In the history of Gen. E. Aguinaldo (Bailen) as a municipality, the cross signifying the church preceded the sword (State). Bailen, its former name was a Catholic Parish before it became a municipality.
On August 28, 1875, Archbishop Fray Aranguren, OSA of the Manila Archdiocese, issued separating the Barrios of Batas and Guyong-guyong from the town of Maragondon, naming the new Parish Bailen. However, pointing out the difficulty of the inhabitants in going to and from the town of Maragondon to transact Civil and Religious matters, especially during rainy season, a group of 45 prominent citizens of Barrio Batas, a corruption of tagalog word “Bagtas” (meaning path), address a petition to Spanish Governor General Fernando Norzagaray (1857-1860), asking the conversion of their barrio into a municipality. Since Barrio Batas had already its own parish, the Governor General on August 2, 1858 approved the petition, making it the new municipality of Bailen with Pedro Lirio, leader of the petitioners as the first gobernadorcillo.
The territory of Bailen was based on a survey of the former Barrio on August 3, 1846. On October 15, 1903, the Philippine Commission approved Act 947 annexing the Municipalities of Bailen and Mendez to the town of Alfonso for the reason that it’s limited finance did not permit it to continue as a separate municipality.
In 1915, with the complete restoration of peace and order in Cavite during the administration of Governor Antero S. Soriano (1912-1919), Bailen was reverted into an independent municipality.
However, in the early 1960’s the peace and order situation in the municipality deteriorated due to partisan politics. At this stage councilor Porfirio de Taza introduced a resolution changing the name Bailen to Gen. E. Aguinaldo, in honor of the first President of the Philippine Republic. Subsequently, the Sangguniang Bayan under the leadership of Mayor Rafael Dalusag approved the resolution and forwarded the same to the Congress. On June 19, 1965, Republic Act No. 4346 was passed by the Congress changing the name of the town Bailen to General Emilio Aguinaldo.
http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=General_Emilio_Aguinaldo%2C_Cavite
Brgy. Castaños Cerca, Gen. E. Aguinaldo, Cavite 4124 Philippines
Email: depedcavite-geanhsbailen@gmail.com
Phone: (+63) 977 705 8103