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<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-19/malacanang-3.webp" alt="Malacañang Palace in 1885" loading="lazy" />
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(The earliest-known picture of Malacañang Palace taken by British photographer Albert Honiss.  Honiss was in Manila through the 1860s and early 1870s.)
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<p>
Malacañang Palace was originally built as a casita (or country house) in 1750, made of adobe and wood, with interiors panelled with the finest narra and molave. It sits on 16-hectare land owned by Spanish aristocrat Don Antonio V. Rocha. It was subsequently sold to Colonel José Miguel Formento on November 16, 1802, for a sum of a thousand pesos. Later, it was sold to the government upon the death of Formento in January 1825. With its expansive gardens and lazy veranda overlooking the placid Pasig River, Malacañang became the temporary summer home of governors-general, escaping the hectic bustle and unbearable heat of Intramuros.
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The earliest document to address the building's roots was the Compendio de la Historia de Filipinas written in 1877 by Spanish historian Felipe de Govantes, in which he stated that the term Malacañán meant "place of the fisherman". This was again referenced in the 1895 Historia general de Filipinas by José Montero y Vidal and the Historia de Filipinas by Manuel Artigas y Cuerva in 1916. In 1972, Ileana Maramag in her work on Malacañan history supplied the Tagalog word: mamalakáya, which means fisherman. The original denomination for the location is believed to be Mamalakáya-han, with the Tagalog suffix -han meaning "place of", later simplified by the Spanish colonial authorities as Malacañán and adapted according to the Spanish orthography.
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An <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/1708/today-in-philippine-history-june-3-1863-a-strong-earthquake-rocked-manila" class="news_link">earthquake on June 3, 1863</a>, destroyed the Palacio del Gobernador, and thereafter, Malacañang became the governor-general's official residence. Rafaél de Echagüe y Bermingham, previously governor of Puerto Rico, became the first Spanish governor-general to reside in the palace. Finding the place too small, he expanded the estate with a wooden two-story addition to the back of the original structure. He also added stables, carriage sheds, a boat landing for river-borne visitors, and smaller buildings for aides, guards, and porters.
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An 1869 earthquake necessitated speedy repairs with more extensive reconstruction and expansion, further undertaken between 1875 and 1879 after subsequent earthquakes, typhoons and a fire caused graver structural damage. Posts and supports were repaired or replaced. Balconies were reinforced. Roofing was replaced with galvanized iron to lighten structural load and cornices were added for additional flair. The interior was also refurbished.
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<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-19/malacanang-lg.webp" alt="Malacañang Palace in 1885" loading="lazy" />
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(Malacañang Palace in 1885)
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In 1880, an earthquake occurred, necessitating more repairs. This time, porticos were added to the façade to shelter waiting carriages. In 1885, a flagpole was installed in front of the palace. Decaying woodwork, stuck shell windows, leaking roofs, loose kitchen tiles, and drooped stables were some of the remaining deterioration due to numerous natural phenomena. An additional 22,000 pesos was spent for renovation and reconstruction.
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By the end of Spanish rule in 1898, Malacañang Palace was a rambling complex of mostly wooden buildings that had sliding capiz windows, patios and azoteas.
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<h3>
American colonial rule
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<p>
When the Philippines came under American sovereignty following the Spanish - American War, Malacañang Palace became the residence of the American governors-general, starting with General Wesley Merritt, the first American military governor to reside at the palace in 1898. 
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<p>
William Howard Taft became the first civil governor to reside there in 1901. They and subsequent governors-general continued to improve and enlarge the palace, buying more land and reclaiming more of the Pasig River. Left and right wings were added. An azotea facing the river was joined to the existing azotea. A staircase was transferred to the center of the foyer with galleries built around the stairway where the public could circulate during crowded receptions. The ground floor was raised above the flood line, and workers replaced wood with concrete, beautified the interiors with hardwood panelling and added intricate chandeliers.
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<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-19/malacanang-palace-american-flag.webp" alt="Malacañang Palace after Spanish-American War" loading="lazy" />
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(The 1898 Battle of Manila ended with an American flag being hoisted on the palace as the Spaniards surrended to the Americans)
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<p>
The complex became the official residence of the president of the Philippines upon the establishment of the Commonwealth of the Philippines on November 15, 1935. President Manuel L. Quezon became the first Filipino resident of the palace. It has been the Philippine president's official residence ever since. One major improvement addressed during the American period was flood control. Quezon tackled the flooding problem around Malacañang by reclaiming 15 feet of the Pasig River bank and building a concrete wall. He also converted the ground floor (bodega) into a social hall. In addition to that, the Americans used shutters similar to Japanese shoji (made of opalescent shell) to soften the intensity of the tropical sunlight.
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<p>
During the Spanish colonial era, Spanish-language books that were published at the time spelled the word as Malacañang. The name was changed to "Malacañan" during the American occupation of the Philippines from 1898 until 1946, supposedly for ease of pronunciation despite the fact that "-ng" as a final sound is very familiar in the English language. However, after the inauguration of President Ramon Magsaysay on December 30, 1953, the Philippine government reverted the name to Malacañang in honor of the palace's historical roots. During the administration of Corazon Aquino, for historical reasons, government policy was introduced to distinguish between both terms; while "Malacañan Palace" refers to the official residence of the president, "Malacañang" is addressed as the office of the president. Currently, the heading Malacañan Palace is reserved for official documents personally signed by the president, while those delegated to and signed by subordinates use the heading Malacañang.
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<p>
Emilio Aguinaldo, recognized as the first Filipino president of the revolutionary government and of the First Philippine Republic, established during the Spanish rule, did not reside there.  He resided in his private home as president, now the Aguinaldo Shrine, in Kawit, Cavite. However he was later taken to the palace by the Americans as a political prisoner for a few weeks in 1901 after his capture in Palanan, Isabela. 
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Malacañang Palace survived the Second World War, the only major government building left standing after the Bombing of Manila. Only the southwest side of the palace - which would have been the State Dining Room and its service area - was damaged by shelling. During the Second World War, in 1942, the Japanese turned Malacañang into a gilded prison, having served as the official residence of the Japanese-installed President of the Second Philippine Republic, Jose P. Laurel. Quezon moved the seat of government to Corregidor, the headquarters of General Douglas MacArthur.
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<h3>
Later years
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The longest residents of the palace were President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, Imelda, who resided there from December 1965 to February 1986. Following a student uprising that nearly breached the palace gates in the early 1970s, Martial Law was declared, and the palace complex and its surrounding neighborhood was closed to the public.
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The Pasig River had developed a foul odor by the 1970s and became a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Between 1978 and 1979, Imelda Marcos oversaw the reconstruction of the palace. The palace was expanded with the façades on all four sides moved forward. The presidential quarters were enlarged on the front along J.P. Laurel Street, destroying the small garden and driveway leading to the private entrance, while a new dining room and expanded guest suites were built on the main entrance front. On the side facing the river, the Ceremonial Hall was built to replace the azoteas, veranda and pavilion. A larger presidential bedroom was constructed on the remaining side, with a disco at roof level. The layout of the old rooms was retained, although the rooms themselves were enlarged and new bedroom suites inserted in what had been part of the garden.
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History of Malacañang Palace, the Official residence and principal workplace of the President of the Philippines