TAAL

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Parent Category: About the Province
Written by administrator

Taal is a second class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According

to the latest census, it has a population of 51,459 people in 8,451 households. It is the
Balisong and Barong Tagalog Capital of the Philippines. One of the Filipino healing
priests, Father Fernando Suarez was born here in 1967.
Climate
Taalhas two seasons: dry from November to April, and wet during the rest of the year.
The lowest minimum temperature does not drop below 20 degrees Celsius while the
highest maximum temperature of 34.5 degrees Celsius occurs from March to July of
each year.
Natural Resources
A dominant feature of the province of Batangas is Taal Lake. It covers an area of 270
square km. 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 (cranx
ignobilis) and muslo (cranx marginalis) 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
(harengula tawilis) is a freshwater sardine also endemic to Taal lake.
History
The descendants of the Bornean settlers in Panay spread out to the neighboring
islands, where they founded more settlements. In due time, they came to be known as
Bisayans after the Bisayan tribe in Borneo, to which their ancestors belonged. The
colonies founded by Datu Dumangsil and Balensuela in the Taal region prospered in the
plenitude of time. The settlement was called Taal due to the presence of Taa-lan trees in
the Pansipit River, formerly called Taa-lan river.
Their descendants spread out in two groups - one group colonizing the region of
Laguna de Bay northwards and the other, penetrating southward settled the northern
Bicol Peninsula.[1] Those who remained in Batangas and the Laguna de Bay region
became the Tagalogs ("people of the river"), which their original language (a mix of
Central Philippine languages, Kinaray-a, Old Malay, Sanskrit, Chinese, Arabic, and
other Borneo-Philippine languages before the Spanish period) evolved into pre-Spanish
Tagalog or Batangas Tagalog. Taal, which means "indigenous", is considered the center
or origin of the Tagalog language. Taal back then was called Bonbon alongside with the
lake.
Taalwas first founded in present day San Nicolas but due to the eruption of Taal Volcano
in 1754, the town was moved to its present site for protection. The town became the
capital of Batangas until it was moved to Batangas City. Taal is also became known for
its Barong Tagalog and the famed Balisong. Many of its residents became heroes such
as the Agoncillo family during the revolution. The Basilica de San Martin de Tours (Taal),
which is the biggest church in the Philippines, was first built in 1575 in present day San
Nicolas but abandoned in 1754 due the eruption of Taal and rebuilt in 1755. Then an
earthquake shook it down in 1849 and once again rebuilt in 1856 by Architect Luciano

Olivero. Today, it is now a Heritage town and Taal is known as the Barong Tagalog,
Balisong and Tagalog capital of the Philippines.
In 1955 the barrios of San Nicolas, Gipit, Bangin, Pansipit, Calangay, Sinturisan, Talang,
Abilo, Balete, Bancora, Saimsim, Maabud, Mulawin, Tambo, Calumala, Alasas, Calawit
and Pulangbato, then part of this municipality, were separated and constituted into a
new and separate municipality known as San Nicolas, Batangas.
Local products and delicacies
Since the Spanish period the people of Taal lived by farming and commerce. The main
produce was sugar which was made through the use of crude sugar mill called
trapeche, cotton and cacao. Weaving and embroidery of pia barong and camisa were
popular home industries. Later local embroidery business expand products to include
curtains, piano covers, pillow cases, table cloth, table napkins and bed covers all of
which added luster to the fame already earned by Taal embroidery.
While shopping for Taal's souvenirs and local products, visitors recognize the quality
and reasonable price of the merchandise. Some of the products produced in the town
are: Burdang Taal (embroidered cloth made out of pineapple fiber and other natural
weaves), balisong (fan knife) and various food treats such as the panutsa (peanut brittle
candy) and suman salehiya (sweet sticky rice). Popular Filipino dishes that originated
from Taal are: Adobo sa Dilaw (Yellow Adobo) and Sinaing na Tulingan (Bonita Fish
Soup)
These products are produced at the back-yards of homes with mastery and skill handed
down through generations of experience and craftsmanship.
Visit in Taal will not be completed without tasting Tapa ( Marinated Pork ) and Longanisa
which could be bought in Taal Public Market.
Famous people from Taal in Philippine revolutionary history
Gliceria Marella de Villavicencio- Doa Gliceria Marella de Villavicencio was named
as the godmother of the revolutionary forces by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo during the
proclamation of the Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898. Her passion in
supporting the revolution against the Spaniards, and later the Americans, was inflamed
by the death of her husband, Don Eulalio Villavicencio in February 1898. He was
incarcerated by the Spaniards along with Pablo Ocampo and Dr. Ariston Bautista for
supporting the Katipunan and the revolutionary movement. Of the material aid she
extended to the insurrectos the most notable was the SS Bulusan, a ship which made
trips from Manila to Batangas and back. It also transported Filipino soldiers, armaments
and ammunitions and food supplies for the maintenance of the revolutionary forces. It
was the first warship made available to the revolutionaries. Aling Eriang, as she was
affectionately called, was born in Taal on May 13, 1852 and died on September 25,
1928. She had six (6) children.

