The British Occupation of Pasig 1762

Prelude-The British Invasion of Manila during the Seven Years’ War

Simón de Anda defense of the Philippines against British Indian attacks
Alegoría de la defensa de Filipinas

The Seven Years’ War (1756–1763) was a global conflict driven by colonial rivalries. In 1762, Spain joined the war on France’s side and attempted to invade Portugal, a British ally. In response, Britain ordered the British East India Company to attack Manila, a Spanish colony in Asia.

A diverse British force—over 6,000 strong—led by Brigadier General William Draper and Vice Admiral Samuel Cornish, sailed from Madras, India, to Manila. Their troops included British regulars, Indian Sepoys, African Caffrees, Lascars, Portuguese Topazes, and even French prisoners of war conscripted into British service.

At the time, Manila was under the weak leadership of Archbishop Manuel Rojo del Río y Vieyra, who lacked military experience. With no knowledge that war had already begun, the Spanish were caught off guard when the British fleet arrived in Manila Bay on September 23, 1762.

Despite Archbishop Rojo’s attempts to surrender, Spanish military leaders chose to resist. On October 4, the British began a heavy bombardment, breached the San Diego Bastion, and forced Spanish troops to retreat from Intramuros.

By October 6, British troops stormed the city through the breach. With minimal resistance, they quickly took control. The aftermath saw 70 Spanish and 300 Filipino defenders killed, while over 100 British troops also died.

A 40-hour period of looting followed, carried out not only by British forces and their auxiliaries but also by some local Indios, who were said to be even more brutal. The situation was chaotic, with reports of theft, violence, and rape. Although General Draper tried to recover stolen goods, estimated losses exceeded $26,623, with Spanish sources suggesting a much greater figure.

Simón de Anda

The Real Audiencia of Manila organized a war council and appointed Don Simón de Anda as leader of the resistance against the invaders. In early October 1762, he secretly left Manila, taking with him a large portion of the government’s treasury and important documents. Through a hidden route, he boarded a boat along the Pasig River toward Bulacan, where he established the Spanish provisional government.

Anda raised an army of more than 10,000 Filipinos. Though they lacked weapons, they managed to prevent the British from expanding their territory, effectively confining them to Manila and Cavite. To rally support from the population, Anda used fear as a tactic—spreading rumors that the British would destroy Catholicism. Many residents of Pasig were reportedly alarmed by this news. However, some Chinese residents in the town chose to side with the British. Meanwhile, many Spaniards fled from Manila to join Anda’s army.

Occupation of Pasig

After capturing Manila and Cavite, the British next set their sights on the town of Pasig, whose parish was then under the administration of the Augustinian friars. Pasig was chosen for its strategic location as a communication route to Laguna de Bay and as a vital passageway for supplies and trade coming from the provinces of Laguna and Morong, as well as from Bulacan and Pampanga.

On November 8, the British launched an assault on Pasig from the left side of town, approaching from the banks of the Rio de San Mateo (now known as the Marikina River)—specifically in the area of Maybunga. There, they were met by gunfire from the forces of Simón de Anda, under the command of Spanish engineer José Pedro Bustos. The British troops, composed of 500 soldiers, were led by Captain Thomas Blackhouse—better known as a bounty hunter than a legitimate military officer. He had also been involved in the search for treasures rumored to have been hidden during the chaotic looting of Manila after it fell to the British.

Blackhouse’s troops advanced toward Maybunga using two routes: first, a reconnaissance mission along the riverbank, and second, by deploying boats—likely as a diversion to lure Anda’s forces into a river battle while preparing for a simultaneous land assault. However, they failed to trap Bustos's forces.

Captain Bustos, aware of the British strategy, successfully evaded the maneuver. After nearly an hour of gunfire exchange, his troops retreated from Maybunga and withdrew toward Marikina. Later, Captain Blackhouse continued on to the Poblacion (town center) of Pasig, where he faced intense resistance from the local residents.

The people of Pasig had prepared their defenses with troops and cannons, funded by the Augustinian convent under the leadership of Father Juan Bernaola and Andrés Blanco.

Captain Backhouse demanded the town’s surrender through an emissary, but the gobernadorcillo of Pasig rejected it. His reply was: “Pasig is not Manila. If the Spaniards surrendered Manila, we will fight for Pasig until the very end.” He even added that if the British sent another emissary, he would be forced to hang him from a tree.

In response, the British launched a violent assault using two cannons. This caused great chaos—many defenders fled in panic, some fell from the Fr. Trillo Bridge into the river, resulting in numerous deaths and captives. Among those captured was the Sultan of Sulu, Muhammad Alimuddin, who had been residing in Bambang under the protection of Spanish allies of Anda. Though he had been baptized as a Christian and welcomed as a guest by the colonial government, he was later considered a prisoner by the Spaniards in Manila and accused of treason. When the British captured Manila, he escaped but was forced to take refuge in Pasig due to illness.

The British eventually entered Pasig and received support from some Filipinos, particularly from residents in the nearby parishes under the Jesuit. Backhouse also managed to capture the towns of Cainta and Taytay, where he established a garrison manned by Sepoy soldiers.

The British occupied the church of Pasig and used its bell tower as a watch post to monitor movements along the Pasig and Marikina rivers. They also seized the chapel of the Augustinian nuns (now the chapel of CBC). Many valuable items were looted by the British, and the church bells were melted down to be made into cannonballs.

