Taal, Batangas

Taal is a 4th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 43,455 people in 8,451 households.

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. 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. [Gregorio F. Zaide, Ph.D., The Pageant of Philippine History, (Manila: Philippine Education Company, 1979), 65.] 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 "native", is considered the center or origin of the Tagalog language.

Taal was 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 its 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, 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 rebuild 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.

Barangays

Taal is politically subdivided into 42 barangays.

Notable residents

* Fernando Suarez, priest, was born here in 1967

Current Government Official

** MAYOR MICHAEL M.MONTENGRO **

References

External links

* [http://www.nscb.gov.ph/activestats/psgc/default.asp Philippine Standard Geographic Code]
* [http://www.t-macs.com/kiso/local/ 2000 Philippine Census Information]