The Full Wiki

Los Baños, Laguna: Wikis

  
  

Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles.

Encyclopedia

Updated live from Wikipedia, last check: May 19, 2013 07:03 UTC (39 seconds ago)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Los Baños
—  Municipality  —

Seal
Map of Laguna showing the location of Los Baños
Los Baños is located in Philippines
Los Baños
Location in the Philippines
Coordinates: 14°10′N 121°13′E / 14.167°N 121.217°E / 14.167; 121.217Coordinates: 14°10′N 121°13′E / 14.167°N 121.217°E / 14.167; 121.217
Country  Philippines
Region CALABARZON (Region IV-A)
Province Laguna
District 2nd District of Laguna
Founded 1589
Barangays 14
Government
 - Mayor Caesar P. Perez
Area
 - Total 54.22 km2 (20.9 sq mi)
Population (2007)
 - Total 98,631
 - Density 1,819.1/km2 (4,711.4/sq mi)
Time zone PST (UTC+8)
ZIP code 4030
Income class 1st
Population Census of Los Baños
Census Pop. Rate
1995 71,683
2000 82,027 2.93%
2007 98,631 2.58%

Los Baños is a 1st class urban municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 98,631 inhabitants in 17,030 households. It has a total land area of 56.5 square kilometers and is bordered on the south and southwest by Mount Makiling, on the north by Laguna de Bay, on the northwest by Calamba City and on the east by the town of Bay. The town is located 63 kilometers southeast of Manila and is accessible via the South Luzon Expressway.

The town lies on the northern slopes of the long dormant volcano Mount Makiling and is known among tourists for its hot spring resorts that dot the area. Los Baños also hosts the University of the Philippines, along with other foreign and local and international research centers, such as the International Rice Research Institute, the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity, the Philippine Rice Research Institute, Philippine Carabao Center at UPLB, and SEAMEO-SEARCA, making the town a temporary home for tens of thousands of undergraduate and graduate students, researchers and expatriates.

Aside from its importance in academics, science and research, Los Baños is a well-known tourist destination. Because of the town's proximity to Metro Manila, Los Baños' hot spring resorts are frequent weekend or summer getaways for residents of the vast metropolis and tourists from other places in the Philippines and abroad. Tourists who visit Los Baños also come to the several native delicacies stores in the town to buy the town's famous Buko pie (coconut meat pie).

Contents

History

Los Baños started as a settlement called Mainit, the Tagalog term for "hot" and alludes to the thermal springs at the foot of Mount Makiling.

Mainit was a barrio of Bay until 1589. In 1595, a temporary building made of bamboo and cogon was built to serve as shelter for the patients who journeyed to Mainit to seek cures for their ailments. In 1671, more permanent structures like churches and hospitals were built only to be destroyed by a fire in 1727. The structures were re-erected at a slow rate. The church which now stands in the municipal center of Los Baños dates back to 1851. The Spanish Governor's palace was began in 1879 but was only completed in 1892.

In 1909, the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture (UPCA) was established. UPCA, in successions, became a Japanese camp for prisoners of war, an internment camp for allied nationals, a target of Kempetai punitive measures, and the headquarters of a secret organization of guerillas. On February 23, 1945, the campus was sacked by the Japanese and was razed to the ground. Only Baker Hall, the armory-gymnasium, remained.

In 1962, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) began its operation.

In 1979, the evolution and development of academic excellence in Los Baños moved the people of Los Baños to request then president Ferdinand Marcos to declare the municipality as "A Special University Zone", granted on 15 June 1982 by virtue of letter of instruction No. 883.

Los Baños was further declared as an "Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences Community" on 17 March 1982 by virtue of Executive Order No. 784 (Section 23).

On August 7, 2000, Los Baños was declared as a "Special Science and Nature City of the Philippines" through Presidential Proclamation No. 349 in recognition as a center for science and technology in the development of agriculture and preservation of the environment.

Boundary marker at the westbound entrance to Los Baños from Bay, Laguna

The 6th Flora Malesiana, a triennial gathering of people with botanical expertise regarding "Malesia," was held from September 20 to 24 in 2004. It provided a forum for Flora Malesiana members and encouraged publications on Malesian plants.

