20/04/2025
๐๐ฒ๐'๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ ๐๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ด, ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ! ๐ฒ๐ฎโโ๏ธ๐
๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐จ๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐ค๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐ฎ
Silang is a first-class municipality in the eastern part of Cavite. It has a land area of 209.43 sq. km, which makes it the largest in the province in terms of extent. It is also Cavite's second most populous town, after Tanza, with a population of 295,644 (PSA,2020).
Silang shares borders with nine cities and municipalities: in the north with Dasmariรฑas, GMA, and Carmona; in the northeast with Biรฑan; in the east with Santa Rosa and Cabuyao; in the south with Tagaytay; in the west with Amadeo, and the northwest with Gen. Trias.
Silang is characterized by sloping and uneven terrain as it approaches Tagaytay Ridge. This topography gives the town a scenic view of its neighboring localities; moreover, its location near the mountain range lets Silang enjoy the crisp climate, which is ideal for growing certain crops and provides a pleasant environment for summer getaways.
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Silang is one of Cavite's oldest towns, said to have existed since the 14th century. Legend has it that the town's first settlers were G*t Hinguiw, his wife, Kaliwanag, their four sons, and three daughters, all of whom were from Borneo. One time, the Bornean family had a conflict, which caused some of its members to live elsewhere. G*t Pandan, one of Hinguiw and Kaliwanag's sons, remained in Silang and was believed to foster the place's early development.
During Spanish colonial times, Silang became an encomienda of Diego Jorge de Villalobos. In 1595, Franciscan priests established the Catholic Parish church ten years after they began evangelizing the town. Soon, however, they turned over the administration of Silang to the Jesuits when they were compelled to give it up.
Silang used to cover a wider area since it included the present-day cities of Gen. Trias and Trece Martires and several other municipalities in the southern half of Cavite.
By the mid-1700s, the Silangueรฑos rose against the abuses they had encountered from the Spaniards. On 30 April 1745, they fought against the Dominicans, who tried to take over the irrigated rice fields in Carmona.
On 02-04 September 1896, Gen. Vito Belarmino and Vicente Giron led the town's first cry of revolution when they captured Fr. Toribio Moreno in Barrio Tatiao and exchanged fire with the guardia civil, whom they later forced to surrender. The Spaniards tried to retake Silang but were unsuccessful at first. They were able to do so a year later after Gen. Jose Lachambre and his forces defeated the local fighters.
Jose Bayacal and Lazaro Quiamzon led the Silang chapter of the Katipunan after its reorganization. Joined by revolutionaries from Imus and Dasmariรฑas, they battled against the Spaniards for nine days until the latter surrendered. Silang regained its freedom on 09 June 1898, three days before the Philippine Declaration of Independence.
Silang became a revolutionary headquarters during the battle between the Americans and the Caviteรฑos. Eventually, the foreigners conquered the town after a battle along the Sabutan River on 06 February 1900.
Through time under the Americans, Silang saw improvements in infrastructure and utilities. Its first concrete school building, the Gabaldon Building, was constructed in 1915, followed by another in 1917. The national road from the municipality to Tagaytay (now known as Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo Highway) was built by prisoners between 1933 to 1935. In addition, the Silang Traffic Company operated a fleet of buses to Manila and nearby areas in the 1930s.
The Second World War hampered these developments when Japanese soldiers invaded Silang and wreaked havoc there. In reaction to this turn of events, the locals organized a secret group known as the Anak ng Katipunan sa Pilipinas. Members of this organization also supported the 3rd Regiment Filipino-American Guerilla Forces, wherein their cooperation caused the Japanese to retreat to Mt. Makulot, Batangas, on 02 February 1945.
Silang resumed its development after the war. More barrios started to have their elementary schools along with the opening of the first high schools in the town. Transportation and communication services were also bolstered in line with enhancing the quality of living of Silangueรฑos.
Silang's population increased significantly during the 1980s. Therefore, several sitios were promoted and established as new barangays.
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Silang's economy features a mix of various industries and economic activities. This setup resulted from the town's evolution from being a mainly agricultural locality to one with diversified sectors. During the 1980s, the local government acknowledged this diversification by dividing Silang into several zones based on land use per the Revised Comprehensive Development Plan.
Agriculture has been Silang's leading economic activity for centuries since the municipality has fertile lands and enjoys a climate favorable for farming. Some crops grown there are coffee, coconut, corn, vegetables, and fruits like mango, lanzones, caimito, etc. Locals also engage in hog and poultry raising, as their products are transported to Metro Manila and nearby areas.
Manufacturing industries have started making their presence in Silang along with the growth of trade and investments brought by investors from Manila and abroad. Some industrial estates in the town are the Daiichi Industrial Park, the Cavite Light Industrial Parks, and part of Sterling Technopark.
The most significant development in the town as of this writing is the ongoing construction of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) which will connect CAVITEX in Kawit to SLEX in Biรฑan once completed.
Aside from that, Silang is the eastern terminus of the 2-km East-West Lateral Road which is also under construction. The said road, serving as a bypass to the Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway, passes through several municipalities in southern Cavite and ends in Brgy. Bulihan in Nasugbu, Batangas.
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Silang benefits from its location beside Tagaytay, which lets the town experience the crisp climate the latter is known for. In addition, the municipality acts as a gateway to the famed city through Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo Highway and Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Rd.
Nowadays, more garden-themed resorts, farms, and restaurants have opened in Silang, complementing Tagaytay's attractions.
Along with those landmarks are Silang's natural sites that add allure to the town's landscape. One is Toledo Falls in the southern part of Silang, which features a small waterfall almost enclosed by enormous rock formations.
The Cabag Cave near Brgys Lucsuhin and Kalubkob is a natural bridge considered the first to be reported in the country. This natural wonder caught the attention of Paul R. Fanning from the Division of Mines during the American Period as he studied its properties.
The Our Lady of Candelaria Parish Church, or the Silang Church, is the oldest stone church in Cavite, built in 1639. Inside the Church are its retablos or altarpieces with Rococo influence known for elaborate decorations and intricate detailing. The Church also served as a refuge for the Guardia Civil, besieged and repulsed by Filipino revolutionaries led by Gen. Vito Belarmino.
Silang is home to the Philippine National Police Academy, the country's premier institution for the education and training of police officers. It is also the leading training ground for those aspiring to become commissioned officers in the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
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The Sumilang Festival is an annual thanksgiving celebration of Silangueรฑos for their bountiful harvests and is also held to honor Silang's patroness, Our Lady of Candelaria. The recent edition of the Festival last April featured activities centered on the town's agricultural heritage.
Sources:
Silang Official Website (via Wayback Machine, dated 2022)
Silang Church Historical Marker
PNPA Website
Wikipedia.org-Silang, Cavite
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