San Nicolas, Batangas

San Nicolas is derived from Spanish for Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, the town's patron saint.^[6]

San Nicolas traces its roots to barrio Wawa, which was once part of the municipality of Taal. The barrio also covered areas of what is now Alitagtag, Agoncillo, Lemery, and San Luis, according to old locals. It was first inhabited by Malays from Borneo. It was the site of Taal's second municipal center from its establishment in 1572 to 1754, during the peak of Moro piracy.^[6] Taal was designated as the provincial capital of Batangas from 1732 to 1754.^[7] The 1754 Taal Volcano eruption, which lasted for months, greatly destroyed the area, making Taal move its municipal center to its present location near Balayan Bay.^[8] After which, Wawa was renamed to San Nicolas.^[6]

It was on the night of June 25, 1954 that the San Nicolas Ladies Club tendered a party in honor of Miss Marcelina de Sagun for passing the Board of Midwifery, when some old folks in the persons of Atty. Exequiel D. Caringal, Mr. Jose Caringal, Mr. Herminigildo de Sagun, Mr. Alfredo Umali, Mr. Ireneo Matienzo, Mr. Teodoro S. Mayuga and Mr. Maximo Atienza conceived the idea of converting barrio San Nicolas into a new municipality. Neighboring barangay residents were consulted and a unanimous decision was established favoring the proposal. Not only was a committee formed, but also a delegation to the President, headed by Batangas Governor Feliciano Leviste and Senator Jose P. Laurel. However, the Municipal Mayor of Taal, Hon. Ignacio Ilagan, with his avid followers, opposed the move. The committee requested Representative Apolinario R. Apacible (Batangas–1st) to file a bill in Congress. The Representative immediately filed House Bill No. 3407, co-sponsored by Representative Lamberto Macias (Negros Oriental–2nd), which ultimately led to the creation of the Municipality of San Nicolas.^[9]

In 1955, with the enactment of Republic Act No. 1229, the municipality, consisting of the Taal barrios of San Nicolas, Abelo, Alas-as, Balete, Bancoro, Bangin, Calangay, Calawit, Calumala, Hipit, Maabud, Munlawin, Pansipit, Pulang-Bato, Saimsim, Sinturisan, Talang, and Tambo, was created. The effect entered into force on June 1, 1955.^[10] In 1957, the following sitios were converted into independent barrios: Burol from Tambo,^[11] Tagudtod from Munlawin,^[12] Kalawit and Pulang-Bato from Alas-as,^[13][14] and Baluk-Baluk from Hipit.^[15] In 1961, the barrios of Calumala, Tambo, Saimsim and Bucal were separated from San Nicolas to form parts of the new municipality of Santa Teresita.^[16]

The first appointed Mayor (August 09, 1955) and first elected Mayor (November 09, 1959) of San Nicolas, Batangas is Atty. Exequiel D. Caringal. In April 1963, Nacionalista Mayor Teodoro Mayuga joined the Liberal Party, aligning with the Macapagal administration.^[17]

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 14.37 square kilometers (5.55 sq mi) ^[18] constituting 0.46% of the 3,119.75-square-kilometer (1,204.54 sq mi) total area of Batangas.

The municipality also occupies the southern half of Taal Volcano, shared by the municipality of Talisay in the northern half.

San Nicolas is politically subdivided into 18 barangays, as shown in the matrix below.^[19] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

In the 2024 census, San Nicolas had a population of 24,392 people.^[27] The population density was 1,700 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,400/sq mi).

Poverty incidence of San Nicolas

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^{[28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]}

Lester De Sagun has been the mayor of San Nicolas since 2019.^[36]

The San Nicolas 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.^[37]

• Maabud National High School
• San Nicolas Integrated High School