View source for Southern Tagalog

{{Short description|Former administrative region of the Philippines}}
{{for-multi|the present-day administrative regions|Calabarzon|and|Mimaropa|the geographical region|Luzon#Southern Luzon{{!}}Southern Luzon}}
{{Use Philippine English|date=April 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox Former Subdivision
| conventional_long_name = Southern Tagalog
| native_name = ''Timog Katagalugan''
| common_name = Southern Tagalog
| nation = Philippines
| status_text = Former [[Regions of the Philippines|region]] of the Philippines
| subdivision = Region
| era =
| year_start = 1965
| date_start = January 1,
| event_start =
| date_end = May 17,
| year_end = 2002
| life_span =
| p1 =
| flag_p1 =
| s1 = Calabarzon
| flag_s1 = 
| s2 = Mimaropa
| flag_s2 = 
| image_flag =
| image_coat =
| image_map = {{PH wikidata|image_map}}
| image_map_caption = Location within the&nbsp;Philippines
| stat_area1 =
| stat_year1 = 2000<ref name=PSA-NSO-2000 />
| stat_pop1 = 11,793,655
| capital = [[Quezon&nbsp;City]]<ref name=PhilCountryGuide /> (Regional&nbsp;center)
| political_subdiv = {{Collapsible list
 | titlestyle = padding-right:3em;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;background-color:WhiteSmoke;
 | title = 11&nbsp;provinces at the time of [[Partition (politics)|partitioning]]
 | [[Aurora (province)|Aurora]]
 | [[Batangas]]
 | [[Cavite]]
 | [[Laguna (province)|Laguna]]
 | [[Marinduque]]
 | [[Occidental Mindoro]]
 | [[Oriental Mindoro]]
 | [[Palawan]]
 | [[Quezon]]
 | [[Rizal (province)|Rizal]]
 | [[Romblon]]
}}
| today = {{unbulleted list | [[Central Luzon]] | [[Calabarzon]] | [[Metro Manila]] | [[Mimaropa]] }}
}}

'''Southern Tagalog''' ({{langx|fil|Timog Katagalugan}}), designated as '''Region IV''',{{efn|and briefly as '''Region IV-A''', when it became a sub-region of Metro Manila}} was an [[Regions of the Philippines|administrative region]] in the [[Philippines]] that comprised the current regions of [[Calabarzon]] and [[Mimaropa]], the province of [[Aurora (province)|Aurora]] in [[Central Luzon]], and most of the [[Metro Manila|National Capital Region]]. It was the largest region in the Philippines in terms of both land area and population. After its [[Partition (politics)|partition]] on May 17, 2002, Southern Tagalog continues to exist as a cultural-geographical region.<ref name=PSA-NSCB>{{cite web|title=Executive Order No. 103: Dividing Region IV into Region IV-A and Region IV-B, Transferring the Province of Aurora to Region III and for Other Purposes|url=http://www.nscb.gov.ph/activestats/psgc/articles/intro_EO103.asp|website=[[Philippine Statistics Authority]] – National Statistical Coordination Board|access-date=November 1, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090529075029/http://www.nscb.gov.ph/activestats/psgc/articles/intro_EO103.asp|archive-date=May 29, 2009}}</ref><ref name=gazette>{{cite PH act|chamber=EO|number=103, s. 2002|title=Dividing Region IV into Region IV-A and Region IV-B, transferring the Province of Aurora to Region III and for other purposes|url=https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2002/05/17/executive-order-no-103-s-2002/|date=May 17, 2002|accessdate=May 1, 2023}}</ref>

The region was and is still bordered by [[Manila Bay]] and the [[South China Sea]] to the west, [[Lamon Bay]] and the [[Bicol Region]] to the east, the [[Tayabas Bay]], [[Sibuyan Sea]], and [[Balabac Strait]], where it shared a maritime border with [[Sabah]], [[Malaysia]], to the south, and Central Luzon to the north; it was bordered by [[Cagayan Valley]] to the north geographically.

