Calauan

Calauan, officially the Municipality of Calauan, is a local government municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. It lies roughly 73 kilometers southeast of Manila and about 26 kilometers from Santa Cruz, Laguna’s provincial capital. The municipality covers approximately 65.40 square kilometers, representing about 2.4 percent of Laguna’s total area. The 2024 Philippine census recorded a population of 89,670, giving the municipality a density of approximately 1,400 people per square kilometer. Calauan is primarily an administrative and agricultural locality rather than a conventional commercial brand. Its local identity is closely associated with pineapple production, fertile soils, and the annual Pineapple Festival, generally held in May. Agriculture remains an important part of the local economy and public identity, while the municipality also promotes scenic, religious, recreational, and heritage destinations. Notable attractions include the Field of Faith in Barangay Lamot 2, Mount Kalisungan, and the Isdaan Floating Restaurant along the Calamba–Pagsanjan Road. Mount Kalisungan, also known in some local references as Mount Nagcarlan or Mount Lamot, rises to approximately 760 meters above sea level and is used as a traditional Holy Week hiking destination. The name Calauan was historically written as Calauang during the Spanish colonial period. It is generally associated with the Tagalog word kalawang, meaning rust. Spanish authorities established a town government in the area in the late sixteenth century, initially locating the settlement near present-day Barrio Mabacan. Following an epidemic in 1703, the town was transferred to its current location at an important road junction connecting San Pablo, Santa Cruz, and Manila. This position helped support movement and commerce between southern Luzon communities. Calauan’s colonial history also includes Hacienda Calauan, a large estate acquired by the Spanish landholder Iñigo in 1812 and subsequently maintained and expanded by his heirs. In 1818, the settlement was recorded as having 610 native families and two Spanish-Filipino families. In 1939, Doña Margarita Roxas viuda de Soriano, a descendant of Iñigo, subdivided much of the hacienda and sold land to its tenants at the request of President Manuel L. Quezon. This land redistribution became an important episode in the municipality’s social and agricultural history. The municipality participated in the conflicts surrounding the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine-American War. In December 1897, Basilio Geiroza, popularly known as Cabesang Basilio, and his forces defeated a battalion of Spanish guardia civil troops in Barrio Cupangan, now associated with Lamot I. During the later hostilities with American forces, local patriots fought troops commanded by General Elwell Otis in Barrio San Diego. Civilian authority was established in Calauan in 1902, when Mariano Marfori became its first municipal presidente. Calauan has also been shaped by public institutions and settlement programs. Hacienda Calauan helped finance a hospital constructed in 1926. In more recent decades, the municipality became a destination for the relocation of informal settlers from Metro Manila through programs including Bayan ni Juan and the Kapit-Bisig para sa Ilog Pasig project associated with the ABS-CBN Foundation. These projects contributed to population growth and expanded the municipality’s urban and social-service responsibilities. As a municipality, Calauan’s public-facing identity is built around local governance, agriculture, community events, environmental and mountain destinations, and its position within the wider Laguna corridor. It is governed through the Philippine local-government system and is divided into 17 barangays. Education is administered locally through the Calauan Schools District Office, with primary, secondary, and higher-education institutions including the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Calauan Campus, Calauan Community College, and the Luzonian Center of Excellence for Science and Technology.

The area now known as Calauan attracted early Spanish attention because of its fertile soil. Captain Juan de Salcedo passed through the Laguna and Tayabas region on his route toward Bicol in 1572. About a decade later, Spanish authorities created a town government approximately two kilometers from the present poblacion, in what is now Barrio Mabacan. The settlement was called Calauan, a name historically rendered as Calauang and commonly linked to the Tagalog word kalawang, or rust. An epidemic in 1703 led authorities to move the town to its present location. The new site stood at the fork of three roads: one heading southwest toward San Pablo, another southeast toward Santa Cruz, and a third north toward Manila. The location strengthened Calauan’s role as a passage and service point within southern Luzon. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, when Bay served as Laguna’s provincial capital, Calauan operated as a sitio under Bay’s jurisdiction. Merchants and travelers moving between Manila, Bay, and other Southern Luzon communities helped stimulate early local commerce. In 1812, a wealthy Spaniard named Iñigo acquired extensive landholdings in Calauan. His heirs expanded and maintained the estate, which became known as Hacienda Calauan. Because of its size, much of the property remained undeveloped for a long period. An 1818 Spanish census recorded 610 native families and two Spanish-Filipino families in the settlement, providing an indication of its colonial-era demographic structure. Calauan was involved in the armed struggles of the late nineteenth century. During the Philippine Revolution, Basilio Geiroza, better known as Cabesang Basilio, and his men fought Spanish forces in Barrio Cupangan, now identified with Lamot I. In December 1897, they routed a guardia civil battalion after a five-hour battle. During the Philippine-American War, Calauan patriots also fought numerically superior American forces under General Elwell Otis in Barrio San Diego of San Pablo. After civilian authority was established in 1902, the American administration appointed Mariano Marfori as Calauan’s first municipal presidente. Hacienda Calauan remained significant during the twentieth century. In 1926, the estate financed the construction of a hospital. Mariano O. Marfori Jr., the son of the first municipal presidente, served as hospital director and resident physician. In 1939, at the request of President Manuel L. Quezon, Doña Margarita Roxas viuda de Soriano, a granddaughter of Iñigo, subdivided the hacienda and sold portions to its tenants. Some remaining property was used as a rest house and swimming pool, which became a local tourist attraction until 1956. The municipality’s later history includes both tourism development and serious public controversy. In 1993, Calauan became the focus of national media attention after then-mayor Antonio Sanchez was implicated in the rape and double murder of two University of the Philippines Los Baños students. Sanchez and other defendants received life sentences in March 1995. The case became one of the most notorious criminal controversies associated with a Philippine local government official. In the contemporary period, Calauan has combined its agricultural base with community development, resettlement, education, and tourism. Informal settlers from Metro Manila were relocated to the municipality through the Bayan ni Juan and Kapit-Bisig para sa Ilog Pasig initiatives. The projects added residents and increased demand for municipal infrastructure and services. Calauan is now organized into 17 barangays and supports public and private education from primary through secondary levels, together with higher-education institutions such as the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Calauan Campus and Calauan Community College. Pineapple farming continues to shape Calauan’s public image and local economy. The Pineapple Festival, celebrated in May, provides a civic platform for agricultural promotion and community participation. Natural and leisure sites, including Mount Kalisungan, the Field of Faith, and the Isdaan Floating Restaurant, complement the agricultural identity. Mount Kalisungan is associated with local World War II history because retreating Japanese forces reportedly made a final stand there in Laguna. The mountain is also a popular Holy Week hiking destination and offers broad views toward Metro Manila, nearby lakes, and surrounding mountains.

