Republic of the Philippines

Province of Batangas
MUNICIPALITY OF STO. TOMAS

MUNICIPAL PROFILE

HISTORY

Sto. Tomas, one of the oldest town of Batangas, is located at the foot of
the legendary and picturesque Mt. Makiling. It is sixty (60) kilometers south of Manila
and known as the birthplace of Gen. Miguel Malvar, the last Filipino General to surrender
to the American.
The town of Sto. Tomas was actually founded in 1666, with Captain
Manuel Melo as its first head. Originally, it was composed of a large Poblacion. When
the Spanish friars arrived their first and foremost objective was to construct a church
near the river to satisfy their propensity for water. Thus the present site of the Roman
Catholic Church was chosen, just as a stone’s throw from the San Juan River. As years
went by, more and more houses were built around the church. This became the center
of the Poblacion.
Other groups of houses were scattered all over the area. They were given
such odd names as “Kabaong”, because the stones along the road were coffin shaped;
“Putol” because the trail was cut short by the Makiling Mountain, “Aptayin”, because
“apta” of fine shrimps were found in the brook, “Biga”, because biga trees abounded
there, and “Camballao”, 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. The
conquerors did not much have difficulty in enforcing decrees and orders. One such
irrevocable decree was to change the original names of the barrios to the names of
Saints in the Catholic Calendar and to place each them under its patrotonio, the former
“Pook” and “Aptayin” were joined together and called San Bartolome, “Kabaong” was
change to San Vicente, “Biga” to Sta. Anastacia, and “Camballao” to San Isidro Sur and
Isidro Norte. The whole town was given the name of Sto. Tomas de Aquino, a high
Prince of the Dominican Order to where most of the first friars belonged. As time went by
more and more barrios were added to the list each with an assumed name of a saint.
This unchanged set-up makes Sto. Tomas the most unique not only in Batangas but all
over the Philippines.
At present, it has thirty barrios namely: Sta. Anastacia, San Rafael,
Santiago, San Antonio, San Bartolome, San Miguel, San Roque, San Pedro, San Pablo,
San Felix, San Jose, San Juan, San Agustin, Sta. Ana, San Joaquin, San Fernando,
Sta, Clara, San Luis, Sta. Cruz, San Isidro Sur, San Isidro Norte, San Francisco, Sta.
Maria, Sta. Elena, Sta. Teresita, Poblacion I, Poblacion II, Poblacion III, and Poblacion
IV.
From the year 1666, the head of the town had different titles. He was
variously known as “Captain” 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; and “Municipal Mayor” from 1931 to the
present.

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION

The Municipality of Sto. Tomas is one of the 31 municipalities in the

Province of Batangas. It is located at the northeastern section of the province. It is
bounded at the west by the San Juan River, at the north by the Siam-siam River and
ridges of Mt. Makiling, at the northeast by the Alas-as River, and at the southeast by San
Juan River. Municipality-wise, by Calamba in the north; Bay and Alaminos in the east,
Tanauan and Malvar in the west; and Lipa City in the south.

Sto. Tomas is accessible from Metro Manila through the Philippines-

Japan (Maharlika) Highway which leads to Quezon and Bicol Provinces in the south.
The National Highway to Batangas City links to the International Pier in Batangas Bay.
The extension of the South Expressway that pass through barangay San Rafael cut the
travel time to the Batangas International Pier. The CALABARZON Highway is being
constructed at the southern part of the town in barangay Sta. Cruz.

Municipality of Sto. Tomas, Batangas\\Tel. No. (043) 784-8022\\Fax No.: \\www.stotomasbatangas.gov.ph

 The extension of the South Expressway to Quezon and Laguna
Provinces through Sto. Tomas along the slopes of Mt. Makiling is being planned by
PNCC, the operator of the South Expressway.

The towns of Bay and Los Baños are linked to Sto. Tomas through the
cemented road of the NPC-PGI at the geothermal field and the barangay road of Sta.
Cruz. The provincial and barangay road link to the 30 barangays and adjacent towns
and cities.

TOPOGRAPHY

The northeastern part of Sto. Tomas is somewhat mountainous being a

portion of Mount Makiling. The rest of the municipality is generally plain with an elevation
of about 38 to 37 meters above sea level. The town proper where the seat of
government lies has an elevation of 42 meters above sea level.

CLIMATE

Data from PAGASA showed that the climate of Sto. Tomas falls to
Corona Type 1, where in two pronounced seasons exist. The dry season occurs
during the months from January to April, while the wet or rainy season from May to
December. Heavy rains occur during the months of July and August. The months of
April, May and June are generally warm while the climate from July to November is
generally cool with the coldest period occurring in the months of December and January.