== History ==
Southern Tagalog was the largest region in the Philippines in terms of both land area and population. The ''2000 Census of Population and Housin''g showed the region having a total of 11,793,655 people, which comprised 15.42 percent of the 76.5 million population of the country at that time.<ref name=PSA-NSO-2000>{{cite web|title=Southern Tagalog: Biggest Region in the Philippines|url=http://web0.psa.gov.ph/content/southern-tagalog-biggest-region-philippines|website=Philippine Statistics Authority – Philippine Statistics Authority|publisher=[[Philippine Statistics Authority]]|access-date=November 1, 2014|date=January 2, 2003|archive-date=December 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208174818/http://web0.psa.gov.ph/content/southern-tagalog-biggest-region-philippines|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=WorldGeo>{{cite book|title=World Geography Affected by World Upheavals|publisher=Goodwill Trading Co., Inc.|isbn=9715740413|page=95|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jsnlxH9nnn4C&q=%22southern+tagalog%22+population}}</ref>

[[Quezon City]] was the designated regional center of Southern Tagalog,<ref name=PhilCountryGuide>{{cite web|title=Map of the Philippines|url=http://www.philippinecountry.com/philippinemap.html|website=Philippine Country Guide|access-date=March 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060717205224/http://www.philippinecountry.com/philippinemap.html|archive-date=July 17, 2006}}</ref> but Lucena was the former Government Center of Southern Tagalog, and is still host to most of the branches of governmental agencies, businesses, banks, and service facilities in the region.

The former region covered the area where many reside; the two other majority-[[Tagalog language|Tagalophone]] regions are the [[Metro Manila|National Capital Region]] and [[Central Luzon]].

On September 7, 1946, ''[[Republic Acts of the Philippines|Republic Act]] No. 14'' changed the name ''Tayabas'' to ''Quezon''; both Quezon City & Quezon Province were named in honor of [[Manuel L. Quezon]], the [[Commonwealth of the Philippines|Commonwealth]] president who was born in [[Baler, Aurora|Baler]], which was one of the province's towns.<ref name="ra14">{{cite PH act|chamber=RA | number=14|date=7 September 1946 | url=https://www.chanrobles.com/republicacts/republicactno14.html|title=An Act to change the name of the province of Tayabas to Quezon|via=Chan Robles Virtual Law Library}}</ref>

In June 1951, the northern area of Quezon (specifically, the towns of Baler, [[Casiguran, Aurora|Casiguran]], [[Dilasag, Aurora|Dilasag]], [[Dingalan]], [[Dinalungan]], [[Dipaculao]], [[Maria Aurora, Aurora|Maria Aurora]] and [[San Luis, Aurora|San Luis]]) was made into the sub-province of [[Aurora (province)|Aurora]]; during that time, only Baler, Casiguran, Dipaculao, and Maria Aurora existed yet, wherein the 2 latter towns were separated from Baler.<ref name="ChanRobles-RA648">{{Cite PH act|chamber=RA|number=648|date=June 14, 1951 |title=An Act Creating the Subprovince of Aurora, Which Shall Comprise the Municipalities of Baler, Casiguran, Dipaculao and Maria Aurora, Province of Quezon |url=http://www.chanrobles.com/republicacts/republicactno648.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424100810/http://www.chanrobles.com/republicacts/republicactno648.html |archive-date=April 24, 2016 |access-date=April 4, 2016 |via=Chan Robles Virtual Law Library}}</ref> Aurora was named of the president's wife, [[Aurora Quezon]], also a native of Baler. One obvious reason for creating the sub-province was the area's isolation from the rest of Quezon Province: there were no direct links to the rest of the province and much of the terrain was mountainous and heavily forested, which made the area relatively isolated, and its distance from Quezon's capital Lucena.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aurora.ph/mobile/baler-aurora-book/index.html|title=Baler for All Time|author=Edgardo Angara|website=www.aurora.ph}}</ref><ref name=AuroraHist>{{Cite web |url=https://ipedaurora.wordpress.com/home/page/ |title=The Brief History of Aurora |access-date=2023-11-05 |archive-date=2023-11-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105124347/https://ipedaurora.wordpress.com/home/page/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Aurora was finally separated from Quezon as an independent province in 1979, and added to Southern Tagalog.<ref name="ChanRobles-BP7">{{cite PH act|chamber=BP|number=7|title=An Act Separating the Sub-Province of Aurora from the Province of Quezon and Establishing It as an Independent Province| date=November 21, 1978|url=http://www.chanrobles.com/bataspambansa/bataspambansablg7.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303185029/http://www.chanrobles.com/bataspambansa/bataspambansablg7.html |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |access-date=April 4, 2016 |via=Chan Robles Virtual Law Library}}</ref>

