Tagaytay City History, Philippines

Nature-given and inherent splendor as it is, Tagaytay City is a favorite place for vacation destination. Aside from its quaint scenes and natural beauty, the place played a role in history during the World War II.

Tagaytay City was a productive and wealthy area. It is not surprising for it to become what it is now.

Way back then, the region’s ridges and forests were the hideouts of people who fought for the Philippine’s freedom during the Philippine Revolution in the year 1896. For the revolutionary men to get to and from the various towns, Tagaytay City served as a passageway. These men had to travel and put their lives in peril every time they trek on foot.

At the start of the Second World War, before Manila was released from the Japanese governance, the 8th army of Lieutenant General William Kreuger airdropped the supplies for the war. The 11th Airborne Division of the army was responsible for the delivery of American personnel as well.  The place where the personnel and supplies were dropped was on the Tagaytay Ridge. Unforgettable as it is, the Philippine Historical Institute made a marker on the spot in 1957. The spot was the intersection of the roads of Manila, Canlubang and Nasugbu. The city officials took part in this decision.

Did it occur to you what was the origin of the name Tagaytay? The name Tagaytay was legendary in derivation. By word of mouth, it was believed by many that a father and his son were out hunting wild boars. They chased a wild boar but, to their surprise, the animal attacked them. The boar came after the father and charged towards him. Meanwhile, the son who was watching the whole scene the entire time, shouted to his father “taga itay!” countless times. “Taga” means “to cut” and “itay” means father. Both words are Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines and spoken in Tagaytay City. The shouts of the boy reverberated all over the place. For a long period, the event was the talk of the town particularly the shouts they heard and from then on, the name was stuck and the place where the cries were heard came to be known as “Tagaytay”.

Tagaytay was proclaimed a city on June 21, 1938. President Manuel L. Quezon approved the Commonwealth Act No. 338, the bill that officially made Tagatay a city.