Alaminos, Laguna

Alaminos began as a barrio of San Pablo City which was then only a town of the Province of Batangas. Its initial name was Trenchera denoting the presence of long and deep ravines. The early inhabitants of Trenchera were believed to be insurectors and possibly fugitives who took advantage of the numerous trenches for hiding as well as for defense against the Spanish authority.

Sometime in 1873 when a certain Don Andres Penaloza was the Gobernadorcillo (equivalent to Mayor) of the town of San Pablo, Trenchera was formally separated and became pueblo or town but remained part of the Province of Batangas. Don Cirilo Baylon, a wealthy resident of Trenchera and with good command of the Spanish language invited Captain-General Juan de Alaminos Nivera, the Chief Executive of the Province of Batangas whose capital seat was Lipa. The Captain-General accepted the invitation and came in colorful carriage drawn by two horses. With Don Cirilo Baylon leading, he was warmly received by the residents of Trenchera. Dona Gregoria Baylon, the younger sister of Don Cirilo Baylon presented bouquets of fresh flowers to the Captain-General.

During the program in honor of the Captain General and his party, Don Cirilo Baylon presented the petition of the residents asking that Trenchera be made into a duly organized and recognized town. The petition was read in public and the Captain General gave assurance to consider their wish favorably. In less than 2 months the official paper proclaiming Trenchera as a new pueblo or town arrived from Lipa.

At the same time, Don Cirilo Baylon was appointed the first Gobernadorcillo or Town Mayor in concurrent capacity as Capitan de los Constables de Pueblo or the equivalent of the local police chief. In appreciation of Capitan General Juan de Alaminos Nivera, the new pueblo was named Alaminos in 1873 and remained part of the Province of Batangas until 1903.

Alaminos has a land area of 5,476 hectares (13,530 acres) and is situated 73 kilometres (45 mi) southeast of Manila. The municipalities of Calauan and Bay are located north of Alaminos, the city of San Pablo on the south and east and the municipality of Santo Tomas in Batangas province on its west.[5]

There are three main rivers in Alaminos, namely Kaquinkong, Onipa and Tigas.[6]

The Maharlika Highway passes through the municipality and is connected directly to Manila through the South Luzon Expressway.[5]

In the 2015 census, the population of Alaminos, Laguna, was 47,859 people, [3] with a density of 830 inhabitants per square kilometre or 2,100 inhabitants per square mile.

The religious patron of the town of Alaminos is the Nuestra Señora Del Pilar. On October 12 annually, the town fiesta of Alaminos is celebrated.[12]

Town Fiesta October 12

• Ariella Arida – Miss Universe 2013 3rd Runner-up and co-host of GMA 7 gameshow Wowowin

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alaminos, Laguna.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Alaminos (Laguna).

• Alaminos Profile at PhilAtlas.com
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System