San Pedro, Laguna

The Laguna Copperplate Inscription is the oldest historical document found in the Philippines. It has the first historical reference to Tondo and dates back to Saka 822 (c. 900).

The Area of where the modern city of San Pedro is found served as the native settlement of the Tagalogs centuries before spanish contact. The Laguna de Bay and the San Isidro River gave livelihood and food to the early settlers. The Laguna Copperplate Inscription dated back to 900 AD mentioning the ancient polity of Tondo was found on Lumban, Laguna giving the idea that the area of San Pedro which some independent Ancient Barangays headed by their own Datus are settled was under the influence if not directly under the alliance network of the Lakan of Tondo.

On January 16, 1571, it was announced by Miguel López de Legazpi that a settlement called "Tabuko" which is an old tagalog term that means "the end part of the river" be converted to an encomienda or a town under the helm of Gaspar Ramirez. A month after Miguel López de Legazpi established Manila as the capital of Spanish East Indies, Legazpi's grandson and conquistador Juan de Salcedo, while exploring the region of Laguna de Bay, founded a settlement in Biñan which was annexed as a barrio to Tabuko, a large town which also then comprised what are now the cities of San Pedro, Santa Rosa, and Cabuyao.

San Pedro de Tunasán became a town on January 18, 1725, upon the request of San Pedrense Principalía led by Alonzo Magtibay, Francisco Santiago, and Ignacio de Guevarra and approved by the Governor-General and Manila Archbishop Francisco de la Cuesta, King Philip V of Spain decreed that the town formerly known as "Tabuko" be a separate town from "Kabuyaw" (now known as the city of Cabuyao).[12][13] Francisco Santiago subsequently became the first mayor of the newly formed town.

By virtue of the last will of Philip V of Spain, Rodriguez de Figueroa or "Don Esteban", a group of Augustinian Fathers gained the ownership of the Tunasán Estate. Later on, San Pedro became an hacienda of Colegio de San José, a group of Jesuits friars who took over the property which now is known as "San Pedro Tunasán". Tunasán literally means "a place where there is Tunás" (Nymphaea nouchali[14]), a medicinal plant abundant on shoreline area.[12]

During that period, agriculture, fishing, duck raising, fruit trees, and sampaguita were the main source of income of its residents. This period was highlighted by the growing tenant/landlord dispute. The tenants of Hacienda San Pedro Tunasán fought for their birthrights over their ancestral lands. This struggle took almost 423 years of unsuccessful resistance to Colegio de San José, and in 1938, the government bought the home sites of the San Pedro Tunasán Hacienda from the Colegio for re-sale to its tenants. This event laid to rest the tenants/landlord problem in the town.

During the Philippine Revolution, after the execution of Andres Bonifacio and Procopio Bonifacio at Maragondon, Cavite on 1897, the group of Gregoria de Jesus, the wife of Andres, departed to San Pedro Tunasán to hide. They were welcomed by San Pedro native Gregoria Olivares and settled on the house of Almario Ilmedo on barrio San Roque.[15]

In the year 1902, the name San Pedro de Tunasán was simplified to San Pedro. A barrio called Tunasancillo became part of the Municipio of Muntinlupa which was a part of the province of Manila when the town of San Pedro Tunasán sold it in 1907 during the American period.[16] From the Spanish time until after the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, the scenario did change a bit.

During World War II, Abelardo Remoquillo (1922-1945), known among his peers, war enemies, and admirers as “Captain Remo”, was a young guerrillero from San Pedro, Laguna who fought against the Japanese Imperial Army. He joined the Hunters ROTC guerilla and fought against the invaders from different fronts of Southern Luzón He also participated in the famous Raid at Los Baños. He died not in San Pedro but in faraway Bay, Laguna while attacking a Japanese garrison. He is now known as a local hero and has a monument on the historic town plaza of San Pedro.[17]

