Malabon Zoo: The Zoo with a Mission

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In a way, preserving our heritage and taking care of our environment are alike:  we do both with an appreciation of their roles in enriching our lives, and just as importantly, with an eye towards leaving something precious for future generations.

I realized this last Sunday after a visit to the Malabon Zoo.  I had been to this zoo many years ago, but we were with my nieces and nephews then, and when you're with kids, your attention tends to be centered on the kids and their reactions to the animals.  This time around, we were free to look around and really take in all that was going on beyond the obvious.

And what's going on here at Malabon Zoo is a zoo with a mission -- an advocacy for the environment brought about by one man's love for animals and his dream of a more caring world.



THE HISTORY OF MALABON ZOO

The Malabon Zoo first opened 21 years ago.  On signboards posted on the animals' cages, owner Manny Tangco relates how Malabon Zoo began.

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He tells of how, as a five-year-old child on a hunting trip to the tropical rainforest of Mindoro, he saw magnificent kalaw hornbills and whistling ducks being shot by hunters; red vented cockatoos, now- endangered, flying away from smoke caused by forest burning; trucks carrying gigantic tree trunks; deer scampering away from the tall trees felled by a chainsaw.

He recalls watching worriedly from the window as fired blazed in the forests and mountains that was habitat to so many animals like the reticulated pythons, which are important as they control the rodent population. With the rampant cutting of trees and burning of the forest, at the tender age of five, he already wondered how these magnificent animals could continue to live.

As if by Divine intervention, Mr. Tangco recounts, he brought with him the book on Noah's Ark. He became determined to have a "Noah's Ark" of his own, so that in case the forests disappeared, we would have a "time capsule" of animals for future generations.

Thus began the Malabon Zoo "ark," according to Mr. Tangco, noting that today, through the charisma of these animals, the Filipino people are reminded and inspired to protect the few remaining forests and wildlife left in the country.




SUNDAY MORNING AT THE MALABON ZOO

Zoo-goers waiting for the animals to be brought out.  When we arrived at around 10:30am, the bears had just been fed and the caretakers were about to bring out the tiger cub.

You can't go wrong taking the kids to the zoo for some fun, learning, and family bonding.

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Locally known as alamid, the Palm Civet cat is the source of the most coveted coffee among connoisseurs the world over.  A two-ounce package of Alamid Cafe costs US$50.

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One of the day's activities at the zoo was supposed to be feeding of the crocodile with a live chicken later in the afternoon.  At this point this crocodile seems to be still very sleepy and not yet hungry.

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This bear, on the other hand, just had his meal, and is now feeling satisfied and about to take his nap.

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The owl seems to be looking intently at the padlock and probably wondering how he could pick it...

Another bird looking very intent is the peacock.

It's the year of the rabbit so of course we had to take a picture of it for luck!

Beautiful Bengal tigers cozy up to each other.  I wondered to Mr. Tangco why they seemed to be confined to such a small cage, and he pointed out that there was actually a more spacious area adjoining the cage where they could roam.  It's just that tigers really like to huddle together when they're resting, so they tend to go inside the cages.

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One month old tiger cub "Dionisia" is the offspring of tigers "Erap" and "Gloria."  She's so tame and cute and we all wanted to reach out and pet her.  We might as well, while she's this young; we definitely can't pet her anymore when she's her parents' age!

This fearless little boy gets a chance to be up close and personal with a snake.

Now this man is even more fearless!

"Marimar" the orangutan was such a delight, gamely posing for photos.  She likes to eat lollipops and gets a shampoo everyday so she's always clean.  Her caretaker gave her a Storck candy and she must have found it too strong in taste ("maanghang") because at one point she wanted to take it out of her mouth and give it to the old lady.  Marimar takes instructions in the Visayan dialect.

Feeding time for the Arapaima fish - the world's largest freshwater fish from Brazil.  It grows up to 15 feet in length.  They get fed galunggong fish and everytime they go up to catch the galunggong thrown at them, they create such a big splash.

