CALAMBA: A Hacienda Town

Calamba was an hacienda and like San Pedro and Biñan it was a part of the town of Tabuco (modern day Cabuyao) since 1869. Calamba pays tribute to the mother town and is the source of Tabuco's prosperity during the period.

According to Palma's account in his book "Pride of the Malay Race," the inhabitants of Calamba did not own a single foot of land. All of Calamba form part of an estate, which at the time of its writing belonged to the Dominican Order.

Record shows that in early

18th Century, a Don Pedro de Megrete who live in New Spain (in Mexico) left a last will and testament. The will provided that in case the college which he intend to establish in Carranza shall not be founded, the funds that he left for the purpose amounting to 125,000 Pesos should be turned-over to the Procurador General of the Society of Jesus' province in the Philippines." The will further provided that the Procurador should give the funds to the Provincial to establish missions for conversion in the Philippine Islands.

The Jesuits used parts of the sum for the purchase of a Calamba Property owned by Don Manuel de Jaurie.

In 1833, after the historic expulsion of the Jesuits in the Philippines, the King of Spain sold the hacienda to the Dominican friars for 40,000 Pesos. The Dominican corporation derived the funds to support the University of Santo Tomas and the Saint Joseph College from the income of the hacienda.

(Photo inset is the baptismal font where Rizal was baptized in June 20, 1861)