Felipe Agoncillo- Don Felipe Encarnacion Agoncillo, a man of rare intelligence and
admirable patriotism, is best remembered as a revolutionary hero, statesman, and the
first Philippine diplomat. After graduating from the University of Santo Tomas with
degrees in Bachelor or Arts and Licentiate in Jurisprudence, both magna cum laude, he
started his career by setting up a law office in Taal and won popular acclaim for the free
services he rendered his poor clients. He was brilliant, fearless and was outspoken

about the abuses of the Spanish oppression. He was to be exiled by the Spanish
government to Jolo in April 1896, but, managed to escape to Hong Kong via Japan. He
organized the revolutionary junta in Hong Kong and was eventually appointed by
General Emilio Aguinaldo as a diplomat representing the Philippine Republic to the
United States and to the Treaty of Paris in 1898. He served as representative of
Batangas in the First Philippine Assembly in 1907. He also served as Secretary of
Interior under Governor General Leonard Wood. In 1930, he was chosen president for
the first plenary session of the Independence Congress held in Manila. Don Felipe
Agoncillo was born on May 26, 1859 and died September 29, 1941. He was married to
Marcela Marino and has five (5) children.
Marcela Mario de Agoncillo- The wife of Don Felipe Agoncillo, Dona Marcela, also
known as "Roselang Bubog" is best known as the maker of the first Philippine flag that
was unfurled at the proclamation of Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898 in Kawit,
Cavite. Born from one of Taal's oldest and most respected families, she was educated in
a Catholic convent school, which in those days emphasized sewing and arts in the
curriculum for girls. In 1898, while in exile in Hong Kong with her husband and children,
she received orders from General Emilio Aguinaldo to make the flag, a task she
welcomed as an opportunity to serve her motherland. With the design finally made, she
started her task of sewing with meticulous care with the help of Delfina Natividad
(Rizals niece) and her daughter, Lorenza. Marcela died on May 30, 1946, at 80 years
old.
Vicente Ilustre- Don Vicente Encarnacion Ilustre obtained a law doctorate at the
Universidad Central de Madrid. It was also in Madrid that he associated with other
Filipino patriots like Rizal, Plaridel, Naning Ponce, Galicano Apacible and others whose chief pre-occupation was resolving the seething Philippine situation. He left
Madrid fro Paris and on January 8, 1900, proceeded to Hong Kong where he accepted
the offer by the Mabini cabinet to represent the country in the United States. He was
consequently elected Director of Diplomacy in the Central Revolucionaria de Hong
Kong. In 1913, Vicente 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 two very important public
utilities in Taal, that of light and water. He was born in Taal, Batangas on Sept. 6, 1869
and died in Manila on Sept. 27, 1928 at the age of 59. He was married to Doa Rita
Villavicencio.
Gen. Ananias Diokno- Gen. Ananias Noblejas Diokno was the only Tagalog general to
lead a full scale military expedition to the Visayas against the Spanish forces. He led the
Battalion Maluya, a revolutionary force organized by Doa Gliceria Marella Villavicencio
and General Marasigan with the help of Timoteo Marella and Capitan Apolonio Admana.
He was also responsible for the transport of arms from Japan, sent by the revolutionary
Government. General Diokno with his officers and soldiers, embarked for Sorsogon on
the steamers Bulusan, Taaleo and Purisima Conception, to help organize the first
revolutionary government of the Bicol region. In November 1898, the Philippine forces
reached the port of Pandan, Ibahay, Capiz and defeated the Spanish forces. After a
week they went to Iloilo and demanded the immediate surrender of the Spaniards.
When the Americans came to Capiz on March 4, 1901 the Filipino troops were forced to

