Santa Rosa, officially the City of Santa Rosa (Filipino: Lungsod ng Santa Rosa), is a component city in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 430,920 people.
It is the second largest local government unit in Laguna after Calamba. Located 40 kilometers (25 mi) south of Manila, it was rapidly developed into an urban area as a result of the growing congestion and conurbation of the Manila metropolitan area which is collectively known as the Greater Manila Area
Santa Rosa's name is derived from Saint Rose of Lima, its patron saint. The town was initially known for the Coca-Cola, RC Cola, and Toyota manufacturing plants in its industrial estates. It later became popular as the site of the Enchanted Kingdom, the first and only world-class theme park in the country, and several housing and commercial developments.
History
In 1571, Spanish conquistador Juan de Salcedo, the grandson of Miguel López de Legazpi, founded the town of Biñan which was annexed as a barrio to Tabuco (now Cabuyao) while exploring the region of Laguna de Bay.
In 1688, Biñan, together with Barrio Bukol, separated from Cabuyao. After a series of renaming and separating barrios to become independent towns, Barrio Bukol was politically emancipated as the municipality of Santa Rosa, founded on January 18, 1792.
During the revolutionary period in 1898, the town was instrumental in the proclamation of Philippine independence from Spain when the country signed the Act of Independence on June 12, 1898. Later on, the town's local revolutionaries fought alongside the forces of Pío del Pilar during the Philippine–American War.
On February 5, 1945, the town was abandoned by Japanese soldiers when the local guerrilla resistance movement, with support from the American and Filipino military contingent, entered the town.
During the postwar era up until the 1970s, the townspeople primarily depended on basic agriculture and family-owned enterprises for their livelihood. The influence of industrialization grew in the 1980s with the entry of local and foreign investors who were responsible for the fast-paced economic and social transformation of the town and the province.
Cityhood
On July 10, 2004, Santa Rosa was converted into a city by Republic Act No. 9264, which was approved by voters in the plebiscite. Leon Arcillas, who began his third and final term ten days before, became its first city mayor.
Contemporary
Arcillas was assassinated at the old city hall by three assailants. They were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2013. Jose Catindig Jr., who served as vice mayor, became mayor to serve out the remainder of his term. On May 14, 2007, Catindig, who ran for his full term as mayor, was defeated by Arcillas' daughter Arlene.
On August 28, 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11395, which separated the city from the province's first district to be granted its own congressional district to elect a representative in 2022. In 2024, the city gained its own representation in the Laguna Provincial Board to separately elect two members starting in 2025.
Geography
Santa Rosa's land area is approximately 54.13 square kilometers (20.90 sq mi). It is located west of the Laguna de Bay.
The western half of the city occupies the numerous commercial, industrial, and business establishments, while the other is primarily composed of residential areas and subdivisions, schools, industrial zones, and various business establishments.
Santa Rosa is 47 kilometers (29 mi) from Santa Cruz, 40 kilometers (25 mi) from Manila, and 29 kilometers (18 mi) from Tagaytay.
Barangays
Santa Rosa is politically subdivided into 18 barangays, as indicated below. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
- Aplaya
- Balibago
- Caingin
- Dila
- Dita
- Don Jose
- Ibaba
- Kanluran (Poblacion Uno)
- Labas
- Macabling
- Malitlit
- Malusak (Poblacion Dos)
- Market Area (Poblacion Tres)
- Pooc (Pook)
- Pulong Santa Cruz
- Santo Domingo
- Sinalhan
- Tagapo
Demographics
The population of Santa Rosa is fast-growing with an intercensal growth rate of 7% from 1990 to 1995 and continuing to increase in subsequent decades.
Ethnic groups
Like other places in Metro Manila, the original settlers in Santa Rosa are Tagalogs. Throughout the centuries, there has been constant migration of Spaniards, Visayans, Bikolanos, Ilokanos, Chinese, Americans, Japanese, and Koreans.
Languages
The main language is Filipino, which is based on Tagalog. In addition, due to continuous development of the city, English is used in education, business and information technology.
Religion
Most people are Catholics. Other religious groups represented include the Aglipayans (members of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente – a breakout group from the Catholic Church in 1902 headed by the Union Obrera Democratica), the Church of God International, the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, Jesus Is Lord Church, Baptist, Jehovah's Witness, Iglesia ni Cristo and Iglesia Evangelica Unida de Cristo (Unida Evangelical Christian Church). In 1994, some migrants and expatriates have formed the Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church (under the canonical jurisdiction of The Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong/Philippines-Ecumenical Patriarchate) in Golden City Subdivision.
Economy
Santa Rosa is considered to be the premier city and hub of South Luzon. It serves as the primary economic, commercial, and financial hub of the province making it widely known as the Lion City of South Luzon. In 2022, the city had an income of ₱4.99 billion. It became the richest city in Luzon outside of Metro Manila in terms of annual income generated locally. Tagapo, Don Jose, Santo Domingo, and Pulong Santa Cruz are the four barangays that generate and contribute larger revenues locally due to its massive malls and industrial parks located within the boundaries of these barangays.
Special economic zones and industrial parks in Santa Rosa include:
- Laguna Technopark Inc.
- Greenfield Automotive Park
- Toyota Special Economic Zone
- Lakeside Evozone Nuvali
- Daystar Santa Rosa Industrial Park
- Santa Rosa Commercial Complex
- Meridian Industrial Complex
Townships such as Greenfield City, Nuvali, Eton City, and Sta. Elena City are also located within the city.
