during the Spanish times. The Filipino troops of the pre-war 4th and 42nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and recognized guerrillas also came from the town and was involved in the Second Battle of Santa Cruz on January 26, 1945. Characterized by fertile flat lands situated along the coastal plains of Laguna de Bay, the economic base of the town had been traditionally anchored on two primary industries, namely agriculture and fishing which still remain up to the present. In view of the strategic location of Santa Cruz relative to the other coastal settlements about the lake, trading activities have likewise rooted on the town during those early settlement days. The town proper which has always been the focal point of activities used to be accessible to the other lake-shore areas due to the navigable Santa Cruz River aside from Laguna de Bay itself. Since those early days, water is the principal mode of transportation. Today, Santa Cruz serves as the capital of Laguna and is considered as the business and commercial center on the eastern part of the province. Geography Situated at the central portion of Laguna province along the south-eastern coast of Laguna de Bay, Santa Cruz lies southeast of Metro Manila via Calamba and is geographically located at approximately 14 degrees 17' latitude and 121 degrees 25' longitude. The municipality is bounded on the north and north-west by Laguna de Bay, on the north-east by Lumban, on the east by Pagsanjan, on the southeast by Magdalena, on the south by Liliw, and on the south-west by Pila. It has 26 barangays and covers approximate land area of 3860 hectares which comprises about 2% of the total land area of Laguna Province. Land Area: 3,860 hectares Residential: 381.97 Commercial: 35.96 Institutional: 92.17 Functional Open Space: 31.27 Roads: 157.73 Total Built-up: 696.10 Agricultural: 3,048.57 Special Use: 115.33 Geology The two types of rocks found in Santa Cruz are alluvium and clastic rocks. Clastic rocks are located at the eastern portion of the municipality specifically in Barangay Alipit, San Jose, Oogong, Jasaan, San Juan, Palasan, and portions of Barangays Pagsawitan, Patimbao, Bubukal, Labuin and Malinao. These rocks consist of inter-bedded shale and sandstone with occasional thin lenses of limestone, tuff, and reworked sandy tuffs, calcareous sandstone and partly tuffaceous shale. Climate Like most areas in the province of Laguna, the climate of Santa Cruz is characterized by two