Santa Rosa, Laguna

Not to be confused with Laguna de Santa Rosa, a wetland area of California, United States of America.

City of Santa Rosa Lungsod ng Santa Rosa
—  Component City  —
Clockwise: Santa Rosa Arch, Enchanted Kingdom and Nuvali man-made lake.
Seal
Nickname(s): Lion City of the South, Next ICT Hub in the Country
Motto: Serbisyong makatao, Lungsod na Makabago, (Humane Service, Modern City)
Map of Laguna showing the location of Santa Rosa City
Coordinates: 14°16′43″N 121°5′48″E / 14.27861°N 121.09667°E / 14.27861; 121.09667Coordinates: 14°16′43″N 121°5′48″E / 14.27861°N 121.09667°E / 14.27861; 121.09667
Country	Philippines
Region	Region IV-A (CALABARZON)
Province	Laguna
Districts	1st district of Laguna
Barangays	18
Incorporated (town)	January 15, 1792
Incorporated (city)	July 10, 2004
Government
- Mayor	Arlene B. Arcillas (Lakas Kampi CMD) (2007–)
- Vice Mayor	Arnel D.C. Gomez (Lakas Kampi CMD) (2010–)
Area
- Component City	54.13 km2 (20.9 sq mi)
Elevation	20.3 m (67 ft)
Population (2007)
- Component City	266,943
- Density	6,827/km2 (17,681.8/sq mi)
- Metro	Laguna West Metropolitan
Time zone	PHT (UTC+8)
ZIP code	4026
Area code(s)	49
Income class	1st
Website	www.santarosacity.gov.ph

A statue of St. Rose of Lima fronting the parish church of the city proper.

The City of Santa Rosa (Filipino: Lungsod ng Santa Rosa) is a first class city in the province of Laguna, Philippines. It is also known as "The Lion City of the South" since 1994. The city lies 38 kilometers south of Manila via the South Luzon Expressway, making it a suburban residential community of Metro Manila.

This quiet town of Laguna started its progress initially from the establishment of Filsyn, CIGI and couple of other small multinational companies there when the government BOI provided for incentives to companies located at not less than 40 kilometers away from Manila. According to the latest census, City of Santa Rosa has a population of 266,943 inhabitants in 43,625 households, making it the third largest town or city in Laguna after Calamba City, and San Pedro. It is also the densest city in the province with more than 6,000 people per square kilometer.

Santa Rosa was mainly known for the Coca-Cola and Toyota manufacturing plants in its industrial estates. More recently it has also become famous for being the site of Enchanted Kingdom, a local theme park, as well as several housing developments. Santa Rosa is also the exit travellers take along the South Luzon Expressway to go to Tagaytay and Taal Volcano. This city contains the 3rd largest complex in Laguna, Paseo de Santa Rosa. Santa Rosa became a city by virtue of Republic Act No. 9264, which was ratified by the citizens on July 10, 2004.

In 2009, presence of Nuvali in Santa Rosa is making a huge impact in terms of putting the city in forefront of green development with functional living as seen on their Solenad area at Lake Evozone.

Built up area

With the continuous expansion of Metro Manila, the city is now included in Manila Built Up Area which reaches Lipa City in its southernmost part. Santa Rosa City comes third in Laguna coming from Metro Manila, after San Pedro and Biñan City.

Geography

Santa Rosa City is one of the large distribution in the province of Laguna in terms of land area at approximately 54.13 square kilometers (5413 hectares). It is in the western section of Laguna de Bay.

The western portion of the city occupies the numerous commercial, industrial and business establishments and interesting places, it is also located the "center" of the city which is the busiest district of the city. While the northern portion is primarily residential areas and subdivisions, exclusive schools, industrial zones and various small and medium enterprises are also booming.

Historical Milestone

The beginning of Santa Rosa can be traced back in 1571, the year when Spanish conquistador Juan de Salcedo, the grandson of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, discovered the town of Biñan which was annexed as a barrio to Tabuco (now the town of Cabuyao) while exploring the Laguna Lake region.

In 1688, Biñan, together with Barrio Bukol (Santa Rosa, before separation from Biñan) separated from Cabuyao. After a series of renaming, separation of barrios to become independent towns, Barrio Bukol was politically emancipated as the municipality of Santa Rosa. The town was renamed after Saint Rose of Lima. The municipality of Santa Rosa was founded on January 15, 1792.

During the revolutionary period in 1898, the town was instrumental in the proclamation of Philippine independence from Spain when it signed the Act of Independence on June 12, 1898. Later on the town's local revolutionaries fought alongside the forces of Pio del Pilar during the Philippine-American War.

