Batangas History, Philippines
Stories about endless revolutions, World War II, foreign invasions and national political struggles are no doubt a nightmare. But the province of Batangas is taking you down the memory lane because it wants to teach you the essence of bravery, patriotism and pride.
Batangas is known to be Home of Heroes and Patriots because most notable Filipino leaders were from here, namely: Apolinario Mabini dubbed as “Sublime Paralytic” and “Brains of the Revolution”, Marcela Agoncillo who sewed the Philippine Flag, and Filipino General Miguel Malvar known to be the last to surrender to Americans. Former Philippine President Jose Laurel, who led the nation during World War II with support from the Japanese Armed Forces, was also a native of Tanauan, Batangas. No wonder, most people in Batangas are charming, brave and persevering.
When the Spaniards came in 1581 to make it into a province, Batangas was still comprised of the islands of Mindoro and Marinduque, and Southeastern Laguna. From its early names Balayan (old Tagalog word for houses), then later Bonbon (a group of anything piled together), it became Batangas that’s derived from batangan (a raft people used to catch fish in Taal Lake).
Authentic Tagalog (Filipino) dialect was first used by townsmen, thus Batangas is considered the “Heart of Tagalog Language”. Batangueños converse in an endearing accent that often times with expressions such as “eh or ga”, just to emphasize affection. Many immigrants from the Visayas now reside here. A few locals can also speak Spanish after being under the Spanish rule for 333 years. Filipino Historian Maria Kalaw Katigbak once called the Batangueños to be Super Tagalogs bearing a good example of an ethno-linguistic group.
A certain tradition called Matanda sa Dugo (older by blood) is being preserved in the province to pay respect to the elderly. There are also many distinctions that Batangueños are known for: they accommodate you with ultimate hospitality; they like sweet food; they are naturally passionate; they can sustain long hours of drinking sessions. Besides that, they want their coffee strong. In 1900s, natives would sip brewed coffee formerly termed as kapeng barako (stud’s coffee) as a regular drink. It has been used as a famous energy-booster since then.
Truth of the matter was that after long years, the province was finally acknowledged to be a strong tourism site by the world-renowned late President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos in the early 1980’s. Since then, tourists have been satisfied to grasp a very cordial culture.
With much sweetness among its people and greater heroism behind its forefathers, your interest in coming to Batangas should be a bit higher.
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