Malolos, Bulacan | Into the Hallowed Folds of Heroes and Zeroes

January 25, 2022September 13, 2022 Rex Lim Lim ADVENTURE, HOW TO, ITINERARY, TOURIST SPOTS

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Malolos may not be on top of your bucket lists, but this historic town harbors countless stories. It is no secret but this place bears witness to the birth of the First Philippine Republic. Moreover, Malolos Constitution at the time was the first of its kind in all of Asia.

Built in 1923, the Malolos Water Tower is located adjacent to the Malolos Cathedral.

The new Malolos City Hall along Mcarthur Highway

As a Bulakenyo myself, I must confess that there is more to this time-warped city than what I thought it to be.

Harbinger of Impending Doom

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“Baras ng Suwail” or dungeon of the defiant, is the Tagalog term that is now what we know as the Barasoain. This historic church is where the constitutional convention of 1898 was held.

This Baroque structure, we only know as the church in the now-defunct 10-peso bill concealing a cat, was a meeting place of the anti-colonial Illustrados during the Spanish revolution.

Many years later, little did we know but this institutional building would then be a harbinger of impending doom. Consequently, it brought bad luck to the two Philippine presidents who took their oaths of office inside it.

The republic was inaugurated on 23 January 1899 with General Emilio Aguinaldo taking oath as its first president. (Photo from barasoainchurch.org)

Estrada’s oath-taking before Chief Justice Andres Narvasa on 30 June 1998 at the Barasoain Church in Bulacan with former First Lady, Loi Ejercito. (Photo from tatlerasia.com)

Emilio Aguinaldo’s term ended abruptly when American forces captured him during the Philippine-American War. Whereas, Joseph Estrada was ousted by the People Power revolution.

Countless Stories

As to how the name Malolos came to be, countless stories have been told. There’s this one about the many rivers from Calumpit, thus the Tagalog word “Paluslos” meaning downward. In addition, there’s the “Lulos” or the reeds abundant along the rivers north of Calumpit. Then, these names all boiled down to the linguistic misunderstanding of the Spaniards.

Along Paseo del Congreso, several structures pulsing with history still stand. One is the Fuente de Tampoy which connected the Cathedral to Barasoain, and the National Shrine of Casa Real de Malolos.

The Malolos Cathedral as seen from Fuente de Tampoy. (Photo from The Malolos Heritage Town Facebook Page)

The old City Hall. Erected in 1940 in art-deco style by Sunga and Sons of Guagua, Pampanga.

Malolos Cathedral, on the other hand, served as the presidential palace of Emilio Aguinaldo. The church convent served as the office of the revolutionary government until 1899.

The church was finished in 1817 but was a victim to the earthquakes of 1863 and 1880. During the Philippine-American War, Aguinaldo ordered Antonio Luna to burn down the church to render it useless. To add, the present church was rebuilt from 1902 to 1936.

The century-old “Kalayaan Tree” is a Yellow Flame Tree in front of Malolos Cathedral

Contrary to popular belief, the Kalayaan Tree was not planted by Aguinaldo as it had been there during the stint of the revolutionary government.

Time-Warped Streets

Striking architectural tableaus of its colonial past, are the ancestral houses that have withstood the test of time. Not far from the historic town center is the Camestisuhan District, located along Calle Pariancillo.

Formerly Casa Tribunal de Malolos (1858-1898) was turned into Carcel de Malolos (1898-1899 then into a municipal hall.

Casa Tribunal (Photo from The Malolos Heritage Town Facebook Page)

Former Eden Cinema, a post-war movie house.

This area boasts a row of houses that once housed the Meztizo-Sangley families of Malolos. Today these houses were now turned into offices and private museums.

Gobierno Militar De La Plaza was the site of the military government established by Isidoro Torres. Formerly Casa Adriano-Vasquez, this house is now adaptively reused as the service center of MERALCO.

Bahay Paaralan ng mga Kababaihan ng Malolos (Instituto Mujeres)

Is the house of the Ophthalmologist Dr. Luis Santos which was used to treat soldiers during the war.

The fountain was done by Guillermo Tolentino, while the mural on the second floor was done by Fernando Amorsolo.

Today, the Uitangcoy House is now the site of the “Museum of the Women of Malolos”

Don Jose Bautista House during the 1970s (Photo from The Malolos Heritage Town Facebook Page)

This house welcomed Dr. Jose Rizal and Padre Jose Burgos in 1892.

The house is unique for the female caryatids on the house’s street facade.

What seemed mundane to me as it has been there sitting all these years turned out to be a great experience for me as a Bulakenyo. Malolos cradles historical jewels of the past where our forefathers, both the heroes and zeroes once stood.

There is still more to Bulacan than what meets the eye.

How to Get There

Malolos Downtown in Bulacan is just 33 kilometers north of Manila from NLEX Balintawak

From Quezon City:
- In SM North Edsa and Trinoma, there are several point-to-point buses and UV Express Vans bound for Robinson’s Malolos
- In Cubao, take any Baliwag Transit Bus or First North Luzon bus bound for Malolos, Hagonoy or Paombong. Ask the driver to drop you off at Malolos Crossing
From Malolos Crossing transfer to any jeeps with the “Karatig” of “Direcho” signage. Alternatively, ride any tricycle as the Barasoain and Malolos Cathedral are just a kilometer from the crossing