Lobo, Batangas

Lobo, officially the Municipality of Lobo, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 40,736 people.

Etymology
The name "Lobo" may have come from: 1. the Spanish and Tagalog term for "wolf", lobo

2. the Tagalog word "lubog", that later became the word "Lobu" or "Lobo"

3. the Lobo River, which flows through Lobo itself and

4. the balloon that landed into Mt. Banoi.

The town was proclaimed as the "Atis Capital of the Philippines" through Resolution 2011-61 in September 2011.

Early history
The coming of the ten datus in the Philippines in the 13th century had contributed a vital part in this history of this municipality. History stated that after Datu Puti and his followers purchased the island of Panay and fully establishing a colony in the island, Datu Puti with Datu Balkasusa and Datu Domangsil left Panay and sailed north in search from greener pastures.

The group reached Batangas and caused the founding of the first Malayan colony in Luzon. They first settled the eastern and western sides of Pansipit River which are now Lemery and Taal and later on they scattered in the province settling Kumintang which is named in honor of Lakan Kumintang.

The most adventurous follower of Lakan Kumintang was Gat Bahaghari and with his family and a handful of followers, they traveled south to Rosario and trailing along Rosario-Lobo River, they reached the “Wawa of Lobo” (now Fabrica) which his followers named it Bahaghari in honor of him. Attracted by the panoramic view and soil fertility of this place, Gat Bahaghari and his followers decided to establish a permanent settlement in this area.

Some followers of Gat Bahaghari thinked if they want to easily detect the coming of the pirates that may harass their peaceful living, they built their houses on the top of a hill overlooking the sea which is now the Municipal Cemetery of Lobo.

Beneath this hill on the west side is low land treasured with “sumasagitsit” or running tiny streams of water which they utilized to irrigate their farms. With the help of the streams, their farms became very productive that enabled them to transport their excess products to their bountiful harvests, they replied that they came from sumasagitsit. The term sumasagitsit was later on changed to Masagitsit until it was changed as Barangay Masaguitsit.

Foreign rule
Lobo's history shared its roots from the history of Rosario. The town of Rosario was founded by Augustinian friars in 1687 that originated from the southeastern coast of Batangas which is Lobo. When the municipality (Rosario) was founded, Lobo became a barrio of Rosario with the present municipalities of Taysan, San Juan, and Padre Garcia.

The inhabitants were forced to flee the coast of Lobo to avoid the Moros. While fleeing, the inhabitants was reciting the rosary that gave Rosario its name. When most of the people found themselves at the north-west bank of Kansahayan River in Hilerang Kawayan, now a barangay called Pinagbayanan of Taysan, the settlement was relocated and started to rebuild their lives. However, at the height of the Moro Wars in the second half of the 18th century, the vicious Moro raids reached Hilerang Kawayan.

Rosario was moved again by the Dominican priests fearing that the Moros will attack them. They headed north holding a novena and praying the rosary while fleeing from Hilerang Kawayan. When the last day of the novena struck, the inhabitants reached the river bank of Tubig ng Bayan (lit. 'Water of Town', a river from Lipa now known as Balintawak River/Creek), now the present-day Padre Garcia. Here they finally settled and the town's people erected a stone church south of the river bank in honor of their saint, the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary (known as Nuestra Señora del Rosario in the municipality). The town was named Santo Rosario. Rosario remained in the location for a long time until 1902.

In December 12, 1848, the barrio of Bolbok was separated from Rosario and was named San Juan de Bocboc, then in 1850, the barrio of Mercedes also became an independent municipality now known as Taysan. It was not until September 27, 1871 that the barrio of Lobo became an independent municipality. The Spaniards didn't know what to name the place until they saw that a balloon that came from the people celebrating their fiesta in the Municipality of Batangas fly towards Mt. Banoi. They eagerly waited for the balloon to fall down. They were so amazed that they named the place "Lobo" to commemorate the incident. The parish of Lobo wasn't erected until 2 years later in February 4, 1873. The parish was then named "Parroquia de San Miguel Arcanghel" meaning "Saint Michael the Archangel Parish" being the patron saint of Lobo, Batangas. Don Cayetano Macarandang was the first parish priest of the church serving from 1871 until 1873.

According to Manuel Sastron's publication of Batangas y su Provincia, he described Lobo as "the most remarkably isolated municipality in Batangas". Lobo's road was so narrow that horses couldn't barely pass through it. Travelling by sea is also not ideal because the waters of the town have great waves that would be dangerous for small boats. He also said that the municipalities population in the 19th century was only 6,700 people. He referenced the Lobo River as being large and being fed by four or five tributaries. Sastron said that Lobo was peaceful and crimes rarely occur. Before the end of the Spanish period, the Malabrigo Point Lighthouse was proposed to be made in Barangay Malabrigo. It was one among the Spaniards built as part of the Plan General de Alumbrado de Maritimo de las Costas del Archipelago de Filipino which would make 55 lighthouses in the Philippines.



When the American invasion period started, Lobo was consolidated to the municipality of Taysan through the Act No. 708 (An Act Reducing Thirteen of the Municipalities in the Province of Batangas into Five) but became independent again when Taysan was consolidated to the municipality of Rosario in the same year through the Act No. 958 (An Act Reducing The Twenty-two Municipalities of the Province of Batangas to Sixteen, and Repealing Act Numbered Seven Hundred and Eight, entitled "An Act Reducing Thirteen of the Municipalities in the Province of Batangas into Five."). Lobo was commonly misspelled as "Loboo" by the Americans.

Geography
Lobo is located at °N, °W. The town is located near the southern tip of the Batangas province, about 145 km from Manila.

Lobo has white sand beaches and has protected mangrove forests and fish sanctuaries.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 175.03 km2 constituting NaN% of the 3,119.75 km2 total area of Batangas.

Barangays
Lobo is politically subdivided into 26 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

According to the 2020 census, the most populated barangay in Lobo is Balibago with 3,454 residents living while the least populated barangay in Lobo is Malalim na Sanog with 306 residents living. Lobo originally had 7 barangays named as Masagitsit (now Masaguitsit), Bignay, Tayuman, Malapad na Parang, Mabilog na Bundok, Malabrigo, and Sabana (non-existent now).

In 1959, the sitio of Biga in Barangay Tayuman was converted into a barangay.

Demographics
In the 2020 census, Lobo had a population of 40,736. The population density was undefined PD/km2.

Elected officials
Lota L. Manalo and Jurly R. Manalo are the current mayor and vice mayor, respectively.

The Municipal Councilors are:


 * Geronimo Alfiler
 * Angelito Abiera
 * Michael Cueto
 * Jan-Michael Anyayahan
 * Victoriano Dueñas
 * Mark Ernani Tiu
 * Amador Ambrocio Sulit
 * Leslee Aguilar

Fish sanctuaries
Lobo has several fish sanctuaries:
 * Lobo Mangrove Conservation Area
 * Sawang and Olo-Olo Fish Sanctuary and Refuge Area
 * Malabrigo Fish Sanctuary and Refuge Area
 * Biga Fish Sanctuary and Refuge Area