Jalajala, Philippines

History

In 1610, it became part of Villa de Pila, an encomienda in La Laguna where locals were encouraged to raise livestock. On September 7, 1676, Jalajala was separated from Villa de Pila for civil and ecclesiastical administration. A bamboo church was built in 1678, followed by a stone church in 1733. The first map of Jalajala was drawn by Engineer Feliciano Marquez in 1767, titled “Islas de Jalajala.”

In 1786, Jalajala, initially a barrio, separated from Pililla to become an independent town, with the help of Don Julio Dollar. However, it was reverted to a barrio of Pililla in 1816. According to a Spanish historian, the development of Jalajala as a pueblo or town began as early as 1823.

The area became part of the Distrito delos Montes de San Mateo (later District of Morong) in 1853 and later Rizal in 1901. On October 12, 1903, it was returned to Pililla once again by virtue of Act No. 942. Jalajala was re-established as a chartered municipality on March 27, 1907, by virtue of Act No. 1720. Simeon Perez was elected as its first municipal president following the November 1907 election. It was auctioned in 1920 due to unpaid taxes, becoming the first Filipino-owned town.

From the History section of Jalajala on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.