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CHAPTER 1
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CHAPTER 2
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CHAPTER 3
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CHAPTER 4
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CHAPTER 5
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CHAPTER 6
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CHAPTER 7
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PAGSANJAN,
A MINI-TOWN OF GLOBAL FAME

      Famous in song and story is the little town of Pagsanjan, situated at 101 kilometers south of Manila and can easily be reached by car or bus in two hours. It is world-renowned not only because of the Pagsanjan Falls, whose enchanting beauty fascinates tourists from all corners of the globe, but also because of its panoramic vistas, its fine homes and lovely women, and its talented citizens, whose achievements in war and peace reflect glory to the Filipino nation, and its cosmopolite culture which is a harmonious amalgam of Asian, Hispanic, Mexican, and American heritage.

Geographical Setting

      Like a graceful swan, Pagsanjan perches on the riparian delta formed by the confluence of two cool rivers called Balanac and Bumbungan. Originally named Pinagsangahan, meaning "branching" or "juncture", the town was given a Hispanic name by early Spanish colonizers, Pagsanjan, because they found it extremely difficult to pronounce its polysyllabic name.
      The town is bordered on the east by the green Balubad Mountain, a tiny spur of the Sierra Mountain range; on the west by the town of Santa Cruz (Laguna's provincial capital); on the north by the legendary San Isidro Hill and Laguna de Bay; on the northeast by the town of Lumban (famous for embroideries) and the other towns of Baybay, including Paete (famed for wood-carving) and Pakil (celebrated for the turumba, traditional folk dance and song in honor of the Virgin Dolores); on the southeast by the mountainous towns of Cavinti and Luisiana; and on the south and southwest by the somnolent Mount Banahaw and the upland towns of Magdalena, Majayjay, Liliw, and Nagcarlan.
      Pagsanjan, one of the small towns of Laguna Province, has a total area of only 43.7 square kilometers. As a municipality, it consists of the poblacion (town proper) and 14 barrios, namely; Anibong, Biñan, Buboy, Cabanbanan, Calasuchi, Dingin, Lambac, Layugan, Magdapio, Maulawin, Pinagsanghan, Sabang, Sampalocan and San Isidro.
      The climate is moderately tropical and healthful even to the white men. As affirmed by Frays Manuel Buzeta and Felipe Bravo, Augustinian missionary-chroniclers, in 1850; "Pagsanjan's climate is salubrious moderately tempered." There are two distinct seasons - the dry and the wet. The dry season begins in March and ends in June; the wet season lasts from July to October. The interluding period, from November to February, is neither too dry or too wet. It is veritably a tropical springtime, a delightful season for the natives and the foreign tourists.
      Pagsanjan is a well-watered town. Annually, it receives an abundant rainfall. There are so many natural springs, especially in the barrios, so that the town virtually floats on a sea of subterranean waters. Thus an old saying of Pagsanjeños runs as follows: "Dig in any part of our town, and you'll strike water, not gold. Gold is valuable; but to a thirsty soul, water is more valuable."
      Pagsanjan, unlike those towns located near the active volcanoes (Mayon, Taal, Hibok-Hibok and Mt. Pinatubo), has never been devastated by volcanic eruptions. Like all other towns of the Philippines, it experiences considerable damage from the yearly typhoons, such as Jean (December 26, 1947), Gertrude (September 1, 1948), Yoling (November 19, 1970), Konsing (June 25, 1972), and Gloring (July 16, 1972), and from occasional earthquakes, notably those in 1795, 1828, 1863, 1880, 1887, 1903, 1969 and 1972.

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