Las Piñas

Las Piñas was one of the earliest fishing settlements on the shores of Manila Bay. It was proclaimed as a province of Manila either in 1762 or 1797. Agustin,[6] a Spanish historian, and Fr. Juan de Medina[7] placed it at 1762. Las Piñas was formerly called "Las Pilas" due to its separation from Parañaque due to tribal conflicts. On the other hand, Manuel Buzeta recorded the date at 1797.[8] Felix Timbang was the first gobernadorcillo in 1762 while Mariano Ortiz was the first municipal president of the town of Las Piñas.[9]

Las Piňas is famous for its Bamboo Organ, which was built by Fr. Diego Cera and completed in 1824. In 1880, the city experienced an outbreak of cholera and smallpox leading to the loss of many lives. Years later, Las Piňas also became a central battleground between Spanish and Philippine forces during the Philippine Revolution.[10]

The town of Las Piñas was also a major war theater during the 1896 Philippine Revolution, as it was occupied by forces of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. Las Piñas was occupied by the Japanese during World War II and liberated by the combined American and Filipino forces.

In 1901, the municipality of Las Piñas was separated from Manila and incorporated to the newly created province of Rizal pursuant to the Philippine Commission Act No. 137. Two years later, in accordance with Act No. 942, it was combined with the town of Parañaque, with the latter as the seat of a new municipal government.

It was separated from Parañaque to become an independent municipality again on 27 March 1907 by virtue of Philippine Commission Act No. 1625. On 7 November 1975, through Presidential Decree No. 824, Las Piñas was excised from the province of Rizal to form Metro Manila. Las Piñas became one of the municipalities making up the region.

In the 1980s, economic growth erupted due to the advent of the construction of Coastal Road. Las Piñas currently serves as the proper gateway to Calabarzon.[10]

On 12 February 1997, President Fidel V. Ramos signed the bill which elevated Las Piñas from municipality into a city. A plebiscite held a month after approved the city status by its residents, and Las Piñas became the 10th city of Metro Manila on 26 March 1997.[11] The current mayor of Las Piñas is Imelda Aguilar, wife of previous city's mayor, Vergel "Nene" Aguilar.

In 2020, the city and the entire metropolitan Manila was placed under community quarantine for one month starting March 15 due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

The native language of Las Piñas is Tagalog, but the majority of the residents can understand and speak English.

People in Las Pinas are mainly Roman Catholic. Catholic churches in Las Pinas are under the control of the Diocese of Parañaque

Other religions in Las Pinas includes various Protestant denominations, Jehovah's Witnesses, Iglesia Ni Cristo, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam.

Las Piñas is divided into 20 barangays. These barangays are grouped into two legislative districts, each with its own set of representatives in the city council. District 1 comprises the northwestern half of the city while District 2, the remaining half.

Political map of Las Piñas

• ABE – Las Piñas Campus
• Bernardo College
• Centro Escolar Las Piñas
• Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas, a local college that offers Bachelor of Science in Accountancy and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Major in Marketing Management, Financial Management and Human Resource Development Management) to deserving Las Piñeros.
• Dr. Filemon C. Aguilar Memorial College of Las Piñas – IT Campus, a local college that offer diploma courses like Computer Programming, Visual Graphics Design and Animations. It also offers Bachelor's Degrees like Bachelor of Science Major in Information Systems and Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering.
• Philippine Merchant Marine School – Las Piñas Campus (Main)
• AMA Computer College, Las Piñas
• STI College, Las Piñas
• Saint Francis of Assisi College
• Southville International School and Colleges
• University of Perpetual Help System DALTA
• APEC Schools Las Piñas

• Las Piñas City National Science High School
• Las Piñas National High School Almanza
• Las Piñas East National High School – Verdant
• Las Piñas East National High School – Equitable Village Annex II
• Las Piñas East National High School – Talon Village Annex II
• Las Piñas National High School
• Las Piñas National High School – Gatchalian Annnex
• Las Piñas City Technical-Vocational High School (Formerly Rizal Experimental Station and Pilot School of Cottage Industries – Las Piñas)
• Las Piñas City National Senior High School – Doña Josefa Campus
• Las Piñas City National Senior High School – Talon Dos Campus
• Las Piñas City National Senior High School – CAA Campus
• Las Piñas City National Senior High School – Manuyo Campus
• Las Piñas National High School – Senior High School
• CAA National High School
• CAA National High School – Annex
• Golden Acres National High School
• Las Piñas North National High School
• T.S. Cruz High School

