Introduction

Calamba City is a city in the province of Laguna, Philippines. It is

the regional center of Calabarzon, after Lucena City, Calamba is a
component city in the placed, first is San Pablo City, The City of
Calamba, is one of the fastest growth city in region 4A, and it growth
population, which divided into barangays, because of its economic
some, commercials, entertainment, factory companies and others, are
served in city, Calamba City is 54 kilometres (34 mi) south of Manila.
Calamba City is a popular tourist destination. It has several hot
spring resorts. Most of these are in Barangay Pansol. There are 651
resorts and hot springs in the city. The Canlubang Golf and Country
Club has been the host of many Philippine Opens. Calamba is also an
important modern industrial center in the CALABARZON region. This is
shown by the large number of industrial parks and business estates in
the city. 454,486 people live in the city (2015). There are in
58,466 households. Calamba City is the most populated city in Laguna
province. San Pedro, Santa Rosa City, Biñan City, and San Pablo City
follow it as the top 5 municipalities and cities by number of people
in the province. Calamba City is the birthplace of José Rizal. He is
a national hero in the Philippines.
The History of the Local Place

The name of the city comes from a legend. The legend says that during
the early time of the Spanish period in the country, two "guardias
civil" or Spanish soldiers were lost. As they moved through the area
that is now Calamba, they met a young woman. She came from a river
carrying a jar of water and a wooden stove. The soldiers asked the
lady what the name of the place was. They asked this in Spanish and
used an angry tone to hide the fact that they were lost. She did not
speak Spanish and thought she was being questioned about what she was
carrying. She answered "kalan-banga", meaning "clay stove" (kalan) and
"water jar" (banga). Because they could not pronounce it correctly,
the city has been called Calamba since then. This legend is
immortalized with a large concrete water jar built in the city plaza
with the names of the city's barangays written on it. It is said to be
the World's Biggest "Claypot". This same jar is also in the city's
seal. The idea to build the plaza came from Dr. Agapito Alzona. He was
a town councilor at the time. It was built on an unused area that was
at one time the old town market. The plaza was built in 1939. Before
it became a separate city, Calamba was a part of Tabuco. Tabuco is now
known as Cabuyao, Laguna. Calamba became an independent pueblo on
August 28, 1742. While the area was under the control of the Japanese
in World War II, the city was the site of a massacre. The Imperial
Japanese Army killed at least 2,000 civilians.[1] With the passage of
Republic Acts of the Philippines-Republic Act,No. 9024 on April 7,
2001 and the approval of the people on April 21, Calamba went from
being a municipality into being Laguna's second component city. San
Pablo City was the other component city at the time. Calamba is seen
as a major growth center. On October 28, 2003, Calamba City became the
regional center of Region IV-A CALABARZON. Calamba has been the home
to five national heroes: Dr. Jose Rizal, General Paciano Rizal,
Teodora Alonzo, General Vicente Lim, and Lt. Geronimo Aclan. The main
church in Calamba City is the St. John the Baptist Church. It was
built in 1859. The church was burned by the Japanese during World War
II. It was rebuilt by Fr. Eliseo Dimaculangan. It was the christening
site of Jose Rizal. The original baptismal font has been is still
there.
The Historical and Heritage Site of the Place

The Rizal Shrine in

Calamba (Filipino: Museo ni José
Rizal Calamba) is a reproduction of
the original two-story, Spanish-
Colonial style house
in Calamba, Laguna where José
Rizal was born on June 19,
1861.[1] Rizal is regarded as one of
the greatest national heroes of
the Philippines.[2] The house is
designated as a National Shrine
(Level 1) by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. It
is located along Mercado Street and Rizal Street in
Calamba's Poblacion 5 and is in close proximity to St. John the
Baptist Parish Church and the City College of Calamba.

