Lopez, Quezon

Lopez, officially the Municipality of Lopez (Tagalog: Bayan ng Lopez), is a municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 94,657 people.^[6]

There was a flourishing coastal settlement somewhere in the southern part of the municipality of Gumaca called Talolong. The settlement's name was derived from the name of the river that traverses the place.

The original location of the settlement was in the marshy mouth of a sedate river, (myth) which was founded by the descendants of Datu Dumangsil and Datu Balinsusa of the Kalilayan kingdom. Due to the frequent plundering and terrorism of the pirates, the colony was transferred to the present town's location.

The settlement of Lakan Bugtali who founded the community of Gumaca was gone. Even a trace of its remains cannot be identified neither the vintages of the encomienda of Kalilayan nor a fraction of its 16th century glories. When it became a sitio through a papal bull, the village started to manage by her own.

In 1756, some people from the town of Mayoboc (present-day Pitogo) sought refuge in the sitio as they fled the Moro raid that burned the town to the ground. After sometime, some of them become discontented with the affairs of governing the sitio, went back to the original site of Mayoboc and again formed a settlement on an uphill portion, more suitable to guard against the Moro pirates. It later came to be known as Pitogo.

As the sitio became more organized and seen an increase in population, it finally became a separate town from Gumaca on June 30, 1856, during the Governorship of Alcalde Mayor Don Candido Lopez y Diaz. It later came to be known as the town of Lopez. The first gobernadorcillo was Don Antonio Olivarez.

Lopez is one of the largest municipalities in the province and has a total land area of 395.1 square kilometers representing 4.53% of the total land area of the province of Quezon. It is located in the southern part of the province, 216 kilometers (134 mi) from Manila, 86 kilometers (53 mi) east from Lucena, and 3 nautical kilometers to Alabat Island.

The terrain generally ranges from 345 to 399 meters (1,132 to 1,309 ft) above sea level with rugged mountain areas. Coastal areas deviate from plain to hilly terrains. Rivers, streams and springs abound throughout the municipality, but the most prominent is the Talolong River.

It is bordered by the municipalities of Catanauan and General Luna on the south, Macalelon on the south-west, Calauag on the north-east, Gumaca on the west, Buenavista and Guinayangan on the east.

Lopez is politically subdivided into 95 barangays, as indicated below. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Currently, there are 7 barangays which are classified as urban (highlighted in bold).

Settlement areas in the municipality are highly scattered; population concentration is noticeable only within the poblacion, that is, the urban barangays of Burgos, Danlagan, Gomez, Magsaysay, Rizal, San Lorenzo Ruiz (Bocboc) and Talolong as well as the rural barangays of Mal-ay, Sugod, Pansol, Calantipayan, Manguisian, Del Pilar, Bebito, Canda Ibaba and Canda Ilaya which are traversed by the national highway. The rest of rural barangays are reached by other road networks which are accessible during dry and wet season. According to the 2007 census, it had a population of 86,660,^[13] a quarter of which are in the urban areas and the rest are in the rural areas. Males outnumbered the females at a ratio of 105.34 to 100. The population grew to 95,167 in the 2015 census.

Aldrin Ludovice Salipande (2022) reports that Inagta Lopenze is spoken in Villa Espina and nearby barangays in Lopez.^[14]

• Roman Catholic
• Seventh-Day Adventist
• Jehovah's Witnesses
• Baptist
• Latter day saints
• Church of God
• Evangelical
• Word for the World Christian Fellowship
• Iglesia Ni Cristo

• Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario Parish (est. 1861)
• San Isidro Labrador Parish (est. 1961)
• Sagrado Corazón de Jesús (est. 2008)
• Buen Pastor Parish (est. 2011)

Poverty incidence of Lopez

Lopez had a labor force of 56.99% in 2000 or 44,849. About 9,474 of the employed labor force were engaged in primary industries such as farming and fishing. Its economy is basically engaged in agriculture, crops, poultry and livestock production. Around 17,778.57 hectares (43,931.8 acres) represent 45% of the total land area planted to coconut trees, 2,300 has. are established to rice production, 628 has. to corn harvest. Growing around are natural materials for handicraft such as wild vines, buri, anahaw, tikiw, bamboo, cogon and talahib. Several cottage industries exist in the locality such as bamboo furniture, bolo, baskets, rattan, anahaw and buri fan making, buntal and tikiw. It also has rich fishing grounds in the Lopez Bay area and a number of inland fishponds. Fish, shrimps, prawns, crabs and other sea products are abundant.

