PUBLISHING DATE: OCTOBER 2014
(Original Submission)
BLESSED BE THE TOWN
For a country that was under the Spanish rule for 333 years, scant remnants that evidence such a time remain in the bustling capital. These visuals are reduced to backdrops upstaged by its contemporary counterparts, a reflection of a society spotlighting modernization over preservation. In the outskirts of the concrete jungle, however, are scenes in a perpetual pause. And these are not just aged monuments or cathedrals offering a mere glimpse of the past. Rather, these are entire towns living in a colonial microculture. Such is the charm of Pila, Laguna.
Pila is one of the country’s oldest settlements and biggest barangays in South Luzon that have had an established community even before A.D. 1000. Archeologists recovered artifacts that date back to the late Tang Dynasty (900 A.D.) and uncovered the Philippines’ oldest crematorium, both in Pinagbayanan. The earliest Philippine document the Laguna Copperplate Inscription (900 A.D.) also mentioned the ruler Jayadewa and his domain Pailah, the ancient name of Pila. A calamity that struck in 1375 forced the barangay to transfer to Pagalangan known as “The Place of Reverence.”
It was in 1571 when Spanish conquistadors discovered Pila and later subjugated it to Don Hernando Ramirez in 1575. The Franciscans built the San Antonio de Padua Church in 1578, the first Antonine church in the Philippines. The Franciscans also established in 1611 the second printing press in the country, which printed the oldest dictionary Vocabulario de Lengua Tagala.
Even before the arrival of the Spanish colonizers, Pila was notable for its spiritual character. The townsfolk’s nobleness and gentleness won over the Spaniards that honored Pila with the title La Noble Villa de Pila, one of five villas in the Philippines named in the 16th and 17th century.
Constant flooding forced Pila to move once again in the early 19th century to its present site in Santa Clara. Although Pila’s pre-colonial influence, marked by commanding datus extending their kingdoms into the neighboring settlements, has developed into the small town that it is today, it has well earned its moniker Bayang Pinagpala, or Blessed Town. Spared from World War II bombings and calamities, it is one of the few locations designed by 16th century town planners still existing.
To this day, the town’s layout follows that of typical Spanish models wherein a plaza positioned in the middle is surrounded by the church, the municipal hall, major establishments, and prominent residential homes with verandas open to the square. Architecture of the era, known as the Bahay na Bato or the colonial Filipino house, along with American Chalet designs, line the streets of General Luna, M.H. del Pilar, Mabini, and Bonifacio. These dwellings in pastel and cream hues are owned by illustrious names like Agra, Rivera, Relova, and Alava. A private tour may be secured upon contacting the owners. Often, some homeowners, used to seeing tourists, will open their homes for a tour as you come by. Cora Relova of the Pila Historical Society Foundation has even offered her ancestral home as a bed and breakfast complete with a town tour. The San Antonio de Padua Church, Liceo de Pila, Municipal Hall of Pila, and Pila Museum are also must-sees. The Pila Museum features original archeological ceramics, potteries, and other finds exhibiting our civilized culture before the dawn of Spanish colonialism. Prince of Filipino Printers Tomas Pinpin and Domingo Loag’s authentic Vocabulario de Lengua Tagala is also housed here. Visit in April to witness the Pailah Festival, a celebration of fruitful harvest despite past mishaps the town has encountered.
Traces of modern development are intertwined with the classic structures distinctive in national heritage sites. A 7-11, a bakery, or even an internet shop is retained within a colonial edifice: reminders of how innovations are treated as crutches for life enrichment without them overtaking legacies and customs. After touring the town and taking in its timeworn architecture, dine in Pita Restaurant or Pila Delights, stay in the nearby garden resorts, and discover the other neighboring towns with their own attractions such as Pagsanjan, Calauan, Sta. Cruz, Caliraya, and Los Banos.
With Pila’s opulent history, it comes as a surprise that it wasn’t until the year 2000 when the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), then known as the National Historical Institute, declared Pila as a National Historical Landmark. It is the fourth town in the country to be recognized as such, and it joins the likes of Vigan in Ilocos Sur, Taal in Batangas, and Silay in Negros Occidental. The gist of NHI RESOLUTION NO. 2, S. 2000 (Declaring The Town Of Pila In Laguna As A National Historical Landmark) states Pila as “one of the country’s more important archaeological sites… honored with the name La Noble Villa de Pila by the Spaniards because of the genteel customs, refined manners and traditions of the people… one of the few existing towns in the Philippines that preserves the Spanish colonial town planning system of the Indies… the structures of Pila reflect a rich and varied architectural history…”
NHCP, in its mandate, is responsible for the town’s restoration, preservation, and conservation. However, it is the efforts of the Pila Historical Society Foundation, Inc. (PHSFI) that deserves the accolade. PHSFI, founded by concerned citizens in 1993, has faithfully carried the obligation of preserving Pila’s “historical, cultural, environmental and heritage landmarks.” One of its initiators is Cora Relova, the direct descendant of Don Felizardo Rivera, the town’s chief architect who’s responsible for moving it to its present site. Among the activities PHSFI undertook is demolishing and relocating structures, establishing the Pila Museum, constructing the plaza pathway and Pila arch, installing lights and benches at the park, and rehabilitating the plaza’s old water fountain. The foundation’s research and documentation of Pila’s culture and history was a major catapult in securing NHCP’s National Historical Landmark declaration.
PHSFI shares that their cause wasn’t met with much enthusiasm in the beginning. But after experiencing setbacks, goals have been met, and even further with the NHCP declaration. The foundation does not rest on their laurels however, as they have also been named and remain active as the town’s custodian.
The Spanish colonization may have passed on a bittersweet memoir to us, but it is our history nonetheless. The quiet town of Pila exemplifies that antiquity does not have to remain in the past, and serves as a breather to a fast paced world that’s becoming indistinguishable. Sans the oppression, our colonizers have left us with diminishing proofs of our yesteryears that, just like Pila, testify to a golden era of traditions and architecture.
