HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE
PHILIPPINE NATIONAL RAILWAYS
THE HISTORY OF THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL RAILWAYS ACTUALLY STARTED
NOT ON JUNE 26, 1875 WHEN THE PREPARATION OF THE GENERAL PLAN OF A
RAILROAD ON LUZON WAS AUTHORIZED BY A ROYAL DECREE OF KING ALFONZO XII
OF SPAIN. LIKE A BIOLOGICAL BIRTH THERE WERE FACTORS WHICH LED TO
CONCEPTION.
CONCEPTION WAS INDUCED BY AND COINCIDENTAL WITH THE CIRCUMSTANCES
OBTAINING IN THE PHILIPPINES AND IN SPAIN AT THE TIME. COLONIAL MISGOVERMENT
AND ABUSES BY THE CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS AUTHORITIES IN THE PHILIPPINES THEN HAD
BROUGHT ABOUT THE BIRTH OF THE PHILIPPINE NATIONALISM, AGITATIONS BY FILIPINO
PATRIOTTS AND LEADERS HAD SOMEHOW PERMEATED INTO SPAIN, THE MARTTYDOM
OF FATHERS GOMEZ, BURGOS, AND ZAMORA SPURRED THE PILIPINOS TO GREATERNATIONALISM AND AGITATIONS.
IN SPAIN LIBERAL POLITICAL IDEAS WERE BORN AFTER THE REVOLUTIONAGAINST THE AUTOCRATIC RULE OF QUEEN ISABELLA II IN 1868. INSPITE OF INTER-VENING REACTIONARY REGIMES THEREAFTER, LIBERALISM AND THE YEARNING FORPROGRESS DID NOT DIE.
THUS IT WAS DURING THE REIGN OFKING ALFONZO II THE NEED NOT ONLY FORPOLITICAL REFORMS BUT THE PROGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINE AS A COLONY OFSPAIN LED TOCONCEPTION OF A RAILROAD IN LUZON, THE GENERAL PLAN OF THE RAILROAD SUBMITED TOBY DON EDUAARDO LOPEZ NAVARRO WAS APPROVED BY HIS MAJESTY THE KING ON
MAY 11, 1883.
THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, AND SOCIAL ATMOSHERE IN THE PHILIPPINES AT THE TIME MAYBE DRECRIBED IN CAPSULE BY THE COMMENTARY……
“WHILE SPAIN MEANT WELL IN HER COLONIAL POLICIES AS DEMONSTRATED BY HER BENEVOLENT LAWS AND ROYAL DECREE, UNFORUNATELY THESE WERE SELEDOM ENFORCEDBY COLONIAL OFFICIALS, ABUSES COMMITED BY OFFICIALS IN THE PHILIPPINES WERE NOT KNOWN BY THE KING OF SPAIN”.
ABOUT THIS PERIOUD (1875- 1887) PILIPINO PATRIOTS LIKE JOSE RIZAL, MARCELO H. DEL PILAR, GRACIANO LOPEZ JAENA, MARIANO PONCE, ANTONIO LUNA, JUAN LUNA, FELIX,RESURECTION HIDALGO, PEDRO A. PATERNO, JOSE MA, PANGANIBAN, JOSE ALEJANDRINO,FERNANDO CANNON, PEDRO SERRANO LAKTAW, ISABELO DE LOS REYES, DR. DOMINADORGOMEZ WERE ALL IN SPAIN WORKING, AGITATING FOR POLITICAL REFORMS, ALLEVIATION OF
ECONOMIC MISERIES, AND GENERALLY FOR THE PROGRESS OF THEIR HOMELAND, THEIR RESOLUTE EFFORTS COUPLED WITH THE COLONIAL OFFICIALS OF THE PHIL. TO SUPPRESS THE PROGRESSIVE IN SPAIN FOR THE PROGRESS OF THE PHIL; DID NOT SUFFER THE SAME FAITH AS THOSE OF PREVIOUS “BENEVOLENT LAWS AND ROYAL DECREE”
THUS, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE RAILROAD COMMENTED W/ THE CORNERSTONE LA-
YING OF THE TUTUBAN MAIN STATION BUILDING ON JULY 31, 1887 AND PROCEEDED ALMOST UNINTERRUPTEDLY UNTIL NOV.24, 1892 WHEN THE MANILA–DAGUPAN LINE WAS INAUGURATED THE FIRST RAILROAD IN THE PHIL. WAS BORN, THE PRECURSOR OF THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL RAILWAYS ONE HUNDREED YEARS AGO.
-PNR HISTORICAL COMMITTEE-
Credits to PNR & MC.
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