Quezon

Quezon is located southeast of Metro Manila and it is surrounded by the provinces of Aurora to the north, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Batangas to the west and the Camarines provinces to the east. Quezon lies on an isthmus separating the Bicol Peninsula from the main part of Luzon. The province also covers the Polillo Islands in the Philippine Sea.

A major tourism draw of the province is the famed Mt. Banahaw. The mountain is surrounded by spiritual mysticism. Many cults and religious organizations stay in the mountains and numerous Catholics visit the mountain during Holy Week.

People and Culture

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. Fishing is also a large part of the province's economy.

Geography

Political

Quezon is subdivided into 40 municipalities and 1 city.

City

• Lucena City

Municipalities

Agdangan Alabat Atimonan Buenavista Burdeos Calauag Candelaria Catanauan Dolores General Luna General Nakar Guinayangan Gumaca Infanta Jomalig Lopez Lucban Macalelon Mauban Mulanay

Padre Burgos Pagbilao Panukulan Patnanungan Perez Pitogo Plaridel Polillo Quezon Real Sampaloc San Andres San Antonio San Francisco (Aurora) San Narciso Sariaya Tagkawayan Tayabas Tiaong Unisan

Physical

Quezon is a long province having an area of 8,706.6 km². The northern part of the province 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. Mt. Banahaw, an extinct volcano, is the highest peak at 2,188 m. It supplies geothermal power to the Makban Geothermal Power Plant.

History

Originally, what now forms part of 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, 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 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 discontent 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 2, 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 American army 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.

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

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