Bacoor Cityhood Day in the Philippines Date in the current year: June 23, 2024

Bacoor is a first-class component city in the Philippine province of Cavite. With a population of more than 650,000 people, it is the second largest city in the province after Dasmariñas and the 15th most populous city in the country.

The city’s name (alternatively spelled as Bacor or Bakur in old sources) was originally the name of Bacoor Bay, separating Cavite Peninsula from the rest of Luzon Island. It is believed to derive from the word for “circle” in one of the Philippine Negrito languages, which is a reference to the shape of the bay. According to another theory, the name Bacoor derives from a Tagalog world for “plateau” or “highlands”, similarly to Bacolod and Bacolor, or from a Tagalog word for “fence” or “boundary”.

Little is known about the early history of Bacoor. The town of Bacoor was presumably founded in 1671, although people had settled in the area long before that. It was originally part of the estate managed by the Dominicans and Jesuits during the Spanish colonial era. Bacoor was a thriving fishing and agricultural settlement that attracted migrants from the nearby Parañaque region.

Bacoor played an important role in the 1872 Cavite mutiny, an uprising of the Filipino military personnel and laborers against the Spanish colonial rule. Even though the mutiny was quelled by the colonial government authorities, it is believed to have paved the way for the Philippine Revolution of 1896–1899.

During the revolution, Bacoor was one of the first towns in Cavite to rebel against Spain. The famous Battle of the Zapote Bridge was fought near Bacoor in February 1897. It resulted in the Filipino victory, but famous Filipino civil engineer and revolutionary Edilberto Evangelista was killed in action.

The Zapota Bridge once again became a battle site during the Philippine-American War. The Battle of the Zapote River was fought in June 1899; it was the second largest battle of the war after the Battle of Manila, fought four months earlier. Both sides suffered heavy losses, but Filipino forces lost and had to withdraw.

After losing the war, the Philippines came under the American administration. The new administration stripped Bacoor of its town status and made it a barrio of Imus in 1903. However, this decision was reverted three years later. During World War II, Bacoor and the rest of Cavite were occupied by the Japanese Empire from May 1942 to August 1945.

Following the independence of the Philippines, Bacoor began to steadily grow and develop. During the 1990s and 2000s, it filed several cityhood bills with the Congress, seeking to achieve city status. On June 23, 2012, Republic Act No. 10160 creating the City of Bacoor was ratified through a plebiscite, and Bacoor was officially converted from a municipality to a city. The anniversary of its cityhood is an annual holiday.