El Deposito

El Deposito
The El Deposito (lit: The Deposit) is an old

underground water reservoir in the city of
San Juan in Metro Manila, Philippines. It
was built by the Spanish authorities in
1880[1] with a capacity of 15 million
gallons to provide the residents of Manila
and its surrounding areas with an
adequate water supply.[2] The reservoir
was historically known as the site where
the onset of the Philippine Revolution
through the Battle of San Juan del Monte
took place in 1896.[1]
El Deposito
A government building at the filter-beds of El

Deposito
General information
Location Pinaglabanan Shrine,

San Juan, Metro
Manila
Country Philippines
Completed 1882
Closed Unknown
History
The El Deposito was built as part of the
Carriedo Waterworks which was built from
1878 to 1882 under the supervision of
Genaro Palacios, a Spanish engineer and
architect who also decided to use the
Marikina River as the El Deposito's water
source.[3]
The underground reservoir held military

strategic importance. During the Philippine
Revolution, the Katipunan attempted to
seize the El Deposito from Spanish
colonial authorities in the Battle of San
Juan del Monte in 1896[4] and was held by
Filipinos during the Philippine-American
war. It was used as an armory; by the
Americans during the colonial
administration, and by the Imperial
Japanese forces during their occupation
of the Philippines in World War II. It was
also used as a pulmonary hospital
specifically for tuberculosis patients and
as a firing range.[3] El Deposito was
recaptured by the Allied forces in 1945 but
later fell to disuse after the war and the
Philippine independence from the United
States.[5]
Efforts to rehabilitate the underground

reservoir began in 2016 when the
University of the Philippines
Archaeological Studies program
conducted an assessment and excavation
of the structure.[5] The National Historical
Commission of the Philippines conducted
cleaning of the El Deposito's tunnel in 2018
as a preparation for the development of
the site as a tourist destination[3] It is
planned to be open to the public in 2020.[5]
Water supply
When the El Deposito was still in use as a
water supply storage, it had a capacity of
56,000 cubic meters (2,000,000 cu ft)[3] for
300,000 people.[6] Ventilation shaft were
also utilized to keep water fresh and free
from contamination. As part of the
Carriedo waterworks system, the reservoir
also supplied water to hydrants and
fountains in Manila.[7]
As part of the Carriedo water system, the

El Deposito sources its water from the
Marikina River. Water was pumped out
from the river to the water reservoir
through a 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) cast iron
pipes which passes through the Santolan
area. The structure of the water reservoir
which situated below an elevated hill
consists of a vast central canal that is
connected to 25 smaller canals which
measure 5 meters (16 ft) high and 3
meters (9.8 ft) wide each.[5]
Cultural Property
On August 30, 1972, a marker was
installed by the National Historical
Commission of the Philippines in
recognition of the old reservoir as a
cultural property.[8] In commemoration of
the first battle of the Philippine Revolution,
the land along El Deposito was converted
into a recreational park named the
Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine and Park.[1]
References
1. "National Historical Commission of the
Philippines official website" (http://nhcp.go
v.ph/pinaglabanan-memorial-shrine/) .
Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine.
2. Ingles, Raul Rafael (2008). 1908: The Way it
Really was : Historical Journal for the UP
Centennial, 1908-2008 (https://books.googl
e.com/books?id=lGHghPeg7qIC&q=El+dep
osito) (Illustrated ed.). UP Press. p. 297.
ISBN 9789715425803.
3. Villafuerte, Din (2 March 2019). "Water runs
deep at Museo El Deposito" (https://busines
s.inquirer.net/265943/water-runs-deep-at-m
useo-el-deposito) . Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Retrieved 11 September 2019.
4. Reysio-Cruz, Matthew; Santa Cruz, Maxine
(8 July 2019). "Pinaglabanan Memorial
Shrine gets P50-M makeover" (https://news
info.inquirer.net/1138898/pinaglabanan-me
morial-shrine-gets-p50-m-makeover) .
Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved
11 September 2019.
5. Reysio-Cruz, Matthew (9 September 2019).
"El Deposito to be opened to public in 2020"
(https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1162296/el-d
eposito-to-be-opened-to-public-in-2020) .
Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved
11 September 2019.
6. Quadra-Balibay, Aurora. "Historical 19th
century Manila underground reservoir "El
Deposito" to reopen in 2020" (https://www.
msn.com/en-ph/travel/tripideas/historical-
19th-century-manila-underground-reservoir-
%E2%80%9Cel-deposito%E2%80%9D-to-reo
pen-in-2020/ar-AAH9QYF?li=BBr91nr) .
7. De Leon, Susan. "Metro Manila water
system and the story of Museo El Deposito"
(https://pia.gov.ph/features/articles/10201
02) . Philippine Information Agency.
8. National Historical Institute (Philippines)
(1993). Historical Markers: Metropolitan
Manila (https://books.google.com/books?i
d=TeNuAAAAMAAJ&q=Historical+Markers:
+national+historical+institute+philippines) .
National Historical Institute (Philippines).
p. 278. ISBN 9715380468.
Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=El_Deposito&oldid=1142647482"
This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at

16:26 (UTC). •
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El Deposito

The El Deposito (lit: The Deposit) is an old

A government building at the filter-beds of El

Location Pinaglabanan Shrine,

The underground reservoir held military

Efforts to rehabilitate the underground

As part of the Carriedo water system, the

This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at

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