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Santo Tomas | |
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| City of Santo Tomas | |
      Clockwise from top:Padre Pio Shrine,First Philippine Industrial Park, Santo Tomas City Hall, A. Bonifacio Street, The Lifestyle Strip, Malvar Shrine | |
 Flag .jpg) Seal | |
| Nickname: Gateway to Batangas | |
| Motto: Magandang Bukas, Santo Tomas | |
| Anthem: Ako ay Tomasino (I am a Tomasino) | |
 Map of Batangas with Santo Tomas highlighted | |
 Interactive map of Santo Tomas | |
.svg)  Santo Tomas Location within thePhilippines | |
| Coordinates:14°05′N121°11′E / 14.08°N 121.18°E /14.08; 121.18 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Calabarzon |
| Province | Batangas |
| District | 3rd district |
| Founded | 7 March 1666 |
| Cityhood | September 7, 2019[1] |
| Named after | St. Thomas Aquinas |
| Barangays | 30 (seeBarangays) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Panlungsod |
| • Mayor | Arth Jhun A. Marasigan |
| • Vice Mayor | Catherine J. Perez |
| • Representative | King George Leandro Antonio V. Collantes |
| • City Council | Members
|
| • Electorate | 124,836 voters (2025) |
| Area | |
• Total | 95.41 km2 (36.84 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 239 m (784 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 1,094 m (3,589 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[4] | |
• Total | 226,772 |
| • Density | 2,377/km2 (6,156/sq mi) |
| • Households | 59,686 |
| Economy | |
| • Income class | 1st city income class |
| • Poverty incidence | 7.81 |
| • Revenue | ₱ 1,842 million (2022) |
| • Assets | ₱ 4,152 million (2022) |
| • Expenditure | ₱ 1,332 million (2022) |
| • Liabilities | ₱ 664.1 million (2022) |
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Manila Electric Company (Meralco) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| ZIP code | 4234 |
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)43 |
| Native languages | Tagalog |
| Patron saint | St. Thomas Aquinas |
| Website | https://cityofstotomas.gov.ph/ |
Santo Tomas, officially theCity of Santo Tomas (Filipino:Lungsod ng Santo Tomas), is acomponent city in theprovince ofBatangas,Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 226,772 people.[6]
Santo Tomas got its name fromSpanish forSaint Thomas Aquinas, aCatholic saint whose patronal feast day is celebrated every March 7. It is also the hometown ofPhilippine Revolution andPhilippine–American War heroMiguel Malvar, the last Filipino general to surrender to the Americans.
 | This sectionrelies largely or entirely on asingle source. Relevant discussion may be found on thetalk page. Please helpimprove this article byintroducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Santo Tomas, Batangas" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(July 2022) |
Santo Tomas was founded in 1666, with Manuel Melo as its first head. Originally, it was composed of a largepoblacion. When the Spanish friars arrived, their first and foremost objective was to construct a church near the river to satisfy their inclination for water. Thus, the present site of a Roman Catholic church was chosen near theSan Juan River. As years went by, more houses were built around the church. This became the center of thepoblacion.
Other groups of houses were scattered all over the area. They were given such odd names as "Kabaong", because of coffin-shaped stones along the road; "Putol" because the trail was cut short byMount Makiling; "Aptayin", because "apta" or fine shrimps were found in the brook; "Biga", becausebiga trees abounded there; and "Camballao", as in "kambal" (twin) because twin rivers divided the place. These different unit groups comprised the barrios of the town.
The natives were by nature God-fearing, peaceful and obedient. Colonial officials did not much have difficulty enforcing decrees and orders. One such irrevocable decree was to change the original names of thebarrios to the names of saints in the Catholic calendar and to place each them under itspatrotonio; the former "Pook" and "Aptayin" were joined and called San Bartolome, "Kabaong" was changed to San Vicente, "Biga" to Santa Anastacia, and "Camballao" to San Isidro Sur and San Isidro Norte. The whole town was given the name ofSanto Tomas de Aquino, after asaint of theDominican Order to where most of the first friars belonged. As time went by, more barrios were added to the list each with an assumed name of a saint.
