Las Piñas

Las Piñas is a highly urbanized city located within the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Positioned at coordinates 14.45056 and 120.98278, the municipality functions as the proper gateway to Calabarzon.

Historically, the area began as one of the earliest fishing settlements situated along the shores of Manila Bay. Etymological accounts trace the name of the locality to multiple origins. One tradition suggests traders shipped their first piñas, or pineapples, from Cavite and Batangas to this town for distribution to surrounding markets. Another version indicates the original name was Las Peñas, translating to the rocks, referencing the location as a quarry source for stone and adobe utilized in constructing local bridges and buildings. Historical records document the settlement under names such as Las Pilas due to tribal conflicts that separated the area from Parañaque. Early administrative evolution saw the territory proclaimed as a province of Manila either in 1762 or 1797. Felix Timbang served as the initial gobernadorcillo in 1762, while Mariano Ortiz later held the post of municipal president. During the Spanish colonial era, the town experienced an outbreak of cholera and smallpox in 1880, and later operated as a major war theater occupied by the forces of General Emilio Aguinaldo in the 1896 Philippine Revolution.

Following the Spanish period, the municipality entered the American invasion era. In 1901, pursuant to Philippine Commission Act No. 137, Las Piñas was incorporated into the newly created province of Rizal from its previous status under the province of Manila. Act No. 942 combined the town with Parañaque in 1903, establishing Parañaque as the seat of the new municipal government. Independence returned on March 27, 1907, when Philippine Commission Act No. 1625 separated Las Piñas to function once more as an independent municipality. Subsequent decades brought occupation by Japanese forces during World War II, followed by liberation executed by combined American and Filipino forces. On November 7, 1975, Presidential Decree No. 824 excised the town from Rizal province to form part of Metro Manila.

Economic transformation accelerated during the 1980s alongside the construction of Coastal Road. Urban expansion continued into the 1990s, an era during which the area also gained notoriety for a rampant illegal drug trade. By February 12, 1997, President Fidel V. Ramos signed the legislation elevating the municipality to city status. Following a successful local plebiscite, Las Piñas officially became the 10th city of Metro Manila on March 26, 1997.

Modern geographical and demographic surveys record a population of 615,549 residents living across an area that encompasses notable local landmarks. Among these geographic and commercial destinations are the Las Piñas - Parañaque Wetland Park, Evia Lifestyle Center, SM Southmall, and Robinsons Place Las Piñas.