History

During the Spanish administration in the Philippines, Talisay (which at the moment had no definite name) was one of the uninflected barrios of Tanauan Municipality. When Tanauan re-established on its present site, the area was subsequently considered to be a barrio of Taal.

Nobody seemed to care about the place since residents were few and far in between.

There was a time when people from Taal and Tanauan frequented the area and discovered that the land has fertile and high crop- yielding qualities, and that the grounds were perfect for planting sugarcane, rice, and corn--- three of the most important products of the time.

With this discovery, the population started to increase and the area had become dense enough that the Spanish government established a parish and assigned a priest to look after the people and to further spread Christianity. Afterward, the priest ordered a church to be built right at the center of the barrio. This church was initially a temporary building made out of light materials available in the area. The arrival of the church bell brought a dilemma since the structure couldn’t handle such a heavy load.

The priest then ordered that the church bell be hung on the Talisay tree found in the churchyard. When the bell was rung for the first time, some people panicked and some curious men tried to find where the sound was coming from and found out that it was from the towering Talisay tree.

People were made to attend the Holy Mass every Sunday, and when other folks ask the churchgoers where they are heading, they would simply answer: “Sa may Talisay (by the Talisay tree).” The place was eventually closely linked to the tree and when the time came that the barrio received its township, it was aptly named Talisay.

In 1869, Talisay was formally known as a Municipio and has since been celebrating its founding anniversary every 10^th of February