On February 5, 1945, the town was left abandoned by the Japanese soldiers when the local guerrilla resistance movement, with support from the American and Filipino military contingent, entered the town proper, where skirmishes, torture, and deaths occurred.

During the post-war era, until the 1970s, the townspeople were largely dependent on basic agriculture and family-owned enterprises for livelihood. The influence of industrialization slowly took shape in the 1980s with the entry of local and foreign investors who were instrumental in the fast-pace economic and social transformation of the town and the province.

Economy

Santa Rosa is the premier city and hub of South Luzon. It is the Makati of the South in terms of economic activity. Greenfield City is where most of Santa Rosa's financial resources are concentrated.

Banking

Major commercial banks in the Philippines operate in the city. At this time, there are 30 banking institutions offer banking services to businesses and residents. Most of these are concentrated in Barangay Balibago, Don Jose, Macabling, Pulong Santa Cruz, and Tagapo.

Commerce and Trade

Public markets in Santa Rosa are often divided into two, the dry goods section and the wet goods section. Commerce in these public markets are in full swing, especially in the early morning.

Modern shopping malls were scattered along the city. SM City Santa Rosa, Robinsons Place Santa Rosa, Walter Mart, Target Mall, and Paseo de Santa Rosa are some of Santa Rosa's shopping and commercial centers.

Santa Rosa is the 2nd municipality/city in Southern Luzon to have both an SM and Robinsons after SM City Dasmariñas in Cavite.

Industries and Manufacturing

Ford Motor Company has a plant here, assembling the Ford Lynx, Ford Focus, Mazda 3, Ford Escape, and Mazda Tribute and also selling Ford Ranger, Ford Everest & Mazda6. Other automobile manufacturers that have plants in Santa Rosa City include Nissan Motors Co., Ltd., Toyota Motor Corporation, Honda Motor Co., Ltd., and Mitsubishi Motors. Food giant, Monde Nissin Corporation, which manufactures industry leader Lucky Me Noodles and Monde biscuits, has a plant here in its sprawling 14-hectare manufacturing facility.

It is also the location for the headquarters of Santarosa Motor Works, Inc.

The City of Santa Rosa is also the location for the largest plant of The Coca-Cola Company in the Philippines, which is situated right across the Santa Rosa Exit of the South Luzon Expressway.

Information Technology

Santa Rosa lined up as one of Information Technology hub in the South and continuously growth of outsourcing and call centers, among them is Convergys, KGB, and Teletech.

Transportation

Santa Rosa City is accessible via South Luzon Expressway. Two exits are available namely, Santa Rosa Exit (KM 38) and Greenfield City - ETON City - ABI Exit (KM 42). A four-lane national highway was also extended from Alabang, Muntinlupa City up to Pagsanjan, Laguna across the South.

Public transportation within the city, like in most of the urban areas in the Philippines, is facilitated mostly using inexpensive jeepneys and buses. Tricycles are used for short distances. In Laguna Bel Air, residents uses exclusive multicab shuttles within the village complex.

Utilities and Communication

Santa Rosa's source of electricity is part of the Manila Electric Company or Meralco. Water supply for the city is supplied by the Laguna Water Inc. Santa Rosa's communication system is powered by the Philippine Long Distance Telephone company, and Digitel Philippines. Cellular network in the Philippines particularly the metropolitan areas is increasing rapidly together with the low cost of calls and text messaging. Such big companies that control the cellular networks in the Philippines and Santa Rosa itself are Globe Telecom, Smart Communications (PLDT) and Sun Cellular from Digitel. Cable television access is provided by SkyCable, and Royal Cable. Internet Digital Subscriber Line or DSL coverage is provided by PLDT, cable internet is serviced by Sky Cable's ZPDee and Global Destiny. Wireless broadband is provided by Globeliness Broadband and Smart Communications.

Tourism

Events and festivals

These are some of the notable events and festivities in Santa Rosa:

Events	Date	Place of event
Sikhayan Festival	January 18	Citywide
Santa Rosa Cityhood Day	July 10	Citywide
Saint Rose of Lima Fiesta	August 23	Citywide
Saint Lorenzo Ruiz Fiesta	September 28	San Lorenzo South
Grand Wizardry Competition	October	Enchanted Kingdom

Town Fiesta April 30

Landmarks

Places of Interest

Enchanted Kingdom Entrance

Here are some of Santa Rosa's tourist destinations:

Enchanted Kingdom
A world-class theme park opened on July 28, 1995. Located at RSBS Blvd., San Lorenzo South, Balibago in Santa Rosa, right in front of Villa De Toledo and Dominican College of Sta. Rosa.

EK Biki WaterWorld
Is a first world-class inflatable water park in the Philippines. It has a variety of six giant inflatable swimming pools with water slides, games and rides that families can enjoy in a safe and hygienic water environment.

