Local History

The City of Imus is a mixture of history and economic development. It is known as the Flag
Capital because the first Philippine Flag was unfurled and raised during the Battle of Alapan
held on May 28, 1898. On the other hand, it is recognized by the Department of Trade and
Industry (DTI) as the “Retail Capital” and awarded as the 3rd Most Competitive Component City
(Overall) and 2nd Most Competitive City in Economic Dynamism by the National
Competitiveness Council (NCC). It also boasts of its good leadership being a recipient of the
Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) conferred by the Department of the Interior and Local
Government.

It was proclaimed as a City on June 30, 2012 by virtue of RA 10161 which became the
accelerating point of trading, commercial and industrial activities in the locality. It is home for big
corporations like Liwayway Corporation and San Miguel – Yamamura Asia Corporation. It is
considered as one of the fast growing cities with an average annual growth rate of 22% during
the last three years. Its growth is attributed to its proximity to Manila, economic friendliness and
availability of manpower resources from its vocational school.

The Province of Cavite has been identified as a Cradle of Philippine Independence. Like
other towns in the historical province, the City of Imus has a colourful and glorious past.

From the late sixteenth century, the colonial resettlement program designed to integrate
Filipinos into the religious and political institutions of the Spaniards was implemented
across wide areas of what came to be known in 1614 as the province of Cavite. Silang
was established as a mission town in 1595, Cavite Viejo or Kawit in 1600, the port of
Cavite and San Roque in 1615, Indang in 1655, Bacoor in 1671, Maragondon in 1727,
San Francisco de Malabon in 1748, Sta Cruz de Malabon or Tanza in 1770, Imus in 1775
and Naic in 179 (MacAndrew, 1994). These towns became centers of religious and
economic activities in the first centuries of Spanish colonial rule.

Imus used to be a “visita” of Cavite Viejo, one of the oldest administrative units of Cavite.
Cavite Viejo was under the administration of the Jesuits until 1686 when the Recollects
took over Imus. Efforts were then directed in seeking emancipation from the ecclesiastical
and civil administration of Cavite Viejo, until Imus was completely liberated.

The ecclesiastical land that tied Imus to Cavite Viejo since the early part of the 17th
century was covered by the Royal Order of October 30, 1776. This Royal Decree was
considered as the first step in the creation of the Municipality of Imus. It ordered the
rebuilding of the Recollect Church and likewise a convent in Imus. The Recollects, not
contented with the religious emancipation of Imus from Cavite Viejo, sought its eventual
political separation. Imus finally became an independent municipality in 1795.

And by the end of the Spanish era, the lowlands of Cavite Province were occupied by five
(5) friar estates: Hacienda of Imus (Recollect), Hacienda of San Francisco de Malabon
(Augustinian), Hacienda of San Nicolas (Recollect), Hacienda of Sta, Cruz de Malabon
(Dominican) and Hacienda of Naic (Dominican). The development of these friar estates
was greatly resisted by the indigenous population. They perceived then that these estates
lessened their access and control of their land resources.

In Cavite, the revolt of 1896 had roots in agrarian unrest on the friar estates. As this
intensified into a rebellion against the Spaniards, the Caviteños, particularly those from
Imus, actively participated.

The historical heritage of the municipality is best exemplified by the first battle of the
revolution and the defeat of the Spanish forces. The town also stood witness to the rise
of Emilio Aguinaldo from a mere flag lieutenant to a general and an acknowledged leader
of the revolutionaries. The first flag of the revolution was unfurled and blessed in a mass
held in Imus. It was in barangay Alapan I on May 28, 1898 where the Philippine Flag,
sewn in Hongkong, was raised to commemorate a victory over the Spaniards. The Battle
of Alapan stepped up the pace of the revolution as it snatched the faltering revolution
from total collapse. This battle perked up the morale of the revolutionaries and spread
throughout the towns of Cavite and the whole of Luzon.

While the 1900s signalled the end of the Spanish era, a Second World War in 1945
resulted in great losses in the economic and social sphere. From the ruins created by the
Second World War, the need to rebuild, organize and bring back order to a town was
successfully undertaken. This marked the gradual rise of the Municipality of Imus and its
metamorphosis from a sleepy town to a very dynamic municipality.

Before the late 1970s and early 1980s, capital investment in Imus and in the whole Cavite
Province was negligible. Then in the 80s, huge capital outlays were channeled into the
municipality to effect a rapid transformation of the countryside into industrial estates,
agribusiness farms and residential subdivisions. During the period 1980-1986, Imus had
strove hard to become a first class municipality. And its efforts paid off in 1986 when the
Municipality of Imus was classified as a First Class Municipality.

The Municipality of Imus became a City on June 30, 2012 by virtue of RA 10161. To date,
the City of Imus, together with the whole Province of Cavite, is waging a second revolution
in order to regain the social, economic and political status it had attained over the past
years. This dynamic peaceful revolution is geared towards the enhancement of the
economic welfare of its people through equitable industrialization, agricultural
modernization, tourism development and balanced urbanization.