http://www.imus.gov.ph



Imus, The Flag Capital of the Philippines

Historical Background

Twenty one (21) kilometers southwest of Manila lays a sprawling flat land of 9,701 hectares which had made for itself a remarkable name in the annals of the Philippine History. Imus, a town of a glorious past of untold history, struggles, beauty and remarkable achievements.

The name Imus has its theoretical and legendary origin. Some people of the town theorized that the name Imus is a contraction of a Latin word Infimus meaning Lowland and geography supports this theory. If Tagaytay is the top of the mountain then Imus can be rightfully called its foot. Others advance the theory that the name Imus came about because of its position relative to the two rivers that traverse it. Legends, however, are never silent to say something. During the Spanish time, there were many Spanish soldiers who took refuge in a certain house in which they live in great style and abundance. When they left the place, many aggressive Filipinos came into the house and surprisingly found many “Centimus” from which they coined the name Imus. Another legend tells of a native mother who was then singing her baby to sleep, when two soldiers promenading the place asked her the name of the place. The woman without understanding the question asked in Spanish, answered: “Limus Po” which was the title of her song. Then the two soldiers went away with the thought that the name of the place was Imus.

Initially, Imus was just a “visita” of Cavite Viejo (now Kawit – one of the oldest towns in Cavite). This explains why the Recollects who took over Imus in 1686 put the great bulk of their efforts in securing the ecclesiastical and political separation of Imus from Cavite Viejo. Records of 1774 tell of a Recollect priest named Father Pedro San Buenaventura who petitioned the government to completely separate Imus from Cavite Viejo. The Royal Order of October 30, 1776 ordered the rebuilding of the Recollect church and convent in Imus. This same order implied the cutting off of ecclesiastical bond which had tied Imus to Cavite Viejo.

Making Imus into a municipality was in a way made possible by the issuance of the Cooper Bill Act which became the first Philippine Organic Act which authorized the Government of the Philippines to purchase the lands of the religious orders and the so called Friar Lands as well as other lands needed for public purchase. To this effect, Imus was finally sold by the British Company o the Insular Government for $1,045,000.00 and that was the beginning…. Imus became a municipality in 1795 after a series of land grants, leases and direct purchase.


Heroes of Imus





GEN. LICERIO TOPACIO Y CORCUERA
Born : August 27, 1839
Died : April 19, 1925
Birthplace : Imus, Cavite

This brave, fearless Caviteño was among the first Katipuneros who wanted a revolution. He was “Ministro de Formentos” of the Revolutionary Government. His duties were similar to that of the military engineer today. According to Patricio del Rosario, he would have been the President of the Revolutionary Government, but he gave the post to Aguinaldo when the latter was getting discouraged and his morale was low. He was President of Imus through appointment in 1888-1890 and in April to December 1901.

GEN. PANTALEON GARCIA

Born : July 27, 1856
Died : August 16, 1936
Birthplace : Imus, Cavite

After finishing a teacher’s course, he taught in Silang, Cavite in 1875. Feeling at an early age the injustices suffered by his countrymen, he soon joined the Katipunan. Hen the revolution broke out, he attacked the Fort of Silang with only 30 men in February 1897, and was victorious. For his heroism, he was made a colonel. Later he was noted to brigadier general. He was the brave commander of the famous Battalion de Manila. He was first municipal president of Imus, Cavite from 1903-1905, then its justices of the peace from 1906 to 1907, and the superintendent of the Colonia Agricola in Cavite.

CAYETANO TOPACIO Y PALMA

Born : August 9, 1890
Died : August 17, 1943
Birthplace : Imus, Cavite
Known to his town mates as Capitan Tanoy, Cayetano Topacio was born in Imus, Cavite on August 09, 1890, one of the three sons of Modesto Topacio and Ines Palma. He finished his elementary education in his hometown after which he was sent to Manila to further his studies. However, he gave up schooling for adventure. He traveled the Philippine Island extensively until poor health brought him back to Manila where he married Petra Conception.

For a time, Capitan Tanoy settled in Imus and tended his farm. However, he was lured into public service and held the position of Cabeza de Barangay, Directorcillo, Capitan Municipal, Justice of the Peace of his town successively. The revolution added more plums to his already multi-feathered cap. Aside from handling the job of Finance Secretary in Aguinaldo’s government, he was later on designated as Jefe de Governacion de Departamento del Sur de Luzon. He was appointed President of Imus in 1890-1892.
When the Americans came, he turned to public service where he continued to serve his town until death at the age of 93 on August 17, 1943.

