History of Taguig City

Before Taguig came to be, there was a part of the Kingdom of Tondo with a population counting 800 tributes, believed to be mixed with Chinese settlers as revealed by archaeological artifacts like glasses, cups, porcelain plates and utensils bearing Chinese characters dug in the area.

The Spaniards, subjugating the islands in 1571, formally ordered Taguig a part of the Encomienda del Tondo headed by an Alcalde Mayor, Captain Vergara. In 1587, it was turned over to the Augustinian friars to Christianize. On April 25, 1587, Taguig was decreed a pueblo or town of the province of Manila. Kapitan Juan Basi ruled it until 1588. It was comprised with nine (9) barrios, namely: Bagumbayan, Ususan, Hagonoy, Wawa, Bambang, Toctocan (now Tuktukan), Sta. Ana, Palingon, and Tipas. In later years, during the Spanish occupation, Ibayo-Tipas, Napindan, and Bicutan grew to be separate and distinct barangays.

Taguig moved through history in impact political developments:

• Taguig was proclaimed as an independent municipality with the promulgation of General Order No. 40 on March 29, 1900 during the American regime.
• Taguig was incorporated to the newly created province of Rizal by virtue of Philippine Commission Act No. 137.
• Taguig was merged with the towns of Muntinlupa and Pateros, with Taguig as the center of government under Philippine Commission Act No. 142.
• Under Philippine Commission Act 1308, Pateros was separated. Muntinlupa remained part of Taguig
• Executive Order No. 20, Taguig was again declared an independent Municipality
• PD 824, Taguig becomes part of Metro Manila
• Taguig became a highly urbanized city on December 8, 2004 as a result of the recount of the results of the city plebiscite held in 1998

The History of Fort Bonifacio, Taguig

It was also during the American colonial period when the US government acquired a 2,578 hectare property of Taguig for military purposes. This large piece of land, which had a TCT dated 1902, was turned into a camp and was then known as Fort McKinley after the 25th US President, William McKinley.

After the Philippines gained its political independence from the United States on July 4, 1946, the US surrendered to the Republic of the Philippines all rights of possession, jurisdiction, supervision and control over the Philippine territory except the use of military bases. On May 14, 1949, Fort McKinley was finally turned over to the Philippine government by virtue of US Embassy Note No. 0570.

Fort McKinley was made the permanent headquarters of the Philippine Army in 1957 and was subsequently renamed Fort Bonifacio after the Father of the Philippine Revolution against Spain, Andres Bonifacio, whose father, Santiago Bonifacio, was a native of Tipas, Taguig.

Following the nationwide implementation of the Integrated Reorganization Plan (IRP) in 1972, Barangay Bicutan was subdivided into six (6) new barangays, namely, Bagong Tanyag, Lower Bicutan, Upper Bicutan, Signal Village, Maharlika Village and Western Bicutan. When Fort Bonifacio was privatized and placed under the administration of the Bases Conversion Development Authority, the whole area was restored to Taguig.

THE NAME

The early inhabitants of around 800 farmers-fishermen were good at threshing rice after harvest; hence they were referred to as "mga taga-giik", and their settlement "pook ng mga taga-giik". Spanish friar Fray Alonso de Alvarado, together with conquistador Rey Lopez de Villalobos who crossed Pasig River to reach Taguig in 1571 found "taga-giik" difficult to pronounce, and could only produce the word sounding like "tagui-ig". So many mispronunciations later, "tagui-ig" was shortened to the present day "Taguig".

Like most of many Philippine locales, significant characteristics of places had been the sources of the names given to the first thirteen barrios that comprised Taguig.

The center of the pueblo where the Parish of St. Anne was established came to be known as STA. ANA, which was so named to honor the town's patron saint. Barrio WAWA was so called because it was the "wawa", the mouth of the river Taguig that imbibed its waters from Laguna de Bai. The riverbanks are "bambang". The place where people wash their clothes was called "tuktukan", and the area where the river drains or slides as "ususan". And so when settlements grow in the areas along the Taguig River, the inhabitants called their barrios as WAWA, BAMBANG, TUKTUKAN, and USUSAN.

Almost parallel to the Taguig River, at about two kilometers to the northeast, is the Tipas River, which had a loop where Sta. Ana River is joined. People following the course of the loop detour or in Tagalog "tumitipas" or "lumiligid". Early settlers who were said to be from Pasig escaping from the harsh policy of their ruler settled at this area and called it TIPAS. When a community grew at the other side of Tipas River, they called the settlement IBAYO-TIPAS.

There was a time when the faithful of Tipas were disgruntled over the administration of an assigned priest of Taguig. They preferred to be under Pasig. The parochial jurisdiction over Tipas had to be settled through the sound of the bells, which rang simultaneously from the churches of Pasig and Taguig. The inhabitants walking to Pasig heard the bells of Taguig and turned their heads towards the source. The place where they turned their heads as in "napalingon" was later called PALINGON. A road to the Spanish is "calzada". When the road linking Tipas to Sta. Ana became populated, they named the barrio CALZADA.

To Tagalogs, being pierced through is "napindang". At the northeastern tip of Taguig, the periodical swelling and overflow of Laguna Lake created a channel piercing through the land area. The barrio, as well as the channel, was later called NAPINDAN.

A particular kind of plant called "hagunoy" abounds in an area south of Wawa. The place later came to be known as HAGUNOY.

South of barrio Hagunoy was a wooded area known to be the hiding place of robbers and pirates. When the area was taken over by the Spanish and later the American soldiers, the robbers and pirates were said to have left behind buried treasures in the area. Many inhabitants came to dig for treasures. The place came to be known as "pinagbicutan" later shortened to BICUTAN.

To Tagalogs, new is "bago" and the settlement is "bayan". When a new settlement grew south of Bicutan, the same was called BAGUMBAYAN.

In the course of time, after World War II, the old Barangay of Bicutan was divided- Bagong Tanyag, because it was a newly known barrio and named after the longest serving town Mayor Monico Tanyag; Lower Bicutan, because it is on the low-lying portion of Bicutan, and it embraces the Laguna Lake; Maharlika Village, so-called because it was especially created for Muslims from Mindanao; Signal Village, because it was created for enlisted men of the armed forces; Upper Bicutan and Western Bicutan. A portion of Bicutan fell into the situs of Palanyag, now Paranaque City. This is why the SM City Mall located in Paranaque City across the South Luzon Expressway is called SM Bicutan.

Source: Taguig Government