# Balete, Batangas

Balete, officially the Municipality of Balete (Tagalog: Bayan ng Balete), is a municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 24,055 people. The people from Balete is called Baleteños.
Balete is well known for its location on Taal Lake, providing a panoramic view of the Taal Volcano. The pilgrimage site Marian Orchard is located in Barangay Malabanan.

## Etymology

Balete originates from the tree of the same name that grew abundantly in the area.

## History

Balete was once a barrio part of Lipa. It was the site of Lipa's third municipal center from circa 1702 to 1754. Due to a Taal Volcano eruption, Lipa moved its center to its present location inland to seek refuge from further volcanic eruptions.
On June 21, 1969, barrios Malabanan, Looc, Alangilan, Palsara, Makina, Magapi, Solis, Sampalukan, Calawit, and Balete and the sitios of Sala, Paligawan, and Wani-Wani were separated from Lipa and constituted into a new independent municipality of Balete.

## Geography

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 25.00 square kilometers (9.65 sq mi)  constituting 0.80% of the 3,119.75-square-kilometer (1,204.54 sq mi) total area of Batangas.

### Barangays

Balete is politically subdivided into 13 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
| PSGC | Barangay | Population | Population | Population | ±% p.a. | ±% p.a. |
| | | 2020 | 2020 | 2010 | | |
| 041004001 | Alangilan | 5.9% | 1,428 | 1,296 | ▴ | 0.97% |
| 041004002 | Calawit | 4.3% | 1,028 | 809 | ▴ | 2.42% |
| 041004003 | Looc | 8.7% | 2,098 | 2,005 | ▴ | 0.45% |
| 041004004 | Magapi | 8.9% | 2,133 | 1,947 | ▴ | 0.92% |
| 041004005 | Makina | 7.3% | 1,757 | 1,519 | ▴ | 1.47% |
| 041004006 | Malabanan | 19.3% | 4,637 | 4,119 | ▴ | 1.19% |
| 041004007 | Paligawan | 8.5% | 2,047 | 1,802 | ▴ | 1.28% |
| 041004008 | Palsara | 5.8% | 1,391 | 1,381 | ▴ | 0.07% |
| 041004009 | Poblacion | 10.7% | 2,573 | 2,405 | ▴ | 0.68% |
| 041004010 | Sala | 7.3% | 1,753 | 1,429 | ▴ | 2.06% |
| 041004011 | Sampalocan | 4.5% | 1,086 | 1,003 | ▴ | 0.80% |
| 041004012 | Solis | 7.1% | 1,712 | 1,634 | ▴ | 0.47% |
| 041004013 | San Sebastian | 4.2% | 1,018 | 1,865 | ▾ | −5.87% |
| | Total | Total | 24,055 | 20,214 | ▴ | 1.75% |

### Climate

Climate data for Balete, Batangas :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29 (84) | 30 (86) | 31 (88) | 33 (91) | 32 (90) | 30 (86) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 30 (86) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 20 (68) | 20 (68) | 21 (70) | 22 (72) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 23 (73) | 22 (72) | 21 (70) | 22 (72) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 11 (0.4) | 13 (0.5) | 14 (0.6) | 32 (1.3) | 101 (4.0) | 142 (5.6) | 208 (8.2) | 187 (7.4) | 175 (6.9) | 131 (5.2) | 68 (2.7) | 39 (1.5) | 1,121 (44.3) |
| Average rainy days | 5.2 | 5.0 | 7.4 | 11.5 | 19.8 | 23.5 | 27.0 | 25.9 | 25.2 | 23.2 | 15.5 | 8.3 | 197.5 |
| Source: Meteoblue (Use with caution: this is modeled/calculated data, not measured locally.) ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

In the 2020 census, Balete had a population of 24,055. The population density was 960 inhabitants per square kilometer (2,500/sq mi).

## Economy

Poverty incidence of Balete
* 5
* 10
* 15
* 20
* 25
* 30
* 2006 24.60
* 2009 17.20
* 2012 10.59
* 2015 7.72
* 2018 12.66
* 2021 7.69
* Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

## Gallery

* Municipal hall
* Police station
* Municipal park
* Fishing boats on the shore of Taal Lake
* Marian Orchard