Quezon

This article is about the Philippine province. For other uses, see Quezon (disambiguation).

Quezon Province Lalawigan ng Quezon Provincia de Quezon
—  Province  —
Province of Quezon
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): The Palm State
Map of the Philippines with Quezon highlighted
Coordinates: 14°10′N 121°50′E
Country	Philippines
Region	CALABARZON (Region IV-A)
Founded	1591 (as Kalilayan), March 2, 1901 (as Tayabas)
Capital	Kalilayan (now Unisan) (1591-1779) Tayabas (1779-1910) Lucena (1910-present)
Government
• Type	Province of the Philippines
• Governor	David C. Suarez (NUP)
• Vice Governor	Vicente J. Alcala (Independent)
Area
• Total	8,706.6 km2 (3,361.6 sq mi)
Area rank	8th out of 80
	2nd largest in Philippines before split of Baler and Boac
Population (2010)
• Total	1,987,030
• Rank	12th out of 80
• Density	Bad rounding here230/km2 (Bad rounding here590/sq mi)
• Density rank	41st out of 80
Divisions
• Independent cities	1
• Component cities	1
• Municipalities	39
• Barangays	1,209 including independent cities: 1,242
• Districts	1st to 4th districts of Quezon (shared with Lucena City)
Time zone	PHT (UTC+8)
ZIP Code	4300-4342
Spoken languages	Tagalog (Tayabas Dialect), English
Website	www.quezon.gov.ph

Quezon (Tagalog pronunciation: [keˈzon]) is a province of the Philippines in the CALABARZON region of Luzon island. The province was named after Manuel L. Quezon, the second President of the Philippines, and its capital is Lucena City.

Quezon is southeast of Metro Manila and is bordered by the provinces of Aurora to the north, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Batangas to the west and the provinces of Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur to the east. Part of Quezon lies on an isthmus connecting the Bicol Peninsula to the main part of Luzon. The province also includes the Polillo Islands in the Philippine Sea.

A major tourism draw to the province is Mount Banahaw. The mountain is surrounded by spiritual mysticism with many cults and religious organizations staying on the mountain. Numerous pilgrims visit the mountain especially during Holy Week.

History

Originally, what now forms Quezon was divided among the provinces of Batangas, Laguna, and Nueva Ecija. The area was first explored by Juan de Salcedo in 1571-1572, during his expedition from Laguna to Camarines provinces.

In 1591, the province was created and called Kaliraya or Kalilayan, after the capital town which later became Unisan. In about the middle of the 18th century, the capital was transferred to the town of Tayabas, from which the province got its new name.

Depredation and plunder by the Moros were rampant during the Spanish regime, because they opposed the colonizers, especially in their efforts to spread Christianity. The destruction of Kalilayan in 1604 by a big fleet of moro pirates caused the inhabitants to transfer to Palsabangon (Pagbilao).

However, even the colonized people grew discontented with the Spaniards over the centuries. The most important event in the history of the province was the Confradia Revolt in 1841, which was led by the famous Lucbano, Apolinario dela Cruz, popularly known as Hermano Pule. The province, under Gen. Miguel Malvar, was also among the earliest to join the Philippine Revolution. The Revolutionary Government took control over the province on August 15, 1898.

The Americans then came and annexed the Philippines. A civil government was established in the province on March 12, 1901, with Lucena as its capital.

Japanese occupation of the province during World War II began on December 23, 1941, when the Japanese Imperial Army landed in Atimonan. The occupation witnessed the brutal murders of prominent sons of Tayabas. April 4, 1945 was the day the province was liberated as the combined Filipino and American army forces reached Lucena.

After the war, on September 7, 1946, Republic Act No. 14 changed the name Tayabas to Quezon, in honor of Manuel L. Quezon, the Commonwealth president who hailed from Baler, which was one of the province's towns.

Quezon's division

In 1951, the northern part of Quezon was made into the sub-province of Aurora (which included Baler). Aurora was the name of the president's wife, Aurora Quezon. In 1979, Aurora was separated from Quezon as an independent province.

