The Battle of Cainta

After the death of Rajah Matanda, Adelantado Miguel de Legaspi received word that two ships, San Juan and Espiritu Santo, had just arrived in Panay Island in the central Philippines from Mexico. One ship was under the command of Don Diego de Legaspi, his nephew, and the other of Juan Chacon. The two ships were in such disrepair when they arrived in Panay that one of them was not allowed to return to Mexico. Legaspi ordered that it be docked on the river of Manila. The Maestro de Campo was sent to Panay to oversee its transfer to Manila, with Juan de la Torre as captain.

To help spread the faith, several Augustinian friars were commissioned by Spain and were among the ship's passengers. One of them was Father Alonso de Alvarado, who had been in the armada of Villalobos. Another was Father Agustin de Albuquerque, who became the first parish priest of Taal town, south of Manila. Some of the missionaries were sent to Cebu province in the central Philippines to accompany Father Martin de Rada the Prior. Four stayed to work in Pampanga province and the environs north and south of Manila, which included the then-village of Cainta.

Meanwhile, Legaspi was determined to subjugate the people of Cainta and Taytay, a neighboring town. He sent his nephew Juan de Salcedo with a galleon (a small ship propelled by oars and sails) and 16 small boats accompanied by a hundred Spanish soldiers and many Visayas natives allied with them. Salcedo sailed on August 15, 1571, arriving in Cainta on the 20th. He sought peace from the villagers but the village chief, Gat-Maitan, responded arrogantly, told him the people of Cainta, unlike those of Manila, were not cowards, and would defend their village to the death. Confident in the defenses offered by their fort and the security of the site, they were joined by people from Taytay.

These two villages are on a plain on the shores of a river that flows from La Laguna and before arriving there divides in two large arms, both with abundant water. On its banks are found the two villages, half a league from each other, with the river passing through both before finally becoming one in a part of the terrain encircled by thick bamboo groves. These bamboos were tied together with liana, turning them into a thick wall where the people had constructed two ramparts with their moats full of water. By the river, they had built strong bulwarks with wooden towers and good artillery, guarded by a large number of warriors armed with arrows, swords and other projectile-type arms.

Deciding to attack, Salcedo first sent Second Lieutenant Antonio de Carvajal with some escorts to reconnoiter the town and determine the weakest point where they could enter. Carvajal, wounded by an arrow in his arm, returned with the information that the weakest spot, the least fortified and with the easiest access was the other part of an arroyo on the side of La Laguna where many boats could be seen entering the river.

Salcedo ordered installed in the prow of the galley a stone-throwing mortar. He and his men then spent the night on shore, while 20 soldiers and numerous allies from Manila remained with Carvajal on the galley with orders that when they heard firing, they should proceed with the attack on the bulwarks and the houses in the town, while Salcedo and his men tried to enter through the wall by the arroyo. When they heard the sound of the bugle, the signal that they had taken the town, they were to stop firing.

After giving these instructions, Salcedo began his march and turned toward the river where the attack was to take place. He arrived in the arroyo and found it defended by a fistful of valiant Cainta men who started to fire arrows and hurl lances.

Taken by surprise, the soldiers without waiting for Salcedo's order attacked the rampart and were overwhelmed by a rain of arrows. Finding such tenacious resistance, they began to retreat and flee in disarray.

Salcedo berated his men harshly for having attacked without his orders. Observing that in the other part of the arroyo the rampart was lower, he ordered a skiff brought there and after beaching it, he ordered some of his soldiers to use it as passage to the other side and take a more elevated point from where they could fire at the defenders of the town.

With the defenders retreating, Salcedo and his men were able to approach the wall and breach it. The intrepid Gat-Maitan with his Cainta men came to close the breach, forcing Saavedra to back off.

In the meantime, the cannons of the galley destroyed the bulwarks and the houses in the town in a manner the people had not seen before. And the shouts of the 600 Visayans allied with the Spanish made the natives believe that the Spaniards were already inside the poblacion [town proper]. Because of this, the valiant defenders of the breach abandoned it and retreated to the center of the town.

Salcedo observed this from a distance and ordered the breach attacked again. This time, the Spaniards encountered little resistance. Led by Salcedo and with Saavedra carrying the Spanish banner, they succeeded in entering the town. Together with their soldiers, they advanced rapidly and shortly scaled the wall where a bloody battle was fought.

The Cainta men, encouraged by their chief Gat-Maitan, preferred to die rather than surrender. Having taken over the walls, the Spaniards climbed the towers and hoisted the Spanish banner. At the blare of the bugle, the cannons stopped firing from the galley.

