TANAY AND ITS NEARBY CHURCHES

History of the Town

Tanay was initially settled by early Austronesian communities. Following the Spanish conquest of Manila and the surrounding regions in 1570-1574, Franciscan missionaries arrived to convert the inhabitants of what is now the Morong-Pililla area. In 1583, both Morong and Pililla were established as separate towns, with Tanay being part of Pililla.

Tanay was formally founded as a distinct town in 1606 under the name “Monte de Tan-ay”. In 1620, administrative functions were relocated to San Antonio (now known as Inalsan or Pantay) and Tandang Kutyo. In 1638, the town was destroyed during a rebellion by Chinese residents, and it was reconstructed in 1640 at its current site.

By 1747, Tanay comprised only eight barangays, including Nuestra Senora del Rosario, Sa Josep, San Ildefonso de Tanay, San Francisco de Maytubig, San Pedro de Alcantara, San Lucas y San Antonio, San Apostol, and San Agustin de Balugbog.

In 1853, a new administrative division was established, with Tanay, Morong, Baras, Pililla, Angono, Binangonan, and Jalajala forming the Province of La Laguna, with Morong as its capital. This arrangement was later renamed the Distrito Politico-Militar de Morong.

Tanay attained municipal status in 1894 under the Spanish Maura Law. The town held its first public office elections during the Revolutionary Government of the Philippines between 1895 and 1898, and again from 1898 to 1900.

During the Philippine Revolution, Tanay played a significant role, serving as the headquarters of the second military area of the Philippine Revolutionary Government under General Emilio Aguinaldo. It briefly became the capital of Morong Province between 1899 and 1900 during the Philippine–American War.

From 1900 to 1901, Tanay was governed by the American Military under the Taft Commission. Subsequently, from 1903 to 1934, the town was under American rule, followed by governance under the Commonwealth of the Philippines until the Japanese occupation during World War II in 1942.

During the war, the mountains of Tanay served as a base for the guerrilla forces of ‘Marking’s Fil-American Guerrillas, contributing to the liberation of Tanay in March 1945. General Agustin Marking, a prominent figure in the resistance, is buried in a private cemetery overlooking his son’s farm in Sampaloc.

In June 1959, Republic Act No. 2336 was passed, establishing a summer resort in Sampaloc, Tanay. This resort was to be governed by rules and regulations set by the Commission on Parks and Wildlife.

In October 2003, former Philippine president Joseph Estrada was transferred to a rest home in Sampaloc, where he remained under house arrest until granted executive clemency by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

During Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) in September 2009, Tanay suffered extensive damage due to flooding from the rising waters of Laguna Lake and Tanay River.

Today, Tanay is one of the thirteen (13) towns and one (1) component city that comprise the Province of Rizal. It is located in the eastern part of the province. It is becoming an extension of Manila’s urbanization along with the city of Antipolo, towns of Cainta, Angono, Taytay and Binangonan. It is about 54 kilometers away southeast of Manila and has a land area of 33,466 hectares.

Declared as a first class municipality since 1996, it has a total population of 94,460 inhabitants based on the August 2007 National Statistics Office census of population. Tanay has nineteen (19) barangays, nine (9) in the town proper and ten (10) in the upland area (at present, a 20th barangay is being considered for creation by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Rizal. This proposed barangay, to be named “Madilaydilay,” is located at the town’s boundary with Sta. Maria, Laguna.

Source: Municipality of Tanay
Photos from: Tanay Online Museum – Dr. Alejandro Alfonso