It was in the early part of the year 1871, during the Spanish regime, when Montalban was established as a town by Padre Eustaquio, a native of Pasig. Prior to that, it was just a lonely barrio belonging to the municipality of San Mateo which presently is an adjoining town. The barrio was then called “Balite” by the natives, after the wide spreading Balite Trees that stand proudly on the banks of the Montalban River. But later on, the Spaniards changed the name to “Montalban”, from the Spanish word “Monte”, meaning mountain since the town was surrounded by them.

The Sword and the Cross ruled Montalban just like any other town in the Philippines during the Spanish regime. The first chapel called “Pasong Vista” was erected on a piece of land donated by Pantaleon Cruz. Later on, it was transferred to its present location, just in front of the town’s cemetery on a land donated by Candido Domingo and Alejandra Cruz. During the revolution of 1898, it was made a fort which, unfortunately, was destroyed. Small as the town may be, the spirit of patriotism had been felt strongly within and the undying desire for freedom was greatly manifested by the town people. In 1896, just after the execution of Dr. Jose Rial at Bagumbayan, Licerio Geronimo, generally known by the town folks as General Sergio, together with Simplicio Inocentes, Gregorio Cruz, Martin Cruz, a certain Lazaro and others went to Cabanatuan to join the Katipunan, a secrets society founded by Andres Bonifacio to fight back Spanish aggressions and establish Philippine Independence. In the later part of 1896, Cipriano Reyes, a non-combatant was kidnaped and later on killed due to the hatred of the town people on suspicion that he was helping the Spaniards. In the early part of 1897, Victoriano Bautista, the last Kapitan of Montalban together Hilario Cruz was banished to Guam by the Spaniards on the suspicion of being Katipuneros, in Montalban were attacked by the Spaniards by met with heavy resistance. At times, a battle lasted the whole day and night, before the Katipuneros would retreat. Later on, peace was declared between the two opposing forces, only after the town was reduced to ashes.

With Capitan Bautista’s banishment, Montalban was again returned to the possession of San Mateo in the later part of the year 1897. In their ardent desire to live independently, the people of Montalban exerted untiring efforts to convince the municipality of San Mateo that they were capable of governing themselves. Don Eulogio Rodriguez, Sr. became the spokesman of the group and they were successful. Once again Montalban was on its own. In 1909, the question of where to set up its boundary line became a subject of dispute. The San Mateo “Presidente”, Captain Ismael Amado, firmly claimed that the boundary was just directly near the Wawa Cave. Believing that such boundary extended much further, Rodriguez bought the case to court. Through the combined efforts of Don Eulogio Rodriguez and his to most intimate colleagues Don Juan Sumulong and Atty. Mariano Melendred, the case was won. Rodriguez was then serving the first term on an elective post or “Poblacion”, Montalbeno’s constituted by quite big barrios namely Burgos, San Jose, San Rafael, San Isidro, Geronimo, Balite and Manggahan. The Leading officials from 1871 up to the Philippine Revolution were the following: 1. Capitan Maximo Francisco 2. Capitan Mariano Geronimo 3. Capitan Pablo Rodriguez 4. Capitan Catalino Calixto 5. Capitan Graciano Angeles 6. Capitan Valentin Gomez 7. Capitan Juan Torres 8. Capitan Agustin Liamzon 9. Capitan Cipriano Reyes 10. Capitan Teodoro Manuel 11. Capitan Basilio Ferrer 12. Capitan Gonzalo Bautista 13. Capitan Ciriano Domingo 14. Capitan Victoriano Bautista

From 1909 to shortly before the Japanese occupation, the following served elective posts in the municipal government: 1. Municipal President Eulogio Rodriguez, Sr. – 1909 – 1916 2. Municipal President Eusebio Manuel – 1916 – 1919 3. Municipal President Gregorio Bautista – 1919 – 1928 4. Municipal President Jose Rodriguez – 1928 – 1932 5. Municipal President Roman Reyes – 1932 – 1936 6. Municipal Mayor Jacinto Bautista – 1926 – 1940 At the outbreak of the second World War, the town was made an evacuation center until the fall Bataan and the surrender of USAFFE in April of 1942. In the middle of 1942 all the male members of the family of Eulogio Rodriguez, Sr. were taken by the Japanese and were held as prisoners. They were the first among the residents of Montalban taken in and to receive punishment from the Japanese. Eulogio Rodriguez, Sr. and Eulogio Rodriguez, Jr. were both imprisoned for six months in Fort Santiago, while the rest were released earlier.

In the later part of the same year Sotero San Juan and Isabelo Salvador were caught in possession of firearms and gasoline which then, declared contrabands. But they, too, were released later on. Then in the early part of 1943 a certain Evaristo and a certain Macario were killed by ex-Bataan veterans who were then organizing guerillas to fight the Japanese and other pro-Japanese organization like the “Ganap Party”. In the later part of the same year Isidro Salen, Vivencio Ramos, Jose Domingo, Anselmo Valdez, Isdro Ramos, Doroteo Cruz and Vicente Ramos, were taken by the Japanese Kempitai as guerilla suspects. Luckily, they were released later on due to lack of evidence. In 1944, Lt. Col. Severo Cruz, an ex-USAFFE, was taken out was soon released due, again to lack of evidence. Then in October of the same year, he together with Dr. Jose Bautista, Sergio Bautista and Dominador Cuet o were again imprisoned as guerilla suspects. This time not one of them returned.

In November, the Japanese Kempitai stationed in Marikina went to Montalban to arrest some Marikina residents hiding there and who were suspected of being guerillas. In San Jose alone around thirty were taken. All in all, there were ninety arrested. But sad to say only three were able to return. A few of those unable to return were Delfin Bautista, Teofilo Mendoza and Pacing Manuel. During that very same year so many political prisoners from other towns were shot and killed at “Paang Bundok”. By 1945, the town was fully occupied by the Japanese. Gavino Cruz and Eustaquio Rodriguez went to Manila to escape from the Japanese. Ironically, they were captured there. Later on, while trying to escape, Eustaquio Rodriguez was shot and killed while Gavino Cruz was able to save himself. Aware of the lingering threat of Japanese cruelty, the town people, little by little, left the town. In the same month of January, the public-school building, the public market, the nursery in San Jose, the church and many private houses were destroyed by the American forces who were then in the offensive. A chapel of religious sect in San Jose was hit directly by a U.S bomb Gervacio Espiritu, Fernando Bautista, Lucio Valdez, Jugo Nicolas and many others were killed. The family of Baldomero Domingo was destroyed by shrapnels. In February of 1945, the Japanese forces ordered a general evacuation of the residents. On the other, the American forces were in full offensive. Between April and June, the whole town razed to the ground by the Americans to clean the town of Japanese snipers. In July, 1945, provisional government was established with Gavino Cruz as acting mayor.