HISTORY OF THE CAVITE CITY POLICE AND ITS STATION Creator/Chief Admin: Founder Junn Evangelista https://facebook/groups/MahalKongPilipinas The early inhabitants of the pre-Spanish Cavite City (called Tangway by the natives) were the Tagalogs who were part of about 6,000 Borneans who came from Borneo and migrated to the province of Cavite in 1212 A.D. Their government was a tribal form of government headed by a datu, the barangay system. Being the head of his tribe who possesses supreme authority, the datu exercises executive as well as legislative powers over his dominion. In the maintenance of peace and order in his barangay, he also acted as the “chief of police” and his able-bodied men his police force. When the Spaniards came, they changed the form of government and organized pueblos. The Spanish Gobernador Politico-Militar of the province appointed Filipinos as civil administrators. Each pueblo was placed under a Gobernadorcillo, who later became known as Capitan Municipal; assisted by a Tiniente Mayor, a Tiniente Segundo, a Tiniente Tercero, Tiniente del Barrio and several Cabezas de Barangay. To assist these local officials maintain peace and order in their respective pueblos, the Spaniards organized the Guardia Civil or civilian guards (equivalent to the present local police force) headed by Curators or Wardens of Public Peace (equivalent to the Chiefs of Police). The headquarters of the Guardia Civil were once located at the capitol building of the cabecera (Puerto de Cavite) until 1894 when their headquarters were established in the house of ex-Gobernadorcillo Vicente Dimalanta on Calle Real (now Zulueta Street). The following is the roster of Curators or Wardens of Public Peace of Puerto de Cavite during the Spanish regime: 1871 Don Valentin Kosca (Filipino) 1873 Don Nicolas Franco (Filipino) 1875 Don Regino Reynoso (Filipino) 1878 Don Federico Oris (Spanish) 1880 Don Federico Lillian (Spanish) 1882 Don Vicente Velasco (Spanish) 1885 Don Jose Rios (Spanish) 1888 Don Antonio Miranda (Filipino) 1891 Don Cosme Encarnacion (Filipino) 1893 Don Bernardo Baro (Filipino) 1894 Sgt. Jose Martin-Martin (Spanish) 1896-98 Don Francisco Conde (Filipino) During the 1800s, the commonly-known crime on record that upset the peace and order situation in Cavite was banditry, where rich residents were the usual victims and the culprits were most of the times, came from the outside of Tangway (now, Cavite City). Conflagrations occurred frequently in each pueblo of San Roque and La Caridad. When the Philippine Revolution broke out in 1896, the people feared of the entrance of the revolutionists in their pueblos because they do not want to be caught in the crossfire between them (the revolutionists) and the Spaniards. After the Spanish sovereignty capitulated to the superior American Navy in the famous Battle of Manila Bay (actually, Battle of Cañacao Bay) on May 1, 1898, a change of government in Cavite was inevitable. Accepting the invitation of American Commodore George Dewey to renew the fighting against the Spaniards, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo arrived on May 19, 1898 aboard the American ship McCulloch on Cavite shores. Later, Gen. Aguinaldo appointed a revolutionists, Esteban Francisco as Commandant and Mayor of the plaza (Puerto de Cavite), in charge to maintain peace and order in Cavite. But Señor Francisco’s duty did not last long due to the onset of the Filipino-American conflict on February 4, 1899. He and other Gen. Aguinaldo’s men have to leave Cavite immediately before the American offensive. In 1900, when almost the whole country was under the American control, they conducted the elections of local officials of the pueblos of Cavite which were then called Presidente Municipal, Vice-Presidente Municipal and Consejales. Elected Presidente Municipal were Don Zacarias Fortich for Pueblo de Puerto de Cavite, Don Francisco Basa for Pueblo de San Roque and Don Jose Raqueño Bautista for La Caridad. However, they were all under the direct supervision of Colonel Meade, an American Army officer. In May 1903, the Philippine Commission through the municipal code, the three pueblos of Cavite namely Puerto de Cavite, San Roque and La Caridad were fused into one and given the name Municipality of Cavite. Under Sr. Don Catalino Nicolas, the first Presidente Municipal of the Municipality of Cavite, the first municipal police force was organized and its municipal police station was established at the corner of Zulueta and Cabezas Streets,(just besides the present Cavite City Police Station) the location being the former site of the former headquarters of the Guardia Civil during the Spanish regime. On September 7, 1940, through Commonwealth Act No. 547 authored by then Representative Manuel S. Rojas, the