(Redirected from Mabitac)
'Mabitac' is a 5th class
municipality in the
province of
Laguna,
Philippines. It was the site of a battle in the
Philippine-American War, when on
September 17,
1900, Filipinos under General
Juan Cailles defeated an American force commanded by Colonel Benjamin F. Cheatham. According to the
2000 census, it has a population of 15,097 people in 2,990 households.
Mabitac was an excellent hunting ground for wild game three centuries ago. Native hunters used numerous cave-ins or trap-ins called "bitag" in the local dialect. Hence, the place was referred to as "Mabitag" meaning, a place with plenty traps.
Mabitac is situated on the eastern side of the province of Laguna, 54.68 miles from
Manila using
Rizal Province on a winding road, and 76.43 miles using the
South Luzon Express,
Calamba and
Santa Cruz, Laguna. It has a total land area 3.912 sq. miles.
Barangays
Mabitac is politically subdivided into 15
barangays.
★ Amuyong
★ Lambac (Pob.)
★ Lucong
★ Matalatala
★ Nanguma
★ Numero
★ Paagahan
★ Bayanihan (Pob.)
★ Libis ng Nayon (Pob.)
★ Maligaya (Pob.)
★ Masikap (Pob.)
★ Pag-Asa (Pob.)
★ Sinagtala (Pob.)
★ San Antonio
★ San Miguel
History
The first Spaniards who came to this place were the friars who established the first Spanish settlement in the area and began to Christianize the local population. The Spaniards, having difficulty in pronouncing the "G" consonant, called this place "Mabitac" whenever they mentioned this place. Eventually, the name found its way in the official records and maps of Laguna made by Spanish cartographers and mariners who chartered the coastal areas of Laguna de Bay.
This town was formerly a barrio of
Siniloan, an immediate neighboring town. It became an independent municipality only in the year
1611, not by legislation, but by mutual agreement by and between the Spanish friars of both towns who were then the influential ruling class.
See also
★
Battle of Mabitac
External links
★
"Municipality of Mabitac", Province of Laguna Website
★
Philippine Standard Geographic Code
★
2000 Philippine Census Information