Carmona (), officially the City of Carmona (), is a component city in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the , it has a population of people.
Carmona is the youngest city in the Philippines, having attained cityhood on July 8, 2023. It is the 149th city created in the country.
Etymology By virtue of a decree issued on February 20, 1857, by Queen Isabella II of Spain through Governor General Fernándo Norzagaray y Escudero, Latag became a separate municipality with the name it bears today: Carmona, named after the city of the same name in the province of Seville, Spain.
History Early history Carmona was formerly a settlement called Latag, which was annexed to the town of Silang upon the latter's creation in 1595. The origins of its name are unknown. In 1856, the settlement's inhabitants demanded the conversion of Latag into a town, spearheaded by Tiburcio Purificacion.
Carmona history started with three brothers who came to the land of Carmona, which was at the time called Labac.
Spanish colonial era In 1595, Silang was established as a town. The former sitio of Labac became Barrio Latag, while Carmona remained part of Silang. This was typical of the early Spanish period, when Silang's jurisdiction included areas that are now separate municipalities, such as Indang, San Francisco de Malabon (now General Trias), and Maragondon.
On March 9, 1746, a decree determined the boundaries of Silang and Biñan signed by Mayor Pedro Calderon Enriquez.
On November 15, 1759, two years after securing the independence of Carmona, the principales requested the Governor of Cavite for the reversal of the Canon on communal lands after constructing their own public buildings and irrigation works.
In 1838, the movement of the inhabitants of Latag to become a town started.
On February 20, 1857, due to its distance from the mother town, the principales and the incumbent Cabeza de Barangay of Barrio Latag petitioned for its separation and conversion into a municipality. The new town was named Carmona, after a town in the Spanish province of Seville.
On April 16, 1857, boundaries between Silang and Carmona were set.
On September 15, 1859, the inhabitants of Carmona returned to managing and ownership of communal lands.
On January 22, 1864, the incumbent gobernadorcillo and principales of Carmona petitioned higher authorities for the abolition of the repartimiento of the communal lands triennially.
In 1872, the communal lands were sold at public auction, which was opposed two years later by Don Gaspar Espiritu in a communication to the Superior Civil Governor.
On October 25, 1874, an event of great significance to the people of Carmona was a strong typhoon, which wrought considerable damage to the public works and private property.
On July 6, 1881, seven years later, the principales of Carmona requested the rectification of the town's boundaries.
During the Philippine Revolution in 1896, the gobernadorcillo of Carmona was Kapitan Damian Ermitano after the administrations of Tiburcio Purificacion, Mariano Mapanoo and Donald C. Virtucio, Augusto Manaog and Fabian Tenedero.
American occupation After the revolution and the occupation of the country by the Americans in 1901, the first local executive of Carmona was Martin Reyes, who was followed next by Marcelo Reyes, Prudencio Torres, Juan Alumia, Estanislao Paular, Marciano Mapanoo, and Juan Zamora.
In 1941, the inhabitants of Carmona renewed the demand for "homestead" land.
Philippine independence The mayors who assumed office after World War II were Bernardo Hebron, Eulalio Reyes and Cesar Casal and Felino L. Maquinay.
In 1959, the district of San Gabriel and San Jose of Barangay Kabilang Baybay were purchased by the National Government for the relocation of squatters from Metro Manila.
On March 14, 1981, the relocation site, which teemed with people from almost every part of the country and was more popularly known as the resettlement area, became an independent municipality called General Mariano Alvarez.
According to research conducted in 1982, by Sangguniang Bayan members Ernesto Zamora, Salvador P. Manahan, Pio Purificacion, Narciso Levardo, and Romy Laurito, assisted by Municipal Secretary Rogelio D. Paular, it was found out that the history of Carmona began during the 15th century. As related by a reliable informant, three brothers coming from the mountain of Silang were said to be the first settlers in the place which was then called "Latag", a Tagalog word for "plain" due to the numerous hills and plains in the area. The settlement was not known to other residents of Silang until some of them also went down to the place, cleared some forest areas and established their residence.
Cityhood
On June 30, 2022, House Bill No. 108 was filed by Cavite's 5th congressional district representative and former Carmona mayor Roy Loyola for the conversion of the municipality of Carmona into a component city. It was substituted with House Bill No. 3968 filed on August 24, 2022.
On September 5, 2022, the measure was approved by the House of Representatives on final reading. It was transmitted and received by the Senate on September 6, 2022. On January 30, 2023, the Senate approved the bill on third and final reading.
Republic Act No. 11938, a law which will convert Carmona into a component city, was signed by President Bongbong Marcos on February 23, 2023.
A plebiscite was held on July 8, 2023 in 116 clustered precincts across ten voting centers; at least half of more than 58 thousand voters participated.Post from CNN Philippines' Twitter account, July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023. By virtue of Republic Act No. 11938, Carmona became Cavite's eighth city after the cityhood law was ratified.