Among the Pasigueños, a deep sense of caution and distrust grew toward the new invaders due to their violent and thieving behavior—first seen in Manila, then repeated in Pasig. It may never be fully known how many important items were stolen or lost from the Pasig church, the Augustinian convent, and the homes of well-off citizens during the British occupation.

On February 3, 1763, the Treaty of Paris was signed, officially ending the Seven Years’ War. However, news of the ceasefire did not immediately reach the Philippines. By August 26, 1763, a preliminary peace draft was announced, stating that all occupied territories must be returned to their original owners.

Cuisine

In old Pasig, vendors who sold latik, puto, and other sweet native delicacies were commonly referred to as "taga-Cainta" (from Cainta) because of their skin tone, the shape of their noses, and eyes that were not typical of most Filipinos. Old narratives support the claim that they were indeed descendants of Sepoy soldiers. Many experts also assert that certain coconut milk-based rice delicacies (kakanin) may bear influences from the Sepoys.

In the broader context of Filipino cuisine, one can say that the British occupation of Pasig left a significant culinary trace on the Filipino palate. According to Dr. Nestor Castro of the UP Department of Anthropology, Pasig was once an important center of earthenware production. One of its notable products was a type of clay pot called kari. The Sepoys used these pots to cook their traditional dishes, often made with crushed peanuts, vegetables, curry spices, and colorful ingredients brought from India.

When their original supply of spices ran out, the Sepoys turned to local ingredients, using atsuete (annatto) for coloring and various native spices for flavoring. The Sepoy dish called kari (curry) became the basis for the well-known Filipino dish now called kare-kare.

Dr. Castro adds that kare-kare actually originated in Pasig, brought by the Sepoys who had been stationed in the town. The place where this dish was sold or eaten came to be known as karihan, which in turn gave rise to the term carinderia (Filipino eatery).

Conclusion

The history of the British occupation of Pasig reveals and highlights the town’s importance even in earlier times. Due to its geography, strategic position, and its socially and economically progressive status during that period, the British saw it as a vital area to control. This affirms that Pasig has long played a colorful and significant role in the national narrative—and in an unexpected way, even in the evolution of the national taste.

Kainan na!

     POSTSCRIPT

The chapel of the Colegio del Buen Consejo-- Which was also known before as the "Beaterio de Santa Rita". According to the writings of renowned Pasig historian Dr. Luciano P.R. Santiago, during the construction of the beaterio in 1740, under the time of Padre Felix Trillo, the Augustinian overseers discovered a spring right beneath the foundation of the chapel. The Augustinians were reminded of a passage from the Bible, from the Book of Ezekiel—“Living water flowing from the depths of the Temple of Jerusalem”… Water that brings life. Dr. Santiago adds that the first foundations of the beaterio were laid directly over this life-giving spring. In this same place where water flowed, there were also caves reinforced with large stones, serving as shadowy “dungeons” beneath the darkness. There are many stories surrounding the beaterio of Pasig and the adjoining convent throughout the centuries. There are tales of a secret underground passage, a tunnel connecting the two buildings. Such tempting stories were further fueled by scandals that took place in other beaterios, such as the Beaterio of Santa Catalina in Manila during the 1750s, where a beata (or nun) ran away and eloped with a colonial government official. During the British occupation of Pasig in 1762, they turned the beaterio into a military post. After looting the homes, buildings, and churches of Manila, they then plundered Pasig.

The Church of Pasig became a British outpost .The church tower become an observation post where the British can observe the flow of traffic from two water ways--Pasig River and the Marikina River. Meanwhile the church grounds was converted into stable for their horses

The Bell of San Hilarion in Pasig. 1793--During the British occupation of Manila, Pasig was converted into an important headquarter. whereby the British controled the fluvial traffic of two important waterways--the Pasig River and the historic San Mateo River (Markina River). Both waterways also lead to two important and strategic points, the Laguna de Bay connecting Morong Province and Laguna, the other waterway, to Bulacan. Pasig's church bell tower became an observation post for the British forces but in their marauding ways, they took the bells and melted them into cannonballs. In 1793, almost 3 decades after the British occupation, Fray Hilario Diez commissioned the casting of the San Hilarion bell, the first to be casted after the British invasion.

Jesuit Betrayal? — Taytay, and Cainta- Alegoría de la defensa de Filipinas — This artwork is part of a collection of illustrations depicting the actions of the Spaniards under the leadership of Simón de Anda during the time when Manila and several areas outside Intramuros, such as Pasig, fell under British control (1762–1764).According to various accounts and narratives, when the British invaded Pasig, it appears that the parishes under the Jesuits did not cooperate with the forces organized by the Augustinians loyal to Simón de Anda. On the contrary, they were said to have even supported the British. Looking back, both Cainta and Taytay were under Jesuit administration. In the defense of Pasig in November 1762, it is said that some residents of the Taytay parish allegedly aided the British in defeating the town of Pasig.I n examining the artwork, one can notice several priests dressed in black cassocks—the typical color of the Jesuit order's vestments. Also evident is the chaos in the surroundings. This is simply my personal interpretation, and I may be mistaken.

Please also read my article: The British Occupation of Manila 1752-1764

https://fyumul.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-british-occupation-of-manila-1762.html