Edge of the Forest

ForewordThe writing of this book began with the authors desire to contribute to the continuing historical narrative of the City he considers home for the last twenty years. Like the Citys founding fathers, the author believes that Dasmarias was destined to achieve greatness. It was fated to become a city. The story of how this was achieved is narrated in this book.A number of published and unpublished literatures have already been written about Dasmarias. Among these literary works was a book written by Dr. Emmanuel F. Calairo entitled Liping Kabitenyo: Talambuhay ng Kilala at di Kilalang Kabitenyo. The book, as the title suggests, is a short biography of Cavite historical personalities whose lives made them part of the provinces pantheon of heroes. Included in the list of renowned Caviteos are the native sons of Dasmarias, Placido Campos and Francisco Barzaga. Another literary work, albeit unpublished was a masteral thesis submitted in 1990 by Aquino I. Garcia to the De La Salle University-Manila, College of Liberal Arts, entitled, The Town of Dasmarias: From its beginning in 1866 to 1917.The conversion of the former visita of Tampus to the municipality of Perez-Dasmarias, the cancellation by the Americans of its municipal status, and its restoration to township were taken up in this work.

Another unpublished work, also a masteral thesis deals with the municipality. This was a thesis submitted to the University of the Philippines in 2004 by Romulo C. Brillantes entitled Internal migration and development as seen in local government unit: the case of Dasmarias, Cavite. Submitted as a requirement for a course in Urban and Regional Planning, Mr. Brillantes explains the process of urban migration that led to the increase in the towns population and its subsequent growth and development. The Dasmarias coffee table book that was launched during the recently concluded 2014 Paru-Paro Festival is another addition to the growing number of literary works about Dasmarias. The book features a short historical narrative of the City, mentioned some of its renowned native sons and daughters, and more importantly highlighted the accomplishments of the Barzaga administrations.Although it does not claim to be the definitive book on the contemporary history of Dasmarias, this book begs to be different from those mentioned because it will focus on story of its journey to cityhood. A story that is of a stuff made for telenovelas, with its ups and downs, victories and defeats, heroes and villains, and blood, sweat, and tears. It narrates how cityhood proponents have to contend with oppositions from individuals and groups who vowed to thwart the success the cityhood project for personal reasons. This is a story waiting to be told.The authors choice for the title of this book, illustrates the Citys importance then and now due to its strategic location. But for the purpose of this book, the narrative begins in 1989 when municipal officials first conceived of the plan to convert the town into a city all the way to 1995 when they officially launched it through a resolution and will continue until the ratification of the City Charter in 2009. It will narrate how its proponents conceived, planned, deliberated on, and implemented the plan to successfully push for cityhood and explain how, despite their best efforts, it ended unsuccessfully in 1998 and again in 2000. In knowing how the plan failed, the readers will get a glimpse on the identity of the politicians and the process that went with the lawmaking process in the Philippine legislature.

Readers will identify the names of local personalities, both in the public and the private sectors, who spearheaded the project, those who sustained the efforts, and finally those who succeeded. The identities of these national figures from the House of Representatives and the Senate who extended help, facilitated the process, and led the project to success, and those that sought to frustrate its success will also be revealed.The issues separating the cityhood proponents and the oppositors that initially derailed the completion of the project will be uncovered. Details of the debates, the negotiations, and the compromises that took place in the open stages of the Sangguniang Bayan and the floors of the Philippine Congress, and in the privacy of the protagonists chambers will be investigated so that an objectively complete picture of the narrative could be presented.It will also sheaf through the provisions of the Local Government Code of 1991 that set the benchmark for cityhood and steered municipal officials through the process. Towards the end of this book, the reaction of the townspeople will be discussed. After all, both proponents and oppositors claim that all the efforts, time, and money spent in the question of Dasmarias cityhood were for their benefits. How the Dasmarineos were convinced to accept the transformation will be part of the discussions in that chapter. In order to complete the narrative, a chapter on the effects of cityhood on the government, on the physical set-up, on the residents, and on the Citys other stakeholders will also be written.This book contains primary sources on the minutes of meetings, committee reports, debates, and public hearings that were carried out by the Committees on Local Government of both House of Representatives and the Philippine Senate; minutes of regular and special sessions from the archives of the Office of the Secretary of the Dasmarias Sangguniang Panlungsod; and interviews of principal protagonists.Readers are forewarned that the conversion of Dasmarias into a city was all but smooth sailing. They must remember that it took fourteen years for the city to attain that status inasmuch as its proponents have to contend with oppositions from various quarters, each with their own hidden agenda. But the readers will not find in this book the politics behind these agenda because this is not apolitical history of Dasmarias; therefore, politics will not be the main preoccupation of this book even if some individuals named herein were politicians while some are still actively engaged in the business of politics. It will be a different topic and another book altogether.

The purpose of this book is to document for present day Dasmarineos this high point in its history so that they may revel on it and remember it for posterity. This is also for those who will come later because the author believes that no Dasmarineo, mindful of his heritage can afford to ignore this important milestone. Fellow Caviteos and future researchers will also find this book useful and an important part of the continuing history of the province. This narration of numerous public hearings and consultations, and indeterminate number of personal negotiations were spent in the cityhood process. This is a testament to the town-peoples earnest desire to elevate Dasmarias to the next level of its development.

There were thirteen other bills filed with the House of Representatives Committee on Local Government during the Fourteenth Congress with Dasmarias included among them. Congressman George P. Arnaiz, representative of the Second District of Negros Oriental, has declared on record that of all the thirteen pending applicants for cityhood, Dasmarias is one of the only two municipalities that have so far met the requirements set by the Local Government Code of 1991 as amended by Republic Act No. 9009 of 2001. With this foreword, the author earnestly hopes that this book will contribute to a more generous understanding of the City of Dasmarias and the Dasmarineos.

Notes

Emmanuel F. Calairo, Talambuhay ng kilala at di-kilalang Kabitenyo (Cavite: Cavite Studies Center de la Salle University-Dasmarias, 1999).

Aquino I. Garcia, The Town of Dasmarias: From its beginning in 1866 to 1917 (MA thesis, De La Salle University-Manila, 1990).

Romulo C. Brillantes, Internal migration and development as seen in local government unit: the case of Dasmarias, Cavite (MA thesis, University of the Philippines-Diliman, 2004).

Records of bills filed on the committee on local government during the 14th Congress showed that there were seven municipalities from Luzon, three from the Visayas, and three from Mindanao, they were; (1) San Francisco, Agusan del Sur, (2) Dasmarias, Cavite, (3) Bian, Laguna, (4) Catarman, Northern Samar, (5) Midsayap, North Cotabato, (6) Baler, Aurora, (7) Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay, (8) Kalibo, Aklan, (9) Daet, Camarines Norte, (10) Mabalacat, Pampanga, (11) Binalbagan, Negros Occidental, (12) , Rosario, Batangas, and (13) Narvacan, Ilocos Sur. See, http://www.congress.gov.ph/14th Congress/ accessed October 14, 2014.

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