From the year 1666, the head of the town had different titles, variously known ascaptain from 1666 to 1782,alcalde from 1783 to 1788,gobernadorcillo from 1789 to 1821,presidente local from 1822 to 1899,presidente municipal from 1900 to 1930, andmayor from 1931 to present.[7]
In 2016,Nelson P. Collantes, the then-representative ofBatangas's 3rd District, filed a House bill to convert Santo Tomas into a component city.[8] After few years, with a unanimous vote of 19–0, theSenate approved a bill for the municipality's conversion into a city on March 19, 2018.[9] On October 5, 2018,PresidentRodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11086,[10] making Santo Tomas the first municipality to be converted into a city underhis administration.[11] It was effectively ratified on September 7, 2019 through a plebiscite wherein majority of residents who voted approved the cityhood.[1]
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Santo Tomas is located at14°05′N121°11′E / 14.08°N 121.18°E /14.08; 121.18. It is situated at the foot ofMount Makiling and is 61 kilometers (38 mi) south ofManila and 44 kilometers (27 mi) fromBatangas City. The city is part ofGreater Capital Region resulting from the continuous expansion ofMetro Manila. It borders the cities ofCalamba to the north,Los Baños to the north-east,Alaminos to the east,Tanauan andMalvar to the west, and Lipa to the south.
According to thePhilippine Statistics Authority, the component city has a land area of 95.41 square kilometers (36.84 sq mi) [12] constituting3.06% of the 3,119.75-square-kilometer (1,204.54 sq mi) total area of Batangas.
Santo Tomas is politically subdivided into 30barangays, as indicated in the matrix below.[13] Each barangay consists ofpuroks and some havesitios.
| PSGC | Barangay | Population | ±% p.a. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024[14] | 2010[15] | |||||
| 041028001 | Barangay I (Poblacion) | 0.8% | 1,846 | 1,766 | ▴ | 0.32% |
| 041028002 | Barangay II (Poblacion) | 1.2% | 2,777 | 2,291 | ▴ | 1.40% |
| 041028003 | Barangay III (Poblacion) | 1.1% | 2,543 | 1,933 | ▴ | 2.01% |
| 041028004 | Barangay IV (Poblacion) | 1.6% | 3,542 | 2,806 | ▴ | 1.70% |
| 041028005 | San Agustin | 1.1% | 2,400 | 2,374 | ▴ | 0.08% |
| 041028006 | San Antonio | 5.1% | 11,657 | 9,085 | ▴ | 1.82% |
| 041028007 | San Bartolome | 3.2% | 7,205 | 5,897 | ▴ | 1.46% |
| 041028008 | San Felix | 2.4% | 5,548 | 4,388 | ▴ | 1.71% |
| 041028009 | San Fernando | 1.1% | 2,507 | 2,174 | ▴ | 1.04% |
| 041028010 | San Francisco | 1.2% | 2,623 | 2,469 | ▴ | 0.44% |
| 041028011 | San Isidro Norte | 1.0% | 2,289 | 1,663 | ▴ | 2.34% |
| 041028012 | San Isidro Sur | 1.2% | 2,653 | 2,309 | ▴ | 1.01% |
| 041028013 | San Joaquin | 1.9% | 4,417 | 3,844 | ▴ | 1.01% |
| 041028014 | San Jose | 1.2% | 2,785 | 2,160 | ▴ | 1.86% |
| 041028015 | San Juan | 1.4% | 3,177 | 3,012 | ▴ | 0.39% |
| 041028016 | San Luis | 1.3% | 2,932 | 2,414 | ▴ | 1.42% |
| 041028017 | San Miguel | 4.4% | 10,087 | 6,550 | ▴ | 3.18% |
| 041028018 | San Pablo | 2.7% | 6,083 | 5,057 | ▴ | 1.35% |
| 041028019 | San Pedro | 2.5% | 5,741 | 5,202 | ▴ | 0.72% |
| 041028020 | San Rafael | 5.1% | 11,654 | 6,632 | ▴ | 4.17% |
| 041028021 | San Roque | 4.3% | 9,745 | 8,909 | ▴ | 0.65% |
| 041028022 | San Vicente | 5.5% | 12,360 | 8,606 | ▴ | 2.66% |
| 041028023 | Santa Ana | 0.6% | 1,432 | 1,358 | ▴ | 0.39% |
| 041028024 | Santa Anastacia | 6.5% | 14,666 | 7,555 | ▴ | 4.92% |
| 041028025 | Santa Clara | 3.2% | 7,231 | 5,046 | ▴ | 2.64% |
| 041028026 | Santa Cruz | 1.1% | 2,504 | 2,104 | ▴ | 1.27% |
| 041028027 | Santa Elena | 1.0% | 2,358 | 1,638 | ▴ | 2.68% |
| 041028028 | Santa Maria | 12.3% | 27,843 | 10,169 | ▴ | 7.57% |
| 041028029 | Santiago | 2.6% | 5,978 | 4,277 | ▴ | 2.46% |
| 041028030 | Santa Teresita | 0.6% | 1,261 | 1,052 | ▴ | 1.32% |
| Total | 226,772 | 124,740 | ▴ | 4.43% | ||