Geography Carmona is located on the easternmost part of the province of Cavite, south of Manila, from the provincial capital Imus, and from Biñan. It is bounded on the north, east and south by the City of Biñan, Municipality of General Mariano Alvarez (GMA) on the north-west and Silang on the south-west. The geographic coordinates of Carmona are about 14.32° latitude and 121.06° longitude.
The topography of Carmona is generally flat to strongly rolling or sloping, partly lowland and partly hill. Carmona is divided into four physiographical areas: the lowest lowland area, the lowland area, the central hilly area and the upland mountainous area.
The city is also within the path of a fault line, the Valley Fault System which starts from the Sierra Madre mountains.http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/images/active/Hazard%20Maps/Active%20Fault%20Maps/Valley_fault_maps/metro_manila_q.pdf
Barangays Carmona is politically subdivided into 14 barangays, as indicated in the matrix below and the image herein. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios. The seat of government is in Barangay 4.
NameArea PopulationCoordinatesMap BancalBarangay 1Barangay 2Barangay 3Barangay 4Barangay 5Barangay 6Barangay 7Barangay 8Cabilang BaybayLanticMabuhayMaduyaMilagrosa
Land area With a total land area of , Carmona represents 2.17% of the total land area of the province. These areas are currently occupied by 14 barangays of which 7 are considered Poblacion barangays and 7 others are regular barangays. Barangay Lantic is the largest area while Barangay 2 has the smallest area.
Climate Carmona has a Type I climate characterized by two pronounced seasons: dry from November to April and wet during rest of the year. Maximum rainfall usually occurs from June to September. The average annual rainfall is with a peak of in August.
The average annual temperature is . The highest temperature occurs during the month of May while the lowest occurs during the month of January.
The predominant wind direction comes from the south-west during the month of June to September and from the north-west during the month of October to January, while from February to April, the wind is coming from the southeast, predominantly in the month of May.
The average humidity of Carmona is 81%. This makes the city cooler than Metro Manila proper where the average humidity is higher.
Soil properties The eastern side of Cavite consists of Carmona clay loam with streaks of Carmona clay loam steep phase and Carmona sandy clay loam. This type of soil is granular with tuffaceous material and concretions. It is hard and compact when dry, sticky and plastic when wet. This type of soil is planted with rice with irrigation or sugarcane without irrigation. Fruit trees such as mango, avocado and citrus are also grown in this type of soil.
Mineral resources Cavite coastal areas have marl and conglomerate sedimentary rocks and some igneous rocks which are prominent in the high, mountainous regions of the western part of the province. Carmona reserves and deposits of sand, clay and gravel materials are found in Sitio Ulong Tubig, Mabuhay.
Demographics
In the 2024 census, the population of Carmona was 112,140 people, with a density of .
In the 2010 census, Carmona had a total population of 74,986 which represented a total number of households at 14,885.Demography | Carmona Cavite, Philippines
Population density The highest densities are found in the Poblacion area (Barangays 1 to 8) and Barangays Milagrosa and Maduya, where land areas are significantly lower than the other barangays. Barangay Lantic posted development of the Kuok Property within the Lantic area; it is expected that the density will increase within the ten-year period.
Population distribution Carmona's population is concentrated in Barangays 1 to 8 at the Poblacion area. Barangay Lantic is the most populated barangay, which posted a total population of 24,721. Dense population is also found in Barangay 9, the central business district of the municipality. Most population catalysts such as banks, town center, and commercial establishments are found in the Poblacion area.
Language
The main language spoken is Tagalog. In some areas they speak Chabacano or Chavacano, sometimes referred to by linguists as Philippine Creole Spanish, a Spanish-based creole language spoken in the Philippines. English is considered as the second language and is widely used as medium of communication in business and higher education. Other Philippine languages spoken are Waray, Bicolano, Cebuano, Ilokano, Pangasinense, and Hiligaynon. Chinese and Spanish are also spoken by some local residents.
Religion The majority of inhabitants are composed of Roman Catholics, Protestants, and other non-denominational groups.
Economy
Cottage industries include metal works, metalcraft, footwear industries, concrete products, tricycle assembly, rattan handicrafts, and bakeries. Manufacturing firms engaged in handicraft (bags and shoes), furniture making, business retailing, personal and business services, and food-based enterprises contribute to the municipality's trade and commerce. Mercantile activities in the municipality are concentrated in the Poblacion area and along Governor's Drive. Carmona has been classified as a first-class municipality since July 1996, brought about by industrialization, real estate development, and commercial activities.
Carmona's progress accelerated after the conversion of more than of farmlands into industrial areas in 1998. Garment industries, steel fabrication, microchips and semi-conductors, tool fabrication, bus assembly, bulb factories, die casting, and other small and medium-scale industries currently operate in the municipality. These investments continue to provide local employment, generate export earnings, increase municipal revenues, and serve as vehicles for technology transfer. Foreign investments are pouring in as export-oriented industries continue to flourish.