Malolos Torchbearer

Profile of Malolos City

Brief History

No other city in the Philippines can be linked to the great patriots and heroes in the country's history more than Malolos which is the capital of the short-lived Philippine Republic. Names such as General Emilio Aguinaldo, Pedro A. Paterno, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Pio del Pilar, Gregorio del Pilar, Apolinario Mabini, Antonio Luna, Felipe Calderón, General Isidoro D. Torres and a host of others are forever engraved and enshrined in the annals of Philippine History, all of whom share one commonality.

In 1580, eight years after the Kingdom of Maynila (present day Manila) was captured by the Spaniards from Rajah Soliman and Rajah Matanda, Spanish missionaries discovered a small settlement called Li Han, with 4,000 unbaptized souls. The settlement was named and founded as "Malolos" by the Augustinians under the direction of Fray Diego Ordoñez de Vivar.

After the construction of a big church, the place was made into a town. From the very beginning, Tagalog made up the majority of the Malolos populace. They were led by prominent families, among them the Gatsalians (Gatchalian), and the Manahans. The name of Malolos was presumably derived from the Tagalog word "Paluslos", meaning " downwards". But many claim that it was originally derived from Kapampangan word "Luslos" meaning many rivers toward the bay (which is the Manila Bay).[9] The name resulted from a misunderstanding among the first Spanish missionaries who reached the place. Searching for inhabited places along the Calumpit River, these priests came upon some natives of a riverside barrio (now Kanalate or Canalate). They asked for the name of the place. The natives, not knowing the Spanish tongue, answered that the flow of the river in that part was downstream -"paluslos"-, which the Spaniards pronounced "Malolos" or "Malulos".

Corruption of the word through the years led to present "Malolos". Malolos was once a part of the old pueblo or town of Bulakan, and then became an independent pueblo in 1673.[10] In August 31, 1859, the town was divided into three districts; "Malolos", "Barasoain, and "Santa Isabel" with respective capitanes municipales and parish priests. The major events especially those that revolved around the first Republic, cannot be left unmentioned. Some of these are the petition of the women of Malolos, the establishment of the Constitutional Convention, drafting and ratification of the Malolos Constitution, and the inauguration of the first Philippine Republic. The wealth of Malolos lies not only in its more than four thousand hectares of fertile rice lands and more than two thousand hectares of fishponds, but in the character of its people as well. Its people have long been known for their diligence and ingenuity.

By virtue of Public Law No. 88 of the Philippine Commission, Malolos became the capital of the province of Bulacan on February 27, 1901. Malolos was the site of the inauguration of Joseph Estrada on June 30, 1998 in Barasoain Church as the President of the Republic of the Philippines.

Geo- Political aspect

The City is 45 kilometers north of Manila, it is one of the major suburbs conurbated to the Metropolitan Manila, situated southwestern part of Bulacan, located in the Central Luzon Region (Region 3) in the island of Luzon and part of the Metro Luzon Urban Beltway Super Region. Bordering Malolos are the municipalities of Bulakan, Bulacan (the former capital of the province) to the southeast, Guiguinto to the east, Plaridel to the north, Calumpit to the northwest, and Paombong to the west. Malolos also lies on the north-eastern shore of Manila Bay.

Malolos was the site of the constitutional convention of 1898, known as the Malolos Convention, that led to the establishment of the First Philippine Republic, at the sanctuary of the Barasoain Church. The convent of the Malolos Cathedral served as the "Palacio Presidencial" of the Republic. Asia had had democratic republics previously – the Lanfang Republic established in 1777, and the Republic of Formosa in 1895, so the First Philippine Republic was the third republic established in Asia, followed in 1912 by the Republic of China.

It is also one of the centers of education in Central Luzon region, it has several universities like the government-funded Bulacan State University, and privately owned Centro Escolar University at Malolos and University of Regina Carmeli. Malolos also houses the most populous high school in Central Luzon, Marcelo H. del Pilar National High School