LocHist (Midterms)

• San Pablo is about 90 kilometers from Metro Manila, in the southeast corner of Luzon
• San Pablo is a trans-provincial city, with portions in the provinces of Laguna, Batangas, and Quezon
• San Pablo is part of the Tagalog-speaking Calabarzon Region (Region IV-A)
• Location of San Pablo

  • Bounded by Mount Makiling and the Laguna towns of Los Banos, Calauan, and Nagcarlan on the north
  • Bounded by the Quezon towns of Dolores, and the mythical Mount Banahaw on the east
  • Bounded by Quezon Province and the foot hills of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range on the south
  • Bounded by the province of Batangas on the west
• First Spanish conquistadors led by Captain Juan de Salcedo took possession of Sampalok


  1571
• Sampalok became an Augustinian mission under Lipa, Batangas


  1586 to 1883
• Sampalok was renamed "San Pablo de los Montes" in honor of St. Paul of Thebes


  1647
• San Pablo was increasingly accessed by Franciscan missionaries who had missions in nearby towns of Laguna
• San Pablo was transferred to Laguna jurisdiction due to the Franciscan missionaries


  1883
• Filipinos established the first secular government, followed by one under the Americans in 1899


  1898
• Local leaders of San Pablo obtained independent status as a city


  During the Philippine Commonwealth era
• President Manuel Quezon signed the City Charter of San Pablo


  May 7, 1940
• The city of San Pablo was inaugurated

  March 30, 1941
• San Pablo has a total of 24,695 hectares, mostly rural, and retains its highland charm
• Geographical features of San Pablo

  • Seven crater lakes - Sampalok, Palakpakin, Bunot, Pandin, Yambo, Muhikap, Calibato
  • Mountains - Mount Makiling, Mount Banahaw, Sierra Madre Mountain Range
  • Abundant water supply from waterfalls, streams and lakes
  • Tropical rainforest
• Mount Makiling


  Dormant volcano, rising 1,050 meters above sea level, named after the legend of Maria Makiling
• Mount Banahaw


  Tallest peak (2,170 m) in the Calabarzon region, a favorite site for pilgrims and mountain climbers due to its mystical reputation
• Sierra Madre Range


  Longest mountain range in the Philippines, extending 210 miles from Cagayan in the north to the Eastern portion of Luzon
• Family ties


  People in the precolonial tribal society obtained their security and their greatest happiness from their family rather than from wealth and friends
• Advantages of San Pablo's geographical features

  • Abundant water supply for household, agricultural, and recreational purposes
  • Cool and fresh climate due to the mountain forests
  • Ecological diversity for plants and animals in the tropical rainforest
• The tropical rainforest in San Pablo's upland realm was rich in economic possibilities but dangerous to enter due to insects and wildlife
• Any prestige a person might gain in life was considered meaningless unless the family validated and benefited from it
• Resources provided by the tropical rainforest

  • Housing materials (wood, bamboo, nipa, anahaw)
  • Cash crops (betel, areca)
  • Ornamentals (orchid, anthuriums)
  • Edible foods (lanzones, bananas)
  • Medicines
• "Blood is thicker than water" as the saying goes, and it certainly meant that way for family relations in ancient times
• The forests were a virtual bird sanctuary, full of bird life including the monkey-eating eagle (now the Philippine national bird)
• The family meant more than anything else to the individual, even more than all he possessed
• The possession of land was the only means of wealth and it was necessary
• A business was always a family business but its loss was only diminution of wealth and not the end of the world
• The poor people always had their family to fall back on
• Purposes of tropical rainforests

  • Household
  • Agricultural
  • Recreational
• Any success a member attained would be nothing unless he could return to his family, use his wealth to help relatives and be recognized in his village as great man
• The tropical rainforest in this upland realm became another God's gifts to the hometown
• Family members lived under one roof, or in several houses close to each other
• Before the onset of global warming and over development, the dense forest cover bred ecological diversity for plants and animals
• All the earnings of the individual members were considered to belong, not to the individual, but to the family as a whole
• These forests lay idle first, for to enter them was dangerous
• The family properties were held in common, and none of the land could be alienated or in any way disposed of without the agreement of the members
• A woman who married into the family was regarded as a member of her new family, and had to be acceptable to the head of the family or the clan
• Dangers of the jungle

  • Damp and drifting jungle furnished an ideal breeding place for insects
  • Swarms of mosquitoes were the most widespread and troublesome
  • There were also white ants or termites and the black ants or beetles
• Aging parents did not worry about neglect in old age, as they would rely upon their children's care and respect