Malacañang Palace
Listen to the story
About this work
MALACAÑANG PALACE
Malacañan Palace, also known as Malacañang Palace (Palasyo ng Malacanang, in Filipino), is the official residence of the President of the Philippines. Located along the north bank of the Pasig River in Manila, it is called Malacañang Palace when referred to as the official residence of the President of the Philippines, and simply Malacañang when referred to as the office of the president, as well as in everyday parlance and in media.
The official etymology from the 1930s says that the name comes from a Tagalog phrase “may lakan diyan,” which means “there is a nobleman there,” having been once the home of a wealthy Spanish merchant, before it hosted the nation’s chief executive. The Spanish themselves, on the other hand, said the name came from “Mamalakaya,” or the fishermen who once laid their catch in the bend of the river where the Palace now stands.
The Spanish Captains-General, and then the Governors-General of the Philippines, originally resided in the walled city of Intramuros, Manila, until an earthquake leveled the Governor’s palace in 1863. At this point, Malacañang, a summer home originally built in 1750 by Spanish aristocrat Don Luis Rocha, then subsequently purchased by an official, and then purchased by the state, became the temporary residence of the Governors-General. The first Spanish governor to occupy Malacañang was Governor-General Rafael de Echagüe y Bermingham, previously governor of Puerto Rico.
When the Philippines came under American rule following the Spanish-American War, Malacañang became the residence of the American Governor-General. In 1901 William Howard Taft became the first American Civil Governor resident. The palace was expanded, and an Executive building added by Governors-General Francis Burton Harrison and Dwight Davis. The complex reverted to the President of the Philippines, upon establishment of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, on November 15, 1935. President Manuel L. Quezon became the first Filipino resident of Malacañang Palace. It has been the official residence of the President of the Philippines since.