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Leaving the sprawl of Manila behind and heading south takes you along the South Luzon Expressway, known to Filipinos as the South Luzon Distressway, and into the provinces of Cavite, Laguna and Batangas. Traffic heading south can be grim, particularly on weekends and holidays, so try to time your journey for a weekday. Laguna , known for hot springs and mountain pools, is the first province south of the capital. It was named after Laguna de Bay, the river that forms its northern boundary and is a major source of sampaguita flowers, orchids, coconuts, rice, sugar, citrus fruits and lanzones. Cavite is being touted as a new industrial zone, but will forever be associated with the revolution. In 1872, three Filipino priests - Jose Burgos, Mariano Gomez and Jacinto Zamora - were implicated in the Cavite Revolt, in which two hundred Filipinos rose up in arms against the Spanish forces in the garrisons. The phony revolution was soon cut down, but when the real thing broke out on August 28, 1896, Cavite became a bloody theatre of war, as Emilio Aguinaldo led Cavitenos in a series of daring surprise attacks on Spanish headquarters, soon liberating the whole province. Aguinaldo directed the revolution to its end and the proclamation of the first republic in Asia, the Republic of the Philippines, was made on June 12, 1898 in the small town of Kawit. The town hall where the proclamation was made from a balcony still stands and is the focus of commemoration every June 12. The province of Batangas is Manila's weekend playground, with tropical-style beach resorts and Taal Volcano . The provincial capital, Batangas City , is a polluted port town with little to recommend it except its ferry pier, from where you can escape to the island of Mindoro and the beach resorts of Puerto Galera . The best place to get a bus from Manila heading south is at one of the many terminals in Pasay. Departures start early, at around 4am and continue at regular intervals until the middle of the evening, with the final departure usually at 8pm. BLTB (on EDSA) and Jam Liner (on Taft Avenue) are two of the most popular services.
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