Las Piñas, officially the City of Las Piñas, is a city in the National Capital Region of
the Philippines with a population of 552,573 as of the 2010 Census. It is bounded to northeast
by the Parañaque; to the southeast by Muntinlupa; to the west and southwest by Bacoor; and to
the northwest by the Manila Bay. Half of its land area is residential and the remaining
half is used for commercial, industrial and institutional purposes. The present physiography
of Las Piñas consists of three zones: Manila Bay, coastal margin and the Guadalupe Plateau.
Like neighbouring Muntinlupa, Las Piñas has banned the use of plastics and styrofoam in
packaging.
The city
Established as a small fishing port and becoming a major sea salt producing municipality from
several salt evaporation ponds since the Spanish Era, Las Piñas has grown into an important
residential, commercial and industrial suburb of Metro Manila.
Las Piñas is famous for its Bamboo Organ located inside the St. Joseph Parish Church
in the old district of the city. Built in 1824 by a Catholic priest, Fr. Diego Cera,
it is the only organ of its kind in the world with organ pipes mostly made out of bamboo.
This famous organ is praised for its unique, rare, and melodious sound.
The Sarao Motors factory, also located in Las Piñas, is the place where jeepneys are
assembled piece by piece in painstaking individual production. The factory remains open to buyers
and curious tourists all year round. Las Piñas also houses SM Southmall, which
has an area of 205,120 square meters and is located along Alabang–Zapote Road. The newest
shopping mall development in the city is SM Center Las Piñas, located few meters away
from City Hall. The first high-rise building in the city is the 16-storey residential Almanza
Metropolis. Las Piñas, also known as one of the cleanest
cities in Metro Manila, is in the list of the "Clean and Green Hall of Fame" awarded
by the Philippine Government. It is also the first local government unit in the Philippines
that has been honoured with the prestigious Global 500 Roll of Honour of the United Nations
Environment Programme. These honours were in recognition of the city's outstanding achievements
in the protection and improvement of the environment. Las Piñas has recently acquired the status
"Most Competitive City" in the Philippines, together with Davao City, Makati, Muntinlupa
and Marikina. Etymology
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 piña for sale to this
town before they are distributed in nearby markets. Others related that it was "Las Peñas"
evident by the quarrying of stones and adobe which were used to construct buildings and
bridges. The old church bell of St. Joseph Parish Church founded by Fr. Diego Cera has
been preserved inside the church museum. An inscription on the bell states "Siendo cura
del pueblo de Laspeñas el M.R.P. Padre Diego Cera se fundio este equilon ano de 1820" showing
that even during the time of Fr. Cera, the town's first parish priest, the town has been
called "Las Peñas" until after sometime that the spelling of the town's name was changed
into "Las Piñas". History
Las Piñas was one of the earliest fishing settlements on the shores of Manila Bay and
was proclaimed a town of Cavite province either in 1762 or 1797. Its exact date of creation
cannot be ascertained because historical records vary. Cavada, a Spanish historian and Fr.
Juan Medina placed it at 1762, while Manuel 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 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 Cavite and incorporated to
the newly created province of Rizal pursuant to the Philippine Commission Act No. 137.
Two years later, 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 March 27, 1907 by virtue of Philippine Commission
Act No. 1625. Then, with the founding of the Metropolitan Manila Area or Metro Manila in
1976, Las Piñas became one of the municipalities making up the region.
On February 12, 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 March 26, 1997.
Local government Las Piñas, like other cities of the Philippines,
is a local government unit whose powers and functions are specified by the Local Government
Code of the Philippines. In general, as a city, Las Piñas is headed by a mayor who
heads the city's executive function and the vice mayor who heads the city's legislative
function, which is composed of twelve councilors, six each from the city's two city council
districts. For representation, the city is considered as one district, and therefore
one representative, in the country's House of Representatives.
Additionally, like other cities and municipalities, Las Piñas is subdivided into barangays.
Districts and barangays 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. The Mayors of Las Piñas
Municipal Mayors Juan Tiongkiao
Mariano Santos Rufino De Leon
Manuel Arevalo Clemente Dalandan
Elias Aldana Eugenio Trinidad
Bernardo Aldana Pedro De La Cruz
Francisco Antonio Filemon Aguilar
Alfred Juntilla Rosalino Riguera
Gabriel Casimiro Vergel Aguilar
City Mayors Vergel "Nene" Aguilar
Imelda "Mel" Aguilar Culture
Las Piñas town feast 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 Brgy. Daniel Fajardo on Padre Diego Cera Ave..
Festivals Las Piñas City is home to unique festivals
like the: 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. Waterlily Festival every July 27.
"Parol Festival" celebrated during Christmas season.
