Calamba City

City of Calamba Lungsod ng Calamba
Seal
Nickname(s): Resort Capital of the Philippines
Map of Laguna showing the location of Calamba City
Coordinates: 14°13′N 121°10′E / 14.217, 121.167
Country	Philippines
Region	CALABARZON
Province	Laguna
District	II
Barangays	54
Incorporated (Town)	August 28, 1742
Incorporated (City)	April 21, 2001
Area
- City	144.80 km² (55.9 sq mi)
Population (2007)
- City	360,281
- Density	2,488/km² (5,029/sq mi)
- Metro	Manilla
Time zone	PST (UTC+8)
ZIP code	4027 4028 - Canlubang 4029 - Camp Vicente Lim (Mayapa)
Area code(s)	49
Income Class	1st Class
Classification	Component City
Website: elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/CITYOFCALAMBA

The concrete jar where the legend of the city's name has been immortalized.

Calamba City is a first class city in the province of Laguna, Philippines. Situated only 54 kilometers south of Manila, about an hour by chartered bus, Calamba City is a popular tourist destination with its hot spring resorts, most of which are located in Barangay Pansol, and the Canlubang Golf and Country Club, site of many Philippine Opens. Calamba is also an important modern industrial center in the CALABARZON region as shown by the large number of industrial parks and business estates that are located in the city. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 360,281 inhabitants (281,146 people in 58,466 households in 2000 census).

Calamba City is also the birthplace of José Rizal, the country's national hero.

Buit 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.

History

The name of the city comes from a legend that during the early time of the Spanish period in the country, two "guardias civil" or soldiers were lost and passing through what is now Calamba. The soldiers met a young lady who came from a river carrying a jar of water and a wooden stove. The soldiers unwittingly in Spanish language and in authoritative tone, to conceal the fact that they were lost, asked the local maiden the name of the place they were in. The lady, who speaks only her native language, naturally thought she was being interrogated about what she was carrying and nervously uttered "kalan-banga", meaning "clay stove" (kalan) and "water jar" (banga). Because the Spaniards could not pronounce it properly, the town has been called Calamba supposedly since then. This legend is immortalized with a large concrete water jar erected in the city plaza with the names of the city's barangays written on its surface. It is considered the World's Biggest "Claypot". This same jar is also found in the city's seal. The plaza was proposed by Dr. Agapito Alzona, then the town councilor to utilize the waste area where the old town market relocated from. The resolution was approved by the then town mayor Roman Lazaro and added additional P5,000 for the fence to the original P15,000 construction cost. It was completed in 1939.

Before it became a separate town, Calamba was then a part of Tabuco, now known as Cabuyao. Calamba became an independent pueblo on August 28, 1742.

During the Japanese occupation in World War II, the city was the theater of a massacre during which the Imperial Japanese Army killed at least 2,000 civilians. ^[1]

Invasion of Calamba
Part of World War II
Date 1945 Location Calamba Result Filipino Victory
Belligerents
Commonwealth of the Philippines	Empire of Japan
Strength
1,470 Filipino troops 470 Filipino guerrillas	1,920 Japanese Troops

In 1945, the decoration of the Philippine Comonwealth soldiers and local guerrillas was taken in Calamba, fought the battles against the Japanese forces during the Second World War.

With the passage of Republic Act No. 9024 on April 7, 2001 and the approval of the residents in a plebiscite on April 21, Calamba was promoted from a municipality into Laguna's second component city after San Pablo.

Calamba boasts no less than five national heroes: Dr. Jose Rizal, General Paciano Rizal, Teodora Alonzo, General Vicente Lim, and Lt. Geronimo Aclan.

Geography

Calamba lies at the northern slopes of Mount Makiling, a dormant volcano. The southern terminus of the South Luzon Expressway is in Calamba and this geographic position makes the city a gateway to the southern provinces of Luzon. The highway at the end of the South Luzon Expressway leads east to the other towns of Laguna and south towards the provinces of Batangas and Quezon. Calamba City is bordered by Cabuyao to the north, Los Baños to the east, by the province of Batangas to the south, specifically the municipalities of Santo Tomas and Talisay, and by the province of Cavite to the west, with Tagaytay City and Silang. Laguna de Bay the country's largest lake, forms the city's northwest border. The provincial capital, Santa Cruz, is located 45 kilometers by road to the east.

Barangays

Calamba City is politically subdivided into 54 barangays.

Banlic Bunggo Burol Camaligan Canlubang Hornalan Kay-Anlog La Mesa Lecheria Looc Mabato Mapagong Maunong Mayapa Parian Palo-Alto Prinza Punta Puting Lupa Sucol Tulo Ulango 1. Laguerta 2. Bubuyan 3. Majada Labas 4. Sirang Lupa 5. Barandal 6. Paciano Rizal 7. San Cristobal 8. Batino 9. Lawa 10. Real

11. Turbina 12. Makiling 13. Saimsim 14. Bagong Kalsada 15. Masili 16. Pansol 17. Bucal 18. Halang 19. Lingga 20. Palingon 21. Sampiruhan 22. San Juan 23. Banadero 24. Barangay 1 24. Barangay 2 24. Barangay 3 24. Barangay 4 24. Barangay 5 24. Barangay 6 24. Barangay 7 25. San Jose 26. Uwisan

Infrastructure and Road Systems

Calamba City, as the regional center of Region IV-A or Calabarzon, has different roads that course through the city and can take anyone to different locations in the region. There are many roads and highways in Calamba City that still continue to be developed. Such examples are:

