mi) which is 1.30% of the total land area of the province of Laguna.

Duck Raising Capital of the Philippines, or Victoria, is a municipality offering some of the most bizarre yet delicious dishes including goats’ and ducks’ meat. The town is bordered by Calauan, Nagcarlan, and Pila. Following the town's nickname, the Itik Festival is celebrated, along with the town's founding anniversary, to give honor and to know more about the products that come from itik (duck). Through Presidential Proclamation 663, October 14, 2024 was declared a special non-working day in celebration of its 75th Founding Anniversary and the 23rd Itik Festival. ^[6]

Etymology

The name of Victoria means "victory" in Spanish. It got its name from Victoria Quirino, the daughter of former President Elpidio Quirino under whose presidency the municipality was established. ^[7] The younger Quirino also served as the First Lady as her father was a widower.

History

Prominent citizens and civic leaders found new hope to make Nanhaya, then a barrio part of Pila, a town, when the Americans granted the Philippines Independence in 1946. They revived the move to separate from Pila. During this time, citizens proposed to name the town Trinidad, after the young republic's First Lady, the wife of then-President Manuel Roxas. Strong oppositions shelved the proposal once more.

After Roxas's death, Elpidio Quirino took over the presidency. Nanhaya's residents remained undaunted. They tried once more, intensifying the campaign. Most prominent and wealthiest family of the town is the Fernandez clans, Judge Jose Fernandez, then Mayor Alejandro Fernandez, Atty. Ramon H. Fernandez Sr., Andres Franco, Dr. Agrifino Oca, Gregorio Herradura, and Leonardo Rebong stood for the proposal. On November 15, 1949, President Elpidio Quirino signed into effect Executive Order No. 282, segregating barrios Nanhaya, Bancabanca, Daniw, Masapang, San Benito, San Felix, San Francisco, and San Roque from Pila and formed a new independent municipality. ^[8]

After Pateros became highly urbanized and densely populated, Victoria became a destination of balut traders and became the "Duck Raising Center of the Philippines". The town was featured as the detour challenge of Leg 11 of the 5th Season of The Amazing Race . Victoria celebrates the Itik Festival every second week of November.

The municipal seat of Pila was once located in Barangay Pagalangan, now one of Victoria's barangays. The remains of Pila's original parish church can still be found in Pagalangan, which in the past made that community a target of treasure hunters seeking antiques. Pagalangan ceased to be Pila's capital when the town center was relocated due to frequent flooding. ^[9]

Barangays

Victoria is politically subdivided into 9 barangays.  ^[10] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Currently, there are two barangays which are classified as urban.

(highlighted in bold).

• Banca-banca
• Daniw
• Masapang
• Nanhaya (Poblacion)
• Pagalangan
• San Benito
• San Felix
• San Francisco
• San Roque (Poblacion)

Demographics

Population census of Victoria

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1960	8,922	—
1970	12,741	+3.62%
1975	13,810	+1.63%
1980	16,522	+3.65%
1990	21,847	+2.83%
1995	25,424	+2.88%
2000	29,765	+3.44%
2007	33,829	+1.78%
2010	34,604	+0.83%
2015	39,321	+2.46%
2020	43,408	+1.96%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [11] [12] [13] [14]

In the 2020 census, the population of Victoria, Laguna, was 43,408 people, ^[4] with a density of 1,900 inhabitants per square kilometer or 4,900 inhabitants per square mile.

Economy

Poverty incidence of Victoria

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 2006 5.60 2009 3.73 2012 8.59 2015 4.40 2018 3.75 2021 7.44 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]

Government

Main article: Sangguniang Bayan

Victoria Town Hall

Elected officials

Victoria municipal officials (2022–2025)

Name	Party
Mayor
Dwight C. Kampitan		Nacionalista
Vice Mayor
RJ Kampitan		Nacionalista
Municipal Councilors
Florencio M. Laraño		Nacionalista
Wilfredo Herradura		PDP–Laban
Ma. Fe B. Tope		PDP–Laban
Homer Herradura		Nacionalista
Sonny Lazaro		PDP–Laban
Analyn Nava		Independent
Jhon Paul D. Pahutan		Aksyon
Joselito D. Corcuera		PDP–Laban
Ex Officio Municipal Council Members
ABC President	Leoncio S. Fajardo (San Francisco)
SK President	John Patrick S. Cambe (Masapang)
SB Secretary	Caylene T. Fernandez

References

1. "Cadiz Duck Farm".
2.   Municipality of Victoria | (DILG)
3. "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.
4. Census of Population (2020). "Region IV-A (Calabarzon)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved July 8, 2021.
5. "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
6. "October 2024 special non-working days in PH provinces, cities, towns". Rappler . September 27, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
7. "Pagdiriwang ng Itik Festival sa Victoria, Laguna, naging matagumpay". Philippine Information Agency (in Tagalog). November 18, 2022. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
8. Executive Order No. 282, s. 1949 (October 14, 1949), "Organizing Certain Barrios of the Municipality of Pila, Province of Laguna, Into an Independent Municipality Under the Name of Victoria" (PDF), Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines , retrieved August 4, 2023
9. de Leon, Remi E. (2005). "Health Knowledge Processes and Flows in a Coastal Community in Victoria, Laguna Philippines". University of the Philippines Los Baños Graduate School. Master's Thesis{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
10. "Province: Laguna". PSGC Interactive. Quezon City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved November 12, 2016.
11. Census of Population (2015). "Region IV-A (Calabarzon)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved June 20, 2016.
12. Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region IV-A (Calabarzon)" (PDF). Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. National Statistics Office . Retrieved June 29, 2016.
13. 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.
14. "Province of Laguna". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
15. "Poverty incidence (PI):". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
16. "Estimation of Local Poverty in the Philippines" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. November 29, 2005.
17. "2003 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. March 23, 2009.
18. "City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates; 2006 and 2009" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. August 3, 2012.
19. "2012 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. May 31, 2016.
20. "Municipal and City Level Small Area Poverty Estimates; 2009, 2012 and 2015". Philippine Statistics Authority. July 10, 2019.
21. "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. December 15, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
22. "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2024.

External links

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System
• History of Pila: A Secular and Spiritual History of the Town 900 A.D. to Present