| Climate data for Santo Tomas | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28 (82) | 29 (84) | 31 (88) | 32 (90) | 31 (88) | 29 (84) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 29 (84) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 19 (66) | 19 (66) | 20 (68) | 21 (70) | 23 (73) | 24 (75) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 22 (72) | 21 (70) | 20 (68) | 22 (71) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 11 (0.4) | 13 (0.5) | 14 (0.6) | 32 (1.3) | 101 (4.0) | 142 (5.6) | 208 (8.2) | 187 (7.4) | 175 (6.9) | 131 (5.2) | 68 (2.7) | 39 (1.5) | 1,121 (44.3) |
| Average rainy days | 5.2 | 5.0 | 7.4 | 11.5 | 19.8 | 23.5 | 27.0 | 25.9 | 25.2 | 23.2 | 15.5 | 8.3 | 197.5 |
| Source: Meteoblue[16] | |||||||||||||
Population census of Santo Tomas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[17][14][15][18][19] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the 2024 census, Santo Tomas had a population of 226,772 people.[20] The population density was 2,400 inhabitants per square kilometer or 6,200 inhabitants per square mile.
Poverty incidence of Santo Tomas
Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]
TheFirst Philippine Industrial Park which is owned by theLopez Group of Companies is located in the city.[29]
Most of the city is residential with a lot of farmlands. There are also some developed subdivisions along the city like the San Antonio Heights in Barangay San Antonio which was developed by Avida Land, a division ofAyala Land,[30] Camella Homes,[31] and Terrazza de Santo Tomas in Barangay San Roque which was developed by Ovialand. The city is well known for an entire strip ofbulalo (bone marrow soup) restaurants and to a hospital named Saint Cabrini Medical Center which is located inside the city center.
Aside from various real estate development in the city, Santo Tomas also has a popular lifestyle and commercial complex in the locality. The Lifestyle Strip, AllHome Santo Tomas,[32] Liana's Junction Santo Tomas,S&R Membership Shopping Santo Tomas, and SM City Santo Tomas[33] are known shopping destinations that operate in the city.
ThePan-Philippine Highway or Maharlika Highway connects the city withCalamba, the rest ofLaguna, with the highway reaching as far asBicol Region. Since 2009, theSouthern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR Tollway) andSouth Luzon Expressway start at the city and connects withBatangas City andMetro Manila, respectively. TheJose P. Laurel Highway connects the city withTanauan City,Lipa and Batangas City.
Jeepneys (Filipino: "dyip") connect the city with Calamba to the north, Tanauan to the south, andSan Pablo to the east. Buses from Manila to Batangas City,Lucena, or Bicol serve the city.UV Express service also connects Santo Tomas with San Pablo,Santa Rosa, Lipa, andDasmariñas.Tricycles provide transportation within the barangays.
There are two schools district offices which govern all educational institutions within the municipality. They oversee the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools.[34] These are the Santo Tomas North Schools District Office, and Santo Tomas South Schools District Office.
There are 27 public elementary schools within Santo Tomas, all overseen by the SDO of Sto. Tomas City.[35]
A. Zone 1
| B. Zone 2
| C. Zone 3
|
A. Zone 4
| B. Zone 5
| C. Zone 6
|
There are 18 private schools within the Santo Tomas.[36][37]
The city has 5 public high schools, all overseen by the Schools Division Office (SDO) of Sto. Tomas City.[38]
ThePolytechnic University of the Philippines has one Polytechnic University of the Philippines Santo Tomas Batangas campus in Santo Tomas. It is a constituent branch of thePUP System and the only institution of higher learning in Santo Tomas that serves the city and neighboring cities.
InPhilippine mythology, the homeland of theanggitays is believed to be somewhere in Santo Tomas, Batangas. The anggitays are creatures resembling centaurs but have a single horn on the forehead and are generally female.[39]
Places adjacent to Santo Tomas, Batangas | |
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