It was also known as the Pariancillo River, and in its heyday, the river served not only as a center for trade but also an important transport route as it served to link the town to Antipolo. Bitukang Manok would more importantly play a role in history when it was chosen as the site of the Asemblea Magna, (the great assembly) a large gathering of 17 bancas boarding the hundreds of members of the Katipunan movement called upon during the first week of May, 1896 by the Supremo Andres Bonifacio and a Cavite leader named Emilio Aguinaldo. (yes, they were chummy back in those days) What made this gathering significant was that it formalized the intent of the movement to wage an armed struggle against the Spaniards for Philippine independence.

this happens to be a monument of Andres Bonifacio, the only monument portraying him in horseback

Three months later, the armed struggle was to begin in full swing, and the area around the river would again play an important role. It would be from this point that Pasig Katipuneros would launch an attack on the Guardia Civil barracks which was located near the present-day plaza on a Saturday, August 29, 1896. With meager weapons and courage in their hearts, they managed to successfully overwhelm the Guardia Civil forces and get some of their weapons too in the process. These Katipuneros would later march to fight with Bonifacio in what would become the Battle of San Juan the next day. For the meantime, the historic event would become known as the “Nagsabado sa Pasig,” (Sabado here is Saturday) immortalized in a memorial across the plaza.

the Nagsabado sa Pasig memorial plaza in the middle of the old Pasig town center

Unfortunately, the Bitukang Manok has not fared well in recent history due to the commercialism and changing topography as it reduced the once historic river into a shallow creek, though there have been recent attempts to revitalize it by cleaning it up and setting up walkways on both sides of the river/creek.

Across the plaza and the Nagsabado memorial is one of the most popular landmarks of the town center, which should probably not come as a surprise. This would be the Catholic Pasig Cathedral or the Immaculate Conception Cathedral. This would happen to be the first Catholic parish dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which was founded in 1573. The present church we see was built between 1722-1760 and is the oldest stone structure in Pasig. Apart from its usual role in Catholic exercises, the church would also serve as a strategic military facility by the British when they occupied Manila from 1762-64, as well as the site when the Second Philippine Commission would meet on June 5, 1901 to discuss the organization of a civil government in the country and pave way for the establishment of Rizal province as well.

Across the church at the south of Plaza Rizal was the site of the first beaterio or religious congregation founded outside Manila, the Beaterio de Sta. Rita de Pasig in 1740. The beaterio was destroyed during World War II and reconstructed thereafter to be the site of what is now the Catholic Colegio de Buen Consejo.

to be continued…

Acknowledgements to the City Government of Pasig and MyPigafetta blog.

© the Urban Roamer

Pasig’s poblacion area today and the barangays that comprise it

Pasig’s rich history should not come as a surprise given its long history which stretched way back from the pre-colonial period as one of the kingdoms located near the banks of the river and being one of the earliest settlements established by the Spanish in 1573. Today, the original Pasig settlement has grown and now encompasses at least five barangays of the greater Pasig that we know today: Bagong Katipunan, Kapasigan, Malinao, San Nicolas, and San Jose. While commercialization of Pasig’s poblacion or town center is a given and inevitable, one would be surprised to find out the presence of heritage in the areas, thanks to a number of preserved houses dating back to the Spanish era particularly in Barangays Kapasigan and San Jose.

from what I gathered, this is known as the Raymundo House, possibly of the Raymundo family of Pasig who have been active in Pasig politics since the Spanish era

the Guanio house which once was known as the Cuarteles del Guardia Civil or barracks of the civil guards which kept the peace during the Spanish era.

not a heritage building for sure, but it’s nice to see some buildings employ consciousness in respecting the heritage of the area

The oldest of these houses is one called by locals as the “Bahay na Tisa” or “tile-roofed house.” Built by Don Cecilio Tech y Cabrera in the early 1850s, unfortunately the tile roofs were destroyed during World War II, so they had to be replaced with asbestos roofing instead. The house served various purposes over the years: a barangay hall and a place for political meetings during the Marcos era, even used as backdrop for various films and TV shows. The Pasig government has conferred on it recently the “Dangal ng Pasig” award for its cultural significance and its contribution to the city’s history.

Nearby along the main road is another imposing heritage structure which was formerly a mansion built in the  1930s by the family of a former Pasig mayor Fortunato Concepcion. Once also served as a Japanese garrison of sorts, it now serves as the home of the Pasig City Museum.

Right across the museum is the Plaza Rizal, named in honor of the Philippines’ national hero and also in honor of Pasig’s status before as the capital of the province that bears the hero’s name. It was recently renovated and beautified as part of the celebrations of Rizal’s 150th birth anniversary which was commemorated in 2011.

the statue of Jose Rizal which, interestingly, was not originally part of the plaza until the 1960′s

Plaza Rizal

If you ever get hungry, try walking a few blocks away and you will get to see an almost-century old bakery or panaderia called the Dimas-Alang (or Dimasalang) Bakery, which by itself is a well-loved Pasig institution of sorts. It is said to be the first and oldest Pasig bakery, opened in 1919 by Ambrosio Lozada, who also happens to be a father of an internationally-known violinist of the era, Carmencita Lozada. It also bears a Rizal connection as the bakery got its name from one of Rizal’s pen names which meant “untouchable.”

As with any other bakery here, pandesal is the most popular staple here, but you can find some other interesting products like the “aglipay,” “bonete,” and one with a very interesting name, the “di ko akalain” or translated roughly means “I never thought…”

unfortunately, the “di ko akalain” was unavailable when I went to the bakery the last time so I contented myself with a snapshot of the bakery interiors

to be continued…

Acknowledgements to the City Government of Pasig and MyPigafetta blog.

© The Urban Roamer