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Calamba City, Laguna

Location
Map of Laguna showing the location of Calamba City
Government
Region	CALABARZON (Region IV-A)
Province	Laguna
District	2nd district of Laguna
Barangays	54
Income class:	1st class city; urban
Mayor	Joaquin M. Chipeco, Jr. ( Kampi)
Founded	August 28, 1742
Cityhood	April 21, 2001
Official Website	elgu2.ncc.gov.ph/CITYOFCALAMBA
Physical characteristics
Area	144.80 km²
Population      Total (2000)      Density	281,146 1,942/km²
Coordinates	14° 13' 1.2" N, 121° 10' 1.2" E

The concrete jar where the legend of the city's name has been immortalized.

Calamba City is a 1st class city in the province of Laguna, Philippines. Situated only 54 kilometers south of Manila, about an hour by chartered bus, Calamba City is a popular tourist destination with its hot spring resorts, most of which are located in Barangay Pansol, and the Canlubang Golf and Country Club, site of many Philippine Opens. Calamba is also an important modern industrial center in the CALABARZON region as shown by the large number of industrial parks and business estates that are located in the city. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 281,146 people in 58,466 households.

Calamba City is also the birthplace of José Rizal, the country's national hero.

The name of the city comes from a legend that during the early time of the Spanish period in the country, two "guardias civil" or soldiers were lost and passing through what is now Calamba. The soldiers met a young lady who came from a river carrying a jar of water and a wooden stove. The soldiers unwittingly in Spanish language and in authoritative tone, to conceal the fact that they were lost, asked the local maiden the name of the place they were in. The lady, who speaks only her native language, naturally thought she was being interrogated about what she was carrying and nervously uttered "kalan-banga", meaning "wooden stove" (kalan) and "water jar" (banga). Because the Spaniards could not pronounce it properly, the town has been called Calamba supposedly since then. This legend is immortalized with a large concrete water jar erected in the city plaza with the names of the city's barangays written on its surface. It is considered the World's Biggest "Claypot". This same jar is also found in the city's seal. The plaza was proposed by Dr. Agapito Alzona, then the town councilor to utilize the waste area where the old town market relocated from. The resolution was approved by the then town mayor Roman Lazaro and added additional P5,000 for the fence to the original P15,000 construction cost. It was completed in 1939.

Before it became a separate town, Calamba was then a part of Tabuco, now known as Cabuyao. Calamba became an independent pueblo on August 28, 1742. With the passage of Republic Act No. 9024 on April 7, 2001 and the approval of the residents in a plebiscite on April 21, Calamba was promoted from a municipality into Laguna's second component city after San Pablo.

Calamba boasts no less than five national heroes: Dr. Jose Rizal, General Paciano Rizal, Teodora Alonzo, General Vicente Lim, and Lt. Geronimo Aclan.

Mayor Joaquin M. "BARAT" Chipeco Jr. the present Mayor.

Calamba lies at the northern slopes of Mount Makiling, a dormant volcano. The southern terminus of the South Luzon Expressway is in Calamba and this geographic position makes the city a gateway to the southern provinces of Luzon. The highway at the end of the South Luzon Expressway leads east to the other towns of Laguna and south towards the provinces of Batangas and Quezon. Calamba City is bordered by Cabuyao to the north, Los Baños to the east, by the province of Batangas to the south, specifically the municipalities of Santo Tomas and Talisay, and by the province of Cavite to the west, with Tagaytay City and Silang. Laguna de Bay the country's largest lake, forms the city's northwest border. The provincial capital, Santa Cruz, is located 45 kilometers by road to the east.

Calamba City is politically subdivided into 54 barangays.

• Town of Calamba information site
• Calamba web page in the Official Website of Laguna
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 2000 Philippine Census Information
• DEPED Masterlist
• http://www.msc.net.ph/calamba/
• http://calamba.50megs.com/
• http://ecommunity.ncc.gov.ph/CITYOFCALAMBA/