=== Partitioning ===
Southern Tagalog was divided into [[Calabarzon]] and [[Mimaropa]], upon the issuance of Executive Order No. 103, dated May 17, 2002, by President [[Gloria Macapagal Arroyo]]. Additionally, the province of [[Aurora (province)|Aurora]] was moved to Region III ([[Central Luzon]]), the physical location of the province.<ref name=PSA-NSCB /><ref name=gazette/> The complete separation of Aurora from Quezon and its transfer to Central Luzon fulfilled the long-held wishes and prayers of the residents of the original municipalities of Baler and Casiguran, allowing them to be truly independent from Quezon Province for the first time and to restore the original La Pampanga from the Spanish era.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aurora.ph/mobile/history.html|title=Aurora, Philippines – History|website=www.aurora.ph|language=en|access-date=February 7, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208033623/http://www.aurora.ph/mobile/history.html|archive-date=February 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sunstar.com.ph/more-articles/tantingco-the-kapampangan-in-us |title=Tantingco: The Kapampangan in Us |website=[[SunStar]] |date=May 2, 2013 |access-date=2024-01-23 |archive-date=2024-01-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240123034705/https://www.sunstar.com.ph/more-articles/tantingco-the-kapampangan-in-us |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[http://marcnepo.blogspot.com/2013/06/what-is-kapampangan-region.html?m=1  What is the Kapampangan Region?]</ref><ref>[https://www.language-and-society.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Ariel-49-61.pdf  The Language Shift from the Middle and Upper Middle-Class Families
in the Kapampangan Speaking Region]</ref><ref>[https://www.facebook.com/share/1BGhCnJdPK/?mibextid=WC7FNe Pampanga used to be a coast-to-coast mega-province: What happened?] on [[Facebook]]</ref> Many residents and government leaders of Aurora, however, rejected the executive order that transferred Aurora to Central Luzon, as Aurora maintains strong historical and  cultural connections to the rest of Southern Tagalog, particularly Quezon Province, thus also of the memory of Manuel Quezon, and with that, Aurora residents self-identified with Quezon; but Aurora's transfer to Central Luzon means that geographically, the province is more accessible by land from [[Nueva Ecija]]  and of course, [[San Fernando, Pampanga]], the regional capital of Central Luzon.<ref>{{cite news|last= Orejas |first=Tonette |newspaper= Philippine Daily Inquirer|title= EO attaching Aurora to C. Luzon assailed|publisher= aurora.ph|quote= Sen. Edgardo Angara, Rep. Bellaflor Angara Castillo and Ricky Avanceña, grandson of the late President Manuel Quezon, sought the scrapping of the executive order that transferred Aurora to Central Luzon... Angara, who hails from Aurora, called the order a "discretion of the historical, geographical and emotional ties of Aurora to the rest of Southern Tagalog, particularly Quezon province, but also of the memory of our first President, Manuel Quezon. Aurora the birthplace of the late President and his wife Doña Aurora Aragon, was a sub- province of Quezon until 1951... The province located on the eastern tip of Luzon and which faces the Pacific Ocean, is more accessible by land from Nueva Ecija, one of the Central Luzon's Provinces. It is one of the 20 poorest provinces in the country. However, Angara said Aurora residents have "consistently and publicly" identified themselves with Quezon.|url= https://www.aurora.ph/mobile/news/2002/jun-4.html}}</ref>

