San Pablo City has greatly contributed to the country's transportation industry. Its 16 jeepney manufacturers churn out thousands of units of various makes of passenger jeepneys, owner-type jeeps, AUV and mini-buses annually. Among the biggest manufacturers are Amante Motors, Armak Motors, Lawin Motors and Buffalo Motors.. Their products practically trek the entire Philippine archipelago.

Basically a coconut-based agricultural economy, San Pablo City is home to giant Franklin Baker Company now known as Kraft Cheddar, the largest in Southeast Asia and producer of world class desiccated coconut products, and San Pablo Manufacturing Co. which produces the nationally famous Minola cooking oil. They are joined by by medium-sized oil manufacturing firms and a number of satellite copra trading posts, and coco by-products manufacturers like the Soriano Fibers Inc. that produces foam and upholstery. All of these are in the forefront of promoting the coconut industry.

Ingenious farming practices and scientific techniques have maximized the productivity of San Pablo's 16,474.4 hectares of agricultural land by intercropping fruit trees like Lanzones, Rambutan, Citrus, Banana, coffee and perennial plants like Pineapple, Papaya, Corn and vegetables.  Interspersed in front and back yards of enterprising residents are orchards for cupflowers - anthorium, orchids and the like which are invariably picked by hotels, flower-shops and even homeowners from Metro manila.  The city boasts of a blooming cutflower industry spearheaded by small and medium-scale planters who have banded themselves into a cutflower cooperative federation.

Magnolia's contractual poultry farms, Vitarich Inc., modern poultry dressing plants, and the city's Class AA abattoir have greatly enhanced the city's livestock industry and attracted pioneering ventures into dairy/livestock farming.  Meanwhile, the lucrative fishing industry in the lake areas continue to bustle with activity.

Well within the ambit of the CALABARZON master plan, San Pablo City has steadily marched on all; fronts to ensure the ultimate emergence of an agro-industrial economy which comprises the backbone of a developed territory complete with social amenities and services for its constituencies.  Presently, 89 subdivisions nestle peaceably in the city.  Urban dwellers enjoy the 63.94 kilometers of concrete road network, while rural barangay residents similarly traverse the concrete pavement of 166.64 kilometers or equivalent to 87.82% of barangay roads.  Residential area in San Pablo has dramatically expanded with the influx of migrants and the futuristic planning of realtors.  Following the land use plan and the zoning ordinance the city is more than ready to meet and satisfy demands for various sites and services.

Modern communications systems enable the city to be in contact with the entire country and practically the rest of the world with PLDT, DIGITEL and PT&T's DDD and IDD cellular phone services of Philtel, SMART communications, Globe and Extelcom, and the convenience of Pocket Bell and the telegraph firms. DZSP and DWJY-FM, together with Telmark Cable and Celestrone Cable TV serve to supplement the broadcast and viewing pleasure of its residents while local newspaper - Laguna Bulletin, Wednesday Herald, Day Star, The Barangay, Laguna Courier, Kokus, Diretso Balita, and Monday Mail deliver the local news weekly.  It also has a competitive printing industry headed by three big presses - J & F Printhaus, Admana Printing Press and first Southern Tagalog Printhouse.

Against these background stand and flourish the city's trade and commerce with the strong support of the Filipino-Chinese Community while export products in garments industry and stuffed toys/handicrafts are complemented by substantial investments of American, Japanese, Taiwanese & Indian capital.

Beyond all these treasure, San Pablo's greatest asserts, however, are its people - 183,757 (NSO 1995) residents of 80 barangays whose kins belong to the nation's broad spectrum of professionals, the toiling masses and the common man who keep the local economy in full stride.  Today, there are 41 progressive banking corporations in the city that cater to local, national and international clientele; 7 quality hospitals and 4 domestic foreign cargo forwarders.  The city's educational needs are being provided by 63 public elementary school units, 23 private, 30 private pre-elementary schools, 80 day care centers, 17 private secondary schools, 2 public secondary schools with 6 extension in rural barangay.  In the college level there are 4 private tertiary schools and 2 public, the San Pablo City School of Arts and Trade and Dalubhasaang Lunsod ng San Pablo, seven (7) vocational/computer schools, Paaralang Pag-ibig at Pag-asa (SPED at Villa Antonio Subd., Brgy.  San Gabriel and St. Peters College Seminary at Brgy. Concepcion.  The total available manpower in the city is estimated at 131,000.  While San Pablo City experiences tremendous economic progress, its citizens never forget to care for each other especially the less privileged.  In the forefront of socio-civic and economic endeavors are the city's 65 accredited non-governmental organizations and peoples organizations.  It boasts of international socio-civic and  religious clubs with chapters in the city such as Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis, Apex, Jaycees, Mason, Knights of Columbus, YMCA, YWCA, Sierra Club among others.

This is San Pablo City at a glance, resolute and progressive, proud of its legendary and noble past, enjoying its challenging present, and hopeful of its future.

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(click to see San Pablo City in the eyes of Carlito Bartolome).  Needs Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.