Alaminos is a small town in the province of Laguna.
Understand
[edit]Alaminos was a barrio of San Pablo before becoming an independent town in 1873. Upon its establishment, it became part of Batangas province until 1903, when it became a barrio of San Pablo, Laguna. It became an independent town again in 1916.
Orientation
[edit]Alaminos is a small town with a compact center. Much of the town is forested and lies at a lowland corridor separating Mount Makiling to the north and Mount Manabu to the south. It is sandwiched between the major cities of San Pablo and Santo Tomas in neighboring Batangas. The town's main thoroughfare, apart from the Maharlika Highway, is J.P. Rizal Avenue, a short four-lane boulevard running from Maharlika Highway to the parish church where some of the town's remaining heritage houses are concentrated, along with a monument to Jose Rizal from the 1920s.
Get in
[edit]Alaminos is along the Maharlika Hwy (Rte 1/AH26), and crosses town as Del Pilar Avenue. Bus companies plying Manila-Lucena route pass through Alaminos. From Manila, the fastest route by road is through the STAR Tollway exiting at Santo Tomas exit in Batangas, from there, enter the Maharlika Highway and follow the road signs leading to Alaminos.
Alaminos is the northern terminus of the Alaminos-Lipa Rd, a newer highway directly connecting with Lipa in Batangas.
An extension of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) is under construction as of 2021, but there will be no exit to Alaminos itself; nearest exists would be at Makban (in Santo Tomas, Batangas) and San Pablo.
By jeep
[edit]Alaminos lies along the San Pablo-Santo Tomas-Tanauan jeepney route. Unlike the buses, the jeepneys go through the inner roads of downtown, including the parish church and municipal hall.
Get around
[edit]Downtown Alaminos is small, with J. P. Rizal Avenue being a 300-meter walk. Take tricycles to outlying barangays or jeepneys along the highway.
Due to the high volume of vehicles traveling between Santo Tomas and San Pablo and Alaminos' proximity to the STAR Tollway in Santo Tomas, traffic along the Maharlika Highway can become very congested. Consider driving through the Fule Diversion Road in those circumstances.
See
[edit]
Sites
[edit]- 1 Nuestra Señora del Pilar Church (Our Lady of the Pillar Parish Church). Historic church in the town of Alaminos which dates back to the Spanish colonial era near the municipal hall. Its patron is the Nuestra Señora del Pilar, after an image of it was retrieved from a town well.
- 2 Museo ni Cipra, Acropolis St. Cor. Rome St (Acropolis South). An art museum featuring abstract and geometric art inside the Acropolis South subdivision. It was established by the Museo ni Cipra Foundation as a means of platform to showcase the works of its founder Cipra Kamatoy whose works has been featured in the Ayala Museum in Makati, and other local artists supported by the foundation. Some artworks are available for purchase.
- 3 Fule Mansion, J.P. Rizal Avenue. An sea-green old mansion noted for its ornate façade. Its fence is adorned by statues of lions and eagles. A small but interesting number of heritage houses can be seen in the vicinity of the residence, particularly along J.P. Rizal and Del Pilar Avenues.
Do
[edit]Festivals
[edit]- Coramblan Festival. An annual nine-day harvest festival which starts every October 12. Its name comes from the first syllables of coconut, rambutan, and lanzones, which are the primary fruit crops of the town. It is also celebrated in honor of the town's patron Nuestra Señora del Pilar. Common observances include religious rituals, parade, street dancing competition.
Buy
[edit]Travellers may buy fruits and vinegar from stalls along the road in Alaminos. Alaminos is known for its lanzones and rambutan, seasonal fruits usually available around September to October.
- 1 Alaminos Goat Farm, [email protected]. 8AM-noon. Buy fresh goat milk and other dairy products derived from goat milk like ice cream, and cheese locally known as kesong puti. The farm was established by local goat breeder Valeriano "Rene" L. Almeda in 2005 who pioneered dairy goat farming in the Philippines.
- 2 Kayumanggi Foods, 35 Maharlika Hwy., Brgy. San Juan, ☏ +63 49 567 1973, [email protected]. 8AM-5PM. Alaminos-based preserved-fruits manufacturer. They maintain a store where tourists can purchase preserved fruit products in jars. Also within the site is Francisco’s Halo Halo, ran by the same company where they sell halo-halo, a popular shaved-iced Filipino dessert mixed with various toppings including beans and fruits.
Eat
[edit]Drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]Cope
[edit]Places of worship
[edit]Alaminos has numerous places for worship for Catholics, including the Nuestra Señora del Pilar Church and other chapels. The town also has places of worship for travelers of other faiths or Christian denominations.
- 1 Al Iman Mosque, Brgy. Del Carmen.
Go next
[edit]| Routes through Alaminos |
| Santo Tomas ← | N  S
|
→ San Pablo → Lucena |