== Administrative divisions ==
=== Provinces ===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="font-size:95%;background-color:white;"
|-
! scope="col" | Province
! scope="col" | Provincial capital
! scope="col" | Current region
|-
! scope="row" | [[Aurora (province)|Aurora]]
| [[Baler, Aurora|Baler]]
| Central Luzon
|-
! scope="row" | [[Batangas]]
| [[Batangas City]]
| rowspan="3" | Calabarzon
|-
! scope="row" | [[Cavite]]
| [[Imus]]{{efn|name=de facto|''De facto'' capital}} / [[Trece Martires]]{{efn|name=de jure|''De jure'' capital; Seat of government}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[Laguna (province)|Laguna]]
| [[Santa Cruz, Laguna|Santa Cruz]]
|-
! scope="row" | [[Marinduque]]
| [[Boac, Marinduque|Boac]]
| rowspan="4" | Mimaropa
|-
! scope="row" | [[Occidental Mindoro]]
| [[Mamburao]]
|-
! scope="row" | [[Oriental Mindoro]]
| [[Calapan]]
|-
! scope="row" | [[Palawan]]
| ''[[Puerto Princesa]]''{{efn|name=huc|[[Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities|Highly urbanized city]]}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[Quezon]]
| ''[[Lucena, Philippines|Lucena]]''{{efn|name=huc}}
| rowspan="2" | Calabarzon{{efn|name=metro manila|Several municipalities of Rizal were partitioned to form Metro Manila on November 7, 1975.}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[Rizal (province)|Rizal]]
| ''[[Pasig]]''{{efn|name=de facto}}{{efn|Annexed into Metro Manila; highly urbanized city}} / [[Antipolo]]{{efn|name=de jure}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[Romblon]]
| [[Romblon, Romblon|Romblon]]
| Mimaropa
|}

[[Camarines Norte]] and [[Camarines Sur]], which are under [[Bicol Region]], are sometimes considered part of Southern Tagalog recently, as there has been a [[language shift]] in recent years to Tagalog, which is more common native language, from being historically Bikol-speaking provinces.

=== Cities ===
Southern Tagalog region had 13 [[Cities of the Philippines|chartered cities]] prior to its partition.

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Antipolo]]
* [[Batangas City]]
* [[Calapan]]
* [[Calamba, Laguna|Calamba]]
* [[Cavite City]]
* [[Lipa, Batangas|Lipa]]
* [[Lucena, Philippines|Lucena]]
* [[Puerto Princesa]]
* [[Quezon City]]
* [[San Pablo, Laguna|San Pablo]]
* [[Tagaytay]]
* [[Tanauan, Batangas|Tanauan]]
* [[Trece Martires]]
{{div col end}}

Cities that were recently added after the partition (all of these are located in Southern Tagalog mainland or Calabarzon):

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*[[Bacoor]]
*[[Biñan]]
*[[Cabuyao]]
*[[Calaca, Batangas|Calaca]]
*[[Carmona, Cavite|Carmona]]
*[[Dasmariñas]]
*[[General Trias]]
*[[Imus]]
*[[San Pedro, Laguna|San Pedro]]
*[[Santa Rosa, Laguna|Santa Rosa]]
*[[Santo Tomas, Batangas|Santo Tomas]]
*[[Tayabas]]
{{div col end}}

