Tondo is an old municipaility of Manila. Today, it is an unsightly place, where poverty is ubiquitous and hope seems absent in the mind. But such condition may be in stark contrast with what some researchers have been discovering about its past. A lot of the work remains unvalidated but the fact that there are evidences (e.g. LCI) pointing to the reality however far-fetched for now, deserves a lot of attention. If found out to be so, then those living in this place must recognize its glorious past and be inspired to pursue a more hopeful tomorrow---making him proud of his heritage and fight for regaining its glory in the near future.

1. TONDO and LUZON EMPIRE
DISCLAIMER:
This work is research-in-progress. I encourage everyone to do his/her own research
inasmuch as the many materials in the internet are from unverified sources. What I
will share herein, however, appears to have come from credible sites. Nonetheless,
more research work is required.

2. Women of Tondo
Ca.1900 taken during the days when America conquered and annexed the Philippines to the
USA. The word quot;conquerquot; was used by the American 3-D publishing houses that issued these
views of the USA's quot;new possessionquot;, for the visual consumption and delight of millions of
Americans. What better way of introducing the natives of the Philippines as quot;Uncle Sam's new
citizensquot;.....even if they had no say in the matter !

3. TONDO TODAY

4. Tundo and the Kingdom of Luzon
Tondo, also referred to as Tundo, Tundun, Tundok, and sometimes as the capital of the
Kingdom of Luzon, was an ancient Philippine fortified settlement in the Manila Bay area,
specifically north of the Pasig river, on Luzon island. It is one of the settlements
mentioned by the Philippines' earliest historical record, the Laguna Copperplate
Inscription.
This kingdom initiated diplomatic ties with China during the Ming Dynasty and was a
dominant force in regional trade. Its regional prominence sparked an attack from
Brunei's Sultan Bolkiah in 1500. The Spanish first arrived in Tondo in 1570. They finally
defeated the local rulers in the Manila Bay area in 1591, after which Tondo came under
the administration of Manila, ending its existence as an independent city-state.
https://www.amazines.com/Luzon_Empire_related.html

5. Laguna Copperplate Inscription (circa 900 AD)
The first reference to Tondo occurs in the Philippines' oldest historical record — the Laguna Copperplate
Inscription (LCI). This legal document, written in Kawi, dates back to Saka 822 - the year 900 AD. The first
part of the document says that:
On this occasion, Lady Angkatan, and her brother whose name is Bukah, the children of the Honourable
Namwaran, were awarded a document of complete pardon from the Commander in Chief of Tundun,
represented by the Lord Minister of Pailah, Jayadewa.
Apparently, the document was a sort of receipt that acknowledged that the man named Namwaran had been
cleared of his debt to the chief of Tundo, which in today's measure would be about 926.4 grams of gold. [1]
The article mentioned that other places in the Philippines and their chiefs: Pailah (Lord Minister Jayadewa),
Puliran (Lord Minister Ka Sumuran), Binwangan (unnamed). It has been suggested that Pailah , Puliran, and
Binwangan are the towns of , Pulilan, and in Bulacan,[1] but it has also been suggested that Pailah refers to
the town of Pila, Laguna. [2] While the document does not describe the exact relationship of the chief of
Tundun with these other chiefs, it at least suggests that he was of higher rank. [3]

6. In 1279 AD, in the Naval Battle of Yamen (崖門戰役) at the Pearl River Delta (珠江), the
final conflict between the Mongol Forces (元) and the Southern Sung Empire (南宋國)
was fought. The Mongol forces managed to advance to the center of the Southern
Sung fleet and attack the boat of the child emperor Songdi Bing (宋帝昺). Seeing no
hope of breaking free, the Minister of the Left (重臣) Liu Xiufu (陸秀夫) decided to
commit suicide with the boy emperor rather than be captured by the Mongols. He
jumped into the sea with the boy emperor and many officials and concubines followed
suit. A few days later, the tattered remains of the boy emperor was found floating in
Shekou Bay(蛇口). This sealed the fate of the Southern Song Empire.

7. Battle of Yamen
Part of the Song-Yuan Wars
Date 19 March 1279
Location Yamen, Guangdong
Result Yuan victory, Song Dynasty ended.
Belligerents Song Dynasty Yuan Dynasty Commanders Zhang
Shijie Zhang Hongfan
Strength 200,000 people, with many Song court officials and
servants, 1,000+ ships, mostly transport ships with warship
escorts 20,000 soldiers, 50+ warships Casualties and losses
At least 100,000 died either from fighting or drowning, the
Battle of Yamen rest fled
The naval Battle of Yamen (simplified Chinese: 崖门战役; traditional Chinese: 崖門戰
役) (also known as the Naval Battle of Mount Ya; simplified Chinese: 崖山海战;
traditional Chinese: 崖山海戰) took place on 19 March 1279 and is considered to be the
last stand of the Song Dynasty against the Yuan Dynasty, which was established by the
Mongols in 1271. Although outnumbered 10:1, the Yuan navy delivered a crushing
tactical and strategic victory, annihilating the Song.
Today, the battle site is located at Yamen, in Xinhui County, Guangdong Province, China.
It was one of the largest naval battles in history.