During the 2005 Southeast Asian Games, Los Baños played host to the aquatics events, with the newly-built Trace Aquatic Center serving as the venue.

The headquarters of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Center for Biodiversity was opened on August 8, 2006 at the DOST-Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau, located at the College of Forestry, University of the Philippines, Los Baños. It coincided with the foundation day celebrations of the organization. The Philippines assumed the Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2006 and played host to the 12th ASEAN and East Asia Summits (held in Metro Cebu, January 2007).

In January 2007, the 5th ASEAN Inter-Club Age-Group Swimming Championships was held in the Trace Aqua Sports Center.

Los Baños also played host to the UAAP when the swimming competitions of the 70th, 71st and 72nd seasons were held at the Trace Aquatics Center.

Barangays

Los Baños is politically subdivided into 14 barangays.

Barangay Captain
Anos Bonifacio M. Olan
Bagong Silang Rufina A. Maloles
Bambang Joselito C. Manzanares
Batong Malake Nilo R. Lapis
Baybayin[1 ] Alberto A. Cornejo, Jr.
Bayog Cesar L. Moldez
Lalakay Gaudencio P. Macatangay
Maahas Arnulfo P. Soriano
Malinta Ricardo S. Bagnes
Mayondon Victorio A. Reyes
Putho Tuntungin Benedicto S. Alborida
San Antonio Esteban C. Palis
Tadlac Juan Marvin S. Bautista
Timugan[1 ] Romeo J. Lalican

Places of interest

  • University of the Philippines, Los Baños and other places of interest within its administered area
    • Mount Makiling
      • Makiling Botanical Gardens
      • ASEAN Center for Biodiversity
      • UPLB Museum of Natural History
      • Flatrocks - creek usually frequented by hikers
      • Mudspring - Presumed volcanic crater of Mt. Makiling
      • Peak 2 - Highest peak of Mt. Makiling
      • Pook ni Maria Makiling, an eco-tourism site adjacent to the Jamboree Site, National Arts Center and U.P. Los Baños
      • Boy Scouts of the Philippines and Jamboree Site - a campsite at the foot of Mount Makiling adjacent to U.P. Los Baños, which is being managed by the Boy Scouts of the Philippines and the site of the 10th World Scout Jamboree in 1959, the 1st and 12th Asia Pacific Jamboree in 1973 and 1991, and the 1st ASEAN Jamboree in 1993.
      • National Arts Center - a patch of land at the foot of Mount Makiling adjacent to U.P. Los Baños, which is being managed by the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the site of the Philippine High School for the Arts, a special school for young artist scholars
    • University of the Philippines Open University
    • International Rice Research Institute
    • Dairy Training & Research Institute
    • Philippine Carabao Center at UPLB (PCC at UPLB) - conducts R&D in water buffalo; implements other programs related to water buffalo development; one of the 13 regional centers of PCC (see the link below)
    • Agricultural and Life Sciences Complex
      • National Institute for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB/BIOTECH) - UPLB
      • Institute for Plant Breeding
      • APEC Center for Technology Exchange and Training for Small and Medium Enterprises (ACTETSME)
      • National Crop Protection Center (NCPC)
      • College of Agriculture AgriPark
    • Baker Hall (also known as Los Baños Internment Camp during World War II)
  • Philippine Council For Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD)
  • Department of Science and Technology Regional Office for Region IV (DOST IV)
  • Magnetic Hill
  • Dampalit Falls
  • Immaculate Conception Parish - a centuries old church at the town proper (Poblacion/Bayan)
  • Paciano Rizal Shrine - house of Paciano Rizal, brother of National Hero Jose Rizal
  • Paciano Rizal Park - park dedicated to Paciano Rizal, brother of National Hero Jose Rizal
  • Trace Aqua Sports Complex and Museum - aquatic sports venue for the 2005 SEA Games and Philippine Olympic Festival
  • Los Baños Eco-Waste Processing Area - noted and commended for its solid waste management
  • Yamashita Shrine - execution site of Gen. Yamashita

Sister City

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b Forms the town proper of Los Baños

See also

External links








Got something to say? Make a comment.
Your name
Your email address
Message