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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