I.

TITLE: Issues/ Controversies in Philippine History

Calamba City is a first-class city in the province of Laguna Philippines. It is located 54 kilometers south
of manila, just about an hour by chartered bus. This City is a popular tourist destination because of its
hot spring resorts, most of the resorts are in Barangay Pansol and Canlubang Golf and Country Club.
Calamba City has a population of 281,146 people in 58,466 households according to the 2000 census.
During the early days of spanish occupation, the two guardia civil got lost in what is now known
Calamba. Thetwo soldiers met a young woman who was carrying a jar of water and a stove, he asked
the woman for for the name of the place in Spanish language, but the girl couldn't understand the
soldiers. The girl thought that the soldiers were asking her what she was carrying. She utterly answered,
"kalan-banga" meaning, "wooden stove" because the Spaniard soldiers had difficulty pronouncing it, and
so it was called Calamba.
This legend was commemorated with a large concret water jar in the city plaza with the names of the
city's barangays written on it. It is known as the World's Biggest "Claypot".
The kaingineros were among the first reported settlers in this part of Laguna around the 17th century.
Around mid-1800, this area was called barrio “Pauli” and was part of the town of Nagcarlan.Residents
from this place used to say that the barrio “Pauli” got its name from the way that its brook flows at the
edge of the settlement, whose stream flows back and forth. “Pauli,” must have come from the Tagalog
word “Pauli-uli,” which means coming back and forth.Ever since, local villagers earn their living by
farming. The soil in this barrio is rich and is abundant of water for there were numerous natural springs
around the settlement, making the settlers enjoy bountiful harvests of coconuts, root crops, vegetables,
and rice. Locales also thrive by fishing from the Mayton and Mayit brooks and Lawa ng Kalibato
(Calibato Lake), which the village share with the town of Sampalok, which is now San Pablo City.
When the Spanish rule ended and the Philippines became a commonwealth state of the United States,
Pauli became independent from the town of Nagcarlan and became a new township. The American
Federal Government appointed Pedro Urrea the Municipal President. Nevertheless, Pauli’s township
lasted only for a brief two years. Its inability to support its administrative expenses caused Pauli to
affiliate once more with its mother town.However, between 1912 and 1915, residents led by Fortunato
Urrea Arban, Agustin Vista, and Felix Isles, former municipal councilors campaigned to regain their
municipal status. The petition included the inclusion of barrios Antipolo, Entablado, Laguan, Pook,
Mayton, Pauli, Talaga and Tuy. On December 18, 1918, Governor Francis Burton Harrison issued
Executive Order 56 creating the Municipality of Rizal, naming the town after the foremost national hero
Dr. Jose P. Rizal.
Officials inaugurated the new town a year after on January 7, 1919 and had Fortunato Urrea Arban as
mayor. Before the citizens of Pauli won back their township, Innocente Sumague donated a piece of
land for the construction of a church (Parroquia De San Miguel Arcangel) in 1916. Construction workers
quarried Mayton Creek for stones and gravel. The quarry claimed many lives before the construction
ended, in time for the midnight mass of Christmas of 1917.
Pablo Urrea became the mayor in 1941 and subsequently relinquished his post to lead the guerrilla
fighters during the Japanese occupation.
 III. Places/ Important landmarks/ Sceneries

Rizal Shrine, Calamba - Rizal Shrine is located in the birthplace of Rizal. Here, you can learn about his
childhood memories and some of his trips in Europe. The ‘Bahay na Bato’ or replica of his home is one
of the main attractions of the shrine.

The shrine’s lawn is where you can visit the remains of Rizal’s parents, Teodora and Francisco,
as well as the statues of young Rizal and his dog Verguenza created to commemorate Rizal’s centennial
death anniversary.
Address: Francisco Mercado St. cor. Jose P. Rizal St., Brgy. 5, Poblacion, Calamba, Laguna

Rizal Monument, Calamba - The monument was created to commemorate the 150th birthday of Rizal
and is the second tallest Rizal statue in the world, which stands at 43 feet. The statue depicts Rizal
holding a book in his right hand. The height of the statue symbolizes the 22 dialects and languages he
can speak and the 15-step stairway represents 15 decades.
Address: The Plaza, Calamba, Laguna

Regarded as one of Philippines' greatest heroes; José Rizal made a big mark on Philippine history. In
the City of Calamba, in the Laguna province, a reconstruction of his old childhood home has become a
big touristic attraction...

The Rizal Shrine is in the middle of Calamba City and easily accessible along Mercado Street and Rizal
Street. Another fact is that the Rizals where also known by their other surname 'Mercado', hence the site
is located at the crossing of Mercado Street and Rizal Street.
 IV. Historical Events

Without going to much into a history lesson; José Rizal was a very intelligent Filipino that lived during the
late 1800s. He was ultimately executed by the Spanish for the crime of rebellion; Rizal was a leading
force and influence during the Philippine Revolution, that ultimately led to the Philippine Independence,
on September 29, 1898.

The shrine has a large lawn with a replica of a nipa hut Rizal used to play with his sisters in. Next to the
hut is a statue of a young José Rizal, with his dog. This statue was constructed in 1996 for the
centennial celebration commemorating Rizal's death.

José Rizal was born on June 19, 1861, in a original two-story Spanish colonial house in Calamba,
Laguna. During WWII, Rizal's original house was destroyed, but was rebuilt at the same site on June 19,
1950. With Rizal's original belongings kept intact inside the shrine, visitors can roam the house freely.
Original and relevant trivia are written on the walls and the rooms are carefully reconstructed and
presented the way they used to be when José Rizal used to live there, in the late 1800s.

The house itself, which is really a typical 'bahay na bato' (literally meaning 'house of stone' in Tagalog); a
typical upper-class house built during the Spanish colonial era, was designated as a National Shrine
(Level 1) by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Even though it's just a replica of the
original house that got destroyed during WWII, it still holds a very special place in many Filipinos' hearts,
and ever remains one of the most frequented historical sites in the Philippines.

Even though al of the rooms were carefully reconstructed the way they used to be back in the late 19th
century, there's one feature of the house that is still from the original house. The old well, next to the
dining room, has survived the World Wars, and has now become a 'wishing well' for the José Rizal
Shrine's visitors. Noteworthy is also that about 20 meters away from the old 'wishing well', the remains of
José Rizal's parents (Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonzo) are buried in the garden, next to a narra
tree.

V. Documents/ Sources/ References

http://lagunaphilippines.weebly.com/history-of-calamba.html
https://travelthroughparadise.com/destinations/articles/Calamba_Jose_Rizal_Shrine.php#:~:text=Jos
%C3%A9%20Rizal%20was%20born%20on,can%20roam%20the%20house%20freely.
https://rizallagunalgu.gov.ph/history-of-rizal-laguna/
http://www.thebackpackadventures.com/2013/10/featured-destination-jose-rizal-shrine.html
https://goingplaces.ph/2017/09/30/tracing-greatness-5-historical-sites-that-commemorate-rizal/