Las Piñas was one of the earliest fishing settlements on the shores of Manila Bay and was proclaimed a town either in the year 1762 or 1797. Its exact date of creation cannot be given because historical records vary. Cavada, a Spanish historian and Fr. Juan Medina placed it at
1762 while Buzeta recorded the date at 1797.
Besides being famous for its Bamboo Organ, which was built by Fr. Diego Cera and completed in 1824, the town of Las Piñas was also a major site during the 1896 Philippine Revolution, as it was occupied by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo's forces. It was also occupied by the Japanese during the Second World War.
In 1901, the Municipality of Las Piñas was incorporated in the newly created province of Rizal pursuant to Philippine Commission Act No. 137. Two years later, it was combined with Parañaque, the latter being the seat of a new municipal government.
It became a separate municipality from Parañaque on March 27, 1907 by virtue of Philippine Commission Act No. 1625. Then, with the founding of the Metropolitan Manila Area (now Metro Manila) in 1976, Las Piñas became one of the municipalities comprising the region.
On February 12, 1997, President Fidel V. Ramos signed the bill declaring Las Piñas a new city. A plebiscite held a month after found the residents in approval of cityhood and Las Piñas became the 10th city of Metro Manila on March 26, 1997.
The City Name
The story about the true origin of the city's name, "Las Piñas", varies. Some said that traders from the province of Cavite and Batangas shipped first their pineapples for sale in this town before they are distributed in the nearby markets. Others related that it was "Las Penas" (not Las Piñas) evident by the quarrying of stones and adobe which were used to construct buildings and bridges.
The name could have also originated from two political groups that ruled the place at that time. But an inscription in an old church bell that has been preserved inside the museum of the Las Piñas Parochial Church, stated "Siendo Cura-del Pueblo de las Penas el M.R.P. Padre Diego Cera se Fundio este equilon ano de 1820". It shows that even during the time of Fr. Diego Cera, the towns first parish priest, the town has been called "Las Penas" until after sometime that the spelling of the town's name was changed into "Las Piñas"
Las Piñas City - Salt Center Of Metro Manila
Description
The city of Las Piñas is famous for the Bamboo Organ, praised for its unique, rare, and melodious sound. The unique bamboo organ can only be found inside the St. Joseph Church of the Parish of Las Piñas. It was in the year 1822 that the construction of this one-of-a-kind musical instrument started; it was completed in 1824. Fr. Diego Cera initiated building this organ using bamboo, wood, and metal. Yearly, a Bamboo Organ Festival is being held at the Parish during the month of February.
Las Piñas has also come to be known as a major site of Philippine revolts. During the Philippine-Spanish revolution of 1896, it was occupied by the forces of General Emilio Aguinaldo, President of the First Philippine Republic. Similarly, the city, then only a town, figured prominently during the World War II.
Beliefs on the true origin of the town's name vary. Some say it is derived from the word "Piña", meaning pineapple, since traders from the provinces of Cavite and Batangas shipped their pineapples for sale first to this town before the nearby markets. Others believe that the name was really "Las Penas", owing to the quarrying of stones and adobe, which were used to construct buildings and bridges. The name could also have originated from the two political groups that ruled the town at that time.
An inscription in an old church bell, which has been preserved inside the museum of the Las Piñas Parochial Church, states, "Siendo Cura-del Pueblo de Las Peñas el M.R.P. Padre Diego Cera se Fundio este equilon ano de 1820". It shows that, as early as during the time of Fr. Diego Cera, the town's first parish priest, the town had been called : Las Peñas“ until after sometime that the town's name was somehow changed to "Las Piñas".
Geography
Las Piñas City is bounded on the north and northeast by the city of Parañaque; on the east and southeast by the city of Muntinlupa; on the south by the municipality of Imus, Cavite; on the southwest and west by the municipality of Bacoor, Cavite; and on the northwest by the scenic Manila Bay. It occupies a total land area of 41.54 sq. kilometers.
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