Editing Las Piñas (section)

==History==
[[File:Philippine salt works.jpg|thumbnail|left|Production of sea salt by solar evaporation of water from the brine of the sea circa 1940]]

===Spanish colonial era===
{{See also|Salt industry in Las Piñas}}
Las Piñas was one of the earliest fishing settlements on the shores of [[Manila Bay]]. It was proclaimed as a province of [[Manila]] either in 1762 or 1797. Agustin,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cavada y Méndez de Vigo|first1=Agustín de la|title=Historia geográfica, geológica y estadiśtica de Filipinas. Con datos geográficos, geológicos y estadiśticos de las islas de Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao y Joló; y los que corresponden a las islas Batanes, Calamianes, Balabac, Mindoro, Masbate, Ticao y Burias, situadas al n. so. y s. de Luzon|date=1876|publisher=Imp. de Ramirez y Giraudier|location=Manila|url=https://archive.org/download/historiageogrfi00vigogoog/historiageogrfi00vigogoog.pdf}}</ref> a Spanish historian, and Fr. Juan de Medina<ref>{{cite book|last1=de Medina|first1=Juan S.|title=Historia de los sucesos de la Orden de N. gran P. S. Agustín, de estas Islas Filipinas... / compuesta por el venerable Fray Juan de Medina. Sucesos que los religiosos de la Orden de N. P. S. Agustín han tenido en las Islas Filipinas... / compuesta por el Padre Pedro del Viva|date=1893|publisher=Tipo-Litografía de Chofré y Comp.|location=Manila|pages=486|url=http://bibliotecadigital.jcyl.es/i18n/catalogo_imagenes/icono_mime.cmd?mime=application%2Fpdf}}</ref> placed it at 1762. Las Piñas was formerly called "Las Pilas" due to its separation from Parañaque due to tribal conflicts. On the other hand, Manuel Buzeta recorded the date at 1797.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Buzeta|first1=Manuel|title=Diccionario geográfico, estadístico, histórico de las Islas Filipinas ... / por Manuel Buzeta y Felipe Bravo|date=1851|publisher=Imprenta de José C. de la Peña|location=Madrid|url=http://bibliotecadigital.jcyl.es/i18n/consulta/registro.cmd?id=2046}}</ref> Felix Timbang was the first ''gobernadorcillo'' in 1762, while Mariano Ortiz was the first municipal president of the town of Las Piñas.<ref name="Augustinian">{{cite book|last=Salonga|first=Isayas R.|title=Rizal Province Directory: History, Government and General Information with the Full Text of the Philippine Independence Law, Volume One |date=1934|publisher=General Printing Press}}</ref>

Las Piñas is famous for its [[Bamboo Organ]], which was built by Fr. Diego Cera and completed in 1824. In 1880, the city experienced an outbreak of cholera and smallpox leading to the loss of many lives. Years later, Las Piñas also became a central battleground between Spanish and Philippine forces during the [[Philippine Revolution]].<ref name="alabangbulletin.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.alabangbulletin.com/a-brief-history-of-las-pinas/|title=A Brief History of Las Pinas|work=Alabang Bulletin|date=May 31, 2012|access-date=December 26, 2020}}</ref>

The town of Las Piñas was also a major war theater during the 1896 Philippine Revolution, as it was occupied by forces of General [[Emilio Aguinaldo]].

===American invasion era===
In 1901, the municipality of Las Piñas, previously a part of the [[Manila (province)|province of Manila]], was incorporated to the newly created province of [[Rizal (province)|Rizal]] pursuant to the [[Philippine Commission]] Act No. 137. On October 12, 1903, in accordance with Act No. 942, it was combined with the town of [[Parañaque]], with the latter as the seat of a new municipal government.<ref>{{cite act|url=https://lawyerly.ph/laws/view/l89ad|index=942|date=October 12, 1903|access-date=April 24, 2022|title=An Act Reducing the Thirty-Two Municipalities of the Province of Rizal to Fifteen.}}</ref>

It was separated from Parañaque to become an independent municipality again on March 27, 1907, by virtue of Philippine Commission Act No. 1625.<ref>{{cite act|url=https://lawyerly.ph/laws/view/l4d28|index=1625|date=March 27, 1907|access-date=April 24, 2022}}</ref>

===Japanese occupation era===
The town was occupied by the [[Japanese Imperial Army|Japanese]] during [[World War II]] and liberated by the combined American and Filipino forces.

===Philippine independence===
On November 7, 1975, through Presidential Decree No. 824, Las Piñas was excised from the province of [[Rizal (province)|Rizal]] to form [[Metro Manila]]. Las Piñas became one of the municipalities making up the region.<ref>{{cite PH act|chamber=PD|number=824|url=https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1975/11/07/presidential-decree-no-824-s-1975/|date=November 7, 1975|title=Creating The Metropolitan Manila And The Metropolitan Manila Commission And For Other Purposes |access-date=June 5, 2022}}</ref>

In the 1980s, economic growth erupted due to the advent of the construction of [[Manila–Cavite Expressway|Coastal Road]]. Las Piñas currently serves as the proper gateway to [[Calabarzon]].<ref name="alabangbulletin.com"/>

