Laurel, Batangas

The town's present name is derived from Miguel Laurel, known as the first notable Laurel in the Philippines and a longtime patriarch of the place and José P. Laurel, a former president and a native of Tanauan, Batangas.

Laurel traces its origin to a remote barrio called Bugain (derived from buga, a black scoria formed from ejected tephra during eruptions of Taal), which was part of Talisay that was established in 1869.^[6] Located by the Tanauan Bay, the present-day municipality was also the first location of Tanauan's municipal seat (poblacion) until 1754, when it was transferred to the present-day barangay Sala in Tanauan as a result of the Taal Volcano eruption that year.^[7] In 1903, the barrio became part of Tanauan following its merger with Talisay, to which it had belonged, by virtue of Act No. 708.^[8] A year later, it was transferred to Taal by virtue of Act No. 1244, before it was eventually returned to the reestablished municipality of Talisay.^[9] After the 1911 Taal Volcano eruption, population grew at the area with agricultural cultivation as the locals' primary livelihood. The area was later called Nayon ng Bayuyungan (derived from bayong) or simply as Bayuyungan and was designated as the center of the area that consisted it and nearby barrios.^[10] The present-day barangay Berinayan was also annexed to Tagaytay in Cavite from the 1940s to 1956, when it was returned to Talisay.^[11]

Laurel was previously a part of Talisay, its current neighbor town, until 1969. Locals led by Jose Macaraig, Placido Amo (vice mayor of Talisay), and Severino Amo signed a petition to create an independent town out of barrio Bayuyungan and adjacent barrios. It was first endorsed to Senator Maria Kalaw Katigbak, who in turn presented it to President Diosdado Macapagal. It was also presented to the Talisay municipal government, who in turn forwarded it to Batangas Governor Feliciano Leviste. The Batangas Provincial Board then endorsed the petition as a resolution to Batangas 3rd district Representative José Laurel Jr. and finally through House Bill No. 17628.^[10]

On June 21, 1969, the barrios of Bayuyungan, Ticub, Balakilong, Bugaan, Berinayan, As-is, San Gabriel, and Buso-buso were officially separated from Talisay and constituted into a separate municipality of Laurel, by virtue of Republic Act No. 5689. Bayuyungan became the present-day poblacion.^[12] The first set of officials acted on November 8, 1971, with Placido Amo as Mayor.^[10]

Laurel is located at 14°03′01″N 120°55′56″E / 14.050381°N 120.932328°E / 14.050381; 120.932328.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 71.29 square kilometers (27.53 sq mi) ^[13] constituting 2.29% of the 3,119.75-square-kilometer (1,204.54 sq mi) total area of Batangas.

Laurel is 70 kilometers (43 mi) from Batangas City and 93 kilometers (58 mi) from Manila.

Laurel is politically subdivided into 21 barangays, as shown in the matrix below.^[14] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

In the 2024 census, Laurel had a population of 44,791 people.^[22] The population density was 630 inhabitants per square kilometer (1,600/sq mi).

Poverty incidence of Laurel

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^{[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]}

• Fishing – Laurel's main economical source is fish culture in Taal Lake where most of local residents base their trade.
• Farming – Small rice paddies on the foothills of Taal canyon ridge provide for ricefields to farmers.
• Real estate – The town's vast land resource provide ideal location for real estate developers such as Megaworld and Fil-Estate which are mostly based in Metro Manila. Among the major real estate subdivisions located in Barangay San Gregorio are Canyon Woods and Twin Lakes.^[31]

Like other municipalities in the Philippines, Laurel is governed by a mayor and vice mayor who are elected to three-year terms. The mayor is the executive head who leads the municipal's departments in the execution of municipal ordinances and in the delivery of public services. The vice mayor heads a legislative council that is composed of 10 members: 8 elected councilors and 2 ex officio office held by the ABC President as the barangay sector representative and by the SK Federation President. The council is in charge of creating the minucipal's policies in the form of ordinances and resolutions.

The Laurel 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.^[32]

• Colegio de Laurel