Brief history of tanning industry in Meycauayan

The tanning industry began in the Philippines in 1903 and was first established in Meycauayan, Bulacan. It was believed that Chinese craftsmen started the primitive way of tanning leather in the province. Most of these firms are in Meycauayan, making it the seat of the tanning industry in the Philippines. Not only is Meycauayan accessible to raw materials (hides and skins from Metro-Manila), it is also near the market for finished leather, that is, footwear in Marikina, leather goods in Metro Manila and sub-urbs, and the export processing zone in Bataan. A few tanneries are located in the towns of Valenzuela, Guiguinto and the nearby towns of Navotas and Malabon.

            During the 50's and 60's, majority of the tanneries were located in Barangays Banga, Bancal and Hulo. In the 70's, the Municipality of Meycauayan declared Barangay Tugatog as an industrial site for tanneries because of the cheap cost of land and its accessibility to rivers and creeks for waste disposal.

            There are different kinds of tanneries here on Meycauayan. There are large sized firms of tanneries that process more than two tons of raw skins/ hides per day. Next are medium sized firms that process 200 kilograms to two tons per day and the other are small sized firms that commonly process semi- finished leather and sell it to larger size tanneries that process it to finished leather goods.