Lucena


Lucena, officially known as the City of Lucena, is a highly urbanized city situated in the Calabarzon region of the Philippines. According to the, it has a population of people.
The city is the largest urban center and capital of Quezon Province. The city also serves as a major hub for commerce, healthcare, education, and governance within the region.
Lucena City, although geographically situated within Quezon Province, is politically and administratively independent. This distinction enables it to govern itself without provincial oversight, giving it a unique status within the region.

History

Early history

In the 1570s, Captain Juan de Salcedo first explored what was then Kalilayan, later founded as a province in 1591. The Franciscan priests Juan de Plasencia and Diego de Oropesa between 1580 and 1583 founded its town, also named "Tayabas". Tayabas was organized by the Spaniards through the Franciscan missionaries and Lucena was just one of its barrios. Tayabas became the provincial capital in 1749, renaming the province after it.
The Spaniards of the 16th century called the area "Buenavista" because of its scenic beauty; several years later, the barrio was renamed "Oroquieta". A century later, Muslim pirates began terrorizing the entire Philippine coastline, including Oroquieta. The barrio folks built forts along the seashores to defend it against the attacking pirates along the coast, particularly in the present-day Cotta and in Barangay Mayao, though these structures are no longer extant.
Hence, the place became known as Cotta, the Spanish form of the Tagalog kuta. The growth of local maritime trade facilitated in the Cotta port and the final defeat of Moro pirates plying the Luzon and Visayan waters, afforded the growth of Lucena as a town which eventually led to its being the provincial capital of Tayabas in 1901.
Finally on November 3, 1879, a royal decree was issued and the Orden Superior Civil officially adopted the name "Lucena" in honor of a Spanish friar by the name of Father Mariano Granja, who came from Lucena, Córdoba in Andalucia, Spain. Fr. Granja was responsible for the development of the barrio that became a Parish in 1881. Lucena became an independent municipality on June 1, 1882.
During the 1896 Philippine Revolution, the people of Lucena showed their brand of patriotism. Jorge Zaballero led the local revolutionists who were under the barrage of Spanish muskets. Later, Miguel Arguilles with Jose Barcelona as president formed a revolutionary government in Lucena.
After Aguinaldo proclaimed the nation's independence on June 12, 1898, Gen. Miguel Malvar, as Commanding General for Southern Luzon, took over Tayabas province on August 15, 1898. Don Crisanto Marquez became Lucena's first elected Municipal president during the first Philippine Republic.

Filipino-American War

Lucena was involved in the Philippine–American War and in the subsequent establishment of American civil governance in the country.
As the war between the United States and Filipino forces intensified, Lucena became an important strategic location, though it did not become a major battlefield.
In 1901, after the suppression of Filipino resistance, the Americans began reorganizing the local governance structure. This led to the eventual transfer of the provincial capital of Tayabas to Lucena on March 12, 1901. This shift was an important step in strengthening American control over the region and setting up civil governance.
The Americans valued Lucena's central location. It's accessibility and proximity to other towns in the province made it an ideal choice as the new administrative center.
During this time, Lucena saw further development with the introduction of newer infrastructure such as roads, schools, and government facilities, which contributed to the city's growth and modernization.

World War II

On December 27, 1941, the Japanese Imperial Forces captured the city of Lucena, an event locally known as "The Fall of Lucena," just 19 days after their initial invasion of the Philippines. The Japanese aimed to strengthen their military presence in the region, sending units to seize strategic locations within the town. Although the invasion was initially successful, the Japanese forces soon faced fierce resistance from local fighters and members of the Hunters ROTC, a group of Filipino guerilla fighters.
The underground resistance movement was tenacious. Japanese Forces would be caught off-guard with surprise assaults which often resulted in fierce close-quarters combat. These continuous assaults, coupled with significant logistical challenges, gradually took a heavy toll on the Japanese forces, undermining their control and weakening their presence in the region.
By January 25, 1945, the Hunters ROTC guerrillas had managed to penetrate the town. Leveraging their intimate knowledge of the local terrain, they moved swiftly to prevent the Japanese forces from organizing an effective defense. After a fierce and hard-fought offensive, the Filipino forces successfully expelled the Japanese from the city. In the aftermath, the people of Lucena strengthened their defenses in anticipation of a potential counterattack.
Later attempts by the Japanese to re-establish their occupation of Lucena failed.
Tayabas Province stood by and waited for the American Liberation forces and the Philippine Commonwealth troops, who would soon hand them their freedom on April 4, 1945.
Shortly after the war, Lucena began to rebuild, with efforts focused on restoring its infrastructure and reviving local industries.

