Pila, Laguna

Pila, officially the Municipality of Pila (), is a municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the , it has a population of people.

The town is known for some well-preserved houses dating back to the Spanish period, as well as the old Saint Anthony of Padua Parish Church, the first Antonine church in the Philippines.

History

Early history

Pila and neighboring towns along the shores of Laguna de Bay are regarded by archaeologists as among the oldest settlements in the Philippines. The area forms part of a cluster of communities known to have existed prior to the year 1000. Excavations in Pinagbayanan have yielded pottery and artifacts indicating a well-established settlement during the late Tang dynasty (10th century). Archaeological findings in the area also include ancient horse remains, contributing to the discussion on whether horses were present in the Philippines prior to the Spanish arrival. In addition, what is considered the country’s oldest cremation site was discovered in the same locality. The Laguna Copperplate Inscription, dated 900 A.D., likewise references Pila, recorded as Pailah, and mentions its ruler, Jayadewa, further attesting to the area’s early historical significance.

Pre-Hispanic Pila was one of the biggest barangay domains in Southern Luzon. Its leader was not only the local chief but also the regional datu. The bards of the shore towns of the Morong Peninsula, across the lake from Pila, sang of the exploits of Gat Salyan Maguinto, the "gold-rich" datu of Pila, who extended his kingdom far and wide into their settlements. In fact, the greater territory was also called Pila. Wary of concentrating power on a noble Indio, the conquistadors later dismantled his realm. To avoid confusion, they changed the name of the Pila dependencies to Pililla, which means "minor Pila." The original territory had encompassed the present towns of Morong (from which the town of Pililla or Pilang Morong separated in 1583), Baras (separated from Morong in 1588), Tanay (separated from Pililla in 1606), Jala-jala, whose old name was also Pila (separated from Pililla in 1786) and Talim Island, which, until now, has a sitio named Pila. The descendants of Gat Salyan were also regarded as the founders of the other towns of the present province of Rizal.

Around 1375, due to a weather calamity, most probably flooding, the original seat of Pila had to be abandoned and the barangay transferred to Pagalangan, which means "the place of reverence". The Franciscan chronicler, Fray Juan Plasencia, gathered that the datu of Pila, "with his own gold", purchased the new site from another chief who had owned it and thus moved to another place. The datu then farmed out the arable land among the nobles and the freemen who, in return, paid him an annual rent of a hundred ganta of rice.

Even before the coming of the Spaniards, Pila was already noted for its spiritual ambience. The center of the town was known as Pagalangan, which means "The Place of Reverence."

Spanish colonial era

In 1571, the Spanish conquistadors, led by Don Juan de Salcedo, "discovered" Pila in Pagalangan after the "pacification" of Manila. On November 14 of the same year, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, the first Spanish governor-general, awarded the encomienda (tributes) of Pagalangan and other Laguna villages to Don Francisco de Herrera, a regidor (councilman) of Manila. With the reorganization of the encomiendas in 1575, the tributes of Pila were granted to Don Hernando Ramirez on July 29.

The Franciscans arrived in 1578 to evangelize the people of Pila and afterwards built a church dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua, the first Antonine house of worship in the Philippines. Due to the nobleness and mildness of the character of its inhabitants, the Spanish leadership honored the town with the exceptional title La Noble Villa de Pila, one of five villas named by the Spaniards in the 16th and 17th centuries in the Philippines. During this period, the demesne of Pila included Victoria, Laguna, and Jala-Jala, Rizal.

thumb|280px|Church of Pila, built in 1849

The Franciscans established the second printing press in the Philippines in Pila in 1611 under the auspices of Tomas Pinpin and Domingo Loag. In 1613, the press printed the Philippines’ oldest dictionary and the first book printed using movable type, the Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala. The book was written and compiled by Fray Pedro de San Buenaventura and printed by Tomas Pinpin, the Prince of Filipino printers. The book is twenty-seven years older than the Bay Psalm Book, the first book printed in the United States in 1640. The 1818 Spanish census recorded the area having 1,117 native families and 3 Spanish-Filipino families.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the town was transferred from Pagalangan to the present site of Santa Clara due to perennial flooding.

Post-colonial era

In 1949, the barrios of Bancabanca, Daniw, Masapang, Nanhaya, San Benito, San Felix, San Francisco, and San Roque were excised from Pila to form the new independent municipality of Victoria by virtue of Executive Order No. 282.

In 1957, the sitio of Pinagbayanan was converted into a barrio, by virtue of Republic Act No. 1689.

Geography

Pila is from Santa Cruz and from Manila.

Barangays

Pila is politically subdivided into 17 barangays, as indicated in the matrix below. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Aplaya
Bagong Pook
Bukal
Bulilan Norte (Poblacion)
Bulilan Sur (Poblacion)
Concepcion
Labuin
Linga
Masico
Mojon
Pansol
Pinagbayanan
San Antonio
San Miguel
Santa Clara Norte (Poblacion)
Santa Clara Sur (Poblacion)
Tubuan

Climate

Demographics

In the 2024 census, the population of Pila was 57,776 people, with a density of .

