Tagaytay

Tagaytay ([tɐgaɪˈtaɪ]), officially the City of Tagaytay (Filipino: Lungsod ng Tagaytay), is a component city in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 85,330 people.

It is one of the country's most popular destinations for domestic tourism because of its scenery and cooler climate provided by its elevation. Tagaytay overlooks Taal Lake in Batangas and provides views of Taal Volcano Island in the middle of the lake through various vantage points situated in the city.

The name Tagaytay is derived from the Tagalog words tagaytay or taytay, which mean "mountain ridge" or "low mountain range", in reference to the Tagaytay Ridge on which the city sits.

During the Philippine Revolution of 1896, the ridges and forests of Tagaytay became a sanctuary for revolutionaries including those from nearby provinces. The passage to and from towns via Tagaytay added the word "mananagaytay" to the native's vocabulary. It means "to traverse ridges."

Tagaytay became a chartered city with the passing and signing of Commonwealth Act No. 338 by President Manuel L. Quezon on June 21, 1938, as authored by Representative Justiniano Montano of Cavite. To form the newly founded city, areas of the towns of Silang, Mendez, Indang, and Amadeo were removed from their town governments, making it the first planned community in the province and the first city to be built from scratch, given the ongoing highway works in the area then.

On April 1, 1941, portions of Talisay, Batangas and Alfonso, Cavite were ceded to Tagaytay through Executive Order No. 336 signed by President Quezon to expand its territory. However, on June 7, 1956, the lakeside barangays of Birinayan (Berinayan) and Caloocan on the shores of Taal Lake were returned to Talisay. Berinayan later became part of Laurel when the municipality was established in 1969.

On February 3, 1945, the 11th Airborne Division of Lt. Gen. Robert L. Eichelberger's 8th Army performed a combat jump of the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment and associated elements on Tagaytay ridge, with a drop zone around the Manila Hotel Annex, which had been cleared of Japanese forces by the Fil-American Cavite Guerilla Forces of General Mariano Castaneda, After the fall of Bataan and Corregidor, the Fil-American Cavite Guerilla Force resisted the Japanese occupation forces and were instrumental in clearing the landing zone of the 11th Airborne Division . To commemorate this event, a marker was installed in 1951 at the junction of Silang, Canlubang-Nasugbu roads by the city officials in coordination with the National Historical Institute of the Philippines.

Tagaytay is relatively close to the capital city of Manila, only 59 kilometers (37 mi) away via Aguinaldo Highway, providing an easy escape for the locals from the heat of the huge metropolis. It is 39 kilometers (24 mi) from Imus.