Spanish rule

Founded on November 30, 1571, Cainta was a fiercely independent village that fought valiantly against the Spaniards but was later defeated and became a visita (annex) of Taytay in 1571 under the Jesuits. Changes in ecclesiastical administration made Cainta a part of Pasig under the Augustinians but it was deeded back to the Jesuits by the King of Spain in 1696. Cainta became a separate township in 1760.

American colonial era

World War II

In 1942, Japanese Occupation troops entered Cainta. In 1942 to 1944, local guerrilla groups of the Hunters ROTC was the four-year main invasions in Cainta against the Japanese, when the guerrillas were retreating by the Japanese before the liberation. In 1945, local Filipino troops of the 4th, 42nd, 45th, 46th, 47th and 53rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army and 4th Constabulary Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary started the liberation and captured Cainta and helped the guerrilla resistance fighters of the Hunters ROTC Guerrillas to fight against the Japanese and ended World War II.

Post-war

On May 9, 1992, a fire broke out at the town's municipal hall two days before the 1992 local elections.^[10] The Rizal Provincial Police Command concluded that the fire was accidental, having been caused by a negligent janitor, although the PNP Criminal Investigation Service Command (CISC) refuted this, citing eyewitness accounts to the contrary.^[11]

Conversion to cityhood

Cainta has qualified for cityhood, due to its high population and high income. However, boundary disputes with neighboring cities and municipalities prevents the municipality from being a city. There was an attempt to convert Cainta into a city in 2003.

In late 2003, Mayor Nicanor Felix with the rest of its Sangguniang Bayan members, unanimously approved a resolution for Cainta's cityhood bid. That same year, on its annual fiesta, the municipality had its theme "Cainta: Lungsod 2004", promoting its bid for cityhood.

But the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Rizal denied the resolution by the Sangguniang Bayan, stating that "it must resolve first its boundary disputes with Pasig, Antipolo and Taytay".

However, in January 2010, Rizal Governor Casimiro "Jun" Ynares III pushed the cityhood of Cainta and Taytay, due to the overabundance of jobs, amenities, and its people. In turn, Representative Joel Duavit of Rizal's 1st district filed and passed a bill effectively creating a district composed of Cainta and Taytay. The Bill is now up at the committee level in the Senate.

The idea of converting Cainta into a city and constituting into a lone legislative district was again reignited and proposed for the second time in 2018 after its failure in 2004.

Barangays

Political map of Cainta, Rizal

Cainta is politically subdivided into seven barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

• San Andres (Poblacion)
• San Isidro
• San Juan
• San Roque
• Santa Rosa
• Santo Domingo
• Santo Niño

In the mid-1990s, Cainta submitted a petition to the Rizal provincial government to consider a proposal for 18 additional barangays, to make a total of 25 barangays. The proposal is still pending.

Climate

Native delicacies

Cainta is known for its native delicacies, a tradition inherited from nearby Antipolo, which is largely a cottage industry. Dating back to the 15th century, it became the town's principal source of income for more than four centuries. Suman (rice cake wrapped in banana leaf), latik (boiled down coconut milk used for glazing), coconut jam and the famous bibingka, are but a few of the sweet delights that lure many visitors to this town.

During the 20th century, Cainta dazzled the whole country when it baked the biggest rice cake ever and the town became known as the "Bibingka Capital of the Philippines". Bibingka is believed to have been adapted from the Indian cuisine, an influence from its Sepoy population. It comes from the Indian word bebinca also known as bibik, a dessert made of flour, coconut milk, and egg. The Philippine version is made of rice flour, coconut milk, and salted duck eggs. Butter and sugar are used for glazing after cooking and before serving.

Elected officials

The following are the elected officials during the 2022 elections, serving a term that will expire in 2025:^[26]

Mayors

• Benjamin Felix was deposed after People Power Revolution; replaced by OIC Mayor Dr. Renato Estanislao

Vice mayors

Municipal seal

The logo of Cainta – the emblem inside the double circle represents the flag of the Philippines in red, white and blue color. The three stars represent Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The eight sun rays represent the eight provinces that started the revolt against the Spaniards. The buildings represent the different business establishments operating in the municipality. The suman sa ibus, suman sa lihiya and suman antala represent the livelihood of its people; the same with bottled sweets made out of coconut milk called matamis na bao, nata de coco, caong, beans and many others. The piglets represent the backyard hog raising, a small-scale industry.

