Religion[edit]

The majority of Batangas's population are religiously affiliated with Roman Catholicism, Iglesia

Filipina Independiente, Iglesia ni Cristo, and evangelicalism.[23] Other major religions
include Islam, Buddhism, Seventh-day Adventist Church, Jesus Is Lord Church
Worldwide, Protestantism, Jehovah's Witnesses, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints.

Economy[edit]
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The province of Batangas was billed as the third richest province in the Philippines by the
Commission on Audit by year 2017 from fourth place in . That year, its provincial government posted
a record high of ₱15.568 billion worth of assets, the largest in Calabarzon and the whole Luzon.

Products[edit]
Batangas is known for its butterfly knives, locally known as balisong, with its manufacture also
becoming an industry in the province.

Agriculture and fisheries[edit]

Pineapples are also common in Batangas. Aside from the fruit, the leaves are also useful such that
an industry has been created from it. In the municipality of Taal, pineapple leaves are processed to
form a kind of cloth known as jusi (pronounced 'hu-si), from which the Barong Tagalog, the national
costume of the Philippines is made.
Livestock as an industry is also thriving in Batangas. Cattle from Batangas are widely sought
throughout the country. The term bakang Batangas (literally "Batangas cow") is associated with the
country's best species of cattle. Cattle raising is widely practiced in Batangas such that every
Saturday is an auction day in the municipalities of San Juan, Bauan and Padre Garcia.
Fishing plays a very important part of the economy of the province. Although the tuna industry in the
country is centered in General Santos, Batangas is also known for the smaller species of the said
fish. The locals even have their own names for it. Some of them are bigeye
tuna (tambakol), yellowfin tuna (berberabe), tambakulis, Pacific bluefin tuna (tulingan), bullet
tuna (bonito) and another species also called bonito but actually Gymnosarda unicolor. There is also
an important industry for the wahoo (tanigi).
Aside from the South China Sea, Taal Lake also provides a source of freshwater fishes to the
country. The lake is home to Sardinella tawilis or simply tawilis, a species of freshwater sardine that
is endemic to the lake. Taal Lake also provides farmed Chanos chanos or bangus. There is also a
good volume of Oreochromis niloticus niloticus and Oreochromis aureus, both locally called tilapia. It
is ecologically important to note that neither bangus nor tilapia are native to the lake. Thus they are
considered an invasive species to the lake.
Sugar is also a major industry. After Hacienda Luisita, the country's former largest sugar producer,
was broken-up for land reform, the municipality of Nasugbu has been the home of the current largest
sugar producing company, the Central Azucarera de Don Pedro. Rice cakes and sweets are also a
strong industry.
Some towns (those adjacent to Laguna) have a prosperous bamboo based industry, where several
houses and furniture are made of bamboo. Natives say that food cooked in bamboo has an added
scent and flavor. Labong, or bamboo shoots, is cooked with coconut milk or with other ingredients to
make a Batangas delicacy.

Industries[edit]
Batangas houses 5 industrial parks registered under the Philippine Economic Zone
Authority (PEZA), which are concentrated along the route of STAR Tollway and Jose P. Laurel
Highway. The largest of those industrial parks are LIMA Technology Center, a 500-hectare (1,200-
acre) commercial and industrial zone oriented to tech companies at Lipa and Malvar, and the First
Philippine Industrial Park (FPIP), with over 350 hectares (860 acres) at Santo Tomas and Tanauan,
and Light Industry and Science Park IV (LISP IV), a live-work community with 170-hectare industrial
area located at the heart of Malvar, Batangas.
Batangas City and the nearby municipalities of San Pascual, Bauan, and Mabini also have large-
scale industrial activity connected with their seaside location, including power generation, oil and gas
processing and transhipment, and ship repairs.