flee to the mountains and later were urged to surrender. Many men surrendered but
General Diokno, with a handful of loyal stalwarts retreated to the hinterlands and
resorted to guerrilla warfare. Having been badly wounded in a skirmish, he was
captured and imprisoned by the Americans. Gen. Diokno was born in Taal on January
22, 1860 and died on November 2, 1922 in Arayat, Pampanga.
Galicano C. Apacible- Dr. Galicano Apacible, patriot and propagandist, was born on
June 25, 1864 in Balayan, Batangas, the youngest of the three children of Don Vicente
Apacible and Catalina Castillo. Kanoy, as he was fondly called, lived in Intramuros with
their relative, Jose Rizal, under whose charge the young Kanoy was placed. He enrolled
at the University of Santo Tomas but decided to leave during his 5th year in medicine to
sail for Europe where he finished his Bachelor of Arts degree at the Institute of
Tarragona and his Licentiate in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Barcelona in
November 1889. He studied at the Universidad Central de Madrid for his doctorate in
Medicine.
While in Spain, Apacible was president of a political society called Asociacion Filipina
Solidaridad en Barcelona. He was also one of the founders of La Solidaridad. During
the Universal Exposition in 1889, he joined Rizal, T.H. Padre de Tavera, Antonio Luna
and many other Filipinos who were in France at that time and discussed ways to
improve the situation in the Philippines. He journeyed back to his homeland only to find
that his brother Leon has been exiled to Lepanto and Rizal in Dapitan. Fleeing
persecution he fled to Hong Kong where he wrote to Apolinario Mabini: "I am working
exclusively for our dear motherland.. exposing my life and abandoning all my personal
interests. I wish for no reward except the satisfaction of helping in securing our
freedom." He was head of the Filipino Central Committee based in Hong Kong. He was
sent to Tokyo as a special agent to secure arms and ammunition for the revolutionaries.
While there he met leading figures such as Marquis Ito, Count Okuma and Dr. Sun Yat
Sen. The latter was his closest companion as they were both working for the freedom of
their countries.
In 1899, he was sent to the United States along with Rafael del Pan as delegates of the
revolutionary government. They tried to seek the intervention of the American
government in their endeavor to make peace with Spain. He was in Hong Kong when
General Aguinaldo was captured by General Frederick Funston in Palanan, Isabela.
The committee was dissolved, and in 1903, Apacible returned to Manila and practised
medicine. He worked at the San Lazaro Hospital from 1906 to 1907 when he was
elected governor of Batangas. He occupied this position until he was elected
Assemblyman in 1909 and reelected in 1912. In 1911, he became vice-president of the
Nacionalista Party and a member of its Executive Committee. From 1917 to 1922, he
was Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. On March 22,
1949 he died and was interred at the La Loma Cemetery in Manila.
BARANGAYS
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Apacay
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Balisong
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Bihis
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Bolbok
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Buli
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Butong

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Carasuche
Cawit
Caysasay
Cubamba
Cultihan
Gahol
Halang
Iba
Ilog
Imamawo
Ipil
Luntal
Mahabang Lodlod
Niogan
Pansol
Poblacion 1
Poblacion 2
Poblacion 3
Poblacion 4
Poblacion 5
Poblacion 6
Poblacion 7
Poblacion 8
Poblacion 9
Poblacion 10
Poblacion 11
Poblacion 12
Poblacion 13
Poblacion 14
Pook
Seiran
Laguile
Latag
Tierra Alta
Tulo
Tatlong Maria