Malolos Heritage Town in Bulacan is one of the most historically significant destinations in the Philippines. Home to Barasoain Church, the Kamestisuhan District, the Malolos Cathedral and dozens of ancestral houses, the city served as the capital of the First Philippine Republic and remains one of the country's finest heritage destinations. Growing up in a time when a ten-peso bill was enough to buy me a bowl of arroz caldo and a bottle of soda, I always found myself being reminded of the historic significance of Malolos’s Barasoain Church, whose image was printed on one side of the currency. Coined from the term baras ng suwail, meaning “dungeon of the defiant,” the walls and four corners of this church were once the rendezvous point of anti-colonial Ilustrados.
Conversely, as history is told in a myriad of ways, it is also forgotten in innumerable ways. Eventually, the story of Malolos took a backseat among other places of historic importance across the country.
Malolos Heritage Town Guide: Exploring Barasoain Church and the Kamestisuhan District
In dire need of a historical knowledge fix, it was as if the gods conspired and led me to Malolos, Bulacan, as part of the seventh edition of Lakbay Norte—an annual media familiarization tour of Northern Luzon organized by the North Philippines Visitors Bureau (NPVB).
A morning stride through the streets of Malolos’s historic district had us following the footprints of the earliest women’s liberation movement in Asia, alongside the Filipino patriots who took sanctuary in the city. It was here, in Malolos, where brave young Filipino men and women spearheaded the establishment of the First Philippine Republic on January 23, 1899.
Interim Capital of the Philippines
Following General Emilio Aguinaldo’s declaration of Philippine Independence from Spain in Kawit, Cavite, on June 12, 1898, Aguinaldo moved the capital to Malolos City, which served as the seat of power from September 1898 until the conclusion of the First Philippine Republic, when Aguinaldo was captured by American forces on March 23, 1901, in Palanan, Isabela.
Tracing the historic trail of the first Philippine Republic, we went to the Malolos Cathedral, which served as the Palacio Presidencial (Office of the President) from September 1898 until March 1899. The adjacent Barasoain Church then functioned as the legislative building, and it was there that the Malolos Constitution was ratified on January 21, 1899.
If U2 sang about streets that have no names, here, the streets bore the footpaths of heroes. At one point while trudging around the historic district of Malolos, our guide pointed out, “That is the Maria Reyes House. It was Apolinario Mabini’s office when he served as Aguinaldo’s chief adviser.” A few steps later, he showed us the Arcadia Ejercito House: “It used to be the office of the Department of War, and there’s Erastro Cervantes’s House, which served as the office of the Department of the Interior.”
While engrossed in the stories told by our guide and standing in awe of the old houses, I felt goosebumps knowing that this was where our nation’s freedom fighters fought and ran the First Philippine Republic.
Heritage-Painted Kamestisuhan District
Calle Pariancillo, a stone's throw away from the Neoclassical Malolos City Hall Building, was where we started our morning stride. After a few steps, I immediately noticed the postwar Art Deco Eden Cinema, which, despite its derelict appearance, still evokes a charming, bygone aesthetic.
Situated a few meters from Eden Cinema stands the Adriano House. Currently functioning as a Meralco office, its well-preserved exterior and interior still retain the pleasant vibe it had during the olden days when it served as the Gobierno Militar de la Plaza during the Philippine Revolution.
For art connoisseurs, the Art Deco Dr. Luis Santos Mansion is a visual feast, thanks to the works of two Philippine National Artists housed inside the property: a garden fountain sculpture by Guillermo Tolentino and a ceiling mural painted by Fernando Amorsolo.
In the 19th century, a community of wealthy Chinese mestizos resided along Calle Pariancillo and the snaking streets around it, better known as the Kamestisuhan District. Perfectly conveying the opulent tastes of the rich Chinese at that time were a handful of old mansions exhibiting mostly French Nouveau and Neoclassical architecture. One such mansion is where one of the patriarchs of the Cojuangco clan, Jose Chichioco Cojuangco, was born.
The National Historical Institute has listed more than 20 establishments comprising at least 15 ancestral houses, plus a few other centuries-old landmarks like Barasoain Church and the Malolos Cathedral, as heritage edifices forming the heart of the Kamestisuhan District.
Heavily concentrated around Pariancillo Street, the district was declared a National Historical Landmark and Heritage Town by the National Historical Institute (now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines) in 2001. The number of heritage structures in this district rivals those in Vigan and Taal Town in Batangas.
Turning into a corner, we were led by our tour guide inside the Alberta Uitangcoy-Santos House, which sits adjacent to the original site of the Instituto de Mujeres.
‘To the Young Women of Malolos’
In the years preceding the Philippine Revolution, whispers about a burgeoning women’s rights movement in Malolos started snowballing and eventually reached the far corners of the world—earning the respect of a group of young Filipino intellectuals in Europe.
Among those who admired the exploits of these ladies was Marcelo H. del Pilar. Upon his urging, the great Dr. Jose Rizal, who was then residing in Europe, penned a letter in Tagalog entitled ”To the Young Women of Malolos.”
In his message, Rizal voiced his support for women by stipulating a number of progressive ideas: for Filipino women to have the same rights as men in protecting their honor and dignity, for Filipino mothers to receive the same respect as Spanish mothers, and for women to achieve an honored and noble name alongside their male counterparts. This buoyed the spirits of the Malolos women to intensify their fight for equality under Spanish rule.
Ignited by Rizal's message, 21 Filipinas went against the will of the Spanish friars and courageously handed a petition letter to Governor-General Valeriano Weyler. Cornering him during a lavish party, the women demanded the establishment of an educational institution for women. This event set in motion one of the earliest milestones of the Philippine women’s rights movement, paving the way for the creation of the Instituto de Mujeres.
The Alberta Uitangcoy-Santos House now serves as a museum dedicated to these women of Malolos. An awe-inspiring painting depicting that historic encounter with Weyler is proudly displayed inside, alongside photographs of these courageous women.
Unsealing the Past
As we walked back, we passed by the Old Carcel, or the Casa Tribunal de Malolos building. First constructed in the 17th century as the original home of the Adriano family, it was converted into a prison in 1898. Looking up, I noticed the half-moon balconies sealed from the inside by thick walls. This image brought a new perspective on the significance of the Kamestisuhan District: just as it is easy to pour cement to seal a window or a door, unsealing the past can be effortlessly accomplished as well.
A day of wandering around the Malolos Historic District taught me more than I ever learned from my history classes. Merely associating Malolos City with the Barasoain Church printed on the ten-peso bill of my youth will never suffice anymore. Because right here was where a women’s liberation movement was founded, and where streets bore the footprints of freedom fighters who risked everything for our independence. Nothing could ever be more real to me than that.
All photos courtesy of Martin San Diego / North Philippines Visitors Bureau.
