It’s a little known fact that Tagaytay would not have been the tourist attraction of today had it not been for Taal’s fury displayed more than five times in our history. The tremors and subsequent explosions pushed the land upward even more and had created a lake we now view with awe and wonder. Molten rock and lava that were spewed for miles around contributed to the richness of its soil, allowing for lush growth.

Where Filipinos now cruise with a magnificent view of Taal Lake is in fact the very mouth of a slumbering volcano, waiting for that time when it would once more find an excuse to display its fury. The Tagaytay of yesterday was a harsh stretch of jungle and lush green, of sloping hills and thick foliage, blocking the sun in all but a few patches of rich earth. Even then the air that bounded a small mountain village of hunters and wood gatherers was crisp, leaving one with a sense of being closer to heaven.

It’s only likely that Tagaytay’s history is steeped in myth. Legend has it that Tagaytay’s name came from the splintered “taga” meaning “to cut with a bolo knife”, and “itay” meaning “father”. The story goes that a father and his son went out to hunt for wild boar. During the course of the hunt, a boar came charging towards the father, provoking his son to yell, “Taga, itay! Taga-itay!” (Cut it down, father!). For weeks it became the subject of conversation among the mountain people, leading to the hour when the place where the shouts reverberated became known as Tagaytay.

At the onset of the Philippine Revolution against Spain in 1898, the jungles and ridges of Tagaytay served as a sanctuary and a place to camp for revolutionaries from Cavite, Batangas and other nearby provinces. In fact, the revolutionaries used Tagaytay as a secret passageway between Cavite and Batangas provinces. 

It was in its lush woodland that Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo captured the whole 72nd Battalion of the Spanish Colonial Army while the latter was en route to Talisay.

The native word mananagaytay was coined at this time to mean “to traverse ridges”. The jungles of Tagaytay was of such breadth and depth that the 11th Airborne Division of Lt. Gen. William Krueger’s 8th Army airdropped military supplies and personnel on top of the Tagaytay Ridge before the liberation of Manila during World War II. Yet prior to this, Tagaytay was already declared a chartered city under President Manuel L. Quezon.

Memories of a trip to Tagaytay are always a thing to remember. The cold whip of air and the light scent of pineapples tell the vacationer that he has arrived. The panoramic view of Taal Volcano of course, is a regular treat: one just cannot have enough of it. In its waters, of course, is where the rare fishes maliputo and tawilis are found.

Climbing up the city proper, one would be treated to a row of eateries and restaurants, hotels, fast food brands, rest houses and a sprawling pineapple patch. The al fresco dining in these places all provide a magnificent view of Taal Volcano, which is the main tourist attraction of the area. The lake in itself is a place where divers scrounge for ancient Chinese artifacts, jars, porcelain, and what is said to have been a military fort about 60 feet below the surface of the lake. It was once said that the rare fresh water sharks used to live within the lake.

Tagaytay, for the most part, is a place for rest, for family outings and picnics with the kids, and while the rustic atmosphere hovers comes the invitation to enjoy its scenery. Here nature displays its wonders like nowhere else in the Philippines, making Tagaytay one of the primary tourist attractions for the family. -end-