Dasmariñas

Dasmariñas, or Dasma in short, is a large city in Cavite. It is at the center or the province, and at the crossroads of two major highways.

Understand
Dasmariñas is located approximately south of Manila, and part of the sprawl south of Metro Manila; uncontrolled suburban developments led to the present crowding situations and cacophonous traffic.

History
The city originated from the barrio (present-day barangay) of Tampus, then part of Imus. The Spanish colonial administrators formed the present city from a merger of smaller barrios namely Malagasang, Malinta, Nancaan (Langkaan, since divided into two barangays), Paliparan, Salacay and Salitran. The original town was named Tampus in 1866, until it was renamed as Pérez Dasmariñas in honor of Governor-General Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas at the same year. Dasmariñas was founded not by the petition of barrio dwellers, but by orders of the Spanish military and religious groups. A downtown area, or población is founded between the barrios of Salitran and Nancaan, and the historic Roman Catholic parish church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception was built.

As the Philippine Revolution erupted, Spanish town administrators ordered the execution of suspected "Masons", and continued advances by Filipino revolutionaries led into the Battle of Pérez Dasmariñas, which led to 150 Filipino casualties, including generals Flaviano Yengco and Crispulo Aguinaldo. During the Philippine-American War, Pérez Dasmariñas was protected from American advances, but Americans eventually advanced and occupied the town. The new civil government renamed the town into the present name.

Dasmariñas also witnessed bloodshed during World War II, where advancing Japanese troops ravaged the municipality's barangays, imprisoning residents on the town's central parish church and killing males on each barangay. Since the Allied liberation in 1945 and Philippine independence in 1946, Dasmariñas grew fast with migrants settling in the newly rebuilt town. The Dasmariñas Bagong Bayan (DBB, literally "Dasmariñas New Town") relocation area, the largest social housing complex in the Philippines, further added the town's population during the Marcos regime. After two failed attempts to cityhood, Dasmariñas officially became a city in 2008.

By bus
Dasma is served by two commuter bus routes emanating from the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), Route 28 PITX-Dasmariñas and Route 29 PITX-General Mariano Alvarez, yet only Route 28 is useful for visitors as Route 29 leads through the primarily residential areas of Salawag and Paliparan.

In addition, Dasma is also served by point-to-point (P2P) express buses, all operated by MetroExpress Connect, using Volvo low-floor buses. Buses take a shortcut from Las Piñas through a private road across undeveloped land up to the easterly barangay of Salawag, where they reenter the highways.


 * Route DA Starmall Alabang (Muntinlupa)-Vista Mall Dasmariñas. Open Monday to Friday, 5AM to 7:30PM. Fare:
 * Route DM Trasierra (Makati)-Robinsons Place Damariñas. Open Monday to Saturday, 5AM to 7:30PM.

By taxi
You can take a taxi from Ninoy Aquino International Airport to the city. A trip takes 40-60 minutes depending on the traffic condition. It costs ₱400-1000 depending on your destination.

You can also take a taxi from Clark International Airport to the city. A trip takes 2 to 4 hours depending on the traffic condition. It costs ₱900 to 2000 depending on your destination.

By jeepney
It is possible to take a jeepney, but it is much slower, with more frequent stops.

Get around
The easiest way of getting around the city is by tricycles. They will bring you to any part of the city within minutes. A trip costs ₱20-60 depending on your destination.

You can also catch jeepneys which are common around the city. They run on fixed routes and you can hail and ride on any part of the route. A trip costs ₱8-24 depending on your destination.

Another way of getting around the city is by taxi. You can catch taxis on the Central Business District and it will bring you to any part of the city. A trip costs ₱200-600 depending on your destination.

Buses can also be found on the city. Like jeepneys, they run on fixed routes and you can hail and ride on any part of the route. A trip costs ₱20-100 depending on your destination.

Do
Golfing is the main pastime of both tourists and residents. It is available at the Orchard Golf and Country Club.

Festivals

 * Paruparo Festival (November 26) - A festival commemorating Dasmariñas' city charter, people wearing butterfly costumes dance on parades on the main thoroughfares of the city.

Buy




Sleep
There are many hotels and resorts in Dasmarinas.