San Pablo, Laguna

San Pablo, officially theCity of San Pablo(Filipino:Lungsod ng San Pablo), is acomponent cityin theprovinceofLaguna,Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 285,348 people.
The city is also known as the "City of Seven Lakes" (Filipino:Lungsod ng Pitong Lawa), referring to theSeven Lakes of San Pablo:Lake Sampaloc(or Sampalok),Lake Palakpakin,Lake Bunot,Lakes Pandin and Yambo,Lake Muhikap, andLake Calibato.
San Pablo was part of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Lipabeginning in 1910. On November 28, 1967, it became an independentdioceseand became theRoman Catholic Diocese of San Pablo.
San Pablo is derived from theSpanishfor Saint Paul, referring to the local patron saint,Paul the First Hermit. It was previously known asSan Pablo de los Montes, which translates to "Saint Paul of the Mountains" in Spanish.
San Pablo's earliest historical record dates back to pre-Spanishtimes when four large barrios bounded byMount Makilingcomposed of settlements, the most prominent of which was "Sampalok" (Sampaloc). In 1571, the first Spanish troops under CaptainJuan de Salcedoarrived in the upland village of Sampaloc. It was noted by Father Joaquin Martinez de Zuñiga that its original inhabitants wereAetasand were ruled by four chieftains.
San Pablo became a parish in 1586, and then a municipality in 1647, and was renamed "San Pablo de los Montes" in honor ofSaint Paul the First Hermit.
Augustinian friar, Father Hernando Cabrera built the first church made of wood. It was noted that the sacristy of this church was ornamented and contained silver, which rivalled and even surpassed that of Spain.
In 1756, it was placed under the jurisdiction ofBatangasprovince but was returned to Laguna in 1883.
In 1899, a municipal government was established, with Atty. Innocente Martinez as municipal president. Marcos Paulino was elected municipal president in 1902 when the civil government was set up. From 1926 to 1940, the people of San Pablo worked for its independence from the province ofLaguna.
On May 7, 1940, the Charter Bill sponsored by Assemblyman Tomas D. Dizon ofLaguna's 1st districtwas approved by PresidentManuel L. Quezon. The bill became known as the City Charter of San Pablo or Commonwealth Act No. 520, approved by President Quezon.
The city was inaugurated on March 30, 1941, with Potenciano Malvar, a formergovernor of Laguna, as the city mayor appointed by president Manuel L. Quezon. Succeeding him in 1941 as an appointed mayor was Manuel Quisumbing, in turn followed by Tomas D. Dizon in 1943 as an appointed mayor. The succeeding mayors were elected after 1955, with Cipriano B. Colago being the first elected city mayor.
San Pablo is located in the southern portion ofLagunaprovince, 82 kilometers (51 mi) southeast ofManilaviaAlaminosand 37 kilometers (23 mi) southwest ofSanta CruzviaCalauan.
By land area, it is the largest in Laguna province; by population, it is the sixth largest, after the cities ofCalamba,Santa Rosa,Biñan,San Pedro, andCabuyao.
San Pablo has a cool climate owing to its location. It is located in the foothills of three mountains:Mount Banahaw,Mount Makilingand theSierra Madre Mountainswithin theLaguna Volcanic Field, also known as the San Pablo Volcanic Field.
The climate and soil are suitable for agriculture. The different barangays have plantations forcoconuts, lanzones fruit (Lansium parasiticum), andrambutanfruit.
The prevailing climatic conditions in the city is categorized intowetanddry seasons.
San Pablo is politically subdivided into 80barangays. Each barangay consists ofpuroksand some havesitios.
According to the 2020 census, San Pablo had a population of 285,348 people,up from 266,068 people in the 2015 census.The city was once the largest city in Laguna, but it was overtaken byCalambain the 1990 census.San Pedrofollowed suit in 1995, then cameSanta RosaandBiñanin 2007, andCabuyaoin 2015, all owing their growth to its proximity toMetro Manila.