In 1992, Republic Act No. 9495[1], which proposed to further divide Quezon into Quezon del Norte and Quezon del Sur lapsed into law without the President's signature on September 7, 2007. Quezon del Norte was to be composed of the first and second congressional districts of the province, with Lucena City as its capital. Quezon del Sur, with its capital at Gumaca, would have been composed of the third and fourth congressional districts. The COMELEC held the plebiscite on December 13, 2008 and majority of the votes cast rejected the division.

Geography

Quezon, east of Metro Manila, is the 8th largest province in the Philippines having an area of 892,601 hectares or 8,926.01 km². The northern part of the province is sandwiched between the Sierra Madre mountain range and the Philippine Sea. The southern part consists of the Tayabas Isthmus, which separates the Bicol Peninsula from the main part of Luzon Island, and the Bondoc Peninsula which lies between Tayabas Bay and Ragay Gulf.

The major islands of Quezon are Alabat Island and Polillo Islands. Mount Banahaw, an extinct volcano, is the highest peak at 2,188 m. It supplies geothermal power to the Makban Geothermal Power Plant.

Demographics

The inhabitants are mostly Tagalogs. The population is concentrated in the flat south-central portion which includes Lucena City, Sariaya, and Candelaria. After World War II, the Infanta area received migrants from Manila, Laguna and Batangas. People from Marinduque moved to the southern part of the Tayabas Isthmus and the Bondoc Peninsula. And people from Bicol Region migrated to Southern Towns of Calauag and Tagkawayan.

Economy

Quezon is the country's leading producer of coconut products such as coconut oil and copra. A large part of the province is covered in coconut plantations. Other major crops are rice, corn, banana, and coffee. Fishing is also a large part of the province's economy.

Cities and municipalities

Quezon is subdivided into 39 municipalities and one component city named Tayabas City. Lucena City, the capital, is independent from the administrative and fiscal supervision of the province, but is eligible to vote for provincial officials.

City/Municipality	No. of Barangays	Area (km²)	Population (2007)	Population (2010)	Pop. density (per km²)
1st District	308	4180.1	465,527	489,901	117.20
Burdeos	14	199.8	23,568	24,166	120.95
General Nakar	19	1344.8	24,895	25,973	19.31
Infanta	36	342.8	60,346	64,818	189.08
Jomalig	5	56.7	6,111	6,884	121.41
Lucban	32	130.5	45,616	46,698	357.84
Mauban	40	416	55,866	61,141	146.97
Pagbilao	27	171	62,561	65,996	385.94
Panukulan	12	226.6	11,968	12,511	55.21
Patnanungan	6	139.2	12,825	13,865	99.61
Polillo	20	253	27,912	28,125	111.17
Real	17	563.9	33,073	35,189	63.40
Sampaloc	14	104.8	13,534	13,107	125.07
Tayabas City	66	231	87,252	91,428	395.79
2nd District	168	825.4	614,677	646,838	783.67
Candelaria	25	129.1	105,997	110,570	856.47
Dolores	16	62.6	26,312	27,702	442.52
Lucena City	33	80.2	236,390	246,392	3072.22
San Antonio	20	172.9	30,023	31,681	183.23
Sariaya	43	212.2	128,248	138,894	654.54
Tiaong	31	168.4	87,707	91,599	543.94
3rd District	324	1982.75	386,783	412,748	208.17
Agdangan	12	31.5	11,164	11,567	367.21
Buenavista	37	161.4	24,798	29,053	180.01
Catanauan	46	253.1	65,705	65,832	260.11
General Luna	27	101	23,379	25,373	251.22
Macalelon	30	120.45	25,986	26,419	219.34
Mulanay	28	420	48,538	50,826	121.01
Padre Burgos	22	69.1	19,877	20,161	291.77
Pitogo	39	73.4	21,095	21,380	291.28
San Andres	7	61	29,216	33,586	550.59
San Francisco	16	304	53,286	57,979	190.72
San Narciso	24	263.6	39,828	45,386	172.18
Unisan	36	124.2	23,600	25,186	202.79
4th District	452	2079.4	415,913	437,543	210.42
Alabat	19	57.6	14,789	16,120	279.86
Atimonan	42	239.7	59,157	61,587	256.93
Calauag	90	324.7	69,475	69,223	213.19
Guinayangan	55	214.1	39,074	41,669	194.62
Gumaca	59	189.7	63,778	69,618	366.99
Lopez	95	355.4	86,660	91,074	256.26
Perez	14	57.5	11,022	12,039	209.37
Plaridel	9	35.1	10,069	10,238	291.68
Quezon	24	71.2	15,011	15,142	212.67
Tagkawayan	45	534.4	46,878	50,833	95.12