==Demographics==
=== Languages ===

The native languages of Southern Tagalog are:
* [[Alangan language|Alangan]], spoken in the interior of Mindoro.
* [[Asi language|Asi]], spoken in Romblon and Marinduque.
* [[Buhid language|Buhid]], spoken in the interior of Mindoro.
* [[Calamian Tagbanwa language|Calamian Tagbanwa]], spoken in Palawan.
*[[chavacano language|Chavacano]], spoken in parts of Cavite.
* [[Cuyonon language|Cuyonon]], spoken in Palawan.
* [[Hanunoo language|Hanunoo]], spoken in the interior of Mindoro.
* [[Hiligaynon language|Hiligaynon]], spoken in eastern parts of Palawan, southern parts of Romblon and Mindoro. There are also significant speakers in Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Quezon, Batangas and southern parts of Mindoro where the language is not native.
* [[Karay-a language|Kinaray-a]], spoken in eastern parts of Palawan, southern parts of Romblon and Mindoro. There are also significant speakers in Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Quezon, Batangas and southern parts of Mindoro where the language is not native.
* [[Iraya language|Iraya]], spoken in the interior of Mindoro.
*[[malay language|Malay]], spoken in south Palawan.
*[[manide language|Manide]], spoken in Quezon.
*[[Molbog language|Molbog]], spoken in south Palawan.
* [[Onhan language|Onhan]], spoken in Romblon.
* [[Palawano language|Palawano]], spoken in Palawan.
* [[Ratagnon language|Ratagnon]], spoken in south Mindoro
* [[Romblomanon language|Romblomanon]], spoken in Romblon.
* [[Tadyawan language|Tadyawan]], spoken in the interior of Mindoro.
* [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]], spoken in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan. It is the regional lingua franca, mostly as [[Filipino language|Filipino]].
* [[Tausug language|Tausug]], spoken in southwestern Palawan. There are also significant speakers in other parts of Southern Tagalog especially in urban areas where the language is not native.
* [[Tawbuid language|Tawbuid]], spoken in the interior of Mindoro.

Other native languages spoken in Southern Tagalog are [[hatang Kayi language|Hatang Kayi, also named as Sinauna]], a [[central Luzon languages|Central Luzon language]] spoken in [[Tanay, Rizal]] and [[General Nakar]], Quezon (this is related to Kapampangan and [[Sambalic languages]]), the ''[[Manide language]]'' in east Quezon and a small portion in north Quezon, the ''[[Umiray Dumaget language]]'' in north Quezon and a small area in central Quezon,  the ''[[Inagta Alabat language]]'' on [[Alabat Island]], and the ''Tagabulós language'' in Infanta.<ref>[https://kwfwikaatkultura.ph/tagabulos-2/ Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino: Wika at Kultura - Tagabulós]</ref> 
The languages not native to the region are: [[ilocano language|Ilocano]] in Quezon, Laguna, Rizal, Cavite, Batangas, Mindoro, and Palawan (Aurora & Quezon have the largest concentration of Ilocano speakers when Aurora was part of Southern Tagalog, the statistics now exclusively belong to Quezon); [[bikol language|Bikol]] in Quezon, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Marinduque; [[cebuano language|Cebuano]] in Rizal, Batangas, Cavite, and Quezon (especially in the remote parts of San Andres and San Francisco, the southernmost municipalities both located in the Bondoc Peninsula); [[kapampangan language|Kapampangan]] and [[pangasinan language|Pangasinan]] in Batangas, Cavite, Mindoro and Palawan; [[Maranao people|Maranao]] and [[Maguindanao language|Maguindanaon]] in many parts of the region especially in urban areas.

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Luzon lateral|state=collapsed}}

{{Clear}}

[[Category:Former regions of the Philippines]]
[[Category:Tagalog]]
[[Category:1965 establishments in the Philippines]]
[[Category:2002 disestablishments in the Philippines]]
[[Category:History of Calabarzon]]
[[Category:History of Mimaropa]]