Mabitac

Mabitac was an excellent hunting ground for wild game three centuries ago. Native hunters used numerous cave-ins or trap-ins called "bitag" in the local language. Hence, the place was referred to as "Mabitag" meaning "a place with many traps".

The first Spaniards who came to this place were the friars who established the first Spanish settlement in the area and began to Christianize the local population. The Spaniards, having difficulty in pronouncing the "G" consonant, called this place "Mabitac" whenever they mentioned this place. Eventually, the name found its way in the official records and maps of Laguna made by Spanish cartographers and mariners who chartered the coastal areas of Laguna de Bay.

This town was formerly a barrio of Siniloan, an immediate neighboring town. It became an independent municipality in 1611, not by legislation, but by mutual agreement between the Spanish friars of both towns who were then the influential ruling class.

Mabitac was the site of a battle in the Philippine–American War, when on September 17, 1900, Filipinos under General Juan Cailles defeated an American force commanded by Colonel Benjamin F. Cheatham.

World War II and Japanese occupation

In 1942, Japanese soldiers entered and occupied Mabitac. In 1945, the Philippine guerrillas defeated the Japanese and liberated Mabitac.

Mabitac is 30 kilometres (19 mi) from Santa Cruz, 76 kilometres (47 mi) from Manila, and 59 kilometres (37 mi) from Antipolo.

Barangays

Mabitac is politically subdivided into 15 barangays, as indicated below: ^[6] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

• Amuyong
• Lambac (Poblacion)
• Lucong (Poblacion)
• Matalatala
• Nanguma
• Numero
• Paagahan
• Bayanihan (Poblacion)
• Libis ng Nayon (Poblacion)
• Maligaya (Poblacion)
• Masikap (Poblacion)
• Pag-Asa (Poblacion)
• Sinagtala (Poblacion)
• San Antonio
• San Miguel

In the 2024 census, the population of Mabitac was 21,748 people,^[13] with a density of 270 inhabitants per square kilometre or 700 inhabitants per square mile.

Poverty incidence of Mabitac

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^{[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]}

The Famy-Mabitac 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.^[22]

• 
  Welcome marker
• 
  Hilltop view of Mabitac
• 
  Town hall
• 
  Nuestra Señora de Candelaria Parish Church

• Juan Cailles (born Juan Cailles y Kauppama; November 10, 1871 – June 28, 1951) was a Filipino of French-Indian descent. A member of the revolutionary movement Katipunan, he was a commanding officer of the Philippine Revolutionary Army who served during the Philippine Revolution and Philippine–American War. He later served as a provincial Governor of Laguna and a member of the Philippine Legislature.

• Battle of Mabitac