Padre Garcia, officially the Municipality of Padre Garcia (), is a first class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the , it has a population of people.
It is recognized as the "Cattle Trading Capital of the Philippines," being notable for its strong agricultural heritage, highlighted by the townâÂÂs bustling cattle market, locally known as the bakahan. This livestock auction market has developed into the largest in Southern Tagalog, attracting traders from various regions and serving as a major contributor to the local economy.
Padre Garcia's old name is Lumang Bayan, as it is the former seat of government of the neighboring town of Rosario. The name of the town is derived from one of its most famous sons, Padre Vicente Garcia, a native of Barangay Maugat. He was one of the first defenders of Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere. He and Rizal were friends during the time when they were fighting for the Philippine independence from Spain.
The town was originally part of Rosario and known as Lumang Bayan or Sambat. It officially became a separate municipality on December 1, 1949 through Executive Order No. 279 signed by President Elpidio Quirino on October 11, 1949, with Jose A. Pesigan and Rustico K. Recto as the first elected mayor and vice mayor, respectively. It originally consisted of barrios Banaba, Banay-banay, Bawi, Castillo, Maugat, Lumang Bayan (poblacion), Pansol, Payapa, Quilo-quilo, San Miguel, San Felipe, and Tangob.
In 1952, the town council founded the cattle market or bakahan. This was in direct competition to the established livestock market of neighboring Rosario, which resulted in rivalry, intimidation, and violence at times. But the market succeeded and developed into the biggest auction market in Southern Tagalog. Cattle trade happens during every Friday of the week.
On July 28, 2023, the new five-story municipal hall of Padre Garcia was inaugurated.
Padre Garcia is located at . It is from Batangas City, from Manila, from Lucena, and from Lipa. It is bounded on the north and northwest by Lipa; east by San Antonio, Quezon; and south and southwest by Rosario.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of constituting of the total area of Batangas.
Padre Garcia is politically subdivided into 18 barangays, as shown in the matrix below. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
In the 2024 census, Padre Garcia had a population of 53,526 people. The population density was .
The Padre Garcia Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools.