BATANGAS

Batangas is a first class province of the Philippines located on the southwestern part of Luzon in the CALABARZON region. Its capital is Batangas City and it is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north and Quezon to the east. Across theVerde Island Passages to the south is the island of Mindoro and to the west lies the South China Sea. Poetically, Batangas is often referred to by its ancient name Kumintang.

Batangas is one of the most popular tourist destinations near Metro Manila. The province has many beaches and is famous for excellent diving spots including Anilao in Mabini, Sombrero Island in Tingloy, Ligpo Island in Bauan, these areas more popularly known as Anilao. Matabungkay in Lian, Punta Fuego in Nasugbu, Calatagan and Laiya in San Juan.

Batangas is also where Taal Volcano, one of the Decade Volcanoes is located. It is also where the Taal Heritage town lies, a small picturesque town that has ancestral houses and structures dating back to the 1800s.

The Provincial Capitol Hall of Batangas

Governor: Rosa Vilma Santos-Recto

CITIES

BATANGAS CITY

Known as the "Industrial Port City of CALABARZON" and classified as one of the most competitive citiess in the country today and the home of approximately 324,116 peace-loving, hospitable and hard working inhabitants. It was proclaimed as a City on July 23,1969 which became the accelerating point of trading, commercial and industrial activities in the locality. The city is presently classified as a Regional Growth Center and identified as one of the sites for the Regional Agro-Industrial Center and Special Economic Zone as mandated by the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan and the Ecozone Act of 1995. This capital city is one of the nation's top revenue earning cities and the site of one of the biggest refineries in the Philippines. The city is also hosting the first three power plants using natural gas with a combined capacity of 2,700MW. It is located approximately 108.00 kiometers south of Manila.

The city's fine harbor was declared as an International Port and an alternate port of Manila. The city is the land of historical places, of fresh fruits and marine resourcesand of great opportunities for social and economic advancement.

TANAUAN CITY

The City of Tanauan (Filipino: Lungsod ng Tanauan) is a second class city in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 142,537 inhabitants in 21,912 households. It was incorporated as a city under Republic Act. No. 9005, signed on February 2, 2001 and ratified on March 10, 2001.

Revolutionary thinker and former Prime Minister Apolinario Mabini and former President Jose P. Laurel were born in Tanauan.

Recent events include the assassination of its former mayor, Cesar V. Platon, by NPA rebels, as he was running for the governorship of Batangas. This happened days shy of the election.

The city share its borders with Calamba City, Laguna to the north, Tagaytay City, Cavite to the northwest, Talisay, Batangas to the west, Santo Tomas, Batangas to the east, and the towns of Balete and Malvar to the south.

DEVELOPMENTS

The Batangas Seaport Terminal, a modern passenger terminal, is owned by the province of Batangas.

Batangas City is the principal port for ferry access to Mindoro, Tablas, Romblon, and other islands. Montenegro Lines is the largest of a number of passenger shipping companies operating out of Batangas.

Liquid natural gas and petroleum tankers offload at Batangas in sizeable quantity.

On January 19, 2008, Phase 2 of the Batangas City International Container Port was opened by the Philippines President, and is operated by the Philippine ports Authority.

On the same day, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also inspected a major road project in Southern Tagalog. She then inspected the P1.5-billion, 19.74 kilometer Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR Tollway), Stage II-Phase 1 connecting Lipa and Batangas and the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) road widening, expansion and the STAR Tollway development projects in Batangas.

The STAR Tollway that connects Lipa City to Batangas City