Southern Tagalog, or Region IV,

was a region of the Philippines that is now composed of Region IV-A (CALABARZON) and Region IV-B (MIMAROPA). Region IV
was split into the two regions on May 17, 2002. Before the split, Southern Tagalog was the largest region in terms of both population and
area.
Region IV is divided into two, Region IV-A CALABARAZON to include the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon.
Region IV B MIMAROPA to include Mindoro (Oriental and Occidental) Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan.
There are four (4) Congressional Districts within the province of Batangas. The most populous being the Second District (to which
Batangas City belongs) and the Fourth District. Batangas province has three cities, Batangas City (the Capital) Lipa City and Tanauan
City.
In
addition,
Batangas
province
has
31
municipalities.
The Congressional Districts outside the province but within the region are Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Laguna, Quezon,
Cavite, Romblon and Rizal. These districts are the source of patients of the Batangas Regional Hospital, the primary source being the
province of Batangas. The island provinces of Oriental and Occidental Mindoro comes next probably because the port of Batangas is the
gateway
to
South
Luzon
and
the
first
stop.

History
Of the Tagalog, it is said that he got his name from the word "taga-ilog" -- a term by which his neighbors described his preference to
settle along the riverbanks and waterways. This is a valid description of his beginnings. In fact, there is ample evidence found in
archaeological records as well as in the chronicles of historians, that the mode of living of the early Tagalogs honed closely to this image
of being a riverine people.
Researchers in the Tagalog region have uncovered the presence of many ancient settlements and burial sites located close to streams and
rivers. This discovery conforms to the history of their settlement in this part of Luzon which they claim as home.
Theory has it that the Malays, who settled in the Philippines, following the Aetas, were originally part of the great migration from
mainland Asia some 10,000 years B. C., when people from Southwestern China moved south towards the islands of South East Asia,
upon learning the ways of the wind and the sea. From island to island they came; some settled and some moved on.
The settlement started with a mini-epic migration of ten noblemen and their barangays or households. Arriving first in Panay, they moved
further northward until they sighted the land rimming Manila Bay. It is said that they must have envisioned the land as one that should
hold a city, so as they probed farther they found the mouth of the Pasig River. Here, on a tongue of land between sweet and salt water,
they built their village.
These were the first Tagalogs. Eventually thousands of others from the Southern parts of the archipelago, drawn by rumors of the
prosperity of the new settlement joined them. As they grew in number, they fanned out farther inland, founding settlements beside the
rivers and sea. And when the white men arrived on the shores of Manila, they found the settlers a fairly large community that expanded
out to the plains of Central Luzon toward the north and to the hills and mountains of Southern Luzon; a community bound by a common
language and culture.
What began as riverine settlements along the banks of the Pasig Riverbecame in the course of centuries a very large community and
region. And if at the start, it inevitably attracted other settlers from the other parts of the islands, so did it continue to do in the following
centuries, growing larger and larger even up to the present day. If at the start, the pioneers saw on the shores of Manila the configuration
of a future city, so did the region become the natural center and capital for the entire archipelago.
These two motifs - of a center for commerce and activity growing constantly, and of a cultural group becoming ascendant and influential
in the affairs of the archipelago - are the touch stones to understanding the throbbing vitality of the Tagalogs, and of the region they
regard as their home.
Location
The traditional homeland of the Tagalog lies spread-eagled across the uneven landscapes of western, central and southern Luzon, and
several outlying islands rimming the Batangas peninsula. The land is divided into three (3) regions: Central Luzon or Region 3 toward
the north, Southern Tagalog or Region 4 toward the south, and Metropolitan Manila or National Capital Region. Despite the
demarcations imposed by geography and administration, there is a coherent unity held together by the force of a common language,
common traditions, and the sense of shared experiences dating back to its settlement in prehistoric times. The total area of diverse
landforms
is
45,200
square
kilometers.
Its physical environment is varied. In some areas, lush vegetation abounds; in others, a totally man - made world. In some parts of the
region, streams and rivers provide the basic means of transportation; in others, a complex network of highways and dirt roads sets the
pace of mobility. Marks of rapid urbanization have become clearly visible as commercial towns and manufacturing centers emerge from
rice fields and mountainsides.