ABOUT PAGSANJAN
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.
Laguna
is a province of the Philippines found in the CALABARZON region in Luzon. Its capital is Santa Cruz and the province is located southeast of Metro Manila, south of the province of Rizal, west of Quezon, north of Batangas and east of Cavite. Laguna almost completely surrounds Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the country. The province got its name from the Spanish word lago, which means lake.
Laguna is notable for being the birthplace of José Rizal, the country's national hero. Laguna is also famous among tourists for the Pagsanjan Falls, the University of the Philippines campus and the hot spring resorts in Los Baños on the slopes of Mount Makiling, Pila, Laguna Town Plaza, Taytay Falls, Majayjay, the wood carvings and papier mache created by the people of Paete, the turumba of Pakil, and Hidden Valley Springs in Calauan.
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.
Pagsanjan Falls
Pagsanjan Falls (indigenous name: Magdapio Falls) is one of the most famed waterfalls in the Philippines. The falls have grown into a major tourist attraction for the region. Pagsanjan is most famous for these falls in particular. The town itself dates from early Spanish times and lies at the confluence of two rivers, the Balanac and the Bumbungan.
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