Notable people from Quezon

• Manuel L. Quezon -- the second President of the Philippines - Baler (now a part of Aurora)
• Tomas Morato, former Mayor of Calauag and Quezon City, First Representative of the 2nd District of Tayabas, Manuel L. Quezon's best friend - Calauag
• Manoling Morato, former Chairman of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office- Calauag
• Rey Danseco, Sports Editor and WBC boxing judge - Calauag, Lopez, and Gumaca
• Aiza Seguerra, Filipino actress and singer - Calauag
• Zanjoe Acuesta Marudo, former PBB housemate, actor - Calauag
• Veyda Inoval, former Star Circle Kid Questor, child actress - Calauag
• Raymundo Punongbayan - former director, Philvolcs - Calauag
• Mark Magsumbol - first Filipino player in 31-team American Basketball Association (ABA). With jersey No. 32, he suited for San Jose Skyrockets in 2006. Sta. Lucia Realty Drafted him 13th overall in 2006 Philippine Basketball Association Draft - Calauag
• Madeleine Nicolas - stage and film actress - Calauag
• Gerry Igos - 1989 Philippine cycling champion - Calauag
• Felimon Perez -- Secretary of Commerce and Communication--1928
• Agnes Devanadera, former Solicitor-General and Secretary of the Department of Justice - Sampaloc
• Judge Guillermo Eleazar, served as Justice of the Peace under the American colonial government, wealthy landowner and philanthropist. Key person in the establishment of the municipality of Tagkawayan, making it independent from Guinayangan. - Lucban, Guinayangan
• Lorenzo Tañada, former Senator - Gumaca
• Wigberto Tañada, former Liberal Party President and former senator - Gumaca
• Lorenzo Tañada III, Congressman, Liberal Party Spokesman - Gumaca
• Proceso Alcala, Secretary, Department of Agriculture - Lucena City
• Antonio A.Morales, Consul-General (Italy), - Mulanay
• Ye Fei (Sixto Mercado Tiongco), Filipino-Chinese general, former head of the Chinese Navy and governor of Fujian Province - Tiaong
• Tommy Abuel, actor - Lucban
• Leo Oracio, mountaineer/1st Filipino who climbed at Mt. Everest/member of Mt. Everest summit - Lucban
• Ana Capri, actress - Infanta
• Raimund Marasigan, musician (Eraserheads, Sandwich, Pedicab, Cambio) - Candelaria
• Romeo VASQUEZ -Actor, Tayabas City
• Edgar Mortiz, actor/director - Infanta
• Orlando Nadres, writer/screenwriter/director - Tayabas City
• Most Reverend Angel N. LAGDAMEO, D.D., Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Jaro and former President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines - Lucban
• Kris Psyche Resus, Miss Philippines Earth 2010, Infanta
• Lily Monteverde, Movie Producer, Regal Films, Sariaya
• Maritoni Daya,former beauty queen, singer- Lucban
• Ricca Bojo, Miss Philippine Youth 2011- Lucban
• Uro dela Cruz, director- Bubble Gang- Lucban
• Alice Dixon, actress - Philippine Cinema - Guinayangan, Quezon
• Danilo Suarez, current Minority Floor Leader, Representative, 3rd District - Unisan
• Heidi Lloce Mendoza,the truth teller during yhe anomaly in AFP-Tayabas
• Eduardo U. Escueta,Vice Chairman, Napolcom-Tiaong
• Jesse D. Dellosa,General,Former AFP Chief of Staff, Lucena City
• Gab Agcaoili,Tourism Attache- San Francisco,California.USA, Lucena City

Splitting Quezon: Quezon del Norte and Quezon del Sur

Main article: Quezon del Sur creation plebiscite, 2008

On September 7, 2007, the Charter of Quezon del Sur, known as Republic Act No. 9495, lapsed into law without the signature of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. If approved by the voters of Quezon, it will split the province into two. Quezon del Sur will comprise the towns of Agdangan, Buenavista, Catanauan, General Luna, Macalelon, Mulanay, Padre Burgos, Pitogo, San Andres, San Francisco, San Narciso, Unisan, Alabat, Atimonan, Calauag, Guinayangan, Gumaca, Lopez, Perez, Plaridel, Quezon and Tagkawayan.

