A VISIT TO MALOLOS CITY

By Philip M. Lustre Jr.

A visit to Malolos City is a historical pilgrimage.

I have learned the rich heritage of Malolos City, when I went with a group of colleagues and friends for a brief visit on a rainy Friday, Aug. 21, 2015, an official holiday.

Malolos, 45 kilometers north of Manila, is the capital city of Bulacan province. Because of its proximity to Manila, Malolos City is getting industrialized as indicated by the rising number of commercial establishments and factories that have relocated there. It is a first class city with a population of slightly over a quarter of million people scattered in 52 barangays.

Malolos City is described as Bulacan’s premier heritage center because of its numerous ancestral houses, chapels and historical sites, and structures that date back to the Spanish and American colonial rules. In 2001, the National Historical Institute has declared as national heritage landmark the historic center of Malolos City. It is now known as the Malolos Heritage Town. Hence, Malolos City has joined the likes of Vigan City, which has been declared earlier as a World Heritage Site, Taal in Batangas, Guinobatan in Albay, Zamboanga City, and several others known to possess the charm and ambiance of Hispanic towns that have survived the ravages of time.

Our first stop was the historic Barasoain Church, site of the First Philippine Congress (or Malolos Congress), which convened on September 15, 1898 to draft the first Philippine Constitution, or the Malolos Constitution, to govern the First Philippine Republic. Located along Paseo del Congreso in the heart of this city, this church was also the site of the inauguration of the First Philippine Republic on January 23, 1899. 

Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, leader of the revolutionary forces that defeated the Spanish colonial power, took his oath in this church as president of the First Philippine Republic. A hundred years later, movie actor Joseph Estrada took his oath here as the 13th president of the Philippine Republic. It was a coincidence that the two presidents, who took their office there, did not finish their terms of office. Aguinaldo was later captured in the coastal town of Palanan in Isabela province, while Estrada was kicked out of office in the second EDSA People Power Revolution, aptly called "EDSA Dos," in 2001.

Jose Roly Marcelino, officer-in-charge of arts and culture of the Malolos Tourism Council, welcomed us at the doorstep of the Church’s adjacent two-story convent, where Aguinaldo held office as president of the revolutionary government. Before going to the real beef, Roli showed us the horse-drawn carriage, which Aguinaldo rode en route to the Church to take his oath. Motorized cars were non-existent during those days. Hence, the carriage, preserved in its original form, was the  perfect vehicle. It was on display on the ground floor near the staircase to the second floor.

Although the convent has been preserved in its original form, its second floor has been converted into the Barasoain Museum since 1999 to house the various relics, pictures, and other materials related to the First Philippine Republic. Roli, who served as our guide during our visit, told us the other change made to the convent is the construction of two additional wings, where the parish priest holds office and resides with other church workers. The new wings were built shortly after Estrada took his oath of office there in 1998.

Our visit to the Barasoain Museum was a virtual trip to memory lane. Jose Ruel Paguiligan, museum curator, joined us and provided an audio video presentation of the events that took place in that particular place. Aguinaldo held office there; he met his military generals , civilian officials of the First Republic, and visiting dignitaries in the convent. He discussed issues confronting the fledgling republic and wined and dined with them there, according to Ruel. The Museum also houses the life-sized diorama of Aguinaldo and members of His Cabinet. At this point, we discussed why Aguinaldo chose to relocate his government there instead of staying in Kawit, Cavite, where he declared independence from Spanish colonial rule. The answer: The American invading forces made a beachhead in Manila. It was easy for them to attack Kawit, which is near the Manila Bay, than Malolos, which was an interior town those days.

While going through the photographs, mostly culled from American sources and enlarged for improved viewing, we discovered bits of history that we never knew before. A picture showed William Day, head of the U.S. delegation that negotiated the Treaty of Paris, handling the check of $10 million, representing half of the $20 million cession money, to French Ambassador Jules Cambon. Luz Palacios, a former Department of Foreign Affairs official and now a faculty member of the De La Salle University – College of St. Benilde, expressed surprised why the check was given to the French diplomat instead of the Spanish delegation members.

We did not have a ready answer; neither were our resource persons. In the end, we surmised that since the negotiations were held in Paris, which was a neutral ground for the Americans and Spaniards, it was natural that the refereeing Frenchman held the check. Or was it because banking during those days was different than we use to know today? These were all conjectures though. The Barasoain Museum houses several paintings of the Fernando Amorsolo, a national artist.

