MALACAÑANG REVISITED

Tatler gets exclusive access to the Malacañang Palace, the centuriesold edifice that serves as the official residence and seat of power of the President of the Philippines

- Alicia Colby Sy.

Steeped in history and layered in stories of power, glamour and the occasional upheaval, Malacañang Palace has been the seat of the Philippine government and designated residence of its highestranking official since the Spanish colonial era. The majestic palace that rests on the north bank of the Pasig River is also often referred to as Malacañan, the name by which it was known during the American occupation. President Ramon Magsaysay changed its official spelling to “Malacañang” in 1954. Before there was a palace, however, Spanish merchant Don Luis Rocha built a summer home in the 1700s, the first home to be constructed on the Malacañang site. Don Luis purchased a plot of land in the small town of San Miguel, far from the bustling Intramuros that was the centre of the capital city at the time, to build a holiday respite for his family. Surrounded by numerous indigenous acacia, narra and balete trees, the idyllic Rocha home faced the river yet was set just inland enough to ensure privacy from the boats traversing the waterway.

Resident Malacañang historian and presidential staff assistant Francis Louie Esquivel explains to Tatler that Rocha married Gregoria Tuason, daughter of the Chinese Son Tua, who founded the prominent Tuason family. Esquivel says, “His modern-day descendants report that he was a large, hot-tempered man who loved his afternoon siesta. One of the duties of his Indian manservant was to shush noisy boatmen plying the Pasig, warning them, ‘Malaki yan’—another version of the genesis of the Malacañang name, the phrase translating to “He’s big”, referring to the lord of the mansion.”