Lemery, officially the Municipality of Lemery (Tagalog: Bayan ng Lemery), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 93,186 people.

Lemery is a growing urban center in western Batangas. The municipality was named after Captain Roberto Lemery, a commanding officer of the local garrison. He took command of the local military outpost until his death in 1856.

History

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During the early part of the 18th century, settlers from Taal, northern Mindoro and southern Cavite were attracted to the vast plain near the shores of Balayan Bay because of its abundance in fish and other marine life. Salting and drying fish became their major occupation due to the great demand of salted and dried fish by the people of Cavite, Mindoro, Laguna and Batangas. People came in great numbers to join the settlers, and the village became populous. The place was first called Punta, meaning "point". In 1818, the village of Punta was converted into one of the barrios of the Municipality of Taal. It was later renamed San Geronimo.

In 1858, the barrio of San Geronimo became officially known as Lemery, after Captain Roberto Lemery, a commanding officer of the local military garrison. Captain Lemery was known for his deep ties with the community. Although he was tasked with instructing the military personnel assigned to the garrison, he went out of his way to immerse himself with the locals. He formed relationships with heads of the local church to learn the local language and cultivate harmony among the populace. When he died in 1856, the locals wished for the town to be renamed in honor of Captain Lemery.

In 1862, Lemery and its surrounding barrios were separated from the Municipality of Taal. It became a district municipality through the efforts of Candida Cesario Valenzuela, Manuel Cabrera, Policarpio Mariño and Domingo Agoncillo. Jose Cabrera became the First Gobernadorcillo of the newly created town.

The local military garrison was officially incorporated into the Guardia Civil upon the latter's creation in 1868. This newly formed organization was a gendarmerie tasked with law enforcement in the Philippines. It operated under the Spanish Army and Spanish colonial government and remained the de facto police force in the entire Philippines until its independence from Spain in 1898.

For economic considerations, Lemery was again annexed to Taal in 1903, alongside San Luis. Finally, by virtue of Act No. 1549 of the Philippine Commission, it became an independent municipality once again in 1906.

Geography

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 109.80 square kilometers (42.39 sq mi)  constituting 3.52% of the 3,119.75-square-kilometer (1,204.54 sq mi) total area of Batangas.

Lemery is 25 kilometers (16 mi) from Batangas City and 130 kilometers (81 mi) from Manila.

Barangays

Lemery is politically subdivided into 46 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

In 1957, the sitio of Bagong Pook was separated from the barrio of Arumahan and constituted into an independent barrio, while sitio of Masalisi was separated from Payapa.

PSGC	Barangay	Population			±% p.a.
		2020		2010
041012001	Anak‑Dagat	1.9%	1,803	1,715	▴	0.50%
041012002	Arumahan	2.6%	2,403	2,273	▴	0.56%
041012003	Ayao‑iyao	4.0%	3,683	2,690	▴	3.19%
041012004	Bagong Pook	1.4%	1,336	1,173	▴	1.31%
041012005	Bagong Sikat	1.5%	1,375	1,375		0.00%
041012006	Balanga	1.1%	1,050	955	▴	0.95%
041012007	Bukal	2.3%	2,159	1,814	▴	1.76%
041012009	Cahilan I	2.3%	2,189	2,021	▴	0.80%
041012010	Cahilan II	1.8%	1,631	1,519	▴	0.71%
041012011	Dayapan	2.9%	2,674	2,599	▴	0.28%
041012012	Dita	1.4%	1,281	1,167	▴	0.94%
041012013	Gulod	1.9%	1,791	1,598	▴	1.15%
041012014	Lucky	1.0%	909	622	▴	3.87%
041012015	Maguihan	2.6%	2,450	1,933	▴	2.40%
041012016	Mahabang Dahilig	2.0%	1,873	1,584	▴	1.69%
041012017	Mahayahay	1.6%	1,505	1,466	▴	0.26%
041012018	Maigsing Dahilig	1.3%	1,168	901	▴	2.63%
041012020	Maligaya	1.4%	1,281	1,199	▴	0.66%
041012021	Malinis	2.2%	2,030	1,657	▴	2.05%
041012022	Masalisi	1.1%	1,054	997	▴	0.56%
041012023	Mataas na Bayan	3.3%	3,035	2,764	▴	0.94%
041012024	Matingain I	3.8%	3,543	3,098	▴	1.35%
041012025	Matingain II	1.6%	1,449	1,285	▴	1.21%
041012026	Mayasang	2.6%	2,439	2,439		0.00%
041012027	Niogan	1.6%	1,537	1,443	▴	0.63%
041012028	Nonong Casto	3.4%	3,130	2,653	▴	1.67%
041012029	Palanas	3.3%	3,103	2,638	▴	1.64%
041012030	Payapa Ibaba	2.2%	2,089	1,859	▴	1.17%
041012031	Payapa Ilaya	3.7%	3,457	3,127	▴	1.01%
041012032	District I (Poblacion)	1.5%	1,413	1,164	▴	1.96%
041012033	District II (Poblacion)	1.0%	917	1,071	▾	−1.54%
041012034	District III (Poblacion)	0.5%	442	268	▴	5.13%
041012035	District IV (Poblacion)	2.4%	2,223	1,762	▴	2.35%
041012036	Rizal	0.9%	794	721	▴	0.97%
041012037	Sambal Ibaba	2.2%	2,050	1,737	▴	1.67%
041012038	Sambal Ilaya	4.6%	4,265	3,745	▴	1.31%
041012039	San Isidro Ibaba	1.6%	1,484	1,368	▴	0.82%
041012040	San Isidro Itaas	3.8%	3,507	2,777	▴	2.36%
041012041	Sangalang	2.3%	2,101	1,937	▴	0.82%
041012043	Talaga	3.5%	3,291	2,784	▴	1.69%
041012044	Tubigan	1.5%	1,390	1,016	▴	3.18%
041012045	Tubuan	1.2%	1,151	1,109	▴	0.37%
041012046	Wawa Ibaba	3.1%	2,934	2,593	▴	1.24%
041012047	Wawa Ilaya	1.9%	1,779	1,523	▴	1.57%
041012048	Sinisian East	2.1%	1,977	1,890	▴	0.45%
041012049	Sinisian West	2.2%	2,012	1,796	▴	1.14%
	Total		93,186	81,825	▴	1.31%