The Cenakulo

The Senakulo in Cainta dates back to 1904. It originated from Barrio Dayap (the entire area now includes Barangays Santa Rosa, Sto Niño and Santo Domingo). At that time, the population consisted of a small group of residents who were mostly related to each other. Since most of the people believed that calamities were brought in by evil spirits, they decided to put up a cross on a vacant lot to counter them. The barrio people paid homage to the cross by lighting it every night. One memorable incident happened during the Lenten season when a strange fragrance supposedly emanated from the cross. The news spread out not only in the barrio but also in the entire town of Cainta.

Believing in the mystery of the cross, many people in Barrio Dayap and the whole town of Cainta have since then vowed to read the Pasyon (Seven Last Words of Christ) every Lenten season. This has been enriched by an actual portrayal of the Passion of Christ on the streets which was formerly called "Officio". Many problems have been allegedly solved and illnesses cured through the cross as many people continuously believed.

Over the years the followers of the cross have multiplied rapidly. To give deeper meaning to their devotion and showcase their religiosity, they broached the idea of staging the Pasyon. The first stage play was held a few years later, although initially it was limited in scope. It became so popular that the presentation was expanded to include stories from the Old Testament and other stages in the life of Christ and has become known as the Cenakulo. The venue was transferred to an open field in 1966 to accommodate a larger audience.

Krus Sa Nayon, Inc. (KSNI) was established as early as 1900 during and after Spanish era. The group was also known for its extravagant preparation and passion play every night of the Holy Week period. The KSNI cenakulo play was previously held at the Jaika Compound beside the municipal building and Francisco P. Felix Memorial National High School. To date, the play is held at the stage beside the municipal ground, alongside the One Cainta Police Headquarters and One Cainta Fire Department.

Samahang Nazareno Inc. was organized in 1960, developed and enhanced the various aspects of cenakulo. The local Roman Catholic parishioner gave the association its moral and financial support for it believed that it was an effective means of imparting its Christian message to the public.

Cainta Day

Every December 1, the town celebrates its foundation and feast of Our Lady of Light (Ina ng Kaliwanagan). It is celebrated with its own festival, SumBingTik (portmanteau of suman, bibingka, and latik), which started around 2014.^[27] The week long celebration consists of various activities such as paint ball tournament, battle of the bands, Miss Cainta beauty pageant, and Caindakan sa Kalsada, a street dance parade joined by local schools and organizations.

Transportation

The main road of Cainta is Ortigas Avenue Extension, a heavily congested corridor that passes through the business district of Ortigas Center and leads to Mandaluyong and San Juan in the west and the town of Taytay and Antipolo in the east. The other major road is Felix Avenue which runs across Ortigas Avenue Extension and connects the town to Marikina to the north. Passing through Cainta Junction, it becomes A. Bonifacio Avenue, a part of Manila East Road, and connects the town further into Taytay.

Public transportation is abundant, as jeepneys and UV Express from surrounding cities in the west like Pasig, Mandaluyong and Quezon City, pass through the town going to other Rizal towns such as Antipolo, Taytay, to as far as Tanay.

Buses are also traversing almost the same routes as jeepneys, with a premium point-to-point bus service introduced in 2019, linking Cainta to Makati CBD.

The extended Manila Line 2 includes a train station at the northern tip of the town called Marikina—Pasig Station is set to open in the last quarter of 2020. This is located beside Santa Lucia East Grand Mall and connects to the second floor of Robinsons Metro East in Barangay San Isidro. Marikina—Pasig station opened on July 5, 2021.

The newly approved Manila Line 4 is also expected to begin construction by the second quarter of 2024, Soil testing has been done along the Ortigas Ave. Extention during the second quarter of 2023. Cainta will have 3 stations and are St. Joseph located infront of St. Joseph Subdivision, Cainta Junction located right on the junction, and San Juan Station located near Valley Golf and Country Club and Sierra Valley Gardens

Utilities

Water

The town is supplied 24 hours a day with potable water from Manila Water, the MWSS concessionaire for the East Zone, along with several towns in Rizal Province.

Telecommunications

Globe and PLDT, primarily provide landline and mobile voice, SMS and data services throughout the town. Others provide alternative data solutions like Converge and Sky Broadband.

Basic education

Private schools:

• Pilgrim Baptist Academy
• Zion Center of Knowledge School

Public schools:

Tertiary

Bibliography

• Fish, Shirley (2003), When Britain ruled the Philippines, 1762-1764: the story of the 18th century British invasion of the Philippines during the Seven Years' War, 1stBooks Library, ISBN 978-1-4107-1069-7