“Bandits infested the roads and rivers, ravaged fields and farms, pillaged churches and set light to houses in an orgy of murder, robbery and rapine in which there was ‘hardly and evil deed that their rash boldness [did] not perform”
This was how the late 19th Century Philippines was described by many commentators and historians. Filipinos at that time lived in constant danger and with great fear against lawless elements that prowl the areas outside of the town centers. Aside from the threat of tulisanes or bandits, the Philippines was in turmoil that time due to the looming revolt of the Katipuneros.
La Laguna is not exempted to that state of affairs since some of the villages around Laguna de Bay were considered as “ladrone towns” or villages inhabited by ladrones or tulisanes. The neighboring province of Cavite is known as a bandit refuge that’s why the colonial government established the Cuartel de Santo Domingo in the area that is now occupied by the training compound of the PNP Special Action Force. The cuartel served as the barracks of the guardia civil and forward base against the bandits from Cavite.
I’ve been harping on the lawlessness of 19th Century Philippines when I discovered that the Santa Rosa Arch is not just a simple welcome arch but was originally called as “Bantayang Bato”. It was a structure that was meant to protect Santa Rosa from lawless elements.
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| The Arch of Santa Rosa City. |
The Santa Rosa Arch is my favorite spot in the poblacion of Santa Rosa, Laguna. The arch gives the Parisian “Arc de Triomphe” vibe that are contrasted by Philippine jeepneys passing through it.
The arch is simply adorned with images of angels blowing their trumpets. At its base are lions, which announce Santa Rosa’s moniker as the “Lion City of the South”. The current form of the arch is a far cry from its old form as seen in old photos.
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| Evolution of Sta. Rosa Arch as displayed in the Sta. Rosa City Museum. |
According to Arch. Mario C. Zavalla and Ms. Gemalin Batino-Diaz, the original structure of Bantayang Bato was built in 1817 or 5 years after the Santa Rosa de Lima Church was constructed. It was placed beside the river to serve as a lookout and a garita or checkpoint against tulisanes navigating through the Silang - Santa Rosa River. The Cavite town of Silang was a notorious haven of bandits during the Spanish Period. Bandits who wished to attack Santa Rosa possibly used the river to travel from Silang. This is the reason why Cuartel de Santo Domingo is at the Santa Rosa - Silang boundary and beside the Silang - Santa Rosa River.
The arch was reconstructed in 1860 to make it wider for easy page. A "small treble bell" was placed in the next year to make it easier to raise alarm when tulisanes were sighted from the watch tower. The original arch was a simple one tier-masonry style, very much like the current form of Santa Rosa Arch.
The Santa Rosa Arch was refurbished in 1925. It was then dismantled and reconstructed on its current location in 1931 due to the increasing vehicular traffic. Yep, you read that right! A 71-year-old historical structure that protected the town from bandits were demolished and relocated just to make way for cars and jeeps.
Good thing that the current Santa Rosa Arch was not demolished since it is in the way of vehicular traffic. The city government just made additional lanes around it. I guess they should have done that with Bantayang Bato.
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| The lion at the foot of Santa Rosa Arch. |
I thought that Santa Rosa City just recently used the lion as its symbol. However, Zavalla and Batino-Diaz claimed that the lion as a symbol was already in use by Santa Rosa since the Spanish times. They said that the lion statues were already present at the foot of the Bantayang Bato. The lion statues were also displayed at government buildings such as the casa tribunal and the hacienda of the city mayor. Thus, the symbol of the lion is very apt for Santa Rosa City.
I will never see the Arch of Santa Rosa the same way again. Instead of being awed by it, the arch reminds of the destruction wrought in the name of progress. Laguna has plenty of historical sites and heritage buildings that were demolished for the sake of economy and business to the point that the towns of Laguna transformed into modern cities that lost their soul. By discarding their past, these Laguna towns just became poor copies of Makati CBD or BGC.
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Read my other blog posts for the Experiencing Laguna series:
Experiencing Laguna (Part 1): Rizal Monument and a Peek at the History of Biñan
Experiencing Laguna (Part 2): Our Overnight Stay in La Vista Pansol Resort
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References:
1. "Ang Bantayan" and the Four Lions by Mario C. Zavalla and Gemalin Batino-Diaz in Santa Rosa Heritage magazine (January 202 edition) retrieved from Santa Rosa Memoirs FB Page
3. LaChambre's Preparation for the Silang Offensive from Cuartel de Santo Domingo during the 1897 Philippine Revolution by Shine Relle Nuñez retrieved from Research Gate
4. Bandits, Banditry and Landscapes of Crime in the Nineteenth-Century Philippines by Greg Bankoff retrieved from Cambridge University Press
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