Solenad
Solenad blends essential shopping with leisure and dining in a relaxing, al fresco, lakeside environment. The area is connected to the now operational Lakesize Evozone commercial area by dedicated pedestrian and bike lanes. The Lakeside Evozone is the refreshing campus-like commercial area of Nuvali. It creates a new space for offices and businesses to thrive in an environment of productivity and connectivity. Solenad sits at the entrance of the Lakeside Evozone area coming from the Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road, and is nestled next to a 4-hectare lake. Its accessible and picturesque location invites people to sit, sip and dine with family and friends. Solenad has also become a destination for the surrounding communities of Sta. Rosa, Calamba City, Tagaytay City and Manila. This is in collaboration with Ayala Land Inc., and Yulo Family.

Shopping Centers

Paseo de Santa Rosa
A flagship retail complex of Greenfield City launched in 1997. It is highly accessible to residents of surrounding communities. Paseo and its adjoining Althea Arcade are home to numerous enterprises ranging from restaurants, business centers, banks and salons. Demand has been brisk as plans are now underway to start expansion of the complex. It is located along the Santa Rosa – Tagaytay Road.

SM City Santa Rosa
A shopping center operated by SM Prime Holdings established on February 17, 2006. It is the first SM Supermall franchise in the province of Laguna.

Robinsons Place Santa Rosa
A shopping center operated by Robinsons Land Corporation, the real estate arm of JG Summit Holdings. Located at Old National Highway, Tagapo, Santa Rosa City, Laguna. It is the first major mall in the City of Santa Rosa. Today, Robinsons Place Santa Rosa is now called Santa Rosa Market. It is still owned by Robinsons Land Corporation.

Target Mall Santa Rosa
A shopping center located at the center of Santa Rosa Commercial Complex in Barrio Balibago. It is one of the pioneering establishments in the City of Santa Rosa.

Walter Mart Santa Rosa
A shopping center operated by Benison Group of Companies. Located at RSBS Blvd., San Lorenzo South, Balibago in Santa Rosa. It is known for its proximity to Enchanted Kingdom.

Other Atractions

Santa Rosa de Lima Parish Church

• • • Iglesia Filipina Independiente - Parokya ng Santa Rosa ng Lima (one of the first IFI Churches built after its Institution in Aug. 3, 1902)***

Entertainment

The City of Sta. Rosa is also famous for the Tiongco Brothers. They were singers who are known around the world and are still living legends of today.Jun, Emil, and Arthur are the three singers that composed the Tiongco Brothers.

People

People native to Santa Rosa City refer to themselves as "Rosanians".

Ethnic groups

Like other places in Metro Manila, the original settlers are Tagalogs. Throughout the centuries, there has been constant migration of Spaniards, Visayans, Bikolanos, Ilokanos, Chinese and Americans.

Languages

The main language is Filipino, which is based on Tagalog. In addition, due to continuous development of the city, English language is used in education, business and information technology.

City Government

Santa Rosa City is governed primarily by the city mayor, the vice-mayor and the city councilors. The mayor acts as the chief executive of the city while the city councilors acts as its legislative body. The vice-mayor, besides taking on mayoral responsibilities in case of a temporary vacancy, acts as the presiding officer of the city legislature. The legislative body is composed of 10 regular members and representatives from the barangay and the youth council.

Executive Branch

• Mayor: Arlene B. Arcillas
• Vice Mayor: Arnel D.C. Gomez

Councilors

1. Dr. Luisito B. Algabre
2. Mythor C. Cendaña
3. Laudemer Carta
4. Ma. Theresa Cecilia-Aala
5. Petronio C. Factoriza
6. Raymond Ryan F. Carvajal
7. Antonia Tatlonghari-Laserna
8. Eric T. Puzon
9. Paulino Y. Camaclang, Jr.
10. Edward Fernandito S. Tiongco

Political Divisions

City of Santa Rosa is politically subdivided into 18 barangays.

Aplaya Balibago Caingin Dila Dita Don Jose Ibaba Labas Macabling

Malitlit Malusak Market Area Kanluran Pooc Pulong Santa Cruz Santo Domingo Sinalhan Tagapo

Sister cities

• Enkoping, Sweden
• Makati City, Philippines
• Tokoyawa, Japan

See also

• Balibago National High School
• Santa Rosa Science and Technology High School
• Our Lady of Assumption College
• Casa Del Nino Montesorri School

External links

• City of Santa Rosa Official Website
• Santa Rosa City Council Website
• Magazine of Santa Rosa since 2007
• What's happening in Santa Rosa
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 2007 Philippine Census Information