Historical Transaction/Events/Activities of Laguna Lake and its economic political history

(Spanish Era to World War II)

Timeline Major Events

1571 The Shore of Laguna De Bay was the center trade between
its Locals and Chinese Traders.
During the first visit of the Spaniards on the region, the shore of Laguna De Bay was
considered the center of Trade between the Locals and Chinese Traders that was then
controlled and managed by the Spanish friars.

1578 St. Augustine Parish Church became a parish

One of the oldest church constructed along the shore of Laguna De Bay
sometime in 1571 was became a parish on April 30, 1578.

1579 The lake was renamed from “Puliran Kasumuran” to

“Laguna De Bay”.
Based on the Vocabulario de la lengua tagala, a tagalog dictionary written by
Franciscan Pedro de Buenaventura, the Spaniards called the lake “Laguna De
Bay” which means “Lake of Bay” in Spanish.

1580 Population that surrounds the shore of laguna bay

dramatically increased.
The Laguna De Bay Shorelands had been the most heavilty populated in the first decades
of the Spanish Period.

1603 Chinese mestizos practicing their cultivation method across the

shore of Laguna de bay.
Chinese spreading from Manila they followed up the line of Pasig river, planting gardens
and practicing here the same laborious methods of cultivation that are current in China,
and they settled in large numbers upon the south shore of Laguna de Bay in the vicinity
of Calamba.

1639 Towns that surrounds Laguna de Bay has been bloody

battleground since the early period of Spanish Colonization.
On two occasions the Chinese residents of the province assigned to work in rice
production revolted against Spain. In response, the authorities executed 300 Chinese in
Cavite.

1650 Forests that surrounds the Laguna De Bay became the

main source of timber.
To accommodate the demand of timber to build ships in Cavite, laguna de bay
bay became the primary source of timber. It was estimated to acquire timber to
build one galleon, approximately 6,000 workers needed for three months.

1689 A cedula was issued against excessive exaction by the

Alcaldes Mayores at that time.
During the midst of food supply shortage, the alcalde mayor of Laguna de Bay
was singled out for particular criticism and described as having exacted even the
rice they had to sow.
Historical Transaction/Events/Activities of Laguna Lake and its economic political history
(Spanish Era to World War II)

1733 Land dispute between Longos and Paete in the province of

Laguna de Bay.
The conflict between Paete and Longos in the Province of Laguna de bat began in
1733 when Longos filed a claim to a territory which they complained Paete had
encroached upon.

1752 The native population from the communal lands of Laguna

de Bay became tenant farmers and fugitives of neighboring
towns.
As the friars’ estates advanced, the Spaniards successfully displaced the native
population from its communal land and transfer them to different towns to be a tenant
farmers and fugitives.

1754 Smallpox outbreak occurred which also coincided with the

eruption of Taal Volcano.
Laguna De Bay and Tayabas were afflicted by the general epidemic of smallpox, this also
coincided with the eruption of the Taal Volcano where the ash from which clothed much
of the region and caused poor harvests and food shortages.

1754 The border line between Laguna and Tayabas was

established.

1755 Spaniards ordered the expulsions of Chinese Mestizos in

the country which mostly resided in Laguna De Bay and
Cavite
Due to continuing distrust of the Spaniards to the Chinese mestizos who acted as
middlemen between peasant cultivators, an order came out directing the
expulsion of registered Chinese mostly resided in Laguna De Bay.

1762-1764 Natives of Laguna de Bay helped the Spanish Troops by

rallying to its defense against the British Troops.
Francisco de San Juan of the then capital town of Pagsangjan`` led the volunteer fighters
and fought the British troops led by Captain Thomas Backhouse outside and inside
Pagsangjan.

The day before the capture of Manila, the Franciscan friars

armed the natives, whom they virtually ruled and ordered
them to hid some portion of the treasure in some place in
Laguna de bay.
The treasure was a compensation of archbishop Rojo to the british troops in exchange of
indemnity and to avoid further destruction after the British took over Manila.

Chinese Mestizos had developed internal trade and gained

control of trading posts along the littorals of Manila bay
and Laguna de bay.
In a money lending arrangement, the Chinese began to acquire land by lending money
to the native landholders.
 Historical Transaction/Events/Activities of Laguna Lake and its economic political history
(Spanish Era to World War II)

1898 Laguna De Bay was one of the eight provinces to rise in

evolt against the Spanish rule.
The ill-equipped Filipino forces, led by General Paciano Rizal of Calamba, General
Severino Taino of Pagsanjan, General Agueda Kahabagan of Calauan, among others,
fought the Spanish authorities and won on August 31, 1898, with the surrender of the
last Spanish garrison in Sta Cruz.