The language spoken in the city and the medium of instruction in schools areEnglishandFilipino, also known asTagalogin this area.
At the end of the 20th century and the start of the 21st century, economic development shifted from San Pablo to western Laguna.San Pedro,Biñan,Santa Rosa,Cabuyao,Calamba,Los Baños, andSanta Cruzexperienced rapid economic development brought about by local and foreign investments, the rapid growth of industrial estates and export processing zones, and the placement of major institutions in those areas, San Pablo City was left behind and remained a semi-developed residential community.
Despite the fact that the city was partly touched by economic development, San Pablo boasts itself as a potential eco-tourism destination in the province. However, given its human and land resources, various BPO companies are seriously looking at developing the city into the ICT hub of Southern Luzon. Although there were previous attempts to build a similar establishment,SM Prime Holdingswas given its go signal in July 2008 to push ahead forSM City San Pablolocated at Riverina Commercial Estates along Maharlika Highway at Barangay San Rafael.Apart from this, the development of the Hacienda Escudero plantation resort town and nearby real estates, which is a joint venture with Landco, is by far the largest planned community investment in the city covering 415 hectares (1,030 acres): It will include resort type communities; the originalVilla Escudero Plantationsas the center-piece; commercial establishments like a mall, hotels, and a convention center to be built relative to the distinctive architecture theme of the original Villa Escudero. As suchHacienda Escuderowill become the ultimate history town themed community in this part of the country.
ABS-CBNTV-46 San Pablo (DWLY-TV) served the city through its office along Rizal Avenue at the heart of the city until its operations wasshut downin 2020.
San Pablo also claims the title "City ofBuko Pie", although other neighboring towns are also known for producing the delicacy. Colettes' Buko Pie, based in San Pablo, was known for experimenting with different variants of the delicacy. Colette's has also regularly produced the "World's Largest Buko Pie" during San Pablo's Coco Festival. Colette's is the largest Buko Pie brand in the Laguna area with 34 stores. The supply of coconut in San Pablo makes it an ideal spot for putting up buko pie shops.
Franklin Baker Company, one of the well-known companies with operations in San Pablo, has announced that its plant in the city would cease its operations and transfer to another existing facility, owned by the said company, inDavao del Surby December 2008. The said decision could affect the jobs of at least 1,200 people, the majority of them San Pableños. Various factors are blamed for this closure, including the conversion of big coconut farms into residential areas.However, production was restored in the first quarter of 2009 in the San Pablo plant of Franklin Baker Company due to processing problems encountered atDavao del Sur.
TheSeven Lakes of San Pablo, sevencrater lakesscattered around the city, have for many generations provided food and livelihood, leisure and respite for the citizens of the city. A bustling city of trade and commerce, it is also a center of education and learning with schools, colleges, and training institutions.
Most of the large hospitals in San Pablo are located in the city proper, but there are also health centers built for each barangay in San Pablo.
Notable hospitals and medical centers are as follows:
San Pablo city is along the Maharlika Highway which leads to Quezon province.Jeepneysconnect San Pablo city proper with nearbyCalauanandRizal, as well as other cities likeTanauan,Santo Tomas, andCalamba. It is also served by vans heading to the cities ofLipa,Santa Rosa, andBiñan.
Philippine National Railwayshas astationfor its southern main line near the city proper.
The San Pablo City Central Terminal, opened in 2023,is the city's main bus terminal that serves commuters going to Metro Manila, as well as other provincial destinations.
San Pablo's water source is run by its own San Pablo City Water District and is assisted byNAWASA. Just like every other place in Southern Tagalog, San Pablo's electricity is run byMeralco.
Citizens of San Pablo mainly usePLDT(includingSmart),Globe, andDito Telecommunity, although some may use other internet service providers. Texting stations are often found in retail stores, stands, and residential houses.