Imus (), officially the City of Imus (), is a component city and de jure capital of the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the , it has a population of people.
It is the de jure capital of the province of Cavite, located south of Metro Manila, when President Ferdinand Marcos decreed the transfer of the seat of the provincial government from Trece Martires on June 11, 1977. However, most offices of the provincial government are still located in Trece Martires. Imus was officially converted into a city following a referendum on June 30, 2012.
Imus was the site of two major Katipunero victories during the Philippine Revolution against Spain. The Battle of Imus was fought on September 3, 1896, and the Battle of Alapan, on May 28, 1898, the day when the first Philippine flag was flown making Imus the "Flag Capital of the Philippines." Both events are celebrated annually in the city. The Imus Historical Museum honors the city's history with historical reenactment of scenes from the revolution.
Etymology The name Imus comes from Tagalog imos or imus, meaning "cape" or "headland."
History
Early history
Like Cavite City (originally called Cavite La Punta) and Noveleta (La Tierra Alta), Imus used to be a part of Cavite el Viejo (now Kawit), whose parish church was built by the Jesuits during the administration of Archbishop Miguel Garcia Serrano, 1618–1629. For more than a century and a half the people of Imus had to endure walking or traveling of dirt road to attend religious services or transact official business in the city proper. The difficulty of communication between Imus and Cavite el Viejo was a long-standing complaint of the Imuseños until another religious order, the Augustinian Recollects, as a consequence of the British occupation of Manila in 1762, established a parish church in Imus, in what is now known as Bayang Luma.
However, the church site was far from the estate house of the hacienda acquired in 1686 by the Recollect Corporation, and when the church was destroyed by the strong typhoon of September 1779, the Recollect Friars transferred it to barrio Toclong, and finally to sitio de Balangon, now the city plaza of Imus.
With the establishment of the Recollect parish the people of Imus gained their religious emancipation from the Jesuit-run parish of Cavite el Viejo. In 1774, Recollect Fr. Pedro San Buenaventura petitioned the government to "separate the inquilinos (tenants) of Imus from the political jurisdiction of the government of "Cavite el Viejo". After a considerable time of waiting, the petition was granted and Imus became an independent municipality on October 3, 1795. The 1818 Spanish census showed the area had 2,033 native families and 125 Spanish-Filipino families.(564)
On May 28, 1898, Imus gained its independence from Spanish colonial rule after the last remaining stronghold of forces from the Spanish empire had been defeated in the Battle of Alapan as headed by General Emilio Aguinaldo. This battle led to the Philippine Declaration of Independence in Kawit on June 12, 1898. The modern flag of the Philippines was first unfurled in victory during this battle as they march their way to the present day Cavite City, together with the captured forces of Spain.
In commemoration of the event, a Battle of Alapan marker was constructed inside the compound of Alapan Elementary School on May 28, 1998, and was inaugurated by President Fidel V. Ramos. Although on May 28, 2014, a new marker and the Imus National Heritage Park were inaugurated at Barangay Alapan 2-A to make the initially constructed marker more accessible to the public.
On October 15, 1903, the Philippine Commission enacted Act No. 947, merging the adjacent towns of Bacoor and Perez-Dasmariñas with Imus. Bacoor was later separated from Imus in 1906, followed by Perez-Dasmariñas in 1917.
Modern history On June 11, 1977, then President Ferdinand Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 1163, which transferred the provincial capital of Cavite from Trece Martires to Imus. There is no other enabling law after that, that specifies the capital of Cavite"Quick Facts" . Cavite Province Official Website. Retrieved on August 25, 2012.
On May 28, 2008, National Flag Day, the city celebrated the First Wagayway Festival (Flag-Waving Festival) signifying the very first unfurling of the Flag of the Philippines during the Battle of Alapan on May 28, 1898, against the Spanish colonizers. The battle was a major victory for General Emilio Aguinaldo (later the first president of the Philippine Republic) during the Philippine Revolution, which eventually led to the Philippine Declaration of Independence from Spain on June 12, 1898, in nearby Kawit.
The five-day event was highlighted by the historical reenactment of events from the sewing of the flag by Filipino exiles in Hong Kong, the Battle of Alapan, to the defeat of the Filipinos by the American troops silencing the dreams of an independent Philippines. The reenactment included students, city employees and barangay officials.
The festival was launched by then mayor, Emmanuel Maliksi, who reminded the people that the core of the celebration is love and respect for the Philippine flag, which symbolizes freedom and love for the country. Among the guests present was the former Prime Minister of the Philippines, Cesar Virata, who is a grandnephew of General Emilio Aguinaldo.Sauler, Erika (June 2, 2008). "First Wagayway Festival marks Imus as RP flag capital" . Global Nation. Retrieved on 2012-06-02.
Lone District of Imus A bill was filed by Representative Joseph Abaya with co-authors Congressman Pidi Barzaga and Crispin Remulla creating the municipality of Imus as a lone Legislative districts of the Philippines. The bill was supported by Senator Panfilo Lacson, Senator Dick Gordon and Senator Bong Revilla. On October 22, 2009, Republic Act 9727 was approved by the President of the Philippines creating the lone District Imus as the "Third District of Cavite"."House Bill No. 4254". Senate of the Philippines. Retrieved on June 6, 2012.