The soils of Sto. Tomas are known to be highly erodible while the
prevailing rainfall is known to be highly erosive. There are two soil types identified, Lipa
loam and Macolod clay loam. Lipa loam was formed from volcanic parent materials that
developed from Taal geologic formation while Macolod clay loam was formed from
volcanic parent materials from Mt. Makiling. The 7,508 hectares Lipa loam are mostly
found in the lower level to undulating slopes that is currently used for agriculture which is
dominantly of coconut mix vegetation. On the other hand the 1,858.7 hectares Macolod
clay loam are mostly located at elevations greater than 500 masl in the upper
mountainous slopes of Mt. Makiling that have forest vegetation. The climate belongs to
Type III with annual rainfall of about 1,500 mm to 2,500 mm. Dry or wet seasons are not
very pronounced in Type III climate with relatively dry months in November to April

WATER RESOURCES

Sto. Tomas has three watersheds: San Juan River, Alas-as River and
river sub watersheds. The former is the largest which drains into the Laguna Lake. Alas-
as River sub watershed is located on the northeastern portion of barangay Sta. Elena,
San Felix, San Juan, San Jose and part of San Agustin. The sub watershed of river is
the smallest and it is located at the eastern side of barangay San Fernando. The San
Juan River watershed has a dendrites drainage pattern. The creeks/rivers on the foot
slopes of Mt. Makiling are almost radial. The river systems are not gauged. Springs,
artesian and deep well are main sources for domestic water supply. The Sto. Tomas
Water District and the Tanauan Water District draw the water from the springs at the foot
slopes of Mt. Makiling. Three natural springs (Balete, Dipangla, and Latag) provide the
domestic water in the Poblacion of Sto. Tomas. Based on key informant, very few
depend on the shallow well and spring as source of domestic water supply. The
barangays at the footsteps of Mt. Makiling (Sta. Cruz, Sta. Clara and Sta. Teresita) are
greatly dependent on the springs. The community must appreciate the value of
watershed protection and conservation to meet the future water requirements of the
communities.

Municipality of Sto. Tomas, Batangas\\Tel. No. (043) 784-8022\\Fax No.: \\www.stotomasbatangas.gov.ph

DEMOGRAPHY

Land Area : 10,032.3767 has.

Population : 179, 844 (NSO 2015)
Household : 42, 629 (NSO 2015)
Population Density : 13.5 persons per hectare
Registered Voters : 91,342 (as of April 29, 2017)
Dialect : Generally Tagalog

POPULATION

Based on the density by barangay, Poblacion barangays had higher

densities than those categorized as rural barangays. In 2010, the gross density in the
whole municipality is 13/has.Concentration in the Poblacion areas is natural due to
factors like the presence of business, service centers and accessibility to transportation
and communication lines.

Based on population and presence of establishments, the municipality has 15

urban and 15 rural barangays. The urbanization level is 68.51%. The average urban
density is 43 person/hectares which is more than thrice higher than the gross density
of 12 persons/ha and almost twice the average population density of 27
persons/hectares.

Municipality of Sto. Tomas, Batangas\\Tel. No. (043) 784-8022\\Fax No.: \\www.stotomasbatangas.gov.ph

EDUCATION

There are thirty four (34) day care centers, twenty six (26) elementary
public schools and four (4) national high schools. On the other hand, there are Twelve
(12) private elementary school and seven (7) private high schools. One (1) state
university, Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). The literacy rate is about
97.79%.

COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

(PLDT), Globe Telecom and Digitel are the land-based

telecommunications that helps the communications of the Tomasinos as fastest as
possible. There are also available cellular lines from Mobiline, Globe, Islacom and
Smart. Cable television is also available in the municipality which caters by Galaxy
Cable that keeps people fully aware of the goings-on in the nation and the world.
Leading newspapers are readily available.
The municipal government itself is computerized and can be reach
through the World Wide Web or Internet. The town has its own Website.
(www.stotomasbatangas.gov.ph)

SOCIAL SERVICE FACILITIES/UTILITIES/AMENITIES

There are fifty three (53) subdivisions ranging from low-cost and
socialized housing to high- end residential villas. Most of households in Sto. Tomas are
serviced by MERALCO for their electric needs. About 95% of the households have
electrical facilities.

The water source of the municipality is provided mainly by the Sto. Tomas
Water District. There are also other identified sources such as (a) Barangay Water
District; (b) electric or hand pump; and the (c) alternative sources which are deep well,
spring water or collected rain water. About 97% of the households are served with water
supply.

Most households in the municipality have their own sanitation facility

which is “de buhos/de flush”. Almost all the households units have water sealed toilet
facilities or have an access to a public or common toilet.

With the garbage collection system, about 72% is being served by the
municipality through a scheduled solid waste collection. Residual wastes collected are
brought to a sanitary landfill located in Brgy. San Vicente

The town has a fleet of five (5) garbage trucks that collect and dispose
the garbage of the whole community. The town has its own dumpsite, a six hectares
(6 has.) lot at Sitio Jordan in Barangay San Vicente.

The Municipality of Sto. Tomas has a public market that provides the
needs of the constituents and nearby towns

HEALTH AND SANITATION

Health care is provided by one (1) rural health unit tasked to serve the
thirty (30) barangays with medical and dental services. There are five (5) municipal
ambulances to serve the community. Three (3) private hospitals, one (1) medical center
(Cabrini Medical Center located at Poblacion II, Sto. Tomas, Batangas) and two (2)
tertiary hospitals (Sto. Tomas General Hospital located at San Roque, Sto. Tomas,
Batangas and St. Vincent Hospital located at Poblacion II, Sto. Tomas, Batangas) are
now in operation in the town.