Economy

Tourism

The National Historical Institute of the Philippines (now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines) declared the town plaza and surrounding ancestral houses a National Historical Landmark on May 17, 2000, by NHI Resolution No. 2 series of 2000. It cited Pila as an early pre-Hispanic center of culture and trade in Laguna known as La Noble Villa de Pila, and has been recognized as one of the country's more important archeological sites where clay potteries were discovered through excavations conducted in Pinagbayanan in 1967. The historic town of Pila is bounded by General Luna Street in the north, M. H. del Pilar Street in the east, Mabini Street in the south, and Bonifacio Street in the west, including the Pila Elementary School and the Juan Fuentes and Santiago Fernandez house.

Pila Church is among the newest churches in Laguna. This is evident in its strong stone structure. Its red bell tower is one of its distinguishable features. The church is dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, and it was declared by the Pontificate of Pope John Paul II as the Diocesan Shrine of the said saint on July 9, 2002. Inside, wood is prominently seen as the material of choice for the chairs and altar. The altar is a massive structure that holds a relic of St. Anthony's garment.

thumb|Pila Museum

Pila Museum

Pila Museum is one of the Municipal Museums in Laguna, the other one being in Paete. The museum is under the direct jurisdiction of the office of the mayor of Pila. It was built through the efforts of the Pila Historical Society Foundation, a group of concerned citizens that seeks to preserve the cultural heritage of Pila. The museum was built on November 10, 1993, from funds raised by the foundation. The foundation was also responsible for securing the declaration of the town as a National Historical Landmark. The declaration, granted in 2000, was formalized via the installation of a landmark in the middle of the open field adjacent to the museum on December 4, 2007, with former president Fidel V. Ramos as the guest of honor.

It occupies part of the Pila Elementary School with an area of about 50 square meters. The majority of what is contained within include artifacts dating from , such as jars, plates and jugs. The rest of the exhibit consists of American-period appliances like sewing machines, Bakelite telephones and adding machines. Most of the Chinese-period artifacts were dug from the Pinagbayanan Crematorium, while others were donated by old families in the town.

The Elizalde family donated 250 to 300 specimens to the museum, and the museum itself was also donated by them. The museum's contents were transferred to a heritage building in 1994. Some of the specimens given include celadon dishes with fish motifs, Qingbai and blue and white jarlets, lead-glazed water droppers and teapots, carabao figurines, brown wares, iron and glass bracelets, and gold or copper colored beads and earrings.

Some of the old ancestral houses include the Casto Maceda / Concha Monserrat house, Corazon Rivera House, Jose Agra / Rosario Villarica house and Teodora Alava House.

Government

Municipal Hall

The Pila Municipal Hall is a small and quaint structure right in front of the Pila Church. It is distinguishable by its white paint scheme, red-tiled roof and brown pillars. Outside is a statue of Rizal standing guard in remembrance of the national hero. The hall has been situated there since 1931 and has repeatedly been renovated.

The open field in front of the hall serves as a waiting spot for those with appointments to the mayor or any public official. Parking space is adequate, and tricycles parked near the hall can be easily hailed to go about town.

As with any municipal hall, it houses the local post office, the assessor's office, the local internal revenue office and the health center. Unlike most municipal halls, the office of the tourism officer is not located within the hall, but is stationed at the Pila Museum.

Archaeology

Esso Standard Philippines and Elizalde Family Project funded an archaeological project along Laguna de Bay. It was supervised by Dr. Robert Fox and Avelino Legaspi of the Anthropology Department of the National Museum.

In total, there were ten excavations from May to October 1967. Talim Island, Balibago, and Rizal were the first to be excavated. It was followed by Pinagbayanan and Bagong Pook. Pila and Lumban were the last sites to be excavated. Three of the four sites mentioned exposed 153 graves, ranging from the 12th to the 15th centuries.

Access to trade

As a place situated along Laguna de Bay, Pila was an accessible area for foreign trade. Vessels filled with merchants carrying goods and services traded with the locals for their products.

Thin humus level of light brown soil, banana trees and young coconut trees are planted
Compact, fine-grained, gray-brown, thickness. No cultural materials found in this layer.
Soft black loam rich with organic material, below the surface. Sherds were also found here. Also, cremation burials and postholes were found, that is why it is thought of that this area was home for the ancient people and burial site. Animal remains of pigs and horses were recovered. A C14 date of 1375+-25 bp was obtained on a ceremonial burial.
Medium-grained, reddish-brown, and sandy clay found in here shows that it is a burial ground. The fourth level is .
Compact, fine-grained, and sandy clay. Dated as part of the Iron Age.
Water table and stable natural soil.

Education

The Pila Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public schools from the primary to the secondary levels.

Primary and elementary schools

Aplaya Elementary School
Concepcion-Mojon Elementary School
Jesus Reigns United Methodist Christian School
Labuin Elementary School
Linga Elementary School
Masico Elementary School
Pansol Elementary School
Pila Elementary School
Pinagbayanan Elementary School
Pook Elementary School
San Antonio Elementary School
San Miguel Elementary School
St. Therese School of Arts & Science
Tubuan Elementary School

Secondary schools

Don Manuel Rivera Memorial National High School
Linga National High School
Masico National High School
Stand Alone Senior High School No. 16

Higher educational institutions

Colegio Monterei de Pila Child Development
Missionary Oratorians of Jesus College
San Antonio de Padua College

In popular culture

Pila served as a location for the AXN reality show The Amazing Race Asia 2 and as a setting for the ABS-CBN-produced drama series Be Careful with My Heart and Huwag Kang Mangamba.