Cityhood
During the 10th Congress (1995–1998), a House Bill (HB) no. 08960 was filed by Congressman Renato P. Dragon together with the other cityhood bills for Bacoor (HB 08959) and Dasmariñas (HB 08931). The bills did not pass the Congress. Congressman Erineo Maliksi filed House Bill no. HB01989"House Bill no. 01989 . Philippine House of the Representatives. Retrieved on June 6, 2012. on August 3, 2010, which created the city of Imus. The bill was enacted into law as Republic Act No. 10161."Republic Act no. 10161". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved on May 31, 2012. The plebiscite required to ratify the conversion of the municipality of Imus into a component city was scheduled June 30, 2012. Republic Act No. 10161 was ratified by the registered voters of Imus through a plebiscite conducted on that day, converted the municipality of Imus in the Province of Cavite into a component city to be known as the City of Imus. There were about 22,742 voters who cast their ballots in the town's 453 polling precincts. The "yes" votes won overwhelmingly getting 20,438 while the "no" votes got 2,304.
Geography Topography
Imus covers a land total area of or , approximately 6.8% of the total land area of the province of Cavite, which is The almost rectangular inland city of Cavite is bounded by the municipalities of Kawit and Noveleta to the north, and General Trias to the west; by the cities of Bacoor to the east and Dasmariñas to the south."Cities and Municipalities". Cavite Provincial Website. Retrieved on June 30, 2012.
The city is located near the Metropolitan Manila area, just south of Manila. With the continuous expansion of Metro Manila, this local government unit is now included in the Greater Manila area, which reaches Lipa City in its southernmost part.
Climate
Barangays
Imus is politically subdivided into 97 barangays, as indicated below and the image herein. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
These barangays are grouped into two local and national electoral districts officially called Imus West and Imus East, which are represented in the Congress by their respective representatives and city council by their respective councilors. In 1998, the town was composed of 21 barangays; these former barangays were further subdivided to make the current collection of 97.
Barangays that have been subdivided retain the original name, with distinctions made using letters or numbers. For example, names ending in numbers, such as Medicion 1, are subdivided with capital letters (Medicion 1-A, Medicion 1-B, etc.), while names ending in letters, like Bucandala or Bayan Luma, are distinguished by numbers (Bucandala 1, Bayan Luma 2, etc.). The exceptions to this system are Barangay Buhay na Tubig and the barangays within the Bahayang Pag-asa Subdivision—Mariano Espeleta I to III, Pinagbuklod, Magdalo, Maharlika, and Bahayang Pag-asa (later renamed Bagong Silang).
District I
Alapan I-A Alapan I-B Alapan I-C Alapan II-A Alapan II-B Bucandala I Bucandala II Bucandala III Bucandala IV Bucandala V Carsadang Bago I Carsadang Bago II Malagasang I-A Malagasang I-B Malagasang I-C Malagasang I-D Malagasang I-E Malagasang I-F Malagasang I-G Malagasang II-A Malagasang II-B Malagasang II-C Malagasang II-D Malagasang II-E Malagasang II-F Malagasang II-G Medicion I-A Medicion I-B Medicion I-C Medicion I-D Medicion II-A Medicion II-B Medicion II-C Medicion II-D Medicion II-E Medicion II-F Pag-asa I Pag-asa II Pag-asa III Poblacion I-A Poblacion I-B Poblacion I-C Poblacion II-A Poblacion II-B Poblacion III-A Poblacion III-B Poblacion IV-A Poblacion IV-B Poblacion IV-C Poblacion IV-D Toclong I-A Toclong I-B Toclong I-C Toclong II-A Toclong II-B
District II
Anabu I-A Anabu I-B Anabu I-C Anabu I-D Anabu I-E Anabu I-F Anabu I-G Anabu II-A Anabu II-B Anabu II-C Anabu II-D Anabu II-E Anabu II-F Bagong Silang (Bahayang Pag-asa) Bayan Luma I Bayan Luma II Bayan Luma III Bayan Luma IV Bayan Luma V Bayan Luma VI Bayan Luma VII Bayan Luma VIII Bayan Luma IX Buhay na Tubig Magdalo Maharlika Mariano Espeleta I Mariano Espeleta II Mariano Espeleta III Palico I Palico II Palico III Palico IV Pasong Buaya I Pasong Buaya II Pinagbuklod Tanzang Luma I Tanzang Luma II Tanzang Luma III Tanzang Luma IV (Southern City) Tanzang Luma V Tanzang Luma VI
Demographics
In the 2024 census, the population of Imus was 481,949 people, with a density of .
Religion The majority of the inhabitants of Imus are Christian, composed mostly of Catholics, Protestants, Members Church of God International, Aglipayans, and of other various sects. There is also sizable population of Muslims due to the influx of migrants from Mindanao.
Imus is the see of the Diocese of Imus, which is coterminous with the province. Imus Cathedral, which is under the patronage of the canonically-crowned Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Imus (Our Lady of the Pillar of Imus), is the seat of the Bishop of the Diocese of Imus. The city served as the host diocese during the 5th Asian Youth Day on November 20–27, 2009.
Economy
Imus is the foremost banking center of Cavite with numerous financial institutions and also an excellent banking infrastructure is being propagated by the present government to spearhead the development of the city. The city of Imus has shown a steady rise in its income earning a 1st class income classification in 1986. Its land area serves as home to a population of 195,482. In 1993, Imus had 1,369 commercial establishments, 200 manufacturing establishments and 41 financial institutions. Ten years hence, it has 6,636 licensed business establishments that include 4,376 commercial establishments, 300 manufacturing establishments and 190 financial institutions.