Would you believe, this little duckling was wandering right outside the Bengal tigers' cage?  It better be careful or it won't grow up to be a duck...

The visionary and advocate, Mr. Manny Tangco.  He personally attends to students and families, telling the kids especially, about the animals and encouraging them to protect the environment, because if we don't, the animals are the first to be affected and disappear.  Global warming, he says, is killing innocent and helpless animals.  He exhorts everyone to "reduce, reuse and recycle" in order to take care of the environment.

Impassioned reminder  from Malabon Zoo owner Tito Manny about taking care of the environment. 

I wasn't really expecting much coming into the Malabon Zoo that Sunday morning.  I figured, I'd just go and see the animals, take a few pictures and go.  But I found that, aside from getting myself entertained by the animals, with all the inspiring signboards scattered all over the place and the very example itself set by Mr. Tangco in maintaining the zoo to advocate for environmental protection, I actually came out feeling like I do care more now about what's going on with the environment than I did before I came in.  And that's also when it hit me that heritage and the environment are really alike in terms of how they both enrich our lives, and how safeguarding them is really advocating for future generations. 

Towards the end of my visit, I saw this signboard:

These lines from Andrea Boccelli's song "The Prayer" tugged at my heart when I read it because it was as if the words were those of innocent animals pleading to us humans.

MALABON ZOO
1 Governor Pascual Avenue
Barangay Potrero
Malabon City
Tel. No. 361.3064
Hours: 8:00am to 5:00pm, 5:30pm Monday to Sunday (as of June 8, 2013 inquiry at the gate).
Entrance:  A donation of P120 P150 per person for the animals' food & maintenance (rate as of June 8, 2013 inquiry.  Rates may change over time, so please call Malabon Zoo for current rates.)

Here's a location map:

    



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Remnants of Spanish era commerce in Malabon

The day that we discovered the Rivera House, we also found remnants of two industries that thrived in Malabon and underscored the town's importance during the Spanish era.



LA PRINCESA TABACALERA

In 1782 Governor General Jose Basco y Vargas launched an economic program which came to be known as the Tobacco Monopoly, in which tobacco production in the Philippines would be totally controlled by the government.  The Spaniards, according to Karl J. Pelzer, were determined to use the monopoly to ease the financial burden on the Spanish Crown due to its overseas holdings in the Philippines.

Through a royal decree, some "pueblos" (or towns) like Ilocos and Cagayan were designated as tobacco districts where tobacco planting was compulsory, and factories were put up in Manila and its vicinity for the manufacture of cigars and cigarettes.

The biggest cigar and cigarette factory complex in the islands was located in Barrio Hulo, Malabon.  Known as FABRICA NG PRINCESA to Malabon outsiders but as Fabrica ng Hari and/or Fabrica ng Reina to locals, the compound was about 40,000 square meters in area, and at one time during the height of the tobacco monopoly accommodated as many as 10,000 workers.

It was bounded by General Luna Street in the east, by the Tanza River in the northwest, and by Women's Club Street in the south.

La Princesa, the nation's biggest Tabacalera during Spanish times (photo from the book of Nonoy Marcelo)

The tobacco monopoly was a big success and contributed to the islands' progress.  However, it eventually became a source of smuggling and corruption among the Spaniards and revenue collection became smaller every year, that the King decided to abolish it in 1882.

The old Tabacalera building stands behind this stage at the Malabon Elementary School in Barangay Hulo.

I heard that the building, now rundown, might soon be demolished and a new one constructed in its place.   I hope that the DECS could somehow follow the trend throughout Europe and the US where historic buildings, instead of being demolished, are transformed or converted for modern use while still preserving the original character of the structure. 

THE MALABON SUGAR COMPANY

Established in 1857 in the island of Tanza, the MALABON SUGAR COMPANY processed sugar cane grown in Pampanga and Bulacan by Malabon landowners.  The company may be said to have been the pioneer in the refined sugar industry, and was instrumental in the growth of the refined sugar market since 1878.