Rice is also a major staple crop, the municipality is also a major banana producer in the region. Other crops grown in the municipality are citrus, root crops, vegetables and industrial crops. Majority of the farmers are also raising livestock and poultry.

• Number of Hospitals
  • Public - 1
  • Private - 2
• Number of Private Health Clinics - 4
• Number of Barangay Health Centers - 31
• Number of Police Personnel - 79
• Number of Fire Personnel - 18
• Communication and Transportation Facilities
  • Number of Postal Offices - 2
  • Number of Mobile Phone Companies - 3
  • Number of Landline Phone Companies - 2
  • Number of Telegraph Stations - 2
  • Number of CATV Companies - 1
  • Number of FM Radio Stations - 2

• Feasts and festivals:
  • Patronal Town Fiesta, in honor of the town's patroness, Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary - October 7
  • Pamaypay Festival Day, April 30 (also Kapistahan ng Pamahalaang Bayan, to establish a distinct feast day from the traditionally celebrated patronal feast day every 7 October).
  • Foundation Day, June 30, 1857, when Sitio/Visita Talolong became a Town (Pueblo) independent and separate from Gumaca, Quezon (Tayabas)
  • Mayflower Festival, or the Flores de Maria, celebrated the whole month of May, culminating with a solemn procession around the poblacion, and on to the night of celebration in dance and songs of praise at the end of the month. The length of the annual procession is said to be one of the longest wherein the head of the line usually arrives back to the church just as the tail is leaving.
• Tibag Cave - a man-made cave shelter dating back the 2nd World War. Said to be a hiding place of the guerrillas who fought the Japanese invaders. Located in Barangay Talolong.
• Binutas Cave - also a man-made cave dating back the Japanese Occupation period. Used by the guerrillas as a tactical war maneuver point. Located in Barangay Matinik, just beside the PNR Railways.
• Pulong Niyogan - an islet off the shore of Barangay Hondagua, noted for its unspoiled fine sand beach and varieties of corals and fish.
• Pansol Floating Restaurants - Located at Barangay Pansol and can be accessed from the Maharlika Highway. Composed of several restaurants on floating bamboo rafts, these are popular getaway of many Lopenzes during vacations.
• Gen. Gaudencio Vera's Monument - located in Barangay Lalaguna. Erected to commemorate the heroism and bravery of Gen. Gaudencio Vera during the Japanese period. He was the leader of the guerrilla faction called Vera's Guerrilla Party operating in the Southern Tagalog and Northern Bicol.

There are four (4) parishes located in different parts of the municipality under the supervision of the Diocese of Gumaca.

• Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish (OLMHRP - Lopez Poblacion, est. 1861)
• San Isidro Labrador Parish (SILP -Hondagua, est. 1961)
• Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish (SHJP - Magsaysay, est. 2008)
• Good Shepherd Parish (GSP - Magallanes, est. 2011)

Lopez Sports Centre is noted for its cockfighting which is held every Sunday. In 2009 it was visited by Charley Boorman as part of By Any Means 2.

Lopez is often referred to as the educational center of southern Quezon due to the concentration of academic institutions in the municipality. A wide range of public and private schools operate in the town, offering programs from the elementary and secondary levels to vocational, diploma, baccalaureate degree and graduate programs. These institutions serve not only residents of Lopez but also students from neighboring municipalities across the Bondoc Peninsula and, in some cases, even from parts of the Bicol Region.

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