Jalajala

Jalajala (Tagalog pronunciation: [hälɐ̞ˈhalɐ (-ˈhala)]; also spelled as Jala-jala), officially the Municipality of Jalajala (Tagalog: Bayan ng Jalajala), is a municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 34,901 people.

What is now the town's Barangay Punta was the seat of an earlier settlement later known as Halaán. During the summer from April to May, the shores of Laguna de Bay along Punta would be filled with small shellfish locally known as halaán.

As is typical with many modern Philippine toponyms, the town's name supposedly resulted from miscommunication between early Spanish visitors and natives. The Spaniards enquired of some natives along the shoreline, "¿Como se llama este sitio?" ("What is the name of this place?") to which the latter replied, "halaán pò," thinking that the foreigners referred to the shells. The Spaniards accepted the response as the name of the place, and began calling it halaán, later corrupting it into Chimae then into Jalajala.

Another folk etymology is that Jalajala stems from an endemic breed of boar called berk jala, which is abundant in the wilds around the town and is depicted on its seal. As with the other story, a Spaniard asked the Tagalog-speaking natives the place's name, and the locals' interjection of "hala-hala” (possibly a hunting chant) was taken by the Spaniards to be their answer.

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 1942 to 1945, during World War II, Jalajala was occupied by Japanese forces, and local guerrilla groups resisted occupation. The town was liberated in 1945. In 1979, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) supported infrastructure development, fostering growth in transportation, education, and agriculture.