Calatagan

The word Calatagan is taken from the Tagalog word latag and is closely associated with kapatagan, which means a vast portion of flat land lying between the hills and mountains. Thus, Calatagan means a large expanse of wide flat land.^[6]

The town is the site of the historically and archaeologically famous Calatagan Excavation whose antique pottery and utensils contributed important facts about the culture and activities of the Filipinos before the coming of the Spaniards. Chinese pottery, unearthed from six large cemeteries by archaeologists Olov T.R Jones and Robert B. Fox led to a conclusion made by H. Otley Beyer which points out the existence of a sizable pre-Spanish population in the town. The same studies suggested that there were direct Chinese trade by water in Calatagan and centered at a place called Balong-Bato, wherein an entrance through the reef, which surrounds Calatagan, is still presently used by vessels coming from Mindoro and Manila.

The land occupied by the municipality of Calatagan was acquired by Domingo Roxas from the Spanish Crown in 1829 and was called Hacienda de Calatagan. The successors Pedro P. Roxas and Antonio R. Roxas continued to develop it.

In 1912, through Executive Order No. 78 by then Governor-General William Cameron Forbes, Calatagan became a municipality independent from its mother municipality, Balayan.^[7]

In 1931, Carmen Roxas, the last heir of the Roxas Clan transferred ownership of the Hacienda to the Zobel brothers, Jacobo and Alfonso. During the time of the Zobels, the hacienda came to be known as Central Azucarera de Calatagan or simply "Central Carmen" when referring to the sugar milling complex.

In 1934, the barangays of Baha and Talibayog, which were parts of Balayan at the time, were annexed to Calatagan since surveys showed that they are part of the land titled to the original owner of Hacienda Calatagan. This added a big area to the municipality.

On October 28, 1957, a decade after the Philippines gained independence from the Americans, the Land Tenure Administration, upon petition of the people of Calatagan bought the Hacienda Lands from the Zobels. These were apportioned to the inhabitants and sold to them at ₱5.00 (equivalent to ₱639.8 in 2021) per hectare payable in installment within a period of 25 years.^[6]

Calatagan comprises the Calatagan Peninsula between the South China Sea and Balayan Bay. It is located at 13°49′59″N 120°37′55″E.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 112.00 square kilometers (43.24 sq mi) ^[8] constituting 3.59% of the 3,119.75-square-kilometer (1,204.54 sq mi) total area of Batangas.

Calatagan is 71 kilometers (44 mi) from Batangas City and 129 kilometers (80 mi) from Manila.

In the 2024 census, Calatagan had a population of 60,420 people.^[17] The population density was 540 inhabitants per square kilometer (1,400/sq mi).

Poverty incidence of Calatagan

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^{[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]}

A Spanish lighthouse can also be found at Cape Santiago at the peninsula's southern tip dating back to the 1890s and is also one of the municipality's main tourist attractions.

The peninsula's near white sand beaches are well-known vacation and leisure sites. There are several beach resorts including the Banak House Calatagan on Calatagan beach, the Ronco Beach Resort in Barangay Bagong Silang, Playa Calatagan in barangay Santa Ana, the Golden Sunset Resort in barangay Uno, Lago de Oro Resort in barangay Balibago, Villa Agustina in barangay Bagong Silang, and Nacua Sea Park in barangay Quilitisan. Calatagan was formerly titled as the Forbes Park of the South, because of the rich families who own estates here.^{[citation needed]}

The Calatagan Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools.^[26]

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  Municipal Hall
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  Downtown Calatagan
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  Plaza
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  Santo Domingo de Silos Parish Church
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  Sunset at a Beach in Calatagan
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  Port of Calatagan