• 2024

  Population reaches 89,670

  [1]Calauanen.wikipedia.org

  The 2024 census recorded 89,670 residents in Calauan.

• 1995

  Former mayor sentenced in criminal case

  [1]Calauanen.wikipedia.org

  Antonio Sanchez and several others received life sentences in the rape and double-murder case involving two University of the Philippines Los Baños students.

• 1939

  Hacienda land sold to tenants

  [1]Calauanen.wikipedia.org

  Doña Margarita Roxas viuda de Soriano subdivided and sold much of Hacienda Calauan to its tenants at President Quezon’s request.

• 1926

  Hacienda finances a hospital

  [1]Calauanen.wikipedia.org

  Hacienda Calauan funded construction of a hospital, with Mariano O. Marfori Jr. later serving as director and resident physician.

• 1902

  Civilian authority established

  [1]Calauanen.wikipedia.org

  Mariano Marfori became Calauan’s first municipal presidente under the new civilian administration.

• 1897

  Revolutionary battle at Cupangan

  [1]Calauanen.wikipedia.org

  Basilio Geiroza and his forces defeated a guardia civil battalion in a battle at Barrio Cupangan.

• 1812

  Hacienda Calauan formed

  [1]Calauanen.wikipedia.org

  Iñigo acquired extensive landholdings that later became known as Hacienda Calauan.

• 1703

  Town moved after an epidemic

  [1]Calauanen.wikipedia.org

  An epidemic prompted the transfer of the town to its present road-junction location.

• 1582

  Town government established near Mabacan

  [1]Calauanen.wikipedia.org

  Spanish authorities established a town government near present-day Barrio Mabacan, roughly two kilometers from the current poblacion.

• 1572

  Spanish expedition passes through the region

  [1]Calauanen.wikipedia.org

  Captain Juan de Salcedo passed through the Laguna and Tayabas area, where the fertile land that would become associated with Calauan attracted attention.

A Laguna municipality positioned around agriculture, pineapple production, community identity, accessible natural attractions, and local public services.

• Agriculture

  Pineapple production

  Pineapple cultivation is one of Calauan’s best-known agricultural activities and contributes strongly to the municipality’s economic and civic identity. The crop is also the central theme of the annual Pineapple Festival, which promotes local agriculture and community participation.

• Tourism

  Local tourism destinations

  Calauan’s tourism offer includes the Field of Faith in Barangay Lamot 2, Mount Kalisungan, and the Isdaan Floating Restaurant on the Calamba–Pagsanjan Road. These destinations combine religious, outdoor, recreational, and culinary experiences rather than representing a single commercial product line.

• 1993

  Antonio Sanchez rape and double-murder case

  Then-mayor Antonio Sanchez became the subject of national attention after being implicated in the rape and double murder of two University of the Philippines Los Baños students. Sanchez and several other defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment in March 1995.

  Source

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• Pineapple Festival

  Calauan · Laguna

  A May civic and agricultural festival celebrating Calauan’s pineapple production and local community identity.

  Outcome. It remains a recurring element of Calauan’s cultural and tourism profile.

  Source
• Bayan ni Juan

  Metro Manila · Calauan

  A resettlement initiative that helped move informal settlers from Metro Manila to Calauan.

  Outcome. The program contributed to population growth and expanded the municipality’s housing and service responsibilities.

  Source
• Kapit-Bisig para sa Ilog Pasig

  Metro Manila · Calauan

  A relocation and urban-environment initiative associated with the ABS-CBN Foundation that resettled informal settlers in Calauan.

  Outcome. The initiative supported resettlement in Calauan and contributed to the municipality’s demographic change.

  Source

• 1939

  Subdivision and sale of Hacienda Calauan landStrategy

  Background

  Hacienda Calauan remained a major landholding whose ownership affected the municipality’s agricultural and social structure.

  Action taken

  Doña Margarita Roxas viuda de Soriano subdivided much of the hacienda and sold parcels to its tenants after a request from President Manuel L. Quezon.

  Aftermath

  The transaction transferred land to tenants and became an important episode in Calauan’s land and agricultural history.

  Source

1. 1Calauanen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official website of the Municipality of Calauancalauanlaguna.gov.ph