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Calauan is a town in the province of Laguna in the Philippines. It is a halfway point between the lakeside and highland areas of the province and its also deemed the Pineapple Capital of Laguna.
Understand
[edit | edit source]Calauan is one of the oldest towns in Laguna, having existed in the precolonial era and conquered by the Spanish in 1572. For much of the Spanish era, it was part of an eponymous hacienda until it became a formal town in 1902. Since the 1990s, the town has been unfavorably linked to its former mayor, Antonio Sanchez, who was convicted and sentenced to death, later commuted to life imprisonment, in 1995 for the murder of two university students from Los Baños and the rape of one of them in what was dubbed as the "Crime of the Century" by Philippine media at the time.
Calauan occupies varying terrain, from a small coastal plain along Laguna de Bay wedged between the neighboring municipalities of Bay and Victoria down to an extensive forested hinterland region that straddles the foothills of Mounts Makiling and Banahaw and hosts spas and even hot spring resorts.
Get in
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Calauan is at a four-way junction between the parallel lakeside and highland highways of Laguna. From the downtown, Bay-Calauan Road runs northwest to join Calamba-Pagsanjan Road (Route 66) in Bay and onwards to the major cities of Northwest Laguna, while A. Marfori Road runs north towards the same road in Barangay Bangyas. A third road leads northeast towards Calamba-Pagsanjan Road at Itik (Masapang) Junction in Victoria and onwards to the provincial capital Santa Cruz. Prior to reaching Victoria, a junction at Barangay Santo Tomas leads southeast towards Nagcarlan. South of downtown Calauan is a road heading to San Pablo, while a narrow secondary road leads southwest towards Alaminos.
Calauan is served by jeepneys travelling between the provincial capital Santa Cruz and San Pablo on one hand, and Calamba and San Pablo on the other. From Metro Manila, there are also buses passing through northern Calauan along Calamba-Pagsanjan Road on their way to Santa Cruz. Those heading to the hot spring resorts in the southern edge of town are better served by buses heading to San Pablo and Lucena that pass by Alaminos, from where transfers via tricycle can be made.
Get around
[edit | edit source]Tricycles are the main mode of transportation between barangays.
See
[edit | edit source]- 1 AboitizPower Cleanergy Center, Limao. An educational facility inside the Makban Geothermal Plant, a complex fed by Mounts Banahaw and Makiling on the boundary with Bay that explains the mechanics of geothermal energy and how electricity reaches consumers.
- 2 Mount Kalisungan, Lamot 2. A 760 metres (2,490 ft) peak that looms over Calauan. It has a semi-cylindrical shape and is a favorite of hikers seeking relatively easier hikes than neighboring Makiling and Banahaw. The summit holds a white-painted cross and commanding views of Laguna de Bay and Rizal province, as well as the Makiling and Banahaw massifs.
- 3 San Isidro Labrador Parish Church (Calauan Church), Calauan-San Pablo Road corner Bondoc Street, Silangan. Calauan's main Roman Catholic church, built during the Spanish era in 1860.
Do
[edit | edit source]- 1 Hidden Valley Springs, Limao, ☏ +63 917 598 1972, reservations@hiddenvalleyspringsresort.com. 7AM-5PM. One of the oldest hot spring resorts in Laguna, in operation since the 1970s and relying on geothermal energy provided by Mount Makiling. There are also spas and overnight accommodation.
Buy
[edit | edit source]- 1 Puregold Calauan, Bay-Calauan Road, Masiit.
- 2 Old Calauan Public Market, A. Marfori Road, Silangan.
- 3 New Calauan Public Market, Masiit (at the back of Puregold and PUP Calauan).
Eat
[edit | edit source]Calauan is dubbed the "Pineapple Capital" of Laguna for its many such farms.
- 1 Isdaan Floating Restaurant, Calamba-Pagsanjan Road, Hanggan, ☏ +63 922 828 9194, isdaanfloatingrestofunpark@gmail.com. A fish restaurant with a wide array of Filipino food stretched across an extensive complex with koi ponds and marine and Buddhist-themed statues and pagodas.
Drink
[edit | edit source]Sleep
[edit | edit source]- 1 Lucidel Resort and Restaurant, A. Marfori Road, Bangyas, toll-free: +63 49 543 6623. A hotel resort complex with swimming pools and Filipino-themed restaurant.
Stay safe
[edit | edit source]In the rainy season, Laguna de Bay can overflow, resulting in the floods along the coastal barangays and parts of Calamba-Pagsanjan Road.
Connect
[edit | edit source]The town's postal code is 4012.
Go next
[edit | edit source]| Routes through Calauan |
| Calamba ← Bay ← | W  E | → Victoria → Santa Cruz |
| Bay ← | N  S | → San Pablo |