The city hosts various shopping malls, including SM City Santa Rosa, Robinsons Sta. Rosa, Ayala Malls Nuvali (formerly Ayala Malls Solenad), Walter Mart Santa Rosa, Walter Mart Santa Rosa Bel-Air, Victory Mall Santa Rosa, Target Mall, Vista Mall Sta. Rosa, Paseo Outlets (formerly and still commonly known as Paseo de Santa Rosa), Eton City Square, Sta. Rosa Town Center, and Sta. Rosa Gateway by Toplite. A new CityMall branch and SM Nuvali are currently under construction. The city is widely recognized as the birthplace of Dali Everyday Grocery store operations in Southeast Asia, owned by the Swiss company Dali Discount AG.
Industries and manufacturing
Dubbed as the "Motor City of the Philippines" or "Detroit City of the Philippines", Santa Rosa hosts multinational automotive giants Nissan, Toyota, and Mitsubishi – all contributing 95% of the country's automotive production. It is also the location for the headquarters of Santarosa Motor Works, Inc.
Food conglomerate Monde Nissin Corporation, which manufactures Lucky Me! instant noodles and Monde biscuits, has a 14-hectare (35-acre) manufacturing facility in barangay Balibago. San Miguel Brewery and Magnolia also have a plant in barangay Pulong Santa Cruz. Santa Rosa is also home to the largest plant of The Coca-Cola Company in the Philippines, situated next to the Santa Rosa Exit of South Luzon Expressway. In 2018, Santa Rosa became the new home of HAMBURG Trading Corporation's 7,000-square-meter (75,000 sq ft) facility that houses the company's warehouse, administration office, and state-of-the-art demo kitchen – all in one roof.
Santa Rosa is aiming to be a hub for the BPO industry. It is currently ranked 82nd in the world for its competitiveness in the Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing services (IT-BPO) by the strategic advisory firm, THOLONS. BPO companies present in Santa Rosa are IQOR, KGB, Teletech, IBM and Concentrix, mostly located in SM City Santa Rosa and Nuvali.
Education
Santa Rosa holds many schools, facilities and tutorial centers. There are 18 public elementary schools and 10 public high schools in the city, all overseen by the Department of Education - Schools Division Office (SDO) of Santa Rosa City headed by Hereberto Jose D. Miranda, CESO VI, School Division Superintendent, as well as 84 private schools as of 2023. The Canossians built their first Canossian school in the Philippines in Santa Rosa. For 25 years Laguna BelAir School taught students before closing during the COVID-19 pandemic era.
Several higher education institutions headquartered outside the city have established branch or satellite campuses in Santa Rosa. Polytechnic University of the Philippines has one campus in Santa Rosa, as well as STI College, Citi Global College, Ateneo de Manila University (Ateneo Professional Schools), and Our Lady of Fatima University. Under-construction and planned satellite campuses include those of University of Santo Tomas, University of the East, and National University, respectively.
Transportation
Along with other areas of the Philippines, the city drives on the right side of the road. Santa Rosa is serviced by South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and Cavite–Laguna Expressway (CALAX). Two exits of SLEX are located in the city: Santa Rosa Exit and Eton City (Malitlit) Exit. The city is also accessible through Greenfield City (Mamplasan) Exit in Biñan, which provides access to CALAX, SM City Santa Rosa, and the Santa Rosa city proper. Two exits of CALAX directly serve the city, namely: Santa Rosa–Tagaytay Exit (located in Barangay Santo Domingo, infront of SM Nuvali) and Laguna Boulevard Exit (located within Barangay Don Jose). The Manila South Road from Alabang, Muntinlupa up to Calamba, Laguna passes through the city. Another road, Santa Rosa–Tagaytay Road, acts as the main route for people going up to Tagaytay from Metro Manila, especially on weekends and vacation periods.
Public transportation within the city, like in most of the urban areas in the Philippines, is facilitated mostly using traditional jeepneys. Tricycles are also used for short distances. Most exclusive villages, ex: Laguna Bel-Air Village, relies on their own transportation within their village premises. The Santa Rosa railway station of the Philippine National Railways and eventually the under-construction North–South Commuter Railway is located in barangay Labas, near the city proper. The city is also the location of the Santa Rosa Commercial Complex, a well-known intermodal transport and commercial hub in Barangay Balibago, and the Santa Rosa Integrated Terminal, a provincial bus station at SM City Santa Rosa in Barangay Tagapo serving Metro Manila and eventually other parts south of Metro Manila. Point-to-point (P2P) bus terminals are also located at Nuvali Transport Terminal in barangay Santo Domingo for buses bound for Makati and Bonifacio Global City, respectively, and in front of Robinsons Santa Rosa in Barangay Tagapo for buses bound for Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The city relies heavily to Ninoy Aquino International Airport for air transport due to its proximity and it is the closest aviation hub in the South. Grab, which is Southeast Asia's Uber, is also available in the city.
Infrastructure
Utilities and communication
Santa Rosa's source of electricity is partly from Meralco. Its water supply is provided by the Laguna Water Inc., except for Vista Land Developments (including Sta. Elena City), which is provided by its former sister company, Hiraya Water Corporation (formerly PrimeWater). Santa Rosa's communication system is powered by Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) and Globe Telecom, and the cellular network in the Philippines, particularly in metropolitan areas, is increasing due to the low cost of calls and text messaging. Globe Telecom, Smart Communications (PLDT), and Dito Telecommunity provide cellular networks in Santa Rosa. Cable and satellite television access is provided by SkyCable, G Sat, Cignal Digital TV, and Royal Cable. Internet Digital Subscriber Line or DSL coverage is provided by PLDT, cable internet is serviced by SkyCable's ZPDee and Global Destiny. Fiber Internet Wireless broadband is provided by Globelines Broadband and Smart Communications.