Malacañang Palace
A large residence on the banks of the Pasig, the Malacañang Palace had begun its life as a vacation home for a wealthy Spanish colonial official in the mid eighteenth century. Purchased by the Spanish Government in 1825, becoming the official summer residence of the Spanish Governor-General, used along with another residence in the Intramuros. It remained so until the Intramuros building was destroyed by an earthquake some years later, and thus Malacañang became the primary residence.
The palace survived the fighting in the city in 1898 that saw the transfer of power to the United States, and it also survived conflict again during the rebellion against the new colonial power in 1899. Following the consolidation of American power, the building remained in use as the residence of the now American Governor-General. Under the American administration the complex would see gradual expansion and improvements, in particular in regard to flood mitigation.
President Quezon climbs the stairs of the Malacañang Palace for the first time
In 1935 the Malacañang Palace became the official residence of the President of the Philippine Commonwealth, following the declaration of that government, and President Manuel Quezon being the first to take that office. He would reside there through his first term, and would win the right to remain there with his reelection in 1941. His time was numbered, however, as the Japanese invasion at the end of the year led to Quezon and his government being forced to flee the capitol and eventually the Philippines themselves.
Little information is available as to what the Japanese did with the palace during the occupation. The government of the puppet President Jose Laurel did not make use of the building as a residence, instead using the Mansion House in Baguio. Scattered references refer to Malacañang as a prison for Commonwealth Government officials, but I have not found any concrete information. The Japanese Governor-Generals during the occupation also did not use the palace, instead choosing to reside in the former American High Commissioner’s residence on Dewey Boulevard.
In early 1945 US forces had landed at Lingayen and Nasugbu, and were advancing rapidly on Manila from both the north and south. As the flying columns of the US 1st Cavalry prepared to depart, orders had come from General MacArthur, instructing them that their three primary objectives were to secure the Malacañang Palace, Legislature Building and the internment camp at the University of Santo Tomas.