CAVITE

:''This article is about the province of Cavite. For information about Cavite City, see Cavite City.
'Cavite' is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the Calabarzon region in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila. Its capital is the city of Trece Martires. Cavite is surrounded by the provinces of Laguna to the east and Batangas to the south. To the west lies the South China Sea.

Contents

People and culture

Population

Languages

Religion

Economy

Transportation

LRT Line 1 South Extension Project

Tourism

Geography

Political Divisions

Physical

History

Trece Martires City or Imus: Capital of Cavite?

Current Officials (2007-2010)

Notable People from Cavite

Colleges and Universities

Economic Zones and Industrial Estates

External links

People and culture

Population

Cavite has a total population of 2,063,161 within an area of 1,297.6 square kilometers. It has the largest population in the CALABARZON area. The tremendous increase can be observed in the year 1990 when industrialization was introduced in the province. Investors established their businesses in different industrial estates that magnetized people to migrate to Cavite due to job opportunities the province offers. Another factor attributed to the increase of population is the mushrooming of housing subdivisions. Since Cavite is proximate to Metro Manila, people working in the metropolitan area choose to live in the province together with their families. Natural increase also contributes to the increase in population.
Among the cities and municipalities in Cavite, the municipality of Dasmariñas has the biggest population with 379,520 persons while the municipality of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo has registered the smallest population with 14,343 persons.
Cavite is a highly urbanized growth center of the country. It is classified as predominantly urban having 90.69 percent or 1,871,245 of the population are concentrated in the urban areas, while 9.21 percent or 191,916 of the population reside in rural areas.
In year 2000, urban population increased which can be attributed to in-migration due to expansion of residential areas as well as influx of commercial establishments, services and facilities.

Languages

The main languages spoken are Tagalog, Chabacano and English. Chabacano, sometimes spelled as Chavacano, is the dialect mostly spoken by majority of the Caviteños that lived in Cavite City and Ternate, whose origin has begun during the arrival of the first Spaniards three centuries ago. Today very few Caviteños speak the Chabacano dialect and perhaps it will come to cease of its existence or completely disapppear in the near future.
Due to Cavite's proximity to Manila a large number of people have moved from farther provinces, resulting in a not insignificant usage of Bikol, Cebuano, and Ilokano.

Religion

In line with national statistics, the majority (80%) of the population are Roman Catholic while adherents of the Aglipayan Church account for 11% and the Iglesia ni Cristo account for 4% of the population. Other Christian sects and Muslims comprise the remainder.

Economy

Cavite is one of the fastest growing provinces in the country due to its close proximity to Metro Manila. Many companies, such as Intel, have established manufacturing plants in numerous industrial parks in the province.
It has indeed transformed into an industrial and commercial hub not only in CALABARZON but in the whole country as well. As of 2003, there are thirty-one (31) industrial estates in the province. A total of 973 investors have poured their investments in the 718 existing industrial establishments. Most of the investors have established partnership with their Filipino counterparts in varying levels of equity participation.
Since the 1990s when the provincial government launched the Second Revolution with industrialization as one of its priority thrusts, Cavite has become a preferred destination of both local and foreign investors. The provinces proximity to Metro Manila has also contributed to the advent of commercial establishments, taking advantage of the rapid urbanization happening provincewide. Agglomeration of such establishments has indeed transformed Cavite into an industrial and commercial hub not only in CALABARZON but in the whole country as well.
Four SM Supermalls and three Robinsons malls are located in Cavite. These are the SM City Bacoor, SM City Dasmariñas, SM Supercenter Molino, soon to rise SM Supercenter Tagaytay (2009), Robinsons Place Imus, Robinsons Place Dasmariñas & soon to rise Robinsons Place Tagaytay (2007).