Government[edit]

The Provincial Capitol of Batangas

With the provinces in the island of Panay, Ilocos Sur and Pampanga, Batangas was one of the
earliest provinces established by the Spaniards who settled in the country. It was headed by Martin
de Goiti and since then has become one of the most important regions of the Philippines. Batangas
first came to be known as Bonbon. It was named after Taal Lake, which was also originally called
Bonbon. Some of the earliest settlements in Batangas were established in the vicinity of Taal Lake.
In 1534, Batangas became the first practically organized province in Luzon. Balayan was the capital
of the province for 135 years from 1597 to 1732. In 1732, it was moved to Taal, then the flourishing
and most progressive town in the province, it wasn't until 1754 that the capital was destroyed by the
Great Taal Eruption of 1754. It was in 1889 that the capital was moved to the present, Batangas
City.
Batangas has been called by some Philippine historians as the "Cradle of Noble Heroes", citing the
notable number of people from it who were declared Philippine national heroes and those who
became leaders of the country. Among them are Teodoro M. Kalaw, Apolinario Mabini, Jose Laurel,
and Felipe Agoncillo.

Incumbent officials[edit]
 Governor: Hermilando I. Mandanas (PDP–Laban)
 Vice Governor: Jose Antonio S. Leviste II (PDP–Laban)
 Board Members:
 Representation Name Name

Carlo Roman G. Rosales Glenda P. Bausas (NP/One

First District
(NP/One Batangas) Batangas)

Arlina B. Magboo (NP/One Wilson Leonardo T. Rivera

Second District
Batangas) (NP/One Batangas)

Jhoanna DC. Corona-Villamor Rodolfo M. Balba (NP/One

Third District
(NP/One Batangas) Batangas)

Jonas Patrick M. Gozos Jesus H. De Veyra (NP/One

Fourth District
(NP/One Batangas) Batangas)

Ma. Claudette U. Ambida- Arthur G. Blanco (NP/One

Fifth District (Batangas City)
Alday (NP/One Batangas) Batangas)

Lydio A. Lopez, Jr (NP/One Aries Emmanuel D. Mendoza

Sixth District (Lipa City)
Batangas) (NP/One Batangas)

Philippine Councilors League

Ronald E. Cruzat Bauan
President

Liga ng Mga Barangay President Wilfredo M. Maliksi Santo Tomas

Sangguniang Kabataan Provincial

Maria Louise G. Vale San Luis
Fedration President

 Elected Representatives
o 1st District: Elenita Milagros R. Ermita-Buhain (NP/One Batangas)
o 2nd District: Raneo E. Abu (NP/One Batangas)
o 3rd District: Ma. Theresa V. Collantes (PDP–Laban)
o 4th District: Lianda B. Bolilia (NP/One Batangas)
o 5th District (Lone District of Batangas City): Mario Vittorio A. Mariño (NP/One
Batangas)
o 6th District (Lone District of Lipa City): Ma. Rosa Vilma T. Santos-Recto (NP/One
Batangas)
List of former governors[edit]
Main article: Governor of Batangas

Infrastructure[edit]
Transportation[edit]
Roads[edit]

STAR Tollway in Tanauan. Since 2010, STAR Tollway has been interconnected with the South Luzon
Expressway to Metro Manila

Batangas has a total of 556 kilometers (345 mi) of national roads, mostly paved.[24] The Southern
Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR Tollway, officially numbered E2), Maharlika Highway (N1 and AH26)
and Jose P. Laurel Highway (N4) forms the highway backbone of the province, and a network of
secondary and tertiary national roads links most of the municipalities. The provincial government
maintains a network of provincial roads to supplement the national roads and connect municipalities
and barangays not connected directly to the main highway network.
The Cavite-Tagaytay-Batangas (CTBEX) is a proposed expressway from the municipality of Silang,
Cavite up to the town of Nasugbu. CTBEX is to connect with the Cavite-Laguna
Expressway (CALAEX). Once opened, this will provide motorists a faster route to the resort towns
of Nasugbu, Lian and Calatagan in the western part of the province.
Water transport[edit]

Batangas Port, the starting point of the western route of the Western Nautical Highway and also a principal
port.

Batangas Port in 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. Condensate tankers offload at Batangas in sizeable quantity. Batangas
Port is expanded in 2008 to house facilities for container ships.
Being an entry point to the rest of the archipelago, Batangas has roll-on/roll-off(RoRo) ferry
connections with Mindoro and Visayas. The western portion of the Nautical Highway starts at
Batangas, and connects with Calapan, Oriental Mindoro. Batangas Port serves as another principal
port, along with the Manila International Port for inter-island and international cargo shipping, as well
as interisland passenger shipping.