Located south of Manila lies the province of Laguna. This province is a mere one and a half hour drive from Manila that is why it is a popular getaway for people living and visiting the city. Here, you can find the Pagsanjan Falls, Taytay Falls, the hot springs of Los Banos and Calamba, Seven Lakes of San Pablo City, Hidden Valley Springs of Calauan, the University of the Philippines Los Banos campus and the slopes of Mount Makiling.
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| Pagsanjan Falls, Sta. Cruz Laguna (photo credit : iamthreciamae) |
This place is also popular for being the birthplace of the Jose Rizal, Philippines’ national hero. In fact, the ancestral house of Rizal is still in existence in Laguna and is now maintained by the government as a museum. The name Laguna comes from the word lago, which means lagoon. Laguna is mostly bounded by Laguna de bay. Aside from Laguna de Bay, this place is also rich in other bodies of water having forty rivers in total. The abundance of water means Laguna is blessed with natural resources such as bamboo, hardwood and rattan in the forest, coconuts, rice and orchids in the fields and jasper, clay and basalt glass in the mines. Climate here is relatively dry especially from November to April. As for the rest of the year, you can expect some rain showers.
In the year 1571, Laguna was occupied by the Spanish soldiers and Bisayan allies. In 1573, two Franciscan friars came to the province from Manila and spread Christianity. During the time of the Spanish revolt, Laguna was one of the provinces that joined the forces to push away the colonizers. Given the fact that Jose Rizal is the main character in the revolution and this is his hometown, it is only natural for Laguna to be one of the main forces in the fight against the Spaniards. There are eight rays of the sun in the Philippine flag representing the eight provinces that first fought the Spaniards and Laguna represents one of the rays.
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| Hidden Valley (photo credit : iamthreciamae) |
When you speak of festivals, Laguna has lots of it. In January you have the Salibada Festival honoring the Child Jesus celebrated in Paete Laguna. January 11 to 15 marks the Coconut Festival in San Pablo. The town of Lumban celebrates the Feast of San Sebastian the Martyr every January 19 and 26. Good Friday marks the Turumba Festival while the Salubong is done every Easter Sunday. Come the month of May and you will have the Bangkero River Festival in Pagsanjan, Santacruzan in Paete and Feast of San Isidro Labrador in Liliw. June 19 is a big celebration since this is the birthday of Jose Rizal.
In terms of accommodation, there is not much hotels and resorts here although the place is abundant in hot spring resorts. The amenities are quite standard so if you want luxury, better just have a day trip in this province and then head back to Manila where five star hotels are numerous. People here can speak some English so you do not have to worry about communication barrier.
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