Bacoor, Cavite

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Municipality of Bacoor Bayan ng Bakoor/Bacoor
—  Municipality  —
Seal
Nickname(s): Cavite's Gateway To The Metropolis
Motto: Bagong Bacoor: tapat sa serbisyo, nagkakaisa para sa pagbabago! (New Bacoor: True Service, United for Change!)
Map of Cavite showing the location of Bacoor.
Country	Philippines
Region	CALABARZON (Region IV-A)
Districts	1st District of Cavite
Barangays	73
Incorporated (municipality)	September 28, 1671
Government
- Mayor	Strike Revilla (Lakas-Kampi-CMD)
- Vice Mayor	Rosette Miranda-Fernando (Lakas-Kampi-CMD)
Area
- Municipality	52.40 km2 (20.2 sq mi)
Population (2007)
- Municipality	441,197
- Density	8,420/km2 (21,807.7/sq mi)
- Urban	Metro Manila
Time zone	PST (UTC+8)
Area code(s)	46

The Municipality of Bacoor (Filipino: Bayan ng Bakoor/Bacoor) is a first class urban municipality in the province of Cavite, Philippines. It is part of the first congressional district of Cavite. A sub-urban area, the town is located approximately 16 kilometers away from Manila, on the southeastern shore of Manila Bay, at the northwest portion of the province with an area of 52.4 square kilometers. Bordered to the east by Las Piñas City and Muntinlupa City in Metro Manila, to the south is Dasmariñas, to the west are Kawit and Imus and to the north by Bacoor Bay an inlet of Manila Bay. Bacoor's is separated from Las Piñas by the Zapote River and from Imus and Kawit by Bacoor River.

Its location, southwest of Metro Manila makes Bacoor an important gateway to Metro Manila. This is further reinforced by the fact it contains the south end of the Manila-Cavite Expressway. Bacoor is among the key areas and the fastest growing municipalities in Cavite together with Imus and Dasmariñas, mainly because of their location. Two SM malls are located in Bacoor. During weekdays many residents leave the district to go their places of work in the metropolitan areas such as Manila and Makati cities.

With a population of 441,197 inhabitants, Bacoor is now the most populous municipality in the Philippines after the conversion of Dasmariñas into a city which is the former most popolous. The 2007 Census of Population conducted by the National Statistics Office. It also registered the highest average family income in Cavite in 1997 and 2000^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Barangays

Bacoor is politically subdivided into 73 barangays.

[edit] Economy

Bacoor has developed into a site of commerce. Trade, banking and the service sectors are Bacoor's primary income earners. Commercial activities are sporadic throughout the municipality ranging from wholesale to retail establishments, restaurants and eateries, hardware and construction supplies and other service-related industries, especially those located in SM City Bacoor where it serves as the town's main income earner. The mostly residential area of Molino is also home to SM Supercenter Molino at the corner of Molino Boulevard and Daang Hari. The entrance area from Coastal Road to Aguinaldo Highway in Talaba and the area surrounding the Zapote Public Market (now the Bacoor Public Market) are other commercial centers. Bacoor has branches of 11 different commercial banks all over the municipality.

Land use developments in Bacoor include a proposed industrial village in Barangay Niog which will include light cottage industries with supporting residential and commercial facilities. A vast track of land in Molino area, on the other hand, is envisioned to host residential, institutional and commercial facilities. Dubbed as the New Bacoor, the land use plan in Molino seeks to utilize the area not only as a dormitory for individuals who work in Manila but also for people who have migrated to Bacoor in search of economic advancement. The proposed urban waterfront development, which will cover a portion of the reclaimed area of Manila Bay, will be the front door of the municipality linking Bacoor to Boulevard 2000. The area will include an integrated mix of residential, business, commercical, tourism and recreational facilities. The proposed expansion of the LRT (Light Rail Transit) to wind up in Bacoor, designed to ease to flow of traffic in major thoroughfares, is another major development.

Crops, the productive area of which has lessened to only 100 hectares while fishponds which likewise decreased to almost half of the original 760 hectares. Salt production, fishing, oyster and mussel culture, which are now being threatened to near extinction because of pollution and overpopulation, are the other sources of income of the residents. These industries are also threatened by the construction of the Manila-Cavite Coastal Road Extension which will directly affect the Bacoor shoreline. The construction is not yet finished, thus affecting traffic flow in and out of Bacoor and the whole province of Cavite, as the the town serves as the gate of the province. Very heavy traffic congestion is experienced by motorists due to unjustified traffic schemes, and poor and slow road maintenance especially during rush hours when most motorists travels in and out of the province to work on the nearby cities of National Capital Region. Bacoor is currently experiencing a rapid shift from an agriculture based economy to a residential/commercial urban center.

