History

Bay was believed to be founded in 1570, forty-nine (49) years after the discovery of the Philippines by Magellan in 1521. Juan Salcedo, the grandson of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, was one of the Spanish conquerors who helped in founding the town together with some Augustinian priests and missionaries who converted the inhabitants to Christianity. Being the first capital town of Laguna, it became the center of commerce and trade of the province. The Cabantoc or Dila River served as the passageway for traders from Manila and the surrounding coastal towns who came to Bay to engage in commercial activities.

The municipality was first inhabited by settlers under Datu Gat Pangil. The mission of R.P Martin de Roda resulted to the conversion of Gat Pangil and his three daughters to the Catholic faith. The three were baptized and named Maria Basilisa, Maria Angela and Maria Elena. The first letters of the names Basilisa, Angela and Elena were taken together to form “BAE”. Through time “BAE” became “BAY” as it is presently used.

Geographic Location

The Municipality of Bay is a second-class municipality of the Province of Laguna. Located almost at the geographic center of the province, the municipality has geographic coordinates of 14.1320° N latitude, 121.2569° E longitude. It is bounded on the North by Laguna de Bay, East by Municipality of Calauan, West by Municipality of Los Baños, and South by Municipality of Sto. Tomas, Batangas.

The Municipality has a total land area of 4,160.76 hectares (42.66 km2) occupying 2.22 percent of the total area of Laguna. It is composed of 15 barangays, two (2) are classified as urban barangays – San Nicolas and San Agustin, and 13 rural barangays, namely, Bitin, Calo, Dila, Masaya, Maitim, Paciano Rizal, Puypuy, San Antonio, Santa Cruz, San Isidro, Santo Domingo, Tagumpay, and Tranca.

Demographic Information

The Municipality of Bay has a total population of 67,134 and a household population of 62,134 according to the 2020 census of the Philippine Statistics Authority. The household population of the municipality increased by 8.28 percent from 62,143 in 2015.

The male population of 33,696 remains more numerous than the female population (33.438 persons), resulting to a sex ratio of 100.77. Although the overall sex ratio specifies an equal sex distribution, there is still predominance of either sex in different age groups. Age brackets of the old population (55-59 to 80 years old and over) have a higher female population. Bay has a young population distribution, specifically age groups 0-4 to 20-24 that comprises 48.69 percent of the total population.

Bay has a total land area of 4,160.76 hectares. Out of which, only 13.78 hectares (0.33 percent) are occupied by barangays San Agustin (5.81 hectares) and San Nicolas (7.97 hectares), the two (2) Poblacion or town proper centers. Barangay Bitin covers the largest land area with 1,074.15 hectares.

The municipality has a population density of 16 persons per hectare. The municipal population density is below the Laguna provincial population density of 18 persons per hectare, but it is higher than the regional density of 10 persons per hectare.

With the 2015-2020 growth rate of 1.65 percent, the municipality is projected to reach a population of 75,336 with 22,448 households by 2027 and is expected to double its size after 42 years. By 2062, the projected population of Bay is 133,586.

Local Economy

Bay is an agricultural municipality with 65 percent of its total land area classified as being utilized for agricultural use. Produce in the Municipality is not limited to crop production, but poultry and livestock production are widely available as well. The agricultural produce is both a source of livelihood and sustenance for the Bayeños. The agricultural commodities produced in the area are rice, banana, pineapple, coconut, rambutan, and lanzones among others. These crops are being sold to various buyers.

Different poultries and livestock are being grown in the Municipality. The poultries are quail, chicken, duck, geese, and turkey. In terms of number of heads, the total poultry in the Municipality for the year 2018 is 31,587 with more than half being quail at 20,000 (63%) and the least are geese with only 97. As for the livestock, swine, goat, cattle, horse and carabao are raised in Bay. The total number of heads is 1,126 during 2018; almost half or 46 percent of which are swine.

Several barangays in the Municipality are surrounded by Laguna de Bay which can also be a source of their livelihood. Specifically, these are Barangays Sto. Domingo, San Antonio, and San Isidro. The major fish produced in these Barangays are tilapia and catfish in fishponds. Overall, the production value increased 23.75 percent. Similarly, the product market increased from 2016 to 2017 at 21.39 percent. Barangay Sto. Domingo still has the biggest share of the product market with 55.99 percent and 53.13 percent during 2016 and 2017, respectively. Summarized in the Table below are the production value and product market per barangay for the years 2016 and 2017. There are about 285 fisherfolks, 58 hatchery operators, and 2 catfish growers across the various barangays in the area.

Tourism is also one important aspect of the economy that should be given enough attention. This is because it not only provides revenue for the businesses and establishments in the Municipality but also promotes heritage and culture present in Bay. Bay is abundant in resorts with 82.1 percent or 23 out of 28 tourism establishments being classified as such. There are also known function halls and activity areas in the Municipality and the famous St. Augustine of Hippo Church is also located in Bay. There are numerous cultural activities and festivals in the Municipality done annually wherein many visitors from both nearby and far provinces drop by to experience these events. Many foreigners also come to visit such festivals to experience and witness firsthand the cultural diversity in the provinces throughout the country.

In 2015, there were a total of 412 commercial establishments in the Municipality which grew to a total of 421 in 2016. Majority of which or 90 percent and 84 percent are classified as tertiary commercial establishments for 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Infrastructure and Facilities

Similar to the Province of Laguna, the Municipality is only accessible by land transportation. The transportation network in Bay is composed of roads, bridges, and footpaths. The total road network of the municipality of Bay is approximately 34.05 kilometers classified into four categories, namely: National, Provincial, Municipal, and Barangay roads. The road conditions are generally classified as good, however, regular repair, maintenance and assessment should be conducted.

The Municipality of Bay has a total of 13 bridges. Among these, 12 are made of concrete and one (1) is made of steel. These bridges have a load capacity of 20 tons each. Most of these bridges are in good condition, well maintained and serviceable. Bay has several ancillary road facilities, such as pedestrian crossings, waiting sheds, road signages, and sidewalks. However, these facilities are concentrated along the national highway. Streetlights and accessibility ramps are still lacking in the municipality. The main public transportation mode options are jeepneys and tricycles.

The main electricity provider of Bay is MERALCO. In 2015, 97.37 percent of households have electricity, and the remaining 2.63 percent of total households currently do not have electricity. Residential areas have the highest number of connections, followed by commercial establishments, which is expected to increase in the coming years.

In terms of water supply, there are 28,236 water supply connections in the municipality, 96.92 percent are domestic connections; 2.74 percent are commercial connections; and 0.34 percent are industrial/government connections. The highest user of water is the industrial/government sector with 79 cubic meter per month. Domestic water consumption only accounts for only 18 cubic meter per month.

A total of 72.67 percent of households in Bay have access to safe Level III water supply, 5.95 percent have access to safe Level I water supply, and 0.032 percent have access to Level II water supply. Overall, there is a total of 78.65 percent or 12,440 households in Bay with access to improved safe water supply in 2017. The highest proportion of this is in Barangay Paciano Rizal with 97.10 percent, and the lowest is in San Agustin with 1.30 percent.

Download the 2022 Municipal Profile.