Municipality of Sto. Tomas, Batangas\\Tel. No. (043) 784-8022\\Fax No.: \\www.stotomasbatangas.gov.ph

PEACE AND ORDER

The Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters of the municipality is

located at Barangay 1, occupying a lot area of 741m2. There are also seven PNP
substations located at Barangay Santa Anastacia, Barangay 3, Santa Cruz, San Miguel,
San Roque and San Luis. Currently, the municipality has one hundred twenty three
(123) broken down as: Three (3) PCOs, One Hundred Fourteen (114) PNCOs and Six
(6) NUPs. At present, it has seven (7) patrol vehicles and fifteen (15) motorcycles.

Sto. Tomas Peace and Order condition is safeguarded by the Philippine

National Police (PNP) and support from barangay police. Three hundred sixty five (365)
crime incidents for CY 2016, there were 167 index crimes and 198 non-index crimes
while based 289 crime incidents on CY 2015, there were 121 index crimes and 168 non-
index crimes recorded.

For fire protection service, the municipality has eleven (11)

firemen/personnel and two (2) fire truck. To be able to decrease the number of fire
cases, the municipality conducted various trainings.

ECONOMY

Sto. Tomas is becoming more commercialized as evident by the growing

commercial, industrial and business firms with industrial estates that will enable the
municipality to be the center of trade and industry. Also the growing commercial
investment especially in the vicinity of the public market along the Maharlika Highway is
the manifest in the growing economy in Sto. Tomas.

With an active economic setting, the municipality of Sto. Tomas is

strategically located on the 3rd district of Batangas and serve as gateway to the
Batangas province and other southern provinces like Mindoro, Quezon, and Bicol region.
The municipality also provides the entry point for the STAR going to Batangas City and
the modern Batangas International Port. The growing number of business firms coupled
with the establishment of industrial estates have boosted the local economy of Sto.
Tomas into a 1st class municipality. To date, there are a total of 1,453 establishments
distributed among the 30 barangays. Most of the commercial establishments were
situated in Sta. Anastacia, San Antonio, San Pedro and Poblacion area.

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

The municipality is fast becoming industrialized. This could be attributed

to its proximity and accessibility to Metro Manila and Batangas International Port.

Two (2) industrial estates are in full blast development. These are the
Light Industries and Science Park in Brgy. San Rafael and First Philippine Industrial Park
in Barangay Sta. Anastacia. These industrial estates meet world-class standards. Sto.
Tomas is destined to host many more industries and industrial projects.

TRANSPORTATION NETWORK

Sto. Tomas has a relatively good transportation network. As reported by

the Municipal Engineering Office, Sto. Tomas has a total road network of 118.7 km
classified as concrete (52%), asphalt (16%), gravels (26%) and earth-filled materials
(6%). Its 18.3 km national roads serve as the gateway to other municipalities in the
Batangas province and also to other far provinces in the south like Mindoro, Quezon,
and the Bicol region.

The national roads are mostly made of asphaltic concrete. The provincial
and municipal roads are mostly made of concrete, while the barangay roads are either
made of concrete, asphalt or earth-filled materials. Majority of the bridges or 73% are
made of reinforced concrete girder. The municipality also provides the entry point for the
Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) going to Batangas City. The opening of the
Alabang-Calamba-Sto.Tomas Expressway (ACTEX) gives more convenient time for
commuters/tourist in going to Manila and Batangas province and vice versa. And it also
a big help in reducing the traffic scheme in the municipality.

Municipality of Sto. Tomas, Batangas\\Tel. No. (043) 784-8022\\Fax No.: \\www.stotomasbatangas.gov.ph

LARAWANG-DIWA
(VISION)

“ISANG MAPAYAPANG SIYUDAD NA PATULOY ANG PAG-UNLAD

PARA SA LAHAT NA NAGMAMAHAL SA DIYOS, BAYAN AT
KALIKASAN.”

EDNA S.
(MISSION)

EXCELLENCE - Ipadaloy ang mataas na antas ng serbisyo sa mamamayan.

DISCIPLINE - Maging huwaran sa pagpapahalaga sa disiplinang moral at

ispiritwal.

NATURE-CARE - Tiyakin ang tama at responsableng paggamit at

pangangalaga ng kalikasan.

ABUNDANCE - Pangunahan ang pag-papaunlad na kabahagi ang

mamamayan.

SAFETY - Panatilihin ang kapayapaan at pag-ibayuhin ang kaayusan.

LAYUNIN
(OBJECTIVES)

 Magandang kinabukasan para sa mga bata at kabataan.

 Mamamayang may kasiguruhan sa maayos na kabuhayan,
kapaligiran, trabaho at pabahay.
 Malusog at mapayapang pamayanan.
 Maunlad na industriya at turismo.
 Makabuluhan at mahusay na pagseserbisyo ng mga lingkod-bayan.

Municipality of Sto. Tomas, Batangas\\Tel. No. (043) 784-8022\\Fax No.: \\www.stotomasbatangas.gov.ph