| Quezon Province Lalawigan ng Quezon |
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| — Province — | |||
| Province of Quezon | |||
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| Nickname(s): The Palm State | |||
| Map of the Philippines with Quezon highlighted | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Philippines | ||
| Region | CALABARZON (Region IV-A) | ||
| Founded | 1591(As Kalilayan), March 2, 1901 (as Tayabas) | ||
| Capital | Kalilayan / Unisan (1591-1779), Tayabas City (1779-1910), Lucena City (Present) | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Province of the Philippines | ||
| • Governor | David C. Suarez (Lakas-Kampi-CMD) | ||
| • Vice Governor | Vicente J. Alcala (Independent) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 8,926.01 km2 (3,446.4 sq mi) | ||
| Area rank | 8th out of 80 | ||
| 2nd largest in Philippines before split of Baler and Boac | |||
| Population (2007) | |||
| • Total | 1,646,510 | ||
| • Rank | 12th out of 80 | ||
| • Density | 184.5/km2 (477.8/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 |
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| • 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. 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 Camarines provinces to the east. Part of Quezon lies on an isthmus connecting the Bicol Peninsula to the main part of Luzon island. The province also includes the Polillo Islands in the Philippine Sea.
A major tourism draw to the province is Mt. 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.
| Battle of Tayabas | |||||||
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| Part of World War II | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
Philippine Commonwealth
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Empire of Japan | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 470,000 Filipino troops, 14,000 Tayabas guerrillas 28,000 American troops |
159,000 Japanese troops | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 19,700 killed 28,450 wounded |
25,000 killed 67,000 wounded 12,000 captured |
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Contents |
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 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 combined Filipino and American army forces reached Lucena.
The establishment of the military general headquarters and military camp bases of the Philippine Commonwealth Army was active on 1942 to 1946 and the Philippine Constabulary was active on 1944 to 1946 in the province of Tabayas (now. Aurora and Quezon). The following of all stronghold of local Filipino troops of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and Philippine Constabulary was sending the local military operations and the military engagements of the Anti-Japanese Imperial Military Operations in the City of Manila, Northern and Southern Luzon and Bicol Peninsula and the island provinces of Catanduanes, Masbate and Marinduque from 1942 to 1945 and aided the local guerrilla resistance fighters and American liberation forces against the Japanese Imperial forces during World War II.
On 1944 to 1945, the liberation on the province of Tayabas was the combined U.S. & Philippine Commonwealth ground troops including the local recognized guerrillas was invaded and fought against the Japanese Imperial forces during the Battle of Tayabas and ended in World War II.
When the Filipino soldiers of the 5th, 52nd, 55th, 56th and 57th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and 5th Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary was started the Battle for the Liberation of Tabayas in 1945 and capturing the provinces through helping the various local recognized guerrillas and U.S. liberation forces and fought against the Japanese Imperial forces.
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 name of the president's wife, Aurora Quezon. In 1979, Aurora was separated from Quezon as an independent province.
In 2007, 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.
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. Mt. Banahaw, an extinct volcano, is the highest peak at 2,188 m. It supplies geothermal power to the Makban Geothermal Power Plant.
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 migrated to Southern Towns of Calauag, Quezon and Tagkawayan, Quezon.
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.
Quezon is subdivided into 40 municipalities. Lucena City, the capital, is not under the administrative and fiscal supervision of the province, but is eligible to vote for provincial officials.
| City/Municipality | No. of Barangays |
Area (km²) |
Population (2000) |
Population (2007) |
Pop. density (per km²) |
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| Burdeos |
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| General Nakar |
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| Infanta |
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| Jomalig |
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| Lucban |
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| Mauban |
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| Pagbilao |
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| Panukulan |
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| Patnanungan |
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| Polillo |
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| Real |
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| Sampaloc |
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| Tayabas City |
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| City/Municipality | No. of Barangays |
Area (km²) |
Population (2000) |
Population (2007) |
Pop. density (per km²) |
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| Candelaria |
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| Dolores |
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| Lucena City |
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| San Antonio |
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| Sariaya |
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| Tiaong |
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| City/Municipality | No. of Barangays |
Area (km²) |
Population (2000) |
Population (2007) |
Pop. density (per km²) |
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| Agdangan |
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| Buenavista |
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| Catanauan |
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| General Luna |
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| Mulanay |
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| Padre Burgos |
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| Pitogo |
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| San Andres |
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| San Francisco (Aurora) |
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| San Narciso |
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| Unisan |
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| Macalelon |
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| City/Municipality | No. of Barangays |
Area (km²) |
Population (2000) |
Population (2007) |
Pop. density (per km²) |
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| Alabat |
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| Atimonan |
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| Calauag |
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| Guinayangan |
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| Gumaca |
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| Lopez |
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| Perez |
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| Plaridel |
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| Quezon |
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| Tagkawayan |
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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).[1]
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.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4]
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[5] setting the plebiscite.[6][7]
Ultimately, the split did not push through, as the proposal was not approved.
| Bulacan | Aurora | Lamon Bay, Philippine Sea | ||
| Rizal Laguna Batangas |
Camarines Norte Camarines Sur |
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| Quezon | ||||
| Tayabas Bay Marinduque |
Sibuyan Sea Masbate |
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