How the 1911 Taal Volcano Eruption Shaped Balete’s Path from Barrio to Municipality

Balete is the third smallest geo‑political unit of the Province of Batangas. It is a lakeside town on the eastern shores of Taal Lake with a full view of Taal Volcano. Both the lake and the volcano, in fact, have much to do with how the town’s history unfolded.

Balete began as a barrio of the then-town of Lipa, one of many small communities under its jurisdiction. A barrio was the basic local unit, led by a teniente del barrio who handled order and communal works.

Local tradition holds that the name “Balete” came from the balete tree — a species of fig with aerial roots that once grew abundantly in the area. The tree is a familiar landmark in Philippine landscapes and folklore, often linked to spirits and mystery. This explanation is folkloric rather than archival, but it remains the accepted origin of the name¹.

AI-generated image showing people fleeing a volcanic eruption.

The beginnings of Balete may reach back to the catastrophic eruption of 1754, when the old town of Lipa — known today as Lumang Lipa today, which is part of the Municipality of Mataasnakahoy — was abandoned. Survivors of that disaster moved inland, first to areas like Balete and Mataasnakahoy, before finally establishing modern Lipa further east².

This suggests that Balete might have begun as a remnant of that earlier evacuation, a settlement that endured even after most of the population pressed farther inland. Oral tradition preserved in the 1953 Historical Data Collection supports this migration pattern³.

On 30 January 1911, Taal Volcano erupted violently. Contemporary observers like Rev. Miguel Saderra Masó of the Manila Observatory described pyroclastic surges, heavy ashfall, and acid rain that destroyed crops and livestock. About 1,300 people perished across lakeshore towns such as Talisay, Tanauan, and San Nicolas⁴.

Balete, though spared the worst, was blanketed with ash and suffered agricultural losses. Families sought refuge inland, and Balete became one of the receiving points for survivors⁵.

Oral tradition recalls how families from Lipa — including the Macasaets — resettled in Balete after the eruption. Brothers Venancio and Ricardo Macasaet became landowners in Looc, Balete, and Ricardo even served as teniente del barrio. Their arrival altered the demographic balance of the barrio, strengthening its population and giving it a more cohesive identity⁶.

The ecological recovery of the area, noted by botanist Frank Gates in his study of Taal’s regeneration, allowed farming to resume and encouraged permanent settlement⁷. The influx of displaced families and the ability of local leaders to manage recovery gave Balete a stronger sense of independence. Over time, this identity laid the groundwork for its eventual separation from Lipa.

By the 1960’s, residents of Balete and its neighboring barrios petitioned for separation from Lipa. They argued that their communities were too distant from the poblacion, making governance and services difficult.

Local leaders emphasized that Balete had grown in population and resources, and could sustain its own municipal government. These petitions were eventually recognized by Congress, leading to the passage of Republic Act No. 5659 in 1969, which formally created the Municipality of Balete out of several barrios and sitios of Lipa⁸.

The story of Balete shows how disaster, migration, and local initiative can reshape communities. What began as a barrio under Lipa became a distinct settlement through the trials of volcanic destruction, recovery, and political assertion. The eruption of 1911 was not just a natural event but a turning point in Balete’s history, setting it on the path toward municipal identity.