Rosario, Cavite

Rosario, officially the Municipality of Rosario, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 110,807 people.

Formerly known as Salinas, Rosario has an area of 5.6 sqkm, making it the most densely populated city/municipality in Cavite at 16,473 per km2. With the continuous expansion of Metro Manila, the municipality is now included in Manila conurbation which reaches Lipa, Batangas in its southernmost part. It is accessible by land and water transportation.

Etymology
There are three religious versions for naming the town "Rosario." These are:

The first version says, the image of the Madonna and the Child was found one day floating on the water by a group of kids playing along the seashore. They played with the image, using it as a toy and afterwards hid it in the bushes near the sea. Every time they came back, however, they would see the image already floating leisurely on the water, as if waiting for them. They thought it strange, but could not explain how the image got back to the water.

Not long after their elders learned about the image and took it to an empty nipa shack. Thus began a public veneration of the Madonna and Child. The hut was transformed into a place of worship. News of miraculous happenings attributed to the image spread around. The religious fervor was so great and the people were moved by the image that they decided to adopt it as the patroness of the town and changed the name Salinas Marcella to Rosario.

The different names given to the town are remembered. Marcella exists as one of the national roads of the town. Salinas is associated with the finest and famous smoked fish (Tinapang Salinas) produced by the townspeople.

Rosario was formerly called Tejero, which may have originated from the word tejer (Spanish to weave) because weaving fish nets was then the main occupation of the women. Rosario was also called Salinas derived from the word sal (Spanish salt) during the Philippine Revolution because salt-making was a prime industry of the town. The place was likewise called Marcella or Marcelles due to its proximity to the sea (“mar” in Spanish). Rosario was, finally, named in honor of their patroness Nuestra Señora Virgen del Santissimo Rosario, Reina de Caracol or (Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary).

History
On October 22, 1845, Spanish Governor General Narciso Claveria promulgated a Decree for the establishment of a new town comprising Salinas-Leiton and Tierra Alta of San Francisco de Malabon, what is now the city of General Trias. On October 27, Don Juan Arlegui, Vicar-General of the Archdiocese of Manila informed the Politico-Military Governor of Cavite Don Miguel Roca, that he was designated by the Governor-General to look for a person of unquestionable integrity who will be entrusted with the money for the construction of the church building.

On November 3, 1845, presbyter Don Mamerto Mariano Ner, who was at that time one of the priests of the Curia of Manila, was appointed as the first parish priest and served until December 1866.

The municipality of Rosario was originally a part of San Francisco de Malabon (now General Trias) which itself was part of Silang. It became an independent municipality in 1846, one year after the founding of the Santissimo Rosario Parish. The second smallest town in Cavite Province, Rosario has now emerged into the " biggest, not in terms of its land area nor its per capita income but because of the great transitions that occurred with the town's political, social, cultural and economic developments since 1845.

On October 15, 1903, Rosario and Cavite El Viejo (now Kawit) were merged with Noveleta by virtue of Act No. 947 enacted by the Philippine Commission. In 1911, Rosario regained its independent status as a municipality of Cavite by virtue of Executive Order No. 92.

Geography
Rosario is 30 km south of Manila and 20 km from Imus. It occupies part of the north to north-western section of the province along the western coast of Luzon. It is flanked by Noveleta on the east, Manila Bay on the north, General Trias on the southeast and Tanza on the south-west.

Land area
Rosario has a land area of only 569 ha, as based on previous data recorded. At present, the municipality has not yet conducted any cadastral survey of its juridical land territory. A total of twenty (20) barangays make up this lowland coastal town.

Barangays
Rosario is politically subdivided into 20 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.


 * Bagbag I
 * Bagbag II
 * Kanluran
 * Ligtong I
 * Ligtong II
 * Ligtong III
 * Ligtong IV
 * Muzon I
 * Muzon II
 * Poblacion
 * Sapa I
 * Sapa II
 * Sapa III
 * Sapa IV
 * Silangan I
 * Silangan II
 * Tejeros Convention
 * Wawa I
 * Wawa II
 * Wawa III

Demographics
In the 2020 census, the population of Rosario, Cavite, was 110,807 people, with a density of undefined PD/km2.

Rosario's potential labor force comprises 59.25% of the figure given above, with the majority engaged in fishing and trade activities. The growth rate is 3.63%.

Religion
Roman Catholic is the prominent religion of Rosario. There are two Catholic churches. One is in Poblacion,The Most Holy Rosary Parish, and another one in Ligtong,San Isidro Labrador Parish. Recently, Islam was introduced by the Maranao business people from Mindanao. The other religions in Rosario includes Iglesia ni Cristo and Born Again Christians.

Economy


Fishing is a major economic activity due to the abundant fishing grounds particularly in Barangays Wawa, Sapa Muzon and Ligtong. The Rosario Fish Port in Barangay Sapa is a major fishing port. Predominant cottage industries related to fishing include smoked fish (tinapa) processing, fish drying (daing), fish paste (bagoong) making, fish sauce (patis) making and canning. Marine species caught within municipal fishing grounds include squid, mackerel, slipmouth, herring, goatfish, tuna, mullet, porgy, shrimp, barracuda, cavalla, snapper, catfish and roundscad. Salinas is also the birthplace of the well-known Marina’s bibingka and the local Cavite version of pasit luglog, also known as pasit palabok, which was introduced by Aling Ely’s carinderia. Both uses the local ingredients of tinapa flakes and kesong puti otherwise known as casillo.

