Malvar

Malvar, officially the Municipality of Malvar (Filipino: Bayan ng Malvar), is a municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 64,379 people.

The municipality was named after General Miguel Malvar, a native of Santo Tomas, Batangas, and one of the last Filipino generals to surrender to the Americans during the Philippine-American War in 1902.

Its previous name before it became a municipality was Luta, derived from the name of Dayangdayang Luta, the youngest daughter of Datu Banga (a descendant of Datu Puti), who ruled the area. She was the most beautiful lady in the place who was loved and cherished by the inhabitants. She fell in love with a Chinese named Ling and was about to be married when her elder sister Kampupot took interest in him. However, out of the treachery and jealousy of her sister, she was executed and died in the arms of her Chinese lover. From then on, the place was named Luta in her honor.

Malvar traces its origin to Luta, which was once a barrio of Lipa. According to Ferdinand Blumentritt who wrote many articles about Philippine history which were published in Boletin de la Sociedad Geografica in Madrid, Spain in 1866, Malvar's history dates back to the 13th century when Datu Puti, one of the ten legendary datus who escaped from Sultan Makatunao of Borneo, settled in what is now the province of Batangas. His descendants inhabited present-day Laguna, Cavite, Bicol, and Luta.

Luta's march toward becoming a municipality could never be ignored. For this is where the seeds and the sentiments of becoming one were sown. This is where the Samahang Mag-aararo, the acknowledged pioneers of this movement, was organized. They were Mariano R. Lat, Gregorio Leviste, Miguel L. Aranda, Simeon Esleigue, Constancio Manalo, Pedro Lat-Torres, Nicasio Gutierrez, Gregorio Villapando, Estanislaw Lat, Pelagio Wagan, Sebastian Trinidad and Julian Lantin. Through its dynamic organizers and members, the first steps to make the locality a municipality were made. It was in Luta where the seat of the Municipal Government was situated.

With their (The Samahang Mag-aararo) devotion, patience, and perseverance and with the help of the Interior Secretary Teodoro Kalaw, Malvar was finally created a municipality by an executive order issued by acting Governor-General Charles Yeater on December 16, 1918. The proclamation took effect on January 10, 1919, the day the municipality was inaugurated. It initially included the adjoining barrios of Payapa, Kalikangan (Caligañgan), San Gallo (San Galo), and Bilukaw. As time went by, these original barrios were divided and were given other names. Payapa was divided and became San Fernando, Santiago, and Bagong Pook. Kalikakan became the barrios of San Andres and San Juan. San Gallo became the barrios of San Pioquinto, San Pedro (including Sitio Calejon) and Bilucaw became San Isidro and Bilucao. These names given to each barrio were based on the names of the locality's most powerful or honored man.

Malvar is located at 14°02′30″N 121°09′30″E / 14.0417°N 121.1583°E / 14.0417; 121.1583. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 33.00 square kilometers (12.74 sq mi)  constituting 1.06% of the 3,119.75-square-kilometer (1,204.54 sq mi) total area of Batangas.

Located 37 kilometers (23 mi) from Batangas City and 68 kilometers (42 mi) south of Manila and accessible by the STAR Tollway, Malvar is surrounded by Tanauan to the north, Santo Tomas to the east, Lipa to the south and Balete to the west. With the expansion of Metro Manila, Malvar is now part of the Manila conurbation (which reaches Lipa).