Municipality of Cavite became the chartered City of Cavite. The Second World War broke out in the Pacific on December 7, 1941. The Japanese entered Cavite City on January 1, 1942 and took hold of the reigns of government. After the Liberation in 1946, the Cavite City Police Station was moved to a house located at the corner of Lopez Jaena and Garcia Streets. It stayed there until the late 1950’s when it was moved again, this time, to a bigger building located at the corner of Dra. Salamanca and Lopez Jaena Streets. The more or less 800 square meters lot area with a two storey building owned by the prominent Rojas Family was then on lease to the Cavite City Government. Aside from the Police headquarters building, the City Jail compound also occupied a substantial portion of the land. The City Jail which was previously under the operational and administrative control of the Integrated National Police Force which has then a strength of 120 uniformed personnel. The density of detained prisoners/inmates has an average of 70 persons. In 1993, the City Government of Cavite under the leadership of then City Mayor Timoteo O. Encarnacion, Jr. conceptualized and programmed a plan transferring the old police station and construction of a new police station building to a new strategic site. The plan pushed through as the City Government through a Deed of Donation donated the lot situated at Zulueta and Lopez Jaena Streets, San Roque, Cavite City comprising 1000 square meters (this lot was the former site of the municipal building of the former Municipality of Cavite where Don Ladislao Diwa once held his office as the first civil governor of Cavite Province). The construction of the two-storey building was made through the initiative of the then Congressman Leonardo Guerrero of the 1st District of Cavite Province. The budget for the construction came through his congressional fund. Lateral coordination regarding building specifications have been made by Cavite Representative Guerrero at the Regional Headquarters of RECOM 4. On February 3, 1994, the new police station building was inaugurated and occupied by Cavite City Police force under the newly-designated Chief of Police P/CISP Silvestre Primero. The following is the roster of the police officers who had served as Chief of Police of the Municipality/City of Cavite: Chief Tomas Diaz 1903-1921 Chief Enrique Martin 1922-1940 Major Alfonso Torillo 1940-1941 Chief Adriano Arcedera 1942-1944 Major Modesto Dayrit 1945-1946 Major Amado Soriano 1946-1947 Atty. Nicetas Nicolas 1947-1954 Major Ilustre R. Reyes 1954-1970 Captain Bayani G. del Rosario 1970-1971 Atty. Mario S. Gomez 1971-1972 Col. Levi Macasiano 1972-1979 Lt. Col. Bayani G. del Rosario 1979-1981 Lt. Col. Jose Martin 1981-1983 Lt. Col. Donato Garcia 1983-1984 Col. Bayani G. del Rosario 1984-1986 Major Roberto Romero 1986-1989 Lt. Col. Dencito Campaña 1989-1991 P/CINSP Amelio D. Monzon 1991-1992 P/CINSP Victor Manansala 1992-1994 P/CINSP Silvestre A. Primero 1994-1995 P/CINSP Nestor Pastoral 1995-1996 P/SUPT Fidel Cimatu, Jr. 1996-1998 P/SUPT Amelio D. Monzon 1998-July 1999 P/SUPT. Wilfredo D. Franco July 1999-2000 P/SUPT. Rogelio Ramos Sept 2000-10 Apr 2001 P/CINSP Rhodel O. Sermonia 15 Apr 2001-22 Apr 2002 P/SUPT Nestor D. Mendoza 22 Apr 2002 SOURCES AND REFERENCES: La Historica Cavite, Don Gervasio Pangilinan, Cavite, 1926. History of Cavite, Alfredo B. Saulo & Esteban de Ocampo, Manila, 1990. Emilio Aguinaldo, Generalissimo And President Of The First Philippine Republic-First Republic In Asia, Alfredo B. Saulo, Manila, 1983. Cavite Before The Revolution (1571-1896), Isagani R. Medina, Manila, 1994. Excmo. Sr. D. Jose de Alcasar, Historia de los Dominios Españoles en Oceania-Filipinas, Manila, 1895. P. Francisco X. Baranera, Compendio de la Historia de Filipinas, Manila, 1877. Godofredo S. Samonte, Cavite City- Legends & Chronicles Comprising Its Saga & History, Cavite City, 1980. Fred Rica Alvarez, Cavite City’s Living Past, Cavite City, 1970. Atty. Pedro R. Bautista, Jr., Brief History Of Cavite City, Cavite City, 1990. Leon Junn E. Young, Political History Of Cavite City, Cavite City, 1998. Cavite City Sangguniang Panlungsod Resolutions and Ordinances, 1946-2002. Two-page document from SPO4 Virgilio Pilapil, History of the Cavite City Police Station, Cavite City, 2001. Personal Interviews with elderly Caviteños, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 & 2002. ------------------------------------------------ By Leon Junn Evangelista Young Historical Researcher, Office of the City Mayor, Cavite City MEMBER, Cavite City Historical Committee MEMBER, Cavite City Tourism Council
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 05:26:10 +0000
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