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There has been a surge of interest with the history of Tambobong/Malabon, and I am very happy to contribute in it. Schools and univeristies are asking their students to make a small research on Malabon and its baranggays, but the sources are scarce. And there are still ‘legends’ abounding social medias, mixed up with made up interpretations of Tagalog and Spanish. That’s what made me motivated to write this article, and some more to come!
“Malabon” is a name that has intrigued me. I’ve always wondered why the government decided to use this name instead of “Tambobong.” [I think I found a big clue which I used to update the blog here].
While searching for clues, I found an interesting document from the Official Gazette. It was a speech from President Manuel Roxas at the conclusion of the signing of an agreement with the then-Archbishop of Manila regarding the purchase of Church Estates. These estates were purchased on December 31, 1947 to be distributed to the tenants and homeowners.
Among those estates mentioned, two are found in Malabon City.
First is the Hacienda Loñgos with an approximate area of 210,586.89m2. In what part of Longos, whose current land area is 899, 900m2, I don’t know yet. I presume it to be something connected with the Asilo de Huerfanos. Using GoogleMaps, the 210, 000m2 corresponds to the area around around the Asilo, to the right of P. Aquino Avenue and to the left of C4. Robinsons’, Puregold, and the famous Pescadores Restaurant may be sitting where this Hacienda was. The other side was the Dagat-dagatan lagoon.
Second is the Hacienda Tambobong, located in the barrios of Concepción and Flores, municipality of Malabon, Rizal, with an approximate area of 698,970m2. The combined land area of present day Concepción and Flores is 429, 700m2, which means there’s 269, 250m2 of land left, which may correspond to present-day brgy. Baritan (which sits between Flores and Concepcion). This baranggay has a land area of 330, 100m2.
Capellania de Tambobong
Agustin Sigua
Talking about the Hacienda de Tambobong, I found mentions of two chaplaincies, the ‘Capellanía de Concepción’ and ‘Capellanía de Tambobong’.
In this Supreme Court document says that the ‘Capellanía de Tambobong’ filed a petition in the Court of Land Registration asking they be inscribed as the owner of a a 69 hectares and a 34 hectares of land.
The same documents says that the Capellanía de Tambobong was founded on February 14, 1697, by a man named Agustin Sigua. His surname suggests that he was an indio/native, perhaps related with the Tagalog nobility. He founded the chaplaincy with the condition that the prior of the Augustinian Convent of St. Augustine would serve as the chaplain and oversee the foundation. The funds for the chaplaincy were collected through the rents obtained from the land owned by the chaplaincy, specifically the Hacienda de Tambobong (Concepción and Flores).
Before jumping to conclusions about the church exploiting the local population through rent collection, it is important to note that the same Supreme Court documents mentioned that the Augustinian friars had refrained from collecting rents for many years. And may I point out those beautiful houses in Baranggay Concepción, would it would be then possible to build them if the natives were oppressed with rents?
It is plausible to assume that the establishment of the visita (a chapel within a parish which priests visit periodically to celebrate Mass and administer sacraments) of the Immaculate Conception could be associated with the foundation of the chaplaincy. However, the memorial marker of the church states that it was founded in 1607, contradicting the date mentioned in the Supreme Court document (1697).
Unfortunately, documents related to the chaplaincy of Tambobong were destroyed during the Philippine Revolution in 1898.
As for the Capellanía de Concepción, it was mentioned of a court case1 involving a purchase. I was unable to find the map of the Tambobong estate plan to locate which land was owned by Capellanía de Concepción. Another possibility would be that the Capellanía de Tambobong was also called Capellanía de Concepción, somehow similar when at the end of 19th century, ‘Tambobong’ and ‘Malabon’ were already interchangeably used to refer to what is now Malabon City.
What is Capellanía2?
A “Capellanía” refers to a perpetual endowment or fund established in the Catholic Church for the maintenance of a chaplain or priest. This endowment ensures that prayers, masses, and other religious services are continuously offered for the soul of the person who established the endowment or for the intentions specified by them. The purpose of a Capellanía is to ensure the spiritual well-being of the donor or their designated beneficiaries even after their passing. It’s a form of charitable giving in which the donor provides ongoing support for religious activities and services.
In the practice of establishing chaplaincies, founders would contribute funds to support a chaplain who would perform a designated number of memorial masses. The contributed sum would be invested, and the chaplain would receive the resulting income. This action allowed founders to gain spiritual benefits, including prayers for their soul and a means to make restitution for certain sins through the donation. Founders often appointed themselves as patrons or their close relatives for this role. The patron was responsible for enforcing contract clauses and appointing chaplains and future patrons with court authorization.
The money earned in this set up are used in various ways, to support the founder’s descendants, or to purchase rural properties, enhance the infrastructure of productive units, acquire urban real estate, finance businesses, and stimulate various productive sectors such as commerce, agriculture, mining, real estate, and the textile industry.
The modern equivalent of a “capellanía” could be a charitable foundation or trust established to support religious, educational, or humanitarian causes.
And then, Maysilo
Another ecclesiastical hacienda in Malabon is in Maysilo. According to the Diccionario Buzeta, The Hacienda de Maysilo occupies a land that belongs to the town of Caloocan and a barrio of Tambobong, which has the same name. Around 1770s, the Jesuits were expelled from the Philippines and the Hacienda de Maysilo was ‘passed’ to the government, with the Caloocan part of the estate was sold to a mestizo. That mestizo is Don Vicente Dolores Tuason. Meanwhile, Maysilo de Tambobong remained a small barrio distinct from the vast hacienda.
The American occupation of the Philippines seemed to have stirred a problem on the Hacienda de Maysilo, which was involved with the issues of land grabbing and land-titling scandals, which may be a good subject for a blog post.
Tinajeros
In his description of Tambobong, Fray Bezeta mentioned Maysilo and Tinajeros. Being a neighbor of Maysilo, it may be interesting to say something of the history of Tinajeros, although not an hacienda itself (which is the topic of this article).
Tinajeros is a barrio located on a flat land near an estuary of the same name. When the town of Caloocan was established, Tinajeros was given to this new town, and was even considered to be the location of the mother parish. It didn’t happen, and the parish was established where the Cathedral of San Roque stands now.
Tinajeros was an important barrio, since here they built a “stone bridge over this estuary on the royal road that facilitates communication with the provinces”. That royal road mentioned is the present MH Del Pilar Street, which becomes Mabini Street once it passes through Sangandaan.
Further details:
In this latter barrio we are describing, the natives are quite industrious. They have pottery workshops, which is the origin of the name of this barrio [tinaja=clay jar, tinajeros=people who make clay jars. That’s how the Spanish grammar works, ‘jeros’ doesn’t have any other significations. -HI]. They process sugarcane, make pots, and all kinds of clay products, even though they do not know how to give them the glaze or enamel that would make them more durable. Some are engaged in salt production and others in cultivating lands that yield rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables, etc. The women work on cotton and abaca weaving, and a certain portion of the population is involved in commerce. This involves selling their products in Manila, particularly manufactured goods. It also includes various items they bring from the province of Bulacan to later sell in the capital.
Diccionario Grafico Estadistico Historico de Fray Manuel Buzeta
Useful Links:
The Hispanic Indio 