DR. ELPIDIO ILANO OSTERIA

Born : November 16, 1907
Died : December 1944
Birthplace : Imus, Cavite
He was born on November 16, 1907 in Medicion, Imus, Cavite. His parents are Felix Osteria and Florentina Ilano, both of Imus, Cavite. He had two brothers and two sisters.

He took his primary education at the Medicion Elementary School in 1917, finishing his elementary grades in 1924 as valedictorian of his class.

At the opening of the following school year, he enrolled at the Cavite High School of Cavite (then a Municipality and the capital of the province), graduating therefrom in 1928. He was always an honor student in the high school. He was much admired and well liked by all his teachers and classmates. He was at one time the president of the Imusenians, an association of students coming from Imus studing in Cavite high School. One of his best and closest friends was the late Atty. Valeriano Abad, also of Medicion, Imus, Cavite.

In 1928, he entered the University of the Philippines as a pre-med student, graduating from the University’s College of Medicine in 1935 at the age of 28. He passed the Board of Medical Examiners the same year.

In 1936, he became president of the Kapisanang “Ang Kaliwanagan”, a civic organization composed of prominent and well known citizens of Imus. He was very successful in his profession as a practicing physician and his popularity in town grew by leaps and bounds. In 1938, he married the former Purification Monzon, a public school teacher and a native of Palico, Imus, Cavite.

His growing prominence and popularity among the people led him to court then in politics, and in the election of 1940, he threw his hat into the mayoralty ring bu which he won with comfortable margins over his closest rival.

One year of service as Mayor of Imus found in Dr. Elpidio Osteria a man whose honesty, integrity and devotion to duty and his people found few equals. A friend of all, he was an enemy of no one. It was at this time when his plans for the further development and improvement of Imus as fast growing community were way up when World War II broke up.

The war years that followed found his town and people in the grip of constant fear due to the grave abuses committed by the enemy forces. But inspite of all attendant risks of his life and that of his family, he continued serving his people for whose welfare he was most deeply concerned.

Being a Filipino in whose veins run the blood of patriotism and love for country, he joined the resistance movement against the enemy on January 01, 1943 under Gen. Mariano N. Castañeda. In doing so, he knew that his life of offer his country and this he gladly gave away if only to see and find his country and people freed the bondage in the hands of the enemy.

The last time that we heard of Dr. Elpidio Osteria was on December 1944, when he was forcibly taken away from his house by the Japanese soldiers on the flimsy suspicion of being a “guerillo”. He was never seen again.

With the passing of Dr. Osteria, we lost a man whose standard and measure of public service, devotion and loyalty to country and people will undoubtedly find in niche in the hearts of all who know him both as a friend and foe alike.


BERNARDINO PAREDES Y CRUZ

Born : May 20, 1849
Died : September 21, 1897
Birthplace : Anabu II, Imus, Cavite
The task of feeding the revolutionary army fell on the shoulders of another man in Imus – Bernardino Paredes, originally appointed by Aguinaldo as his provisional Secretary of War. Paredes demurred and instead chose the Post of Food Administration. As such, Paredes occupied the pivotal post whose job was to commander him to the battle lines.

Born on May 20, 1849 in Anabu II to Mariano Paredes and Filomena Caldo Cruz, Bernardino Paredes spent his impressionable year under the Recollects of Cavite. Later on, he moved to Manila, enrolled at the San Juan de Letran College where he finished his secondary education and took up lawat UST. For one reason or another, he never got hos law degree.

Paredes work for sometime in the Provincial Government of Cavite and the Recollect Hacienda of Imus. Later, he joined the public service where he had a very distinguished career as Directorcillo, President Municipal, Justice of the Peace and Councilor of his town successively.

When Aguinaldo raised the war standard, Paredes was one of the first to rally around him. However, his participation in the revolution was to prove to be his undoing. During a lull in hostilities occasioned by Primo de Rivera’s Policy of Attraction, Paredes was arrested by the Spaniards, jailed, tried by Court Martial, sentenced to death and executed by firing squad on September 21, 1897.

GEN. JUAN CASTAÑEDA (1870-1902)

From Imus, was a Mason and a bitter foe of the friars; suffered banishment to Fernando Po(near Africa) and became Brigadier General in the Revolutionary Army.

Gen Juan Castañeda was one of the co-founders of Mason Club in Imus, Cavite. It was he who initiated the Pilar Lodge ( Mason Club of Imus). Sometime in the end of 1896, Gen Juan Castañeda,upon his return from Hongkong was captured and deported by the Sapniards together with Antonio Luna, among others.