[edit] Religion

Catholicism is the dominant religion in Bacoor, mainly due to the influx of immigrants from other places, most notably from Metro Manila.

The original inhabitants of Bacoor are mostly members of the Philippine Independent Church or "Aglipayan Church". The Aglipayan church has a long and colorful history in the town. It is one of the first Catholic congregation in the Philippines to join the new movement and then Catholic Priest Father Fortunato Clemena became the first Aglipayan Priest and as well as the first Aglipayan Bishop of Cavite through the Aglipayan Schism period. Most of the first members were Katipuneros headed by General Mariano Noriel who is also the first president of the laymen organization. Today the Aglipayans has a magnificent Cathedral in honor of its patrons saint, St. Michael, in the center of town. The Aglipayans which they are most commonly called run the Bacoor Parish School.

There is also a small population of Muslims around the Zapote area, where a local Mosque is located.

[edit] Education

A number of educational institutions are located within the vicinity of Bacoor. Some of these institutions are the following:

• AMA Computer Learning Center
• Aniban Elementary School
• Bacoor Parish School
• Bacoor Elementary School
• Bacoor Evangelical School
• Bacoor National High School
• Bacoor National High School - Gawaran Annex
• Bacoor National High School (East)
• Bacoor Parochial School of St.Michael the Archangel Inc.
• Bayanan Elementary School
• Bearer of Light and Wisdom Colleges
• Blessed Virgin Learning Center
• Casa De San Miguel Montessori School
• Cavite Christian School
• Cavite School Of Life
• Cavite School of St Mark
• Child Development and Guidance Center
• Christian Values School
• Divine Light Academy - Molino
• Divine Jesus Learning Center (Bahayang, Pag-Asa) - Molino
• Elizabeth Seton School
• Erica Learning Center
• Graceland Academy
• Gov. P.F. Espiritu Elementary School
• Harrell Horne Integrated School
• Higher Ground Academy
• Imus Computer College (ICC) - Bacoor Branch
• International School of Hotel and Restaurant Management
• Ligas Elementary School
• Mabolo Elementary School
• Maliksi Elementary School
• Mambog Elementary School
• Marvelous Faith Academy
• Mother Theresa School - Main Branch
• Palmridge School (Citta Italia Village)
• Peak Hills School
• Queen of Angels Learning Center
• Rochepol Jane Academy
• Ruther E. Esconde Tutorial and Learning Center
• Saint Alphonsus Liguori Integrated School (Molino) 2)[1]
• School of St. Mark (formerly Cavite School of St. Mark)
• San Nicolas Elementary School
• Seven Seas Academy, Inc.
• St. Dominic College of Asia
• St. Francis Institute Learning And Business High School
• St. Francis Of Assisi College (Bacoor Campus)
• St. Jerome Emiliani Institute (Bahayang Pag Asa)
• St. John Fisher School
• St. Matthew Academy of Cavite
• St. Michael's Institute
• St. Peregrine Institute
• St. Rose Learning School Inc.
• St. Thomas More Academy (Bahayang Pag Asa)
• St. Vincent de Paul College Inc.
• Statefields School Inc.
• STI College Bacoor
• Theresian School of Cavite
• University of Perpetual Help Rizal - Molino Branch
• Victorious Christian Montessori College (VCMC) - Bacoor Branch
• Waynesville Learning Center
• Woodridge College
• Young Shepherd's School

[edit] History

The house that served as the headquarters of the Philippine revolutionary government in Bacoor, Cavite in 1898.

Some accounts indicate that the town of Bacoor, also named Bakood or Bakoor (named after a species of bamboo), was founded in 1671. When the Spaniard troops arrived in "Bacoor", they met some local inhabitants in the process of building a fence around their house. The Spaniards ask the men what is the city's name, but because of the difficulties in understanding each other, the local inhabitants thought that the Spaniards were asking what they are doing. The men answered "Bakood". It was then pronounced Spanish which is "Bacoor" by the Spaniards soldiers and was soon officially called "Bacoor".

Bacoor was also the site of the Battle of Zapote Bridge in 1899 which involved Philippine and American troops. It was in this battle where Gen. Edilberto Evangelista was killed.

In the aftermath of the Philippine Revolution which coincided with the declaration of the first Philippine independence on June 12, 1898, Bacoor was designated as the first capital of the Philippine Revolutionary government by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo until it was transferred to Malolos, Bulacan. "Gargano" was then the revolutionary name assigned to Bacoor by Aguinaldo's henchmen.