Transportation

The total road network comprises of roughly 1,973 kilometers. The 407.7 kilometers national roads are mostly paved with concrete or asphalt and are relatively in good condition although there are portions that need rehabilitation. The provincial roads stretched to an approximate total length of 335.1 kilometers. Most of these roads are concrete, some are paved with asphalt and the rest remain gravel roads. Majority of the municipal/city roads are paved with concrete, while barangay roads consist of 46.7% concrete and asphalt roads and 53.3% earth and gravel roads.
The existing road length, when computed in terms of road density with respect to population at the standard of 2.4 kilometers per 1,000 population, has a deficit of 3,532.71 kilometers. This indicates that construction of more roads is necessary. However, limitation of the available land area for road use especially in the urban municipalities and cities might impede construction of additional roads in the said areas.
The progress of Cavite in the last decade has been phenomenal. It is noticeable, however, that transport infrastructure has not kept paced with the mushrooming of industrial and commercial activities. The results: crazy quilts of urban sprawl, traffic congestion resulting to long hours wasted daily on the roads, and increasing road accidents.
According to the study on proposed Cavite Busway System, the section of Aguinaldo Highway (at Bacoor, Imus and Dasmariñas) is now experiencing traffic volume of 20% in excess of its designed capacity. Without any drastic improvements in the road network of Cavite , this same section would be saddled with traffic volumes 5 times more than its capacity in 2005 and 11 times more in 2015.
With the provinces fast pace of developments, entrance and exit routes to and from Cavite are no longer sufficient to decongest traffic along major thoroughfares. The lack of transportation facilities, traffic control systems and insufficient road signages, and substandard road structures in some areas further aggravate the situation. Likewise, observed mixed traffic (pedestrian, public transport modes – jeepneys, tricycles, cars) along streets/roads, especially in the business districts adds up to the traffic problem.
Flood control and drainage is another aspect of the road network system. The flooding of roads in the low-lying municipalities of the province which is caused by the practice of dumping of garbage in open spaces, rivers and canal; closing and squatting along waterways; and river siltation and sedimentation, coupled with poor drainage system, affect badly the accessibility and movement of people and goods. These have tremendous repercussions on the economy in the area – longer travel time incur costs to people thereby contributing to losses in industrial and commercial businesses, and even to entrepreneurial activities.

LRT Line 1 South Extension Project

The LRT Line 1 South Extension Project, through southern Metro Manila to the Province of Cavite has been identified as an integral link of the Rail Transit Network by Metro Manila Urban Transportation Integration Study (MMUTIS). It is one of the priority projects of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and LRTA. It is also a flagship project of the Office of the President.
The project aims to expand the existing LRT Line 1 service southward to the cities of Parañaque and Las Piñas and the adjoining municipalities of Bacoor, Imus and Dasmariñas, in the Cavite Province. The 27-km route of the light railway system was planned to carry a capacity of 40,000 passengers per direction per hour. The extension will have 48 air-conditioned coaches, 12-four car trains, 10 passenger stations and a satellite depot in Cavite. The first phase of the project will serve approximately 1.9 million commuters based in Pasay, Paranaque, Las Pinas and Bacoor. The second phase of the project will serve commuters based in Imus and Dasmariñas.

Tourism

Cavite is a historic, picturesque and scenic province providing a place conducive to both business and leisure. Tagaytay City serves as the main tourist center. Historical attraction and sites are Fort San Felipe and Sangley Point, both in Cavite City; Corregidor Island; General Trias; Calero Bridge, Noveleta; Battle of Alapan Marker and Flag in Imus; Zapote Bridge in Bacoor; Battle of Binakayan Monument in Kawit; Tejeros Convention Site in Rosario; and Aguinaldo Shrine, the site of the declaration of Philippine Independence in Kawit. Several old churches stand as glorious reminders of how the Catholic faith has blossomed in the Province of Cavite . Existing museums include Geronimo de los Reyes Museum , General Trias; Museo De La Salle, Dasmariñas; Philippine Navy Museum, Cavite City ; Baldomero Aguinaldo Museum , Kawit; and Cavite City Library Museum , Cavite City . There are eight (8) world-class golf courses in the province. Natural wonders are mostly found in the upland areas such as Tagaytay Ridge, Macabag Cave in Maragondon, Balite Falls in Amadeo, Malibiclibic Falls in General Aguinaldo-Magallanes Boarder, Mts. Palay-Palay and Mataas na Gulod National Park in Ternate and Maragondon, Sitio Buhay Unclassified Forest in Magallanes and flowers, vegetables and coffee farms.
The Aguinaldo Shrine and Museum in Kawit is where the independence of the Philippines was proclaimed on June 12 1898 by General Aguinaldo, the Philippines’ first president.
The Andres Bonifacio House in