In the 1990s, Las Piñas was known for its rampant illegal drug trade.<ref>{{cite news|last=Evangelista|first=R. A.|title=Narcs arrest six drug dealers|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rq4mAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KAsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4143%2C3628606|access-date=December 6, 2022|work=[[Manila Standard]]|publisher=Kamahalan Publishing Corp.|date=September 25, 1994|page=7|quote=Las Piñas town became known as the drug trade center in Metro Manila...}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Burdeos|first=B.|title=Navarro relieves 2 officers|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Df4tAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YwsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6512%2C2913250|access-date=July 5, 2022|work=[[Manila Standard]]|publisher=Kamahalan Publishing Corp.|date=January 20, 1996|page=14|quote=Bocalvos' relief, according to Navarro, was due to the DEU's failure to arrest any suspected drug pusher for the past several months despite persistent reports that drug-related activities are rampant in Las Piñas.}}</ref> In an October 1989 privileged speech, Senator [[Ernesto Herrera (politician)|Ernesto F. Herrera]] shared the [[National Bureau of Investigation (Philippines)|National Bureau of Investigation]]'s findings that an estimated 40% of Las Piñas' police force was connected with a drug cartel.<ref>{{cite news|last=Herrera|first=Ernesto F.|author-link=Ernesto Herrera (politician)|title=Extent of the drug problem in Metro Manila|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qZUVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hAsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3549%2C31453|access-date=November 7, 2022|work=[[Manila Standard]]|publisher=Kagitingan Publications, Inc.|date=July 1, 1990|page=6}}</ref> In 1995, then-Councilor [[Yoyoy Villame]] criticized the town's image as the "Drug Capital of the Philippines",<ref>{{cite news|title=Yoyoy vows to lead anti-drug campaign|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gKojAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fgsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2690%2C3696953|access-date=December 29, 2021|work=[[Manila Standard]]|publisher=Kamahalan Publishing Corp.|date=April 29, 1995|page=16}}</ref> while NCR Command Director Job Mayo alleged upon his appointment in early 1996 that the town's police force had the most drug-dependent police officers in the metropolis.<ref>{{cite news|last=Calalo|first=Arlie|title=Las Piñas has biggest number of drug-using cops, says Mayo|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=D_4tAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YwsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6645%2C3530124|access-date=July 5, 2022|work=[[Manila Standard]]|publisher=Kamahalan Publishing Corp.|date=January 24, 1996|page=14}}</ref>

===Cityhood===
{{further|Cities of the Philippines}}
On February 12, 1997, [[President of the Philippines|President]] [[Fidel V. Ramos]] signed the bill which elevated Las Piñas from [[Municipalities of the Philippines|municipality]] into a [[Cities of the Philippines|city]]. A plebiscite held a month after approved the city status by its residents, and Las Piñas became the 10th city of Metro Manila on March 26, 1997.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.coa.gov.ph/phocadownloadpap/userupload/annual_audit_report/LGUs/2015/NCR/Cities/LasPinasCity_ES2015.pdf|title=Las Pinas City Annual Audit Report|date=July 29, 2019|website=Commission on Audit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729195140/https://www.coa.gov.ph/phocadownloadpap/userupload/annual_audit_report/LGUs/2015/NCR/Cities/LasPinasCity_ES2015.pdf|archive-date=July 29, 2019|access-date=July 29, 2019}}</ref> It has been a city for 27 years.

===2024 plebiscite and later events===
In 2023, the [[Sangguniang Panlungsod]] enacted City Ordinance No. 1941-23 Series of 2023 which sets the [[Electoral boundary delimitation|territorial boundaries]] of the 20 barangays [[Department of Environment and Natural Resources]]' based on the March 2015 [[Cadastre]] [[Survey (human research)|survey]]. Accordingly, the [[Commission on Elections (Philippines)|Commission on Elections]] scheduled the [[Referendum|plebiscite]] for the Ordinance [[Ratification]] on June 29, 2024. It also set the [[gun control]] from May 28 until July 6, the [[Prohibition|alcohol ban]] on June 28 to 29, and the 20 [[barangay]]s "pulong-pulong" from May 28 to June 27.<ref>{{cite news |last1= Fernando|first1= Jean|title=Comelec to hold plebiscite for territorial boundaries in Las Piñas on June 29|url= https://mb.com.ph/2024/6/7/article-2380|access-date=June 8, 2024 |publisher=[[Manila Bulletin]] |date=June 8, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Ferreras |first1=Vince |title=June 29 plebiscite to determine territorial boundaries of 20 Las Piñas barangays|url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/metro/909380/june-29-plebiscite-to-determine-territorial-boundaries-of-20-las-pinas-barangays/story/ |access-date=June 8, 2024 |publisher= [[GMA Integrated News]]|date=June 7, 2024}}</ref>

On June 30, the [[Commission on Elections (Philippines)|Commission on Elections]] reported that 41,493 (67%) registered voters voted “yes” while 19,498 said “no” against City Ordinance No. 1941-23. The City Plebiscite Board of Canvassers proclaimed the [[ratification]] by the majority of the votes cast on June 29. However, [[voter turnout]] was only 61,237 or 20% of the 308,059 registered voters.<ref>{{cite news |last1= Patinio|first1= Ferdinand|title=Las Piñas residents favor ordinance setting barangay boundaries|url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1227969 |accessdate=July 1, 2024 |work=[[Philippine News Agency]] |date=June 30, 2024}}</ref>