Cityhood attempts and present

There have been several attempts to convert Dasmarias into a city. The first attempt was in
1997, when HB08931 was filed by Congresman Renato P. Dragon with other cityhood bills of
Imus (HB 08960) and Bacoor (HB 08959). It was filed last February 11, 1997 and read last
February 13, 1997. Committee Report N0. 01361 was submitted on December 17, 1997. It was
approved on the third reading by the House last January 10, 1998. It did not push through as a
Republic Act and no plebiscite happened.
The second attempt was in 2000, when HB099883 was filed by Congressman Erineo Maliksi
last March 13, 2000. It was first read last March 13, 2000. It was approved on the Second and
Third reading of House last March 15, 2000 and March 27, 2000. It was transmitted to the
senate on March 28, 2000 and received on March 31, 2009. It did not push through as
a Republic Act and no plebiscite happened.
The idea of converting Dasmarias into a component city was again proposed for the third time
after failure in 1997 and 2000.
House Bill no. 5258 converting the municipality of Dasmarias into a component city was filed
by Congressman Elpidio F. Barzaga, Jr. last October 3, 2008. It was read last October 6, 2008.
It was approved by the House on Second and Third Reading on October 7 and November 17,
2008. It was transmitted and received by the Senate last November 17 and 20 2008. It was
passed by the senate on Second and Third Reading last October 28 and November 5, 2009. It
is received by the President of the Philippines last October 14, 2009 and signed as Republic Act
9723 last October 15, 2009.
COMELEC Resolution No. 8682 in connection with the November 25, 2009 plebiscite to ratify
the conversion of the municipality of Dasmarias province of Cavite into a component city
pursuant to Republic Act 9723 dated October 15, 2009.
Republic Act No. 9723 was ratified by the registered voters of Dasmarias through a plebiscite
conducted last November 25, 2009, converted the municipality of Dasmarias in the Province of
Cavite into a component city to be known as the City of Dasmarias. There were about 44,000
voters who cast the plebiscite ballot in the towns 1,508 polling precincts. The yes votes won
overwhelmingly. The yes votes got 36,559 while the no votes got 8,141.
The current mayor, Jennifer Austria-Barzaga elected in 2007, is both the first woman mayor and
first city mayor of Dasmarias since its incorporation as a city. Since 1892, when Don Placido N.
Campos became the first mayor, there have been 23 mayors of the city.
On 2011, the Paro-Paro Festival was first celebrated. It is celebrated every 26 November to
commemorate the incorporation of the city of Dasmarias with people dancing and parading in
the streets in butterfly costumes.
On November 2013, the Paro-Paro Festival was cancelled, instead the allocated funds will be
donated to the Typhoon Yolanda victims.

Paru-Paro Festival
The Paru-Paro Festival is the official city festival of Dasmarias City. According to Dasmarias
City Mayor Jennifer A. Barzaga, they recognized the metamorphosis of the butterfly as an
appropriate symbol of the citys transformation throughout the years. Dasmarias began as a
small barrio in Imus then into a municipality until it was elevated as a city in Nov. 26, 2009.
The festival was officially recognized with the approval of the City Resolution No. 69, Series of
2011 and the Special Ordinance No. 2. It is celebrated every 26th of November in
commemoration of the day Dasmarias was declared as a city. It is also considered as the
Foundation Day of the city.
Along with the Paru-Paro Festival, several transformations and changes have happened in
Dasmarias throughout the years. There is a new logo that symbolizes its cityhood, along with
other fundamental changes such as covered courts, foot bridges, CCTV cameras, the Kadiwa
Park and Center Island.

Products and Services

The city of Dasmarias is one of the fastest growing local government units in the province of
Cavite. Numerous commercial establishments, which include major shopping malls, fast foods,
groceries, convenient stores, restaurants and other service-oriented businesses, are mostly
concentrated in the City Centre and the Central Business District. Industrial establishments are
located in the outskirts of the city. It has the greatest number of universities in the province.
From an agricultural-based economy, the town of Dasmarias has evolved into a highly
urbanized, commercialized and industrialized city. It now boasts of three industrial estates,
namely: First Cavite Industrial Estate (FCIE) in Barangay Langkaan, Dasmarias Technopark
located in Barangay Paliparan I and NHA Industrial Park in Bagong Bayan. Aside from these
industrial areas, there are 240 other factories/business establishments scattered in the different
barangays that sum up to a total of 309 operational industries in the city. Dasmarias is home to
hundreds of thousands of residents who occupy the more than 70 residential subdivisions in the
city. It also serves as a haven to investors with its industrial estates and diverse pool of
manpower. The rapid growth of the citys population near universities, industrial estates and
factories provides a ready market for real estate ventures such as subdivisions, apartments and
other support services. Its infrastructure projects involving major road construction and widening
support the city in its functional role as one of the residential, commercial, industrial and
university centers of Cavite. To protect its environment, Dasmarias has adopted its Luntiang
Dasmarias program, which envisioned to plant 100,000 seedlings planted over the town during
the year 2000.