History of Pila

Several centuries before the advent of the Spaniards, Pila was already one of the most important centers of trade, as well as of culture during the early part of the second millennium (Tenazas n.d., see also Tenazas 1973). Also recovered archaeologically were a considerable quantity of exquisite Chinese porcelains (many of them completely unknown in the western collections) including vibrant figurines and scholar’s tools like miniature pouring vessels, brush washers and writing implements used in the art of calligraphy. The ancient Pileños tempered their mercantile spirit with aesthetic and spiritual values. Without neglecting the production and improvement of local earthenware, they accumulated works of art, which date back to the Dynaties of the Northern Sung (960-1127 A.D.), the Southern Sung (1127-1280 A.D.) and the Yuan (1280-1368 A.D.). And they regaled their loved ones with these masterpieces as pabaon (provisions) in their journey to a better world (Tenazas n.d., 12, 15-20). (4)

Pre-hispanic Pila was one of the biggest barangayanic 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 and 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 (sep. from Morong in 1588); Tanay (sep. from Pililla in 1606); Jala-jala whose old name was also Pila (sep. from Pililla in 1786) and Talim Island, which until now, has a sitio Pila. The descendants of Gat Salyan were also regarded as the founders of the other towns of the present province of Rizal. (4-b)

Around 1375, due to some calamity of weather most probably flooding, the original seat of Pila had to be abandoned and the barangay transferred to Pagalangan, which signifies “the place of Reverence”. The Franciscan chronicler, Plasencia (1589) gathered that the datu of  Pila, “ with his own gold” purchased the new site from another chief who had owned it and who 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 (Tenazas n.d.: 16,20; Plasencia in his “Customs of the Tagalogs,” Blair and Robertson 7:175). It was the only documented example of a pre-hispanic private estate (the equivalent of a Spanish hacienda) in the Philippines as distinguished from the communal lands. (5)