History of Taguig
Before Taguig came to be, there was this settlement under the Kingdom of Tondo with a population counting 800 farmers and fishermen, 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.
Spain subjugated the islands in 1571, and in 1582, the Spanish rulers formally recognized the settlement as a part of the Encomienda del Tondo and placed it under the headship of an Alcalde Mayor, Captain Vergara, who ruled it up to 1583.
On April 25, 1587, the settlement, already known as Taguig, and comprising of nine (9) barrios, was decreed a pueblo or town of the province of Manila and placed under Kapitan Juan Basi.
On March 29, 1 900, General Order No. 4 proclaimed Taguig as an independent municipality. It was subsequently incorporated as part of Rizal Province on June 11, 1901. Two years after, Taguig, Muntinlupa, and Pateros were merged by virtue of Philippine Commission Act No. 942 with Taguig hosting the seat of the municipal government. The merger lasted but a month as Muntinlupa was separated from it and made part of Binan by virtue of Act No. 1008 enacted in November 25, 1903. It was merged with Taguig and Pateros again in March 22, 1905 with the promulgation of Act No. 1308. On February 29, 1908, Taguig, with Pateros, was declared an independent Municipality through Executive Order No. 20. On January 1, 1918, Taguig and Pateros separated and became independent municipalities of Rizal Province.
In the 1970s, Taguig’s political subdivision was changed to eighteen (18) barangays following the nationwide implementation of the Integrated Reorganization Plan.
On November 7, 1975, P.D. No. 824 carved out Taguig from the province of Rizal and made it part of the National Capital Region. On December 8, 1998, Republic Act No. 8487 was enacted which converted the Municipality of Taguig into a Highly Urbanized City. A plebiscite was conducted the following year which showed that the citizens were against it. A petition seeking for a recount was granted by the Supreme Court on February 19, 2004. The recount showed that majority of Taguig’s voters favored converting the Municipality of Taguig into a City. Subsequently, Taguig officially became a City on December 8, 2004.
In 2008, the Taguig City council enacted City Ordinances Nos. 24-27, 57-61, 67-69, and 78, Series of 2008 which created ten (10) new barangays, carving them out from the initial 18 barangays. Hence, in December 2008, after a successful plebiscite, Taguig was politically subdivided into 28 barangays.
Origin of the Name
The original 800 farmer-fishermen settlers of the area were good at threshing rice after harvest. Hence they were referred to as “mga
taga-giik,” and their settlement as “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 mispronouncements later, “tagui-ig” was shortened to the present day “Taguig.”
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