Large one-story buildings with tiled roofing called "palduhans" (warehouses) were located along the banks of the Malabon-Navotas River.  In these palduhans, the sugar cane was squeezed of its juices, the molasses drained, and the remaining crystallized sugar grains later refined into white, export-quality sugar in earthen receptacles called "pilones."  Afterwards the sugar was loaded on "cascos" (wooden rafts) and bamboo-poled along riverbanks and esteros to nearby Manila.

The MALABON SUGAR COMPANY's location at the junction of the  Dampalit/Navotas Rivers made it accessible by water to and from Manila.  By land, however, it could only be reached through a bridge built from Malabon.  When Malabon and Navotas were split up in 1859, it became a part of Navotas.  But the original name was retained, and it became one of the biggest sugar refineries in the islands.

The Malabon Sugar Company (from the book of Nonoy Marcelo)

Ruins of a sugar warehouse (palduhan) located along the Dampalit River.

"Casco" beside a banca - similar to the ones used to ferry goods during the Spanish era.

Again, our thanks to Arch. Richard Bautista for these discoveries!



References:

1. From Tambobong to the City of Malabon, by Nonoy Marcelo, 2004.
2. History of Malabon-Navotas, by Salvador Sevilla, Santos Tiangco, 1976.
3. Ang Malabon (Kaipunan ng Mahahalagang Kasulatan tungkol sa Bayang Malabon, Lalawigan ng Rizal), by Angeles S. Santos, 1975.
   
4. The Spanish Tobacco Monopoly in the Philippines, 1782-1882 and the Dutch Forced Cultivation System in Indonesia, 1834-1870, by Karl J. Pelzer, 1974.
5. WikiPilipinas (from Kasaysayan Vol.III - The Spanish Conquest, by Jose S. Arcilla, 1998).

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Sto. Rosario Church and the Dampalit fiesta

New Year's Day was supposed to be fiesta day in Dampalit, so I dropped by in the morning before going to a family reunion.

I went to the Sto. Rosario Church, since the parish church is usually at the center of fiesta celebrations in a barangay. I did find it a little odd, though, that the Sto. Rosario Church would be celebrating its fiesta on January 1st instead of October during the month of the Holy Rosary.   So out of curiosity I went to the parish office in the hope that they could enlighten me.

I learned from Ate Rosie and Ate Sonia who happened to be there, that January 1st is actually the Barangay fiesta and the church used to celebrate its fiesta on the same day only because that had always been the tradition ("nakaugalian na").  During the time of Jaime Cardinal Sin, however, he told the parish to celebrate its feast during the month of October.  So Sto. Rosario Church now celebrates its feast on the second Sunday of October, although it also lines up some activities during the barangay fiesta day.  A pagoda (fluvial procession) on the Malabon River is held by the parish on the second Saturday of October.


A LOOK AT DAMPALIT CHURCH BEFORE

Dampalit Church c. 1963 (Photo from Arch. Richard Bautista

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A marker found inside the church gives the following information:

• It was constructed by Augustinian Fathers in 1860.
• In 1902, it was taken over by Aglipayans.
• It was returned in 1907 by order of the Supreme Court.
• The church served as a Japanese military garrison in World War II and reconstructed after the war.
• The light of the church tower served as a navigational point of reference.
• The chapel became a parish church in 1983 and was rebuilt in 1989.
• The church was solemnly consecrated on October 13, 1991 by Jaime Cardinal Sin, Archbishop of Manila.

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A LOOK TODAY

Sure sign of a fiesta going on:  a band in colorful uniform.

Another fiesta activity of the barangay, according to the streamer -- a Battle of the Bands

One of two antique bells that were found at the Sto. Rosario Church.  The inscription on the bell states:  "Devoto de Ntra. Sra. del Rosario, Ano 1860." 

The main altar

This image is said to be the original image found in the church.

Other images include a Sto. Nino dressed as a fisherman with his catch.

Except for the band in front of the church, looking at this morning street scene at Dampalit bridge, it seemed pretty quiet for a fiesta day.  Perhaps it was still too early (I came at around 10:00AM), considering that it was New Year's Eve the night before and most people must have been up late.

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