HISTORY OF THE COMMUNITY
The first official survey of the City of Manila during the American Occupation in the Philippines took place in 1903 under the Taft Commission. Manila, as it was then, comprised the walled City, Binondo, Sta Cruz, Quiapo, Tondo and scattered houses in Paco, Ermita and Malate. AT the time, Sampaloc district was sparsely populated. The north side of azcarraga street was open fields with few houses. Sections such as Rizal Park, Sta. Mesa, Mandaluyong, SIngalonga and Trozo were not yet indicated as suburbs of Manila proper. Stories had it that the sections around Manila from Navotas, San Francisco Del Monte, Marikina and San Juan up to the shore of Paranaque belong to one man only.
How that came to be under the possession of one man was related by one of the surviving members of the Tuazon family. Way back in 1762, during the last Chinese revolt in Manila or just few months after the British invasion, his forefather, the founder of the Tuazon dynasty, a Spanish-Chinese mestizo was responsible in assembling an infantry of soldiers that helped in quelling the Chinese revolt in Manila. He was identified for his services to the Spanish crown. For this patriotic acts, acting governor general Simon DE Anda, recommended tio the King of Spain a reward for the services of Tuazon. It was related that the Governor General holding the map of Manila, told Tuazon to indicate by drawing a line as much land as he wanted outside the city boundary. The old man, not knowing what he was doing drew a line from the shore of Navotas crossing San Francisco Del Monte, San Juan and Marikina down south to the shore of Parnaque. In those days it would take weeks on horseback to travel that area covered by the boundary of the vast property handed down the three generations later after a time the grand old man died, leaving seven children who claimed the estate dividing it among themsel ves. Still later, the heirs married to Roxas, Barreto and Legarda, re-divided the estates of the great founder.
In the year 1925-1926, a portion of the area now known as Rizal Park was subdivided into lots for sale, reserving areas for streets, churches, markets, schools and colleges. The site of the present Dr. A. Albert Elementary School was once an open area of the fields and bamboo grooves, travers by various creeks, fit for camping and hunting meters during slight drizzle. Very few people frequented the place, more so at night when occasional hold-ups and robberies occurred. At the time lots were sold as low as one peso per square meter without attracting buyers. Then the araneta Company managed the estate. They improved the streets, lights and drainage. The City of Manila erected the Dr. A. Albert Elementary School in 1935 and that same year extended Dapitan Street to the Quezon City boundary.
From the people came to settle Rizal Park by the hundreds. Prises of lots increased up to P25.00 per square meter and in 1940, no single of lot was available for sale. In passing, it would be interesting to mention the old residents in the Rizal Park community as far back 1925. The Jacinto, the Poblete, and Yamson families were the oldest residents of the Washington Streets. Later came Mr. Salad, Mr. Dunbar and Mr. Basa. The Duartes and the Highleys were all neighbours in the early thirties. The Manalang and the Balagtas families came a year later.
After the war, the Araneta pursued a policy of improvement in the Real state business. The Sta mesa Heights project transformed the section cast of Rizal Park from a prairie to thriving Quezon City with churches, markets, stores factories, and the beautiful residential houses. The City of Manila filled the slums in the locality with refuse. After a year, the slums had buildings that added to the already crowded Rizal Park, and the Streets are named after the characters in the Rizal’s novel or after some persons and places connected with the life and works of the greatest Filipino patriot, such as Ibarra, Basilio, P. Leoncio, Craig, Blumentritt, Piy Margal, Dapitan and so fourth.
The bombing at Pearl Harbor and the subsequent declaration of war between the United States and Japan caught everybody unprepared. Classes were called off.
On or about December 21, the Philippine Army ( Sabotage Unit) occupied the building no less than 500 officers and man were stationed in the school. Instructions were received requiring teachers to stay in the building morning and afternoon. On December 22, Manila was heavily raided. All the teachers were in the building despite the fact that it was occupied by the army. At 11:15 A.m., squadron of Japanese planes hovered above the building suspecting the presence of soldiers in the vicinity. All the teachers were in the Janitor’s quarter, which then was the emergency shelter. Suddenly no less than 300 Philippine Army soldiers rushed into the shelter seeking cover. Almost simultaneously, a bomb was dropped in Dimasalang. There was a near panic as the concussion made everybody feel that was very near the school.
Through Manila was occupied on January 1, 1942, the first group of Japanese came on February 22, 1942. They went around inspecting the building. They required all storerooms to be opened. Within four days, the building was occupied by the Japanese.
Meanwhile classes resumed during the school years 1942-1942. Mrs Catalina Jocson- Serrano was appointed Principal.
During this time, the main building was occupied the Japanese Cavalry.Storerooms were opened. The school garden became a grazing land. Classes were held in nearby homes, garages, and stables. For more than tthree years, the Japanese tried their best keep the Filipinos in the dark by concealing actual conditions obtained in most parts of the world particularly those in the United States.
With the liberation of Manila, Gen. Mc Arthur ordered the opening of schools as a measure to hasten the normalization of conditions in the City. On February 22, 1945, three schools were opened. Pedro Guevarra, Lakandula and Dr. A. Albert Elementary Schools. Mr. Tomas P. Garcia and six other teachers, one for every grade in the Elementary, began the task of opening Dr. A. Albert Elementary School. The first Infantry Regiment, medical division, guerrilla unit, then occupying the dR. A. Albert Elementary School surrendered the rooms it was occupying as fast as the children came to enrol. In less than tree months from 1945- December 1949,three teachers from Albert rose from the ranks to become assistant principals of the school- Mr. JacintoD. Bautista in 1946. Mrs Aquilina S. Lansang in 1947, and Miss Pacita S. Daus in 1949.