On August 30, 1954, President Ramón Magsaysay signed at the historic town plaza the Land Tenancy Act. By virtue of this law, farm lots of the hacienda were bought by the Philippine government to be sold at cost to the tenants or occupants of the farm lots in Bayan-Bayanan under the Narra Settlement Project of the Magsaysay Administration. San Pedro became a resettlement area for families in Metro Manila in 1968 to 1971. Thereon population significantly increased with the rise of several GSIS/SSS housing projects in 1975. Industries sprouted in the succeeding years such as the Aclem Paper Mills, Holiday Hills Golf and Country Club (now KC Filipinas Golf Resort Club), Philippine Tobacco Flu Curing Corporation, Berbacs Chemicals, US Tobacco Corporation, Holland Milk Products, Trinity Lodge Mining Corporation, Kimberly Clark, Cosmos, among others.

The succeeding administration of ex Mayors Felicisimo Vierneza and Calixto Cataquiz brought significant changes in the political, economic and cultural landscape of San Pedro. There were major commercial and industrial developments during the administration of Mayor Vierneza starting 1972 while Mayor Cataquiz’s 12- year administration in 1986 focused on residential subdivisions with massive infrastructure projects and beautification programs.[9]

On March 27, 2013, President Benigno Aquino III signed the Republic Act No. 10420[18] converting the municipality into a new component city of the province of Laguna. The cityhood of San Pedro was ratified through a plebiscite scheduled by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). The date for the ratification is December 28, 2013 after the National Barangay Elections. It became the sixth city of Laguna after the cities of Biñan, Cabuyao, Calamba, San Pablo, and Santa Rosa, and also the third to be a city in the 1st congressional District Laguna - making it the first city district in the province.

COMELEC officially proclaimed the first-class municipality of San Pedro as a component city of Laguna on December 29, 2013. Juanito Icarro, regional director of Calabarzon and Mimaropa, and Marianne Marfori, provincial election supervisor, made the proclamation at the municipal hall after San Pedro residents voted for the cityhood in a plebiscite held on December 28, 2013. "Yes" votes for cityhood totaled 16,996 (which is an additional 50 votes added in some precincts mostly in the San Vicente area to win the "yes" vote), and "no" votes, only 869, in 501 clustered precincts in San Pedro. Only 11% of 165,777 registered voters in San Pedro's 27 barangays took part in the plebiscite.

Support groups from the local government and non-government organizations are striving to incorporate San Pedro into Metro Manila.[19][20]

Former Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino is pushing for the inclusion of San Pedro City in the National Capital Region, and eventually become its 18th member city. Tolentino said that in the first meeting of the MMDA Council of mayors in January 2015, he will push for the inclusion of the city to the MMDA.[21]

Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III is seeking the separation of the City of San Pedro from the first legislative district of Laguna province to constitute a lone congressional district. In 2015, Pimentel filed Senate Bill No. 3029 for the creation of the San Pedro City as a separate district to commence in the next national and local elections.[22]

After the City of Santa Rosa formally had its own legislative district, San Pedro remained as the only City in the First District hence the 1st District may be also referred as the Lone district of San Pedro and In 2022, San Pedro will elect its first very own Representative.

San Pedro is politically subdivided into 27 barangays. Barangay San Antonio is the largest barangay, which has a total of 780 hectares, while Barangay San Vicente is the most populous with a total population of 92,092.[23]

^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7^}Seven new barangays created as separate and distinct from its mother Barangay San Vicente after it was ratified and approved through a plebiscite held on July 11, 2015 under COMELEC Resolution No. 9969.[24]

San Pedro Apostol Parish

San Pedro is home for the famous Krus ng San Pedro Tunasán. Majority of the people are Roman Catholics. Other religious groups include are the Members Church of God International (MCGI), Jesus Miracle Crusade International Ministry (JMCIM), United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), Jesus Is Lord Church (JIL), Jesus Christ the Lifegiver Ministries (JCLM), Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), The United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Churches, Christian Bible Baptist Church, other Baptist and Bible Fundamental churches. Islam is also practiced within the community. There are 15 Catholic parishes in the city, and one mosque.

