MUNICIPALITY OF SILANG, CAVITE, Historical Data of

About these Historical Data

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HISTORY AND CULTURAL LIFE
OF THE TOWN OF SILANG

Silang, the official name of the town is in the province of Cavite.

The legend reveals how the name of the town originated. One version said it was derived from the Tagalog word “Silangan” denoting its easterly location in the province. While another said it was associated with the origin of the town church. That there was no church here but one morning the people woke up to find a church standing in the place where it is now. It seemed more logical to presume that it got its name from the word silangan, because it is located on the eastern part of Cavite.

Silang was founded in the year 1575 and for many years had been under the administration of priest of the Franciscan Order. Later the administration of the town was transferred to the Jesuits.

The first Christian ruler was Don Pedro Abogalon Manaksa who ruled Silang in 1621. Preceding the rule of Don Manaksa, Silang was ruled by Gat–Hingiw and his wife who had seven children namely; Gat Pandan, Gat. Amakit, Gat. Pugpog, Gat. Dula, Gat. Palyo, Gat. Kaliwanga and Gat. Manaytay. They were believed to have come from Borneo.

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In order to save Silang from becoming a friar land as what had befallen the neighboring towns, prominent residents of Silang through the representation of Don Bernabe Javier Manahan and Don Gervasio dela Cruz, effected the purchase of the town for 2,000 Mexican pesos from the king of Spain. The payment was made in three installments as follows:

The purchase was executed on March 9, 1746. Amadeo and Carmona once barrios of Silang were declared independent towns between 1811 and 1859.

In spite of the separation of these two barrios, Silang is still the largest town in Cavite comprising a land area of 17,000 hectares which makes it about 1/7 of the whole province.

Records of persons holding key positions in the community are unavailable except the following Capitan Municipal from 1877 to the present. These Capitan Municipales are:

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Town heads during the Philippine Revolution and Philippine Republic

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Silang is one of the first towns which revolted against Spain. In 1896, armed with bolos and other native weapons, the people after two solid days of fighting overpowered the local detachment of Civil Guards under Lt. Pasos, who entrenched himself in the church belfry. This incident occurred during the last days of August 1896.

Determined to quell the revolution, the Spanish Government attacked Silang with two infantry troops marching from Biñan, Laguna on September 7, 1896. The Filipinos resorted to native tactics and encircled the attacking forces on the evening of the same day. With a few rifles which they captured and their own weapons, the Filipinos were able to wipe out completely the attacking forces after eighteen hours of heavy fighting.

Angered by this defeat, the Spaniards on February 19, 1897, sent another force of 12,000 strong under General Lachambre to concentrate on Silang alone.

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In order to divert the Filipino forces from concentrating in Silang, the town of Kawit, Noveleta, Rosario and other neighboring towns were simultaneously attacked. It was on this same day that Col. Edilberto Evangelista was killed in the battle of Zapote Bridge. Overwhelmed by superior forces, the town of Silang capitulated after five days of bitter fighting.

In order to avenge the death of hundreds of Spanish soldiers, the victorious Spaniards burned the whole town leaving nothing except their headquarters which happened to be the house of God. The natives fled to neighboring towns and mountains where they stayed till the town was retaken by the insurgent forces. At the end of the uprising the population of Silang was reduced from 8,000 to 5,000 souls.

During the Filipino-American hostility, the people of Silang did not take any active part in the hostilities. With some minor skirmishes the people surrendered peacefully and later began the reconstruction of the town.

The Japanese Occupation of the Town.

The Japanese invaders through force of arms occupied Silang and began a hideous rule of the town. Instituted a rigid economic blockade through bayonets, which force

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the inhabitants to yield their property and foodstuffs. Due to these atrocities came the birth of two known organizations which played a very important role in the liberation of the town from the hands of the infidel. The Castaneda Unit and the Marking Fifth Army Corps. These two units hand in hand greatly harassed and weakened the Japanese rule in the town till the final liberation of the town in Feb. 1945.

Outstanding accomplishment of these units were:

Ambuscade by the Markings Fil-American Irregular Troops of the Taal Central Association of the Japanese Army and the Japanese Phil. Liquid Fuel Distributing Company at the southern highway near Lalaan Primero.

Wiping out a Japanese patrol in the eastern part of the town by the Castaneda Unit under the command of Lt. Col. Dominador Kiamson then the commander of the Unit.

Ambuscade of the Japanese highway patrol in Lalaan Primero by the guerillas on Feb. 1, 1945 under the command of Col. Torres.

Rounding of the Pro-Japanese elements in the town on or before Feb. 7, 1945.

Mopping up operation made by the two units. Accomplishments toward rehabilitation and reconstruction in the town of Silang.

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During the outbreak of World War II, no catastrophic destruction of human lives or property damage has ever been recorded which would warrant the use of the terms rehabilitation and reconstruction literally, in this town. No bomb craters can be discerned or charred remains of burned houses can be traced like what had happened to other places of habitation in the nearby provinces and towns, except to the outlying barrio of Buho where damage is so minor and negligible that not even traces can be found today. This in brief, is a short literal picture of the general physical condition that has existed during the dark days of the occupation or even in any stage of the last war. But if the people felt something even worse than physical destruction of human habitation and lives or properties, it is the bitter memories of forced economic sanction against holders of any kind of foodstuffs at the point of bayonets, where everybody is forced and compelled to yield all foodstuffs to unreasonable prices insufficient even to pay for their barest necessities in life. Except for this inevitable ordeal which has engulfed almost everybody in this town, no untoward incidents had ever happened.

Meteoric rise from the days of the occupation to post liberation.

It is noteworthy that Silang, compared to previous days during the pre-war and occupational periods, has

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its war changing sky line brought about by newly constructed houses. Old houses were rebuilt along modern lines of structural design like the Church while other buildings were newly constructed, examples of which are the two Caparas hospitals at the southern end of the town, the new Puericulture Center building and the Velazco hospital at the northern section of this town. Light posts and light bulbs were installed around the plaza, while a kiosko was built in its center, A cemented tennis court convertible to a basketball diamond was built in one of the sides of the plaza for athletic minded youths. Roads in the town were modernized with stones and the only prewar concern affected by military conscription which was not rehabilitated is the Silang Trans. Co. The town market was greatly improved and the town boasts of two private high schools, both strong to be independent of each other. Aside from the towns electric power and a theater, several rice mills were constructed the post liberation era plus the Silang Ice plant which was just founded recently. Morning and afternoon dailies provides the medium of information among the population, while hourly trips to Manila is provided by different transportation companies to Manila like the B.T.Co., Saulog, and the Medina Transportation. Three market days a week,

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provides agricultural outlet of its products which supplies the bulk of the vegetables in Manila.

Though Silang is not a commercial town the progress of its people is derived from its varied agricultural products. Silang residents has turned to fruit growing like papayas, bananas, orchard fruits like lanzones, kaymitos, jack fruits and even floriculture as its chief means of income aside from vast tracts of vegetable-planted-areas.

Among the industries created by these farming activities are copra making, coffee bean exportation to Manila and Habichelas drying business sold principally by merchants to Chinese, while a new industry being experimented by the residents is the poultry industry. A quite number of residents is trying to evaluate the prospect of this new industry in this town.

This in brief is the physical condition that has engulped Silang from World War II till the present time. Its people is not industrially or commercially minded like other towns but its chief source of wealth lies in its Agricultural tracts of land planted to fruits and vegetables which serves as the means for her progress. It might be a slow means as compared to industrially and commercially minded towns, but her residents kept on steadily thus her progress is not

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retarded and she might be said slowly keeping abreast with her other sister towns.

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