[edit] Current Issues

[edit] Bacoor Cityhood Push (2005-2009)

The previous local government, led by its most recent mayor, Jessie Castillo (who served as the town mayor until June 30, 2007) aggressively pushed for the conversion of Bacoor from a municipality into an independent component city (which meant it would no longer vote for provincial officials, would no longer depend on the province for budget, and may have a separate congressional district) despite stiff opposition by people's organizations, subdivision homeowners' associations, and even the people themselves. Even Cavite's first district Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya, to whom Bacoor falls under his jurisdiction, at first refused to sponsor the cityhood bill in the House of Representatives, saying that the town is not yet ready for more complicated problems that would arise from cityhood.

As a general rule, a bill towards the cityhood of a municipality must emanate from the House of Representatives where the concerned district representative—in Bacoor's case, Abaya—should sponsor the said bill. However, the particular bill for Bacoor that Castillo is actively pushing had Party-List Reps. Rene Velarde and Hans Christian Señeres as principal sponsors..

Statistics also indicate that Bacoor is ranked fourth from among the municipalities in the Philippines in terms of liabilities in millions of pesos in 2004, with PhP147 million. It is tied with San Pedro, Laguna as first from among the towns in Region IV with such.^[1]

Castillo vowed to push for cityhood of Bacoor at all costs, but the campaign hit a snag as Abaya and the provincial government under Gov. Ayong Maliksi filed a dissenting opinion before the House Local Government committee regarding the cityhood issue, which meant further delay of its enactment since that House session ended in 2006.^[2]

It was also discovered that on August 2006, Abaya also filed his version of the cityhood bill with the other two Cavite congressmen—Reps. Gilbert and Jesus Crispin Remulla—as secondary sponsors; however, this is entirely different from the one Velarde has filed (and the one Castillo is actively supporting) as it calls for the creation of the City of Bacoor as a component city of the province.

Housebill 06422 is filed by Rep. Abaya in the 14th congress to convert the municipality of Bacoor into a component city. ^[3] That bill is still pending in the House of Representatives, while that of Dasmariñas has already been transmitted to the Senate and is already approved on third reading and is signed into law by the President (Republic Act 9723) and was ratified through a plebiscite last November 25, 2009.

Mayor Strike Revilla revived the push and around the town materials have sprouted proclaiming "Yes to Bacoor Cityhood! Now na!" Such campaign which include the town mayor's name can be found everywhere in town, on lamp posts, overpass, electric posts, flyover, highway, and even on road railings.

[edit] Lone District of the Municipality of Bacoor

In keeping with the decentralization of Cavite in the midst of increasing population by adding more congressional districts to streamline delivery of public services in the province, a bill was filed by Rep. Joseph Abaya with Cavite Reps. Pidi Barzaga and Crispin Remulla as co-authors. It aims at creating a separate congressional district for Bacoor (making it the second congressional district once the bill is signed into law). The bill is supported by Senator Panfilo Lacson, Senator Richard Gordon and Senator Ramon Bong Revilla. It was approved by the president of the Philippines as Republic Act 9727 last October 22, 2009.^[4]

[edit] 2007 Elections

The 2007 general elections is said to be one of the most bitterly contested in the history of the municipality. Three groups contended for the post: that of incumbent Mayor Strike Revilla and his running-mate, incumbent Vice Mayor Rosette Miranda-Fernando of the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino - Lakas-CMD coalition; then sitting Vice Mayor Edwin Malvar and then sitting Councilor Gertrudes Ocampo of the Liberal Party; and Minerva Gomez-Castillo and then sitting Councilor Lorenzo Nolasco of the Nacionalista Party-Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Partido Magdalo-PDSP coalition. In a close battle, it was Revilla and Miranda who emerged as the victors in the two highest posts of the town, thus leading to Malvar filing an election protest and even led to insinuations that Revilla cheated his way to victory, with the help of his brother, Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla" Jr.

However, Malvar recently withdrew his election protest against the Revilla camp in the spirit of reconciliation^[5].

[edit] Municipal Officials (2007-2010)

Strike Revilla, the incumbent mayor of Bacoor.

[edit] See also

	Manila Bay	Manila Bay	Las Piñas City
	Kawit, Cavite		Las Piñas City Muntinlupa City
		Bacoor, Cavite
	Imus, Cavite	Imus, Cavite Dasmariñas, Cavite	Muntinlupa City Dasmariñas, Cavite

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• [2]Muncipality of Bacoor
• Bacoor Information (as retreieved from Cavite.info)
• Official Website of the Provincial Government of Cavite

Coordinates: 14°27′N 120°57′E / 14.45°N 120.95°E / 14.45; 120.95