Mabitac

Mabitac, officially the Municipality of Mabitac (Template:Langx), is a municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the Template:PH wikidata, it has a population of Template:PH wikidata people.Template:PH wikidata

Etymology

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".

History

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 only in the year 1611, not by legislation, but by mutual agreement by and 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

Destroyed buildings in Mabitac (1945)

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

Geography

Mabitac is Template:Convert from Santa Cruz, Template:Convert from Manila, and Template:Convert from Antipolo.

Barangays

Mabitac is politically subdivided into 15 barangays, as indicated below:Template:PSGC detail Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Brgy. Map of Mabitac

• 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

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Mabitac was 21,275 people,Template:PH wikidata with a density of Template:Convert.

Education

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Primary and elementary schools

• E.W. De Vela Elementary School
• Eugenia Games Olarte Reyes Elementary School
• Mabitac Elementary School
• Matalatala Elementary School
• Nanguma Elementary School
• Numero Elementary School
• Paagahan Elementary School

Secondary schools

• Mabitac National High School
• Paagahan Integrated National High School
• Matalatala Integrated National High School

Gallery

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

Notable personalities

• 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.

See also

• Battle of Mabitac

External links

• "Municipality of Mabitac", Province of Laguna Website
• [[[:Template:NSCB detail]] Philippine Standard Geographic Code]
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System Template:Webarchive