1899 The Laguna de Bay Campaign was conducted.

The 4th Cavalry drove off the Filipinos on the beach with supporting fire from
the gunboats Laguna de Bay, Oeste and Napindan. That same day Lawton took
control of Santa Cruz.

1901 Laguna fighters defended Laguna during the Filipino-

American War from 1899 to 1901.
The Laguna fighters headed by Gen. Juan Cailles and Gen. Paciano Rizal
defended the territory against the American Troops until it surrendered on June
30,1901.

1917 Extension of Manila Railroad Company line to Laguna.

In 1917, the Manila Railroad Company extended its line to Laguna to as far as
Pagsanjan

1920 A periodic occurrence of a phenomenon called “masamang

tubig” occurred in Laguna de Bay.
A phenomenon called “Masamang tubig” was the main responsible for the wholesale
death of fish and other animals which includes the hardy snails and mollusks in the
affected localities. This mass of polluted water was originated in Manila Bay and was
made worse by algae decay in the Pasig River.

1931 Illegal fishing practices became rampant in Laguna de

bay.
Declining population in some of native aquatic species as a result of a rampant illegal
fishing practices (use of fine-meshed nets and suro (a device that scours the lake bed).

1941 The 16th Division of the Japanese Troops reached the

Laguna De Bay Lake after successfully conquering Tarlac.
After the America and Filipino forces fell back to the Bambam –Sibul Springs Line, the
final defensive line north of Manila, the Japanese Troops 16 th Division reached the
Laguna de bay lake.

1942 The Japanese Imperial Army arrived and conquered

Cabuyao, Laguna after they bombed the Pearl Harbor in
Hawaii
 Historical Transaction/Events/Activities of Laguna Lake and its economic political history
(Spanish Era to World War II)

The establishment of the Military General Headquarters

and Military Camp bases of the Philippine Commonwealth
Army.
The camp bases of Anti-Japanese Military organization was established in the province
Laguna in January 03, 1942 also Philippine Constabulary was founded in the same year.

1945 The most successful rescue operations in modern military

history took place in Los Banos Laguna.
The Los Banos Raid took place on February 23, 1945 which was executed by a
combined US Army Airborne and Filipino task force resulting in the liberation of
2,147 allied civilian and military internees.

1946 General Masaharu Homma and Tomoyaki Yamashita who led the
Bataan death march was executed in Los Banos.

1953 The restoration of San Agustin Church that was heavily damaged
during the the Japanese occupation in the Philippines.

The church and convent was rebuit by Father Alejandro Vermorel and was
transferred to the newly created Diocese of San Pablo.

References:
Historical Transaction/Events/Activities of Laguna Lake and its economic political history
(Spanish Era to World War II)

 Newson, L.A. 2009, Conquest and Pestilence in the early Spanish

Philippines. University of Hawai’i Press.
 https://lagunaprivatepools.com/history-of-laguna/
 Blair, Emma Helen; Robertson, James Alexander. The Philippine Islands,
1493 - 1898, Volume V. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317543411_Collaborative_pr
oduction_of_civilizing_spaces_in_Spanish_Philippines_The_Longos-
Paete_land_dispute_in_Laguna_17th_-18th_century
 Blair, Emma Helen; Robertson, James Alexander. The Philippine Islands,
1493 - 1898 Volume XX. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
 Doeppers, D.F. 2016, Feeding Manila in Peace and War, 1850-1945. The
University of Wisconsin Press.
 Sly, G.P. (ed).1993. Laguna Lake Basin, Philippines; Problems and
Opportunities.Environmental and Resource Management Project;
Manila.
 http://www.worldlakes.org/uploads/15_laguna_de_bay_27february2006.
pdf
 https://ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=46
 "General Reshuffle: Diocese of San Pablo". The Roman Catholic Diocese
of San Pablo. Archived from the original on 3 May 2014.
 Sanger PS, Gannett H, Olmsted VH. 1900-1916, Census of the
Philippines Islands, United States Philippine Commission
 Hayami Y, Kikuchi M. 2000, A Rice Village Saga; Three Decades of
Green Revolution in the Philippines. 4720 Boston Way, Lanham,
Maryland.