Roli guided us to our second stop: the Barasoain Church. We entered into one of its side doors and marveled at the intricate artworks of its interior. Except for the roof, which gave way to the wear and tear of the years, everything remains intact. Church authorities have decided to preserve its original form, particularly the altar. By all means, it is a medium-sized church, when compared to other churches like the bigger Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City, or Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, Manila. But it appears spacious and comfortable to accommodate the 120 or so delegates, who met there to comprise the First Philippine Congress. Roli told us that it was built using those hardened lava rocks obtained from the foot of Mt. Arayat, now an extinct volcano. They used the mixture of the white part and shells of chicken eggs and lime (apog) to build it. That mixture had strong adhesive power comparable to modern-day cement.

Roli threw an interesting question why Aguinaldo chose the Barasoain Church for the Malolos Congress. I surmised some reasons. They could not do it at the Manila Grand Opera House in the Manila district of Sta. Cruz because they were running away from the American forces, which started to attack Filipino forces. The luxurious Manila Hotel was not yet around. There was no structure, which was spacious to accommodate the Malolos Congress delegates. Roli knew I had a point, but he stunned us by telling us that the Barasoain Church has a very good acoustics. “The sound does not create echoes here. They did not have microphones during those days,” Roli said. “It was important to have good acoustical designs for structures.”

But the bigger reason, according to Roli, was the existing railroad system during those days. Roli surmised that Aguinaldo found it easy for the retreating Filipino soldiers to settle at the Barasoain Church because it was near the railroad station, which was then less than a kilometer from the church. Ruel explained the First Philippine Congress had 120 members but only more than 40 came from other provinces. Because of the distance and poor transportation, Aguinaldo had to handpick the other delegates from various parts of Bulacan. They were mostly Ilustrados, or of middle class origin.

The third stop was the ancestral house of Don Antonio Bautista, Aguinaldo’s aide de camp during the short-lived Malolos Republic. It is located on the same Paseo del Congreso, about 200 meters from the Barasoain Church. Built in 1812, the house has endured two wars: Philippine-American War and the Japanese Occupation. Lori Bautista de los Santos, the caretaker and a descendant of Don Antonio Bautista and Don Epifanio de los Santos, welcomed our group and explained that his family has adopted an “open house policy,” where interested parties are free to visit the ancestral house, see, and feel its uniqueness and charm.

The two century old ancestral house is a typical “bahay na bato,” which distinguished it from the nipa huts of the ordinary Filipinos during the Spanish and American colonial rules. It is a middle class structure of those days; it is made up of sturdy materials like bricks and hard wood. It spacious interior, high ceiling, and sides with doble ventanas (double windows) are all intended for ventilation. It furniture dates back from the Spanish colonial rule. We saw a room with a pair of Spanish wooden beds. It has a garden too. It has a land area of about 1,500 square meters, which is common during the Spanish colonial era.

Lori briefed us about the place and its owner. His great grandfather, Don Antonio Bautista, led a quiet life after the Filipino-American War. Since he inherited many pieces of property from his parents (he was the only child), he led a fairly comfortable life as an entrepreneur. He supported Manuel Quezon, although he was friendly with Aguinaldo. But he later parted ways with Aguinaldo when the latter ran against Quezon in 1935 and advocated U. S. statehood for the Philippines. When he was running for reelection in 1969, President Ferdinand Marcos had dinner in that house along with Bulacan political leaders led by Blas Ople, Governor Ignacio Santiago, Rep. Teodulo Natividad and several others. Lori even showed us several pictures of that event.

But these were not all. Somehow, Lori managed to spice up her narrative when she talked about some ghost stories about the house. Yes, there are ghosts in that house, Lori confirmed, but they are harmless ghosts, who could be her forbears who feel attached to the old house. Lori narrated how some workers doing rehabilitation workers encountered an old lady, who was mad at them for moving some pieces of furniture, including the piano. “Huwag ninyong gagalawin iyan (don’t move them),” the workers quoted the old lady as telling them. Lori gave a big laugh when told about the story, telling them it could her grandmother. Lori said she stays in the house with a daughter, but they have yet to encounter a ghost. Some workers who stayed there while doing construction works heard noises, but they did not see anybody in the house.

At this point, Vicente “Bong” Enriquez, president of the Women of Malolos Foundation, joined us at the dining table for brunch and discussed the rich cultural heritage of Malolos City. According to Bong, Malolos had created a strong middle class out of the Chinese migrants, who settled there and intermarried with the native women. This explains why many residents there have Chinese sounding names like Lim, Tanchanco, Tiongson, Tantoco, Uitancoy, Tanjosoy, Yupangco, among others.