8. Oral History:
Before the final sea battle at Yamen (崖門戰役), Minister of the Left Liu Xiufu (陸秀
夫) disguised his own son to look like the boy emperor Songdi Bing (宋帝昺). When
the Mongols finally managed to attack the center of the Southern Sung fleet, Liu
Xiufu committed suicide with his own son disguised as the emperor. The finest and
most loyal of the Southern Sung fleet under the command of Grand General Zhang
Shijie (張世傑). managed to break off from the battle with the real emperor and
escape across the sea. There they established the Lesser Song Empire (呂宋國) at its
capital Tondo (東都).

9. Facts:
1. Even though the corpse of the last emperor of the Southern Song
Empire was reportedly found, no graveyard was ever erected.
2. Chinese historians agree that the Southern Sung Fleet under the
command of Grand General Zhang Shijie (張世傑) did survive the final
Battle of Yamen (崖門戰役) and that they simply vanished from record.
3. Tondo (東都) was the capital of an empire recorded by the Ming
Dynasty (大明國) as the Luzon Empire (呂宋國).
4. Luzon Empire (呂宋國) was conquered by the Spaniards in 1571 and
the province of Pampanga was the first colonial province carved out of
it. The whole northern island was named Luzon. Tondo (東都) still exist
today as a mere suburb of Manila.
http://lusung.blogspot.com/2007/12/eastern-sung-dynasty.html

10. THE LUZON IMPERIAL EQUIVALENT OF THE MODERN ICBM

11. Diplomatic ties with the Ming Dynasty (1373 A.D.)
Ming Dynasty Porcelain. The next historical reference to Ancient Tondo can be found in
the Ming Annals (明史 ), which record the arrival of an envoy from Luzon to the Ming
Dynasty (大明朝) in 1373 AD. Her rulers, based in their capital, Tondo (traditional
Chinese: 東都; pinyin: dōngdū) were acknowledged not as mere chieftains, but as kings
(王). This reference places Tondo into the larger context of Chinese trade with the
peoples of the Philippine archipelago.
Theories such as Wilhelm Solheim's Nusantao Maritime Trading and Communication
Network (NMTCN) suggest that cultural links between what are now China and the
nations of Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, date back to the peopling of these
lands. But the earliest archeological evidence of trade between the Philippines and
China takes the form of pottery and porcelain pieces dated to the Tang and Song
Dynasties. As the LCI points out, Tondo already existed at this time, and the
archeological evidence indicates that both it and Namayan was part of this trade.
The rise of the Ming dynasty saw the arrival of the first Chinese settlers in the
Philippines. They were well received and lived together in harmony with the existing
local population — eventually intermarrying with them such that today, numerous
Philippine people have Chinese blood in their veins.

12. Statue of Luzon Sukezaemon at Sakai Citizens' Hall.
This connection was important enough that when the Ming Dynasty emperors enforced
the Hai jin laws which closed China to maritime trade from 1371 to about 1567, trade
with the Philippines was officially allowed to continue, masqueraded as a tribute system,
through the seaport at Fuzhou. Aside from this, a more extensive clandestine trade from
Guangzhou and Quanzhou also brought in Chinese goods to Luzon.
Luzon and Tondo thus became a center from which Chinese goods were traded all across
Southeast Asia. Chinese trade was so strict that Luzon traders carrying these goods were
considered quot;Chinesequot; by the people they encountered.
This powerful presence in the trade of Chinese goods in 16th century East Asia was also
felt strongly by Japan. The Ming Empire treated Luzon traders more favorably than
Japan by allowing them to trade with China once every two years, while Japan was
only allowed to trade once every 10 years. Japanese merchants often had to resort to
piracy in order to obtain much sought after Chinese products such as silk and porcelain.
Famous 16th century Japanese merchants and tea connoisseurs like Shimai Soushitsu (島
井宗室) and Kamiya Soutan (神屋宗湛) established branch offices in the Luzon Empire.
One famous Japanese merchant, Luzon Sukezaemon (呂宋助左衛門), went as far as to
change his surname from Naya (納屋) to Luzon (呂宋).

13. Statue of Luzon Sukezaemon at Sakai
Citizens' Hall, Osaka, Japan.

14. Tondo – Garbage City

15. MMDA to transform Tondo into “Tondominiums”