Shopping Malls
SM Southmall is a large shopping mall owned and operated by SM Prime Holdings. The mall
opened in April 1995, and is the first SM Supermall in southern region of Metro Manila,
the 5th SM Supermall ever built by Chinese-Filipino businessman, Henry Sy, Sr. and the 10th largest
shopping mall in the Philippines. The mall is 2nd shopping mall in the South Metro Manila
Area in terms of its size which is 200,000 sq.m of land area and a total floor area of
205,120 sq.m. It went through major renovation on 2010 and currently caters to all social
classes. SM Center Las Piñas is a shopping mall owned
and operated by SM Prime Holdings. The mall opened on October 2, 2009, and is the second
SM Supermall in Las Piñas, the 35th SM Supermall ever built by Chinese-Filipino businessman,
Henry Sy, Sr.. Unlike the other SM Malls, SM Center is noted to be smaller, having no
department store and only three SM-owned retail stores and is mostly visited by nearby locals
for its supermarket. SM Hypermarket
Starmall Las Piñas Starmall Las Piñas - Annex
Puregold Las Pinas Evia Lifestyle Center
Robinsons Place Las Piñas Uniwide Metro Mall is a dilapidated mall which
unofficially serves the lower and lower-middle classes. Originally a mall catering to the
middle class with ready-to-wear clothes, due to the Asian financial crisis, Uniwide Sales,
Inc. lost a lot of its net worth and became a low-maintenance shopping mall with few retail
stores and a supermarket. Transportation
Railway Las Piñas City will soon be served by the
LRT-1. Road network
Las Piñas City is accessible through these major roads:
Aguinaldo Highway Alabang–Zapote Road
Carlos P. Garcia Avenue Daang Hari Road
J. Aguilar Avenue Manila–Cavite Expressway
Marcos Alvarez Avenue Padre Diego Cera Avenue
Daang Reyna The city is bisected by Real Street, also
known as the Alabang–Zapote Road. It forms part of the 3,517 km Maharlika Highway or
Pan-Philippine Highway, a network of roads, bridges, and ferry services that connect the
islands of Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao. The Alabang–Zapote Road connects the South
Luzon Expressway, which passes through Muntinlupa in the east, to Coastal Road along the eastern
shore of Manila Bay. Coastal Road is a major tollway which runs
the southern length of Metro Manila's shoreline with Manila Bay. It is an important artery
for people commuting between Las Piñas and Cavite to Manila.
In 2004, the Daang Hari motorway was completed along the Las Piñas-Muntinlupa border. The
road provides an alternative access route to the inner areas of both cities, including
the neighbouring towns of Bacoor, Cavite and San Pedro, Laguna. Daang Hari is also popular
route for cyclists, especially on weekends. Bus
There are several bus lines linking Las Piñas and Manila. Bus services that operates in
Las Piñas includes Tas Trans Corp./Bensan Trans, Reinalyn Bus Lines, WLH Trans/WLLH
Liner, MJ Sunville Transport. There are also several FX vans that goes from Manila to Las
Piñas and they are usually parked in front of the Manila Central Post Office. Various
jeepney routes also ply the roads between the city and neighboring cities and towns
in Parañaque, Muntinlupa & Cavite . Notable people
Ely Buendia, songwriter, vocalist & guitarist of Eraserheads, Pupil & Oktaves
Allan K, co-host of Eat Bulaga Tirso Cruz III, actor
Jen Da Silva, model, dancer as part of the 26K girls of Kapamilya, Deal or No Deal & former
housemate of Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition 2
Mr. Fu, radio jock, comedienne and host Michelle Gavagan, Miss Philippines Fire 2011
Ruben Gonzaga, comedian & winner of the Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition 2
Jennylyn Mercado, actress & singer Iwa Moto, actress
Amy Perez, actress, Host & Radio Anchor Raymond Bagatsing, actor
Antonio Aquitania, actor & dancer Pauleen Luna, actress
Sitti Navarro, bossa nova singer Queneerich Rehman, Miss World Philippines
2012, Miss World 2012, Top 15 Semifinalist Zara Aldana or Zephorah Aldana Mayon, Mutya
ng Pilipinas 2007 Asia Pacific International & former housemate of Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity
Edition 2 Ranidel de Ocampo, basketball player, member
of Gilas Pilipinas Sef Cadayona, actor & dancer
Bianca Bernardino, Writer of She's Dating the Gangster
Jayme Jalandoni, Pinoy Big Brother All-In Housemate
Sister cities Local
Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines Muntinlupa, Metro Manila, Philippines
Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines Bacoor, Cavite, Philippines
Samal, Davao del Norte, Philippines International
Sochi, Russia Markham, Ontario, Canada
Gallery
See also Bamboo Organ
Battle of Zapote Bridge Las Piñas Boys Choir
References
External links Las Piñas Chamber of Commerce & Industry
The Las Piñas City Government's Official Site
International Bamboo Organ Festival History of Las Piñas City, Philippines