• 1. SLEX or South Luzon Expressway - Calamba City has five interchanges and three overpasses that cross or branch from the SLEX. Going southward from Metro Manila, the hierarchy of the said interchanges and overpasses are: Silangan Interchange or Exit 45 which takes you to Canlubang and Mapagong; Mapagong Overpass which crosses the area of SLEX close to the Calamba Tollway; Canlubang-Mayapa Interchange or Exit 47 that takes you to the National Highway in Parian and adjacent barangays Mayapa, Canlubang, and Paciano Rizal; Batino Overpass which crosses Batino; Batino Exit or Exit 49 wherein anyone can go to cities of Tagaytay and Tanauan and neighboring barangays Barandal, Batino, Prinza, Turbina, Lawa, Punta, and Bubuyan; Batangas Exit or Exit 50 in which motorists can go to Batangas, Quezon province, and Bicol region; and Calamba Interchange or Exit 50-A wherein motorists can access the National Highway to go to eastern towns and cities of Laguna province such as Los Baños, Bay, San Pablo City, Santa Cruz, Pagsanjan, and Siniloan. A proposal for SLEX expansion that can connect it to STAR Tollway in Batangas has been made possible and so SLEX has been recently expanded to connect it to Sto. Tomas, Batangas.
• 2. Maharlika Highway - you access this road if you enter Exit 50 or Batangas Exit. It passes through barangays Turbina, Tulo, and Makiling in Laguna, and continues through Batangas and ends at Lipa City. Along Maharlika Highway are numerous factories, warehouses, and other industrial sites that can be found in Calamba City, Laguna, and Sto. Tomas, Batangas.
• 3. Old National Highway - it starts from Metro Manila and ends at Pagsanjan, Laguna. The construction of the SLEX loosened the traffic along the National Highway. Its jurisdiction in Calamba City starts at barangay Banlic and ends at barangay Bagong Kalsada. Recently, the National Highway underwent renovations and reconstructions to improve the driving quality.
• 4. Chipeco Avenue and Extension - it starts at Padre Burgos Avenue in Barangay III, Calamba City and ends along the railroad tracks at barangay Real. It courses through barangays III, Lecheria, Halang, and Real, thus it crosses the National Highway. Calamba City Hall and Department of Education Building are located adjacent to Chipeco Avenue Extension.

Forms of Transportation

Calamba City has various forms of transportation, such as buses, jeepneys, cars, boats, and trains (this was still unconfirmed). However, jeepneys comprise the majority of Calamba's transport. Jeepneys and buses open Calamba City to nearby and distant towns. The following comprise the jeepney routes throughout Laguna and Batangas provinces:

• Calamba - Sta. Cruz
• Calamba - UP Los Baños (or UP College; this route can also access the nearby town of Bay)
• Calamba - San Pablo via Calauan
• Calamba - Sta. Cruz - Pagsanjan
• Calamba - Pila - Sta. Cruz (this is rarely used)
• Calamba - Biñan
• Calamba - General Mariano Alvarez - Carmona
• Calamba - Pacita Complex - San Pedro
• Calamba - San Pedro
• Calamba - Canlubang
• Calamba - Siranglupa (this is the newest route)
• Calamba - Alabang
• Calamba - Tanauan
• Calamba - Tanauan - Lipa (this route also accesses the towns of Santo Tomas and Malvar)

Jeepneys bound for San Pedro or Biñan also pass through the town of Cabuyao and Sta. Rosa City. Jeepneys bound for GMA and Carmona pass through SLEX. The jeepneys are mostly parked in terminal stations, almost all located at Barangay Real, such as Calamba Central Terminal run by the KMPC (Kalayaan Multi-Purpose Cooperative) and a station just beside Walter Mart and in front of the Calamba Wet and Dry Market. There are also FX's and vans that are bound for farther towns, such as Balayan and Lemery in Batangas, and Dasmariñas and Tejero in Cavite. Buses are also used as a major source of transportation, with bus companies such as Calamba Megatrans, Inc., HM Liner, Inc., Fermina Express, Saint Rose (including Giomabicon Transit), and HM Transport, Inc., which actually originated from Sta. Cruz, Laguna. None of the Calamba buses are air-conditioned, except HM Transport buses. The only bus routes open in Calamba City are the following:

• Calamba - Buendia - Taft - Lawton (with drop-off at bus stop located in Barangay Paciano Rizal)
• Calamba - College (UPLB) - Sta. Cruz
• Calamba - Alabang (although this can be connected to the Lawton route)

The PNR (Philippine National Railways) has one train station in Calamba City that is now defunct. Eventually, some rails of the PNR are topped with asphalt and cement, and many slum areas sprung around the rails. Boats are also rare in the city but it also serves as a major form of transportation in coastal barangays. A new resort built on a nearby island, named Wonder Island Resort, has a boat terminal in Barangay Palingon that takes visitors to this wonderful resort that provides a scenic view of Laguna de Bay.

Sister Cities

• Caloocan City, Philippines
• Litoměřice, Czech Republic
• Walnut, California, USA
• Wilhelmsfeld, Germany
• Guri, South Korea

References

1. ^ Jintaro Ishida, The Remains of War, 2001, p.238, citing the Barangay Real Memorial.

External links

• Town of Calamba information site
• Calamba web page in the Official Website of Laguna
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 2000 Philippine Census Information
• DEPED Masterlist
• http://www.msc.net.ph/calamba/
• http://calamba.50megs.com/
• http://ecommunity.ncc.gov.ph/CITYOFCALAMBA/

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