Agricultural lands now account for only thirteen hectares of the total land area due to residential, commercial and industrial conversions. There are lands with slope ranging from 8%-15% of the total land area located in parts of barangays San Antonio and San Vicente planted with mangoes and siniguelas trees. Livestock and poultry businesses operate in the area.

There are 4,705 total business establishments, 40+ commercial, savings and rural banks, 110+ restaurant, cafeteria, and other refreshment parlor, and two public and five private markets and supermarkets. There are 40 banks, over 60 pawnshops, over 30 lending institutions and 11 insurance companies operating in the city. Commercial and business establishments are mostly concentrated at Pacita Complex and Rosario. A large percentage of industrial and manufacturing establishments of San Pedro is located on the adjacent barangays of San Vicente and San Antonio; E&E Industrial Complex is located in San Antonio where some of the city's factories are situated.

Robinsons Galleria South at night

Robinsons Galleria South, San Pedro's first major mall located at Barangay Nueva, opened on July 19, 2019. Galleria South is the 1st Robinsons Galleria mall in South Luzon and 3rd nationwide. The mall houses government offices like Philhealth, Pag-ibig, LTO, etc., and also has art pieces at every corner.[29]

The annual City Festival is celebrated in the second week of February. This week-long festival includes various activities ranging from cultural to sports, trade fairs, amateur singing contests, parades, historical exhibits, social and religious gatherings, tribal dances, street dances, cheering and sport exhibitions. The highlight of the festival is the coronation night of the "Hiyas ng San Pedro". The festival aims to promote tourism in San Pedro and to revitalize Sampaguita industry in the community.The celebration was formerly known as "Manok ni San Pedro Festival", which started in 1999 and was renamed to "Sampaguita Festival" in 2002. The celebration kicked off with a grand parade.

San Pedro City holds the record of laying the longest sampaguita (flower lei) line, spanning 3.6 km (2 mi), from Biñan City - San Pedro City boundary to San Pedro City - Muntinlupa City boundary on the National Highway; this was listed in the Guinness World Records in 2009.

Paskuhan Sa San Pedro is an annually celebrated festival in San Pedro City. It starts at the beginning of December and runs to the end of the month. The opening is a grand parade which is participated in by public and private schools in the city, local government and other socio-civic organizations. The main event of the opening is the lighting of the whole plaza, fireworks display, and various school performances. Every night a variety of shows are performed by the participants, which last up to midnight. On 29 December of every year the cityhood anniversary of San Pedro is celebrated.

The museum preserves and celebrates the insurmountable professional and Political avchievement of the late statesman, located at Holliday hills.[30]

Municipal mayors:

• Francisco Santiago (1725)
• Turibio Almieda (1901-1902)
• Jose Guevarra (1908-1910)
• Apolonio Morando (1910-1912)
• Jose H. Guevarra (1921-1922)
• Tiburcio Morando (1916-1921;1922-1925)
• Victor Vergara (1925-1926)
• Jose Martinez (1928-1934)
• Ciriaco M. Limpiahoy (1934-1942)
• Antonio Partoza (1945)
• Benedictio Austria
• Gavino Y. Alvarez
• Mario M. Brigola (1960-1963)
• Jose L. Amante (1941;1946-1947)
• Felicismo Vierneza (1972-1986; 1998-2007)
• Calixto R. Catáquiz (1986-1998; 2007-2013)

City mayors:

• Lourdes S. Catáquiz (2013–present)

The City of San Pedro logo represents San Pedro's identity – a Gateway City:

• Being the first city of Laguna from Metro Manila, San Pedro is gateway to the Province and likewise to the Calabarzon Region, the country's premier growth area.
• Being a pilgrimage tourism destination on account of the miraculous Lolo Uweng Shrine, San Pedro is a place for holiness and religious devotion that can lead the Christian believer to eternal life in God's Kingdom, thus, it is Gateway to Heaven.
• San Pedro is named after Saint Peter to whom Christ entrusted the keys to the gates of heaven. Matthew 16:19: ”I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Shapes and colors

