Dasmariñas City celebrates 150th Foundation Anniversary

Dasmariñas City – July 5, 2017. Located in the commercial district of Cavite Province, Dasmariñas City celebrates the 150^th foundation of its city and parish.

The celebration of the Holy Mass started at 5:00 PM with his Eminence, Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, DD, as main celebrant and homilist. Together with him were Bishop Pedro Arigo, DD, Bishop Emeritus of the Vicariate of Puerto Princesa, Bishop Manuel Sobreviñas, DD, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Imus, and Very Rev. Fr. Dionsio Q. Selma, OAR, prior provincial of the Augustinian Recollect Province of St. Ezekiel Moreno, and a good number of concelebrating priests. Present were various parish organizations and religious congregations.   Government officials graced also the occasion.

During the Spanish colonial period, the city of Dasmariñas formerly belonged to the Augustinian Recollect Hacienda known as “Hacienda de San Juan Bautista de Imus” and it was called Perez-Dasmariñas. The inhabitants of the town were tenants of the Imus Hacienda.

Pérez-Dasmariñas originated from the mother town, Imus. In 1866, a group of nipa houses belonging to the barrios of Imus – Malagasag, Salitrán, Salacay, Paliparan, Malinta and Nancaan – were relocated and regrouped in a reducción (settlement) in barrio Tampus. This barrio was selected as the original site of the town of Pérez-Dasmariñas. It was here that the relocated residents elected their own gobernadorcillo and other local officials. When the physical organization of the residents was accomplished, the settlement was elevated to a civil town in 1867. The town was named after the Gomez Pérez Dasmariñas, governor-general of the Philippines (a. 1590-1593). That same year, i.e., 1867, the town became a canonical parish under the pastoral care of the Augustinian Recollects. The parish church and convent were constructed of stones and bricks, and the town’s patroness is La Inmaculada Concepción.