• Almanza Baptist Christian Academy
• Augustinian Abbey School
• Bloomfield Academy Center for Science and Technology
• Centro Escolar Las Piñas
• Divine Light Academy
• Saint Joseph's Academy
• St. Rose of Lima (Las Piñas) School Inc.
• Elizabeth Seton School
• Westfield Science-Oriented School and Colleges https://www.wsos.edu.ph
• APEC Schools (Affordable Private Education Center) https://www.apecschools.edu.ph/
• Father Angelico Lipani School- Annex
• Mary Immaculate Parish Special School
• Operation Brotherhood Montessori Center
• Merry Treasure School

Las Piñas is part of the route of the extension of the LRT Line 1, the South Extension Project.[19] The actual construction officially started on Tuesday, 7 May 2019[20] because the Right-of-way is "free and clear" from obstructions. Once it is completed, Las Piñas will be served by the LRT Line 1 through the Las Piñas station and Zapote station.[19] The whole extension is expected to be finished by the end of 2021.[21]

Map of Las Piñas

Alabang-Zapote Road (N411) in 2011. The road continually suffers from perennial traffic congestion resulting from increasing traffic.

The road network of Las Piñas are radial in nature, and primarily relies on the Alabang–Zapote Road (N411), which serves as the city's road network backbone. The Manila-Cavite Expressway (formerly Coastal Road, and numbered E3), a toll expressway serves as the major traffic route towards Manila. Daang Hari, which hugs near the boundary with Muntinlupa, and the Aguinaldo Highway (N62) are the major traffic routes toward Cavite. The Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway (MCX), that leads to South Luzon Expressway, supplements Daang Hari as an alternate to the congested Alabang-Zapote Road over Alabang and Ayala Alabang in Muntinlupa.

The road network in Las Piñas suffers from traffic jams, especially on the primary artery, Alabang-Zapote Road, which carried more than 70,000 vehicles daily as of 2016. Public transport, like buses and jeepneys, fill up Alabang-Zapote Road, therefore causing further congestion. The city government petitioned the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to suspend issuing of franchises on bus and jeepneys routes that uses Alabang-Zapote Road.

The Las Piñas Friendship Route network serves as the alternate routes on the congested routes, but motorists have to obtain and display a sticker on their vehicle to use these routes, as most roads of the network are located in privately owned subdivisions (gated communities), like BF Homes, Pilar Village, and BF Resort.

Jeepneys and buses form the major public transport system, and most of their routes follow the Alabang-Zapote Road. Most jeepneys through Las Piñas travel between Alabang and Zapote, within the city, or Baclaran, in Parañaque. Buses usually form routes between Alabang or SM Southmall and destinations in Manila. Buses and jeepneys are blamed for the worsening congestion on Alabang-Zapote Road.

The Las Piñas Historical Corridor Project was a program laid to restore the Old Town of Las Piñas. It was launched at the Malacañan Heroes' Hall on 13 November 1997. The project aims to educate the people of Las Piñas along the tourist corridor.[22] 19 structures were included along the historical corridor:

• Boundary Arc
• Bulwagang Ezekiel Moreno
• Santuario de San Ezekiel Moreno
• Police and Fire Station
• Public Library
• Plaza Quezon – designated as the Freedom Park in the City of Las Piñas by City Ordinance No. 700-06, Series of 2006. This was in accordance with Section 15 of Batas Pambansa Blg. 880, otherwise known as the "Public Assembly Act of 1985".[24]
• Central Elementary School
• E. Aldana Police Station
• Fr. Diego Cera Bridge
• Historical and Cultural Museum
• Las Piñas Fish Port
• Irasan Center
• Las Piñas Manpower Youth Council – TESDA Building
• Zapote Police Station
• Las Piñas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center
• Zapote Bridge
• Barangay Hall of Zapote
• Centennial Flyover
• Molino Dam

The town fiesta of Las Piñas is celebrated every first Sunday of May each year to honor its patron saint, Saint Joseph. Saint Joseph's Day celebration is centered in St. Joseph Parish Church in the old poblacion of Las Piñas in Barangay Daniel Fajardo on Padre Diego Cera Ave. (Quirino Ave.). Las Piñas was also the home of Mary Immaculate Parish Church, popularly known as the Nature Church, designed by Architect Francisco "Bobby" Mañosa.[25]

Las Piñas is also home to unique festivals such as:

• International Bamboo Organ Festival – a music festival held in February celebrating the music of the unique Bamboo Organ with performances by local and foreign classical artists[26]
• Waterlily Festival – every 27 July[27]
• "Parol" or Lantern Festival – celebrated during Christmas season[28]
• Las Piñas City Historical Festival – celebrated every March to commemorate significant historical events that happened in the city

• Parañaque, Metro Manila
• Muntinlupa, Metro Manila
• Pasay, Metro Manila
• Bacoor, Cavite
• Samal, Davao del Norte