On February 1899, Gen. Juan Castañeda, arriving from exile, was appointed Municipal President of Imus. He died in 1902

GEN. SIMEON SATORRE

The first man in Imus to join the Katipunan andwho died, together with Gen. Candido Tria Tirona of Kawit, in the Battle of Binakayan, November 10, 1896.

GEN. FLAVIANO YENGKO (1873-1897)

One of the bravest and the youngest generals of the Philippine revolution who died in action in the Battle of Pasong Santol, Imus, March 24, 1897.

DON TOMAS P. TIRONA

Probably the foremost poet produced by Cavite province; He served as a Presidential Assistant in the Revolutionary Government, both at Kawit and in Malolos. The late President Emilio Aguinaldo once said: “Tirona was a Rizal of Cavite. If Laguna has a Jose Rizal, Cavite province has a Tomas Tirona”.

DON JOSE TAGLE

Was Captain Municipal (Mayor) of Imus from 1896-1898; He led the revolt in the town against the Spaniards when the revolution broke out in August 1896.

DOMINADOR ILANO

Was born on November 01, 1907 in Barrio Malagasang II, Imus, Cavite to Juan Ilano and Marciana de la Cruz. Like his political mentor and patron. Ilano’s education was skeletal. He barely finished first year high school. However, during his time this was schooling enough. In 1932, he took and passed the chief of police examination and was subsequently appointed Police Chief of Dasmariñas. In 1937, he was transferred to Imus where he took active interest in politics. In 1940, he was overwhelmingly elected Vice-President of Imus. After liberation, he was appointed Municipal Mayor of the town. The election held thereafter confirmed his right to the post. In 1963, ailing and sapped of the political fire that once made him glow, Ilano retired to the sidelines and put up his own candidate in Imus. It retured out to be his sacrificial offering to his friend, Camerino.

DOMINADOR MONZON CAMERINO


Hailedfrom Kaytabong, Dasmariñas, Cavite, the incumbent governor of the province was born on November 01, 1899. Born without the sumptuousness of living – the boy used to trudge the rice paddies on the way to school was christened Dominador – a man destined to be one of the most eminent figure in the political history of of Cavite. Nineteen hundred and twenty seven was just the beginning when he started as a mere Barrio Lieutenant and gradually rose into what he is now. The political carer of the Governor in backed by almost half a century of outstanding public service in the province of Cavite. Four years later after he was elected barrio lieutenant in 1927, he was elected Mayor of the Municipality of Imus and was re-elected to the same position twice. During the war in 1942 he was appointed provincial governor by President Jose Laurel and served as such up to a945. After the war on June 6, 1946 he was again appointed Provincial Governor by President Manuel Roxas. In 1947, he was elected Provincial Governor and was re-elected in 1951. He was again elected Municipal Mayor of Imus in 1963. He ran for Vice-Governor in 1971 and was elected overwhelmingly. On October 01, 1972, ten days after the proclamation of Martial Law, he was again appointed provincial governor by the incumbent President of the Philippines, His Excellency, President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos. His repeated terms as elected, re-elected and appointed leader of the town of Imus and province is a very concrete evidence that he is an able leader for beyond question.

MR. HIPOLITO SAKILAYAN

GEN. ELIAS TOPACIO

COL. SIXTO SAPINOSO

SALDADO PEDRO BELLA

JOSE ELISES

COL. MANUEL TOPACIO

GEN. TOMAS MASCARDO

GEN. G. BAUTISTA

JUAN “MONTI” VILLANUEVA

CAPT. IGNACIO BELLA

MAESTRO GUILLERMO TIRONA

JULIAN SABALE (of Bucandala)

LUCIO FAUNI (of Alapan)



26-39 THE 13 MARTYRS OF IMUS:


1. COL. FIDEL CRUZ
2. MAYOR ELPIDIO OSTERIA JR.
3. DR. ANDRES DOMINGUEZ
4. DR. MODESTO MASCARDO
5. DR. LAZARO ILANO
6. DR. JOSE SAPINOSO


The bodies of the six of them were never found and their fate up to present is unknown.

MR. REYNALDO BUENAVENTURA
MR. ALFREDO REYES
MR. MAURICIO REYES
MR. JOSE RAMIREZ
MR. BENIGNO MANELA
MR. MODESTO VIRATA
MR. GREGORIO RODRIGUEZ
All were brought to Dasmariñas, Cavite and killed there but their dead bodies were found and brought back to Imus.