Lamon Bay in the context of "Southern Tagalog"

The Bicol Region, designated as Region V, is an administrative region of the Philippines. It comprises six provinces, four on the Bicol Peninsula (the southeastern end of Luzon): Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, and Sorsogon, and two off the shore: Catanduanes and Masbate.

The regional center is Legazpi, the most populous city in the region and has one independent component city, the pilgrim city of Naga. The region is bounded by Lamon Bay to the north, the Philippine Sea to the east, and the Sibuyan Sea and Ragay Gulf to the west. The northernmost provinces, Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur, are bordered to the west by the province of Quezon in the Calabarzon region.

Calabarzon (officially stylized in all caps; English: /ˌkɑːləbɑːrˈzɒn/; Tagalog: [kalɐbaɾˈsɔn]), sometimes referred to as Southern Tagalog (Tagalog: Timog Katagalugan) and designated as Region IV‑A, is an administrative region in the Philippines. It is situated southeast of Metro Manila and is bordered by Manila Bay and the South China Sea to the west, Lamon Bay and the Bicol Region to the east, Tayabas Bay and the Sibuyan Sea to the south, and Central Luzon to the north. Comprising five provinces—Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon (hence the acronym)—and one highly urbanized city, Lucena, it is the most populous region in the Philippines, according to the 2020 census, with over 16.1 million inhabitants. It is also the country's second most densely populated region, after the National Capital Region. Calamba in Laguna serves as the regional center, while Antipolo in Rizal is the most populous city in the region.

Before its creation as a separate region, Calabarzon, along with the Mimaropa region, the province of Aurora, and parts of Metro Manila, comprised the historical region known as Southern Tagalog until they were separated in 2002 through Executive Order No. 103.

The Polillo Islands is a group of about 27 islands in the Philippine Sea lying about 25 km (16 mi) to the east of the Philippine island of Luzon. It is separated from the mainland Luzon Island by the Polillo Strait and forms the northern side of Lamon Bay. The islands are part of the province of Quezon in the Calabarzon region of the Philippines. The combined land area of all the islands is about 875 square kilometers making Polillo islands even larger than the island city-state of Singapore.

The Japanese invasion of Lingayen Gulf (Filipino: Paglusob ng mga Hapones sa Golfo ng Lingayen, Pangasinese: Inlusob na Hapon ed Gulpo na Lingayen, Ilocano: Panagraut dagiti Hapon iti Golfo ti Lingayen) was the key point in the Japanese plan for the conquest of the Philippines. Preparations had already been made by the Attack on Clark Field and the landings of Japanese forces at five points in northern and southern Luzon and Mindanao in early/mid December 1941, with the IJAAF seizing air fields and basing aircraft for ground support, and the Imperial Japanese Navy establishing seaplane bases at the Camiguin Island, Legaspi, and Davao. The main landing of Japanese forces targeted Lingayen Gulf, with its proximity to the Philippine capital of Manila, and Lamon Bay on the opposite coast to the south.