• Circles have no beginning nor end. They protect, they endure, they restrict. They confine what's within and keep things out. They offer safety and connection. They suggest community, integrity, and perfection.
• White is color at its most complete and pure, the color of perfection. It means purity, innocence, wholeness and completion. White is the base color of the logo.
• The Red Circle suggests excitement, energy, passion, love, desire, speed, strength, power, thus contributing to the success of all things intense and passionate.
• The Black Circle suggests power, sophistication, formality, and elegance.
• The Green Circle suggests balance, growth and self-reliance.
• Gold is the color of success, achievement and triumph. It is also associated with abundance and prosperity, luxury and quality, prestige and sophistication, value and elegance. Its color psychology implies affluence, material wealth and extravagance.
• Blue stands for peace, tranquility, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, loyalty, sky, water, and technology. It is the color of trust and peace. It can suggest loyalty and integrity.
• San Pedro Arch, the logo's main element, reflect the city's status as a gateway to and from Metro Manila, Laguna Province and the whole of Calabarzon.

Roosters

• These roosters, porched on the Arch, represent the incident where Peter denied Jesus, followed by the crowing of the roosters. The Christian world calls this the Incident of Repentance. For the crowing of the rooster was followed by Saint Peter's bitter cry and plea for forgiveness.

Keys

• The keys symbolize the power to enter the kingdom of heaven, and Saint Peter holding the keys tightly means he holds the most important thing that leads to heaven, that is Knowledge of God.
• The Gold Ancient Keys in the Arch also represent greatness and power, among others. These keys symbolize the city's never-ending quest for opportunities that will contribute to its growth and progress.

Sampaguita garland

• This symbolizes San Pedro's distinction as the Sampaguita Capital of the Philippines. Some would question this title due to the absence now of a tangible heritage, which are the vast tracks of Sampaguita farms that gave rise to the Sampaguita industry in San Pedro during the olden times. But the claim to this title is justified by the fact that the city still owns the intangible heritage of having the most skillful and most creative makers of Sampaguita products in the country. Moreover, the Sampaguita Festival which is being celebrated annually by San Pedro is the only festival in the country which gives honor and recognition to the national flower.
• The twenty Sampaguita buds forming a lei represent the 20 barangays of San Pedro. It also symbolizes unity and harmony among the city constituents. The number of buds may be increased through time should new barangays are created in the future.

Sun

• This Star is our logo's connection to the Philippine National Flag. Its 8 rays symbolize the 8 provinces (including Laguna) which first revolted against Spanish colonization during the 19th century.

Words and date

• The words and date of 2013 note the city's status as a component city of the province of Laguna and as part of the number of cities of the Philippines, as well as the very year of the granting of its city charter. NOTE: Approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod on February 17, 2014 under Resolution 2014-26 and City Ordinance 2014–10.

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• Julia Clarete, TV host, actress
• John Lloyd Cruz, actor, model
• Jane De Leon, actress
• Ogie Diaz, comedian, columnist and TV host
• Paw Diaz, actress
• Marlann Flores, actress
• Kristine Hermosa, actress
• Jan Manual, actor
• Rocco Nacino, actor
• Jamilla Obispo, actress
• Gladys Reyes, actress
• Christopher Roxas, actor
• Princess Snell, actress
• Nikki Valdez, actress
• Charice, singer, songwriter

• Rico Blanco, singer, former vocalist of Rivermaya

• Jennifer Hammond, Miss Intercontinental 2016 Top 15 Semi-finalist.
• Stephanie Retuya, contestant and runner-up in Asia's Next Top Model (cycle 1)
• Desiree Verdadero, Miss Universe 1984 3rd runner-up

• Salvador Laurel, 8th Vice President of the Philippines (under Corazon C. Aquino), 5th Prime Minister of the Philippines

• Tony Calvento, print/broadcast journalist for The Calvento Files

• Jema Galanza, PVL MVP, UAAP Beach Volleyball champion for Adamson University Lady Falcons
• Chris Javier, basketball player