Cityhood

Lucena was granted cityhood through the efforts of then-Congressman Manuel S. Enverga of Quezon's 1st district. Republic Act No. 3271 lapsed into law on June 17, 1961, despite not being signed by then-President Carlos P. Garcia. The city's formal inauguration and the induction of its first city officials, led by then-Mayor Castro Profugo, took place on August 20, 1961, as outlined in Section 90 of the Act. On July 1, 1991, Lucena was officially declared a highly urbanized city, granting it political and administrative independence from the province.

Geography

Lucena is situated south of Manila. The city proper is wedged between two rivers, Dumacaa River on the east and Iyam River on the west. Seven other rivers and six creeks serve as natural drainage for the city. Its port on the coast along Tayabas Bay is home to several boat and ferry lines operating and serving the sea lanes between Lucena and the different points in the region and as far as the Visayas.
Being the provincial capital and former Government Center of the former Southern Tagalog Region, Lucena is host to most of the branches of governmental agencies, businesses, banks and service facilities in the Southern Tagalog region.

Barangays

Lucena is politically subdivided into 33 barangays, as indicated below. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
  • Barangay 1
  • Barangay 2
  • Barangay 3
  • Barangay 4
  • Barangay 5
  • Barangay 6
  • Barangay 7
  • Barangay 8
  • Barangay 9
  • Barangay 10
  • Barangay 11
  • Barra
  • Bocohan
  • Cotta
  • Gulang-Gulang
  • Dalahican
  • Domoit
  • Ibabang Dupay
  • Ibabang Iyam
  • Ibabang Talim
  • Ilayang Dupay
  • Ilayang Iyam
  • Ilayang Talim
  • Isabang
  • Market View
  • Mayao Castillo
  • Mayao Crossing
  • Mayao Kanluran
  • Mayao Parada
  • Mayao Silangan
  • Ransohan
  • Salinas
  • Talao-Talao

    Climate

Lucena falls under Type III of the Corona's climatic classification system. It is characterized by no pronounced wet and dry seasons. Generally, the wet season is from June to November and sometimes extends up to December when the southwest monsoon is predominant. The dry season is from January to May but is sometimes interrupted by erratic rainfall. The annual mean temperature is, with February as the coldest month with temperatures dropping to, and May as the warmest month with temperatures reaching up to. Habagat monsoon winds pass through the province from June to October while northeasterly winds or Amihan blows through the islands from December to February.

Demographics

Language

The majority of residents in Lucena, Quezon speak Tagalog, that has distinct form of Tayabasin Tagalog variety, which is locally known as Lucenahin speech.
This Tayabasin dialect serves as the primary mother tongue and everyday language of native Lucenahins and exhibits noticeable differences from the standard Manila Tagalog in vocabulary, pronunciation, and some grammatical features. It shares many characteristics with other Southern Tagalog varieties and preserves a number of archaic lexical items and phonological patterns that have largely disappeared from the Manila-based standard.
Lucena’s distinct linguistic identity and heritage are documented in the Lexicographic Study of Tayabas Tagalog of Quezon Province by Manuel E. Arsenio and in the 2002 dictionary Diksyunaryo ng mga Salitang Lucenahin by A.O. Balagtas, which catalogues numerous terms unique to the city or preferentially used there. Examples include:
  • dag‑im – a dark, rain-bearing cloud
  • guyabnan – handrail or banister of a staircase
  • panhik – to go upstairs
These features highlight Lucena’s retention of older Southern Tagalog forms, making its speech one of the more conservative varieties of Tagalog still actively spoken in CALABARZON.

Economy

Retail and commerce

Economic activities in Lucena are heavily concentrated in the poblacion and other suburban barangays where the highly dense and constricted central business district is home to a large cluster of different business enterprises. As population grows in tandem with new and promising business prospects, business activities spill over adjoining barangays, thus forming mini satellite commercial areas.
Other commercial strips are located in the poblacion and suburban barangays where both retail and wholesale trade, including other essential services, are being engaged in. Lucena City features SM City Lucena, the biggest mall in the city located in Ibabang Dupay, which is also one of the first SM Malls in Luzon. Other Shopping Centers include Pacific Mall Lucena, SM Savemore Agora, and Puregold Gulang-Gulang Lucena.