The Rizal Shrine is a typical rectangular Bahay na Bato, reminiscent

of upper-class Filipino homes built during the Spanish Colonial
era.[7] The lower portion is made of adobe stone and brick, while the
upper portion consists of hardwood.[7] The original interior flooring
of the house was discovered during reconstruction and utilized.[1] It
has sliding windows made of capiz shells,[7] the exterior walls are
painted green (originally white) and the roof is constructed of red
ceramic tile.[3] In June 2009, the National Historical Institute
(now National Historical Commission of the Philippines) ordered the
shrine's repainting to highlight the meaning of Rizal's surname.[8]
The ground floor of the house historically served as a stable for
horses and carriages.[3][7] It contains several exhibits on Rizal's
childhood, including exact copies of Rizal's writings, drawings[1] and
original baptismal certificate. The upper floor served as the family's
living quarters and consisted of: the living room, dining area,
bathroom and library.[3] Containing more than 1000 books,
a caida serves as Francisco Mercado's library, the largest private
library in Calamba at that time.[7] Adjacent to the library is the
family's formal dining room, where Rizal's parents hosted guests and
other prominent members of the society.[4] The caida is connected to
a sala, which leads to three bedrooms: the boys' room (for Jose
and Paciano), the girls' room for his 9 sisters and the master
bedroom. The biggest among all the rooms, the master bedroom contains
the four-poster bed where Rizal was born. Going beyond the sala is an
informal dining room or comedor. Prominent in this room is
the punkah, a large rectangular Indian fan. Next to the comedor and
the azotea is an old well, one of the only surviving features of the
original house

Built in 1997, a gallery, library, audio-visual room and shop of Rizal

memorabilia reside adjacent to the shrine.[1] The shrine has a large
lawn with a replica of the nipa hut and a statue depicting young Rizal
with his dog. The statue was constructed in 1996 by Dudley Diaz for
the centennial celebration commemorating Rizal's death.[3][9] The remains
of Rizal's parents, Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonso, are also
located in the shrine.
The Native Customs of the Place

Laguna is a province in the Luzon region of Philippines. Like any

other place in this country, Laguna has a lot to tell when it comes to
the province’s history, culture and traditions. It is very obvious in
its tourist attractions, monuments, and antique houses. There are also
tons of important figures born in Laguna including the country’s
national hero – Dr. Jose P. Rizal. These and more have helped the
province of Laguna construct a very interesting and colorful history,
culture, customs, and traditions. Many of their traditions are still
practiced until now by old and young locals of Laguna. Laguna is one
of the many provinces in the Philippines that have been influenced by
the ways of the Spaniards. Because of this, several religious sites
were built in Laguna. The government of Laguna, as well as the locals,
did an excellent job in preserving these churches. There are at least
four major churches in Laguna namely the Church of Santa Rosa de Lima,
San Policarpio Church, San Antonio de Padua Church and the Church of
Saint John the Baptist. The Laguna tradition of Visita Iglesia (church
visit) done every Maundy Thursday each year are still exercised by
many. People from the province of Laguna and from its neighboring
areas visit these huge churches to perform this tradition or ritual
that is very unique in the province and in the whole country of the
Philippines. Another yearly tradition in Laguna is their ANILAG
Festival. It is a weeklong celebration that usually happens during the
month of March. The ANILAG Festival is held to give thanks to the all
the blessings that the people of the province had in the previous
year. ANILAG Festival is celebrated through beauty pageants, dance
showdowns, food contests, and woodcarving competitions. Aside from
being a tradition, the ANILAG Festival is also a way for the
government of Laguna to showcase it marvellous sceneries, sumptuous
local delicacies, and of course, the talent of its locals. During this
festival, hundreds of Filipino tourists from different places as well
as foreigners gather to witness this grandiose annual celebration.
Aside from the annual events and festivities, there are customs in
Laguna that can be seen only in some parts of the province. In
Magdalena, Laguna, there is a wedding custom called Galahan. It is a
wedding practice for newly wed couples where it is mandatory for them
to dance in front of the relatives. What sets this custom apart from
the norm is that they must carry a plate where a glass of wine and a
bottle are placed. After the dancing and the drinking, the relatives
of both parties must place any amount which would help the couple in
starting their married life. There is also a custom called Bayanihan
where neighbors offer an extraordinary kindness to their fellow
Laguenos in times of need. This hospitality and thoughtfulness that
they show to everybody makes foreign tourists come back again and
again. Only in the province of Laguna where you can experience this
warm welcome.

The Religion of the Place and Their Ceremonies

Calamba Laguna was historically one of the first provinces in the

Philippines to have been visited by Christian missionaries. Today, the
province, like the rest of the country, is predominantly Christian,
with most being a part of the Roman Catholic Church. The Diocese of
San Pablo is the only Roman Catholic diocese in Laguna. Other
Christian denominations present in Laguna are the Philippine
Independent Church, the Iglesia ni Cristo, Baptists, and
other Mainline Protestants. Most non-Christians in Laguna
practice Islam, Anitism, animism, or atheism.
Bibliography/References

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamba_City

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rizal_Shrine_(Calamba)

http://www.wowparadisephilippines.com/customs-and-traditions-province-
laguna.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laguna_(province)