Quezon del Norte (original province) will comprise Burdeos, General Nakar, Infanta, Jamalig, Lucban, Mauban, Pagbilao, Panukulan, Patnanungan, Polillo, Real, Sampaloc, Tayabas, Candelaria, Dolores, San Antonio, Sariaya, Tiaong and Lucena City. The capital of Quezon del Sur shall be Gumaca while Quezon del Norte shall be Lucena City. If the plebiscite of November 2008 will favor splitting Quezon into two provinces, Quezon del Norte and Quezon del Sur will still be part of the CALABARZON (Southern Tagalog, Region-4A) under their original acronym "ZON" (Quezon).

The Commission on Elections (Philippines) will hold the plebiscite on December 13, 2008, the 60th day after Republic Act No. 9495 will take effect. Gov. Rafael Nantes, one of the original authors of the law, and Vice Gov. Carlos Portes, opposed the division of the province. Board member Sonny Pulgar and businessman Hobart Dator Jr. launched the "Save Quezon Province Movement." The Comelec allotted P 50 million for the plebiscite. Academician Prof. Joseph Jadway "JJ" Marasigan provided what he called the "strong theoretical framework" that deems the said split as a step backward. He instead called for the professionalization of service institutions and the differentiation of functions as the answer to the province's increasingly becoming complex environment. He organized students and fellow academicians to oppose such move. His participation resulted in a grave misunderstanding with the Lucena Catholic Bishop Emilio Marquez who strongly supported the idea of splitting the province. Marasigan maintained that bishops have no business in dealing with entirely political matters and should refrain from using their influence over their flock. Gov. Rafael Nantes, has later softened his stand against the proposed creation of Quezon del Sur. Accordingly, upon request of Comelec Chair Jose Melo, a P38 million "Special Allotment Release Order" was issued by the Department of Budget and Management to the Commission on Elections (Philippines) to fund the holding of the plebiscite.

On November 17, 2008, Save Quezon Province Movement (SQPM) asked the Supreme Court of the Philippines to declare Republic Act 9495 as unconstitutional, and to restrain the implementation of a November 12 Commission on Elections (Philippines) Resolutions Nos. 8533, 8534, 8535, 8537, 8538 and 8539 setting the plebiscite.

Ultimately, the split did not push through, as the proposal was not approved.

Metro Lucena

Metro Lucena has an estimated population of 700,000 which is mostly concentrated in the flat south-central portion of Quezon, which includes the cities of Lucena and Tayabas, Sariaya, Candelaria, Lucban & Pagbilao . The people are often characterized as friendly and hardworking. It is the center of commerce and tourism in Quezon Province.

City/Municipality	Nickname/s	Class	No. of Barangays	Area (km²)	Population (2007)	Population (2010)	Pop. density (per km²)
Candelaria	Industrial Town of Quezon	1st Class Municipality	25	129.1	105,997	110,570	857
Lucban	Summer Capital of Quezon	2nd Class Municipality	32	154.15	45,616	46,698	303
Lucena City	Cocopalm City of the South Biofuel City The Gateway to the South Entertainment Capital of Southern Luzon	1st Class City Highly-urbanized City	33	83.17	236,390	246,392	2963
Pagbilao	Power Port of Quezon	1st Class Municipality	27	177.6	62,561	65,996	372
Sariaya	Heritage Town of Quezon	1st Class Municipality	43	245.3	128,248	138,894	566
Tayabas City	Home of the Finest Lambanog City of Festivals The City of Eleven Bridges	4th Class City	66	230.95	87,252	91,428	396

External links

• Official website of Quezon province
• Lucena City Community Website
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 2007 Philippine Census Information (1)
• 2007 Philippine Census Information (2)
• Local Governance Performance Management System