Climate

Demographics

Population census of Lemery

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1903 11,150 —     1918 15,647 +2.28% 1939 19,207 +0.98% 1948 23,879 +2.45% 1960 23,700 −0.06%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1970 32,337 +3.15% 1975 36,207 +2.29% 1980 42,783 +3.39% 1990 53,932 +2.34% 1995 58,073 +1.40%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 2000 66,528 +2.96% 2007 76,090 +1.87% 2010 81,825 +2.68% 2015 93,157 +2.50% 2020 93,186 +0.01%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

In the 2020 census, Lemery had a population of 93,186. The population density was 850 inhabitants per square kilometer (2,200/sq mi).

Most of the people in Lemery are Tagalogs. In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase of Visayans in some barrios or barangays. The main language spoken is Tagalog, and a significant number now speaks Cebuano and Hiligaynon. Most of the residents can also understand and speak English.

Economy

Poverty incidence of Lemery

5 10 15 20 25 30 2006 29.80 2009 14.33 2012 13.66 2015 11.12 2018 10.67 2021 9.86 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

In the Rankings of Cities and Municipalities that are based on the sum of their scores on 3 Pillars: Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, and Infrastructure. In 2016, Lemery ranked 75th out of 479 municipalities, with total score of 28.252921.

Lemery is a first class municipality by income classification. The primary source of income is agricultural activities, including crop production, livestock and poultry, with 30 out of 46 barangays involved in it. As a coastal municipality with 13 barangays located along the shore, fishing activities are also significant contributor to the local economy.

The municipality also serves as a provincial urban center for its surrounding rural municipalities including Taal, San Nicolas, Agoncillo and San Luis. It hosts the largest public high school in the first legislative district of Batangas, a private college (Lemery Colleges), a campus of a public university (Batangas State University)and the Batangas Provincial Hospital. Furthermore, bus lines from Manila serving the Southern Tagalog Region reach Central Batangas by way of Lemery. Vans also connect the town to and from other urban centers in the region such as Dasmariñas, Calamba and Lucena.

In February 2014, Xentro Mall Lemery, a community mall, opened in the Diversion Road, further cementing Lemery's position as a growing commercial center. In December 2017, SM Center Lemery opened.

Transportation

Lemery is accessible by bus from Manila via the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX). The Lipa-Lemery Road connects the STAR Tollway in Lipa to Lemery, passing a number of municipalities along the southern shores of Taal Lake. Lemery can also be reached from Tagaytay via the Diokno Highway. Furthermore, there are vans connecting Manila to Lemery.

Government

Local government

Elected officials:

• Mayor: Ian Kenneth M. Alilio
• Vice Mayor: Geraldine C. Ornales
• Councilors:
  • Maria Hanalee V. Bustos
  • Hannah Beatriz C. Cabral
  • Aris Kenneth C. Punzalan
  • Christopher John M. Bello
  • Rosendo R. Eguia
  • Rodolfo De Castro
  • Napoleon M. Piol
  • Susan B. Vidal

Health

Some of the health institutions in Lemery include:

• Batangas Provincial Hospital
• Metro Lemery Medical Center
• Our Lady of Caysasay Medical Center
• Lemery Doctors Medical Center
• Little Angels Medical Hospital

Education

Schools in Lemery include:

Elementary schools

Private schools

National high schools

• Ananias Hernandez Memorial National High School
• Dionisio P. Vito National High School
• Gov. Feliciano Leviste Memorial National High School (formerly Batangas West High School)
• Payapa National High School
• Payapa Senior High School - est. 2023
• Lemery Senior High School - since 2016

Colleges

• Batangas State University-Lemery campus
• Lemery Colleges

Notable personalities

• Maloi Ricalde - member of Pinoy pop group Bini
• Eric Camson - PBA player