La Provincia de la Laguna de Bay

In 1577, Franciscan Missionaries arrived in Manila. At this time, all the villages around the lake have yielded to the Spanish crown. Two Franciscan missionaries, Fathers Juan de Placencia and Diego de Oropesa arrived to evangelize the province. The missionaries build churches and founded the towns of Liliw, Nagcarlan, Majayjay, Lumban, Pila and Pangil. Another year later, in 1579, the town of Guiling-guiling (Now Siniloan) was established.

Until 1856, many towns of the District of Morong (Now Rizal) were under the jurisdiction of the Province of Manila. Tondo was its capital.

Under the enlarged Province of Manila as formed in 1582 were Morong (Now Rizal), Laguna, Batangas, Mindoro and Tayabas.

To prevent the abuses in the encomienda system, the Spaniards instituted the provincial government. The Alcalde Mayor was its chief executive.

The encomienda system was the grants given by the King of Spain to a particular person to manage a specified number of communities. The encomienderos take responsibility for instruction in the Christian faith, protection from warring tribes and pirates, instruction in the Spanish language, and the development and maintenance of infrastructures; in return, the natives would give tribute in the form of livestock and agricultural products.

The earliest encomienderos in Laguna were Juan Pacheco Maldoneda of bay, Juan Gonzales de Pedro and Gaspar Ossorio de Moya of Majayjay, and Juan Gutierrez of Mirabago, The King of Spain awarded at least 12 towns along the Lumban River in Laguna including the town of Lucban In Tayabas to Francisco de Leon as early as November14, 1572.

Under the jurisdiction of the provincial government are the pueblos or towns.. It was the political unit where Spanish authorities allowed Filipinos to hold office. All married adult males in the locality elected the head of the town called Gobernadorcillo. Later, a Board of Electors consisted of 12 members of the principalia and the outgoing Gobernadorcillo selected the Incoming Gobernadorcillo. The Gobernadorcillo was directly responsible to the Alcalde Mayor of the province. Later the title Gobernadorcillo was changed to Capitan Municipal.

Actually, the parish priest determined the outcome of the election. In many cases in the Tagalog region, the provincial chief or Alcalde mayor really appointed the Gobernadorcillo. This was at least true in the case of Juan Masolong and his relatives who became heads of towns in Laguna.

On March 5, 1856, Regent Queen Maria Christina of Spain issued a Royal Decree that created and classified 19 civil provinces in the Philippines. Laguna was one of them, a first class province named “La Provincia de la Laguna de Bay,” A province named after a lake.