Our discussions were incomplete without talking of food, of which Bong was knowledgeable since he is the son of the noted food historian Mila Enriquez. According to him, Malolos is an old town that existed even before the Spaniards came. Its inhabitants had booming trade and commerce with the Chinese, who later came over, settled, and married local women. This gave rise to a merchant class, which later emerged as the Ilustrados during the Spanish rule. They were rich and, ergo, came to like good food. Hence, the people of Malolos have their own cuisine, which is heavily influenced by the Chinese.

Our fourth stop was the house of Alberta Uitangcoy Santos, one of the famed 21 women of Malolos, who asked Spanish Governor Valeriano Weyler in 1888 to allow them to hold night classes to learn the Spanish language. The Spanish villa is one of the old ancestral houses near the Malolos Cathedral. Malolos City has three churches: Barasoain Church, Malolos Cathedral, and the Sta. Isabel Church. When the Filipino army retreated northward to escape the American forces, Aguinaldo ordered Gen. Antonio Luna to burn the Malolos Cathedral as part of his scorched earth policy. Luna did it. It was restored during the American colonial rule.

This time, Bong Enriquez played host. He met our group at the doorstep of the old ancestral villa and recounted the story how the 21 women of Malolos took the matter into their hands by asking the visiting Weyler to allow them to study the Spanish language despite protests by the Spanish friars, who, during those days, exerted enormous influence in Philippine society and, ergo, did not like to teach the natives of their own language. Although the Spanish official gave way to their request, the school only existed only for a few months because of persecution and harassment by the friars. Bong recounted how Jose Rizal, the national hero, extolled the women of Malolos for standing firm on what they believed was right and for empowering themselves through education.

Built in 1890, the Alberta Uitancoy-Santos ancestral house is another typical “bahay na bato,” in terms of architectural design and maximum comfort it offers to its residents. It has become a museum of sort as various pictures and mementos are on display for visitors. Bong, a descendant of one of the 21 women of Malolos, holds office there as president of the Women of Malolos Foundation.

Incidentally, Bong told us that descendants of owners of most ancestral houses in Malolos stay elsewhere; they are either in Manila or abroad. They are left to the caretakers. Their owners have adopted the “open house” policy, as visitors are allowed to take a peep of their interiors. This is why various groups in Malolos City have launched initiatives to conserve these ancestral houses for tourism purposes, Bong said. “This way, we can educate the people about what Malolos has played in history,” he said.

Our fifth and last stop was the ancestral house of Dr. Luis Santos, the son of Alberta Uitancoy Santos, which is about 100 meters away from his mother’s house. Unlike the two previous ancestral houses we earlier visited, this house has an art-deco architectural design, which became vogue during the American colonial rule. It was built in 1930, using a combination of rare Philippine hardwood from various parts of the country. Dr. Luis, who practised medicine in Malolos, was a man of exquisite taste, a perfectionist who did not settle for anything less than the best. He made sure that his house would reflect such taste for perfection and beauty.

Right at the doorstep, the opulence was readily visible. The floor at the front door is made of granite of the highest kind, while the handrails are solid marble. Upon entering the door made of narra, Ms. Anita, the caretaker, told us that the entire first floor is made of slabs of tindalo, the local teakwood acquired from the rainforest of Mindanao. Upon going to the second floor, we all looked up the ceiling to find the painting of Fernando Amorsolo, a national artist for painting. We could not help but marvel at the sight of this house.

Almost everything in the second floor is made up of hardwood of the highest quality - tindalo, narra, dao, and yakal. We were told termites could not attack the hard wood. The pieces of furniture are mostly antique that dates back to the Spanish and American colonial rules. Words were not enough to express the magnificence of this ancestral house. It all left us enthralled.

We ended up our visit to this historic city with a big smile. No, it was not an ordinary visit. It was not a sightseeing visit alone. It was not just seeing and feeling the city. It was an education. The visit has left a deep impression into our collective mind. Our country is quite young when compared to some European and Asian countries, but it is equally rich in heritage.

Our visit likewise firmed up our belief that our country could offer the two levels of tourism: ecology and heritage. We have our beaches and scenery to give tourists - local and foreign - a breather from the drudgery of daily existence. But we also have the heritage to make every soul richer.