INFORMATION :

Pagsanjan (pronounced 'Pag-sang-han') is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 32,622 people in 7,274 households. It is situated about 92 kilometers south of Manila. The main tourist spot of Pagsanjan is the Pagsanjan Fall or (Magdapio Falls). A particular highlight is the boatride which passes through 14 rapids maneuvered by boatmen between rocks and boulders that leads to the main falls. It is a also a popular gay tourist resort in Southeast Asia.

Pagsanjan is named as the tourist capital of Laguna and is the home of the Bankero Festival. The 'bangkeros' are tour guides that steer the tourists' bancas, they are called the boatmen who shoot the rapids all the way to the famous Pagsanjan Falls. These festivities is celebrated in the month of March.

History:

Pagsanjan was originally a barrio of Lumban. In 1668, eight Japanese and Chinese traders who were highly impressed by the strategic location of the barrio at the juncture of Balanac and Bumbungan rivers founded the town. They established a trading settlement and engaged in the betelnut industry. In time, the barrio became the flourishing trading center of eastern Laguna and attracted families from the surrounding communities of Cavinti, Pila, and Santa Cruz. On December 12, 1668, the then Governor General Manuel Dela Peña Bonifaz, issued a gubernatorial decree elevating its status from barrio to a town. In 1688, Pagsanjan replaced Bay as the capital of the province. It remained such until 1858, during which it bloomed as the cultural and commercial center of the province.

Geography:

Pagsanjan has a land area of 26.4 square kilometres. It is located 101 kilometers south of Manila. It is bounded on the east by the Balubad Mountain; on the west by the capital town of Santa Cruz; on the north by the San Isidro Hill and Laguna de Bay; on the northeast by the town of Lumban; on the southeast by the towns of Cavinti and Luisiana; on the south by Mount Banahaw; and on the southwest by the town of Magdalena.