The Fil-Oil Development and Management Corporation (FMDC) has begun developing 134 ha of the Philippine National Oil Corporation property into a special economic zone, the Cavite Economic Zone, that will include an industrial estate, low-cost housing, and a new port facility. A proposed reclamation will increase the land area of Barangay Sapa II and III by 200 ha.

On November 20, 2009, SM Prime Holdings, the largest mall-operator in the country, opened SM City Rosario, its 36th mall.

Elected officials
The following are the elected officials of the town elected last May 9, 2022 which serves until June 30, 2025:

List of former municipal heads
Gobernadorcillos
 * 1845 - Jacinto Jimenez
 * 1846 - Pablo Buendia
 * 1847 - Ventura Caldeira
 * 1848 - Jacinto Jimenez
 * 1849 - Adriano Zacarias
 * 1850 - Reducindo Cruz
 * 1851 - Pablo Buendia
 * 1852 - Jacinto Jimenez
 * 1853 - Reducindo Buenviaje
 * 1854 - Roberto Jimenez
 * 1855 - Lino Ner
 * 1856 - Lino Ner
 * 1857 - Benito Atangan
 * 1858 - Isidoro Gonzales
 * 1859 - Natalio Buenaflor
 * 1860 - Tomas Panganiban
 * 1861-1862 - Isidoro Gonzales
 * 1863-1864 - Lino Ner
 * 1865-1866 - Bernabe Raqueno
 * 1867-1868 - Lino Ner
 * 1869-1870 - Juan Buendia
 * 1871-1872 - Benito Atangan
 * 1873-1874 - Basilio Copon
 * 1875-1877 - Lino Ner
 * 1878-1879 - Bernabe Raqueño
 * 1880-1881 - Mariano Odvina
 * 1882-1883 - Francisco Prudente
 * 1884-1885 - Ciriaco Abutin
 * 1886-1887 - Pantaleon Raqueño
 * 1888-    - Francisco Sales
 * 1889-1890 - Mariano Punzalan
 * 1891-1892 - Pablo Raqueño

Capitan Presidents
 * 1893     - Roman Bulda
 * 1894 Marcelo Rodriguez
 * 1895-1898 - Catalino Abueg

Presidente Municipal
 * 1899-1900 - Catalino Abueg
 * 1901-1905 - Andres Ner
 * 1906-1907 - Benigno Santi
 * 1908-1909 - Andres Villanueva
 * 1910-1912 - Andres Giongco
 * 1913-1915 - Pascual Jimenez
 * 1915-1922 - Julio Mata
 * 1922-1925 - Andres Giongco
 * 1925-1930 - Julio Mata
 * 1930-1934 - Narciso Jimenez Ner

Municipal Mayors
 * 1934-1937 - Julio Mata
 * 1938-1941 - Jose Castro
 * 1942-1943 - Agustin Abadilla

Japanese sponsored Mayor
 * 1944-1945 - Julio Mata

Liberation Military Mayor
 * 1945     - Narciso Jimenez Ner

'''Appointed by Pres. Osmena'''
 * 1946     - David Jimenez

'''Appointed by Pres. Roxas'''
 * 1947     - Julio Mata

Municipal Mayor
 * 1948-1951 - David P. Jimenez
 * 1952-1959 - Antonio Guhit
 * 1960-1963 - Pedro Giongco
 * 1964–1978, 1980-1986 - Calixto Enriquez
 * 1978-1980 - Agripina Abueg
 * 1986-1988 - Oscar Reyes
 * 1988-1992 - Ernesto Andico
 * 1992–1998, 2007–2016, 2019–2020 - Jose M. Ricafrente, Jr.
 * 1998-2007 - Renato M. Abutan
 * 2016–2019, 2020–present - Jose Voltaire V. Ricafrente

Education
Primary schools:
 * Rosario Elementary School
 * Agustin Abadilla Elementary School
 * David P. Jimenez Elementary School
 * Mayor Calixto D. Enriquez Elementary School (Ligtong Elem. School)
 * Silangan Elementary School Founded June 18, 1962
 * Bagbag I Elementary School-Main (Greenfields Subd.)
 * Bagbag II Elementary School-Annex (Sunrise Subd.)
 * Tejeros Convention Elementary School
 * Bible Christian Academy (Cuevas Subd.)
 * Galilee Academy (Manggahan Compound)
 * Santo Rosario Catholic School (Most Holy Rosary Parish Compound)
 * King Arthur Academy of Cavite, Inc. (Karlaville Subd.)

Secondary schools:
 * Bagbag National High School
 * Cafuir Learning Center (defunct)
 * Cavite State University - Science Education Laboratory School
 * Rosario Institute
 * Rosario National High School
 * Escuela Secondaria Señor de Salinas
 * STI High School - Rosario
 * Bible Christian Academy (Cuevas Subd)
 * Galilee Academy (Manggahan Compound)
 * Santo Rosario Catholic School (Most Holy Rosary Parish Compound)

Tertiary schools:
 * Cavite State University Rosario Campus
 * STI College - Rosario Branch
 * Imus Computer College - Rosario Branch
 * Datacom Institute of Computer and Technology - Rosario Campus