Kawit, officially theMunicipality of Kawit (Tagalog:Bayan ng Kawit), is an urbanmunicipality in theprovince ofCavite,Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 107,535.^[3] It is one of the notable places that had a major role in the country's history during the 1800s and 1900s.

Kawit Cavite el Viejo
Municipality
Municipality of Kawit
Aguinaldo Shrine
Flag Seal
Nickname(s):  Site of theDeclaration of Independence, Flag Town of the Republic
Motto(s):  Alab ng Puso (Flaming Heart)
Map of Cavite with Kawit highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Kawit Location within thePhilippines
Coordinates:14°26′N120°54′E / 14.43°N 120.9°E /14.43; 120.9
Country	Philippines
Region	Calabarzon
Province	Cavite
District	1st district
Founded	1587 or August 1, 1600
Renamed	September 20, 1907 (as Kawit)
Barangays	23 (seeBarangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Angelo Emilio G. Aguinaldo
• Vice Mayor	Edward R. Samala Jr.
• Representative	Ramon Revilla III
• Municipal Council	Members Eman R. Tuazon Alvin S. Bunag Divinia R. Pulido Juan Ysmael R. Gandia Gerardo B. Jarin Bienvenido D. Cajigas III Cynthia G. Aguinaldo Medel E. Caimol
• Electorate	69,598 voters (2025)
Area [2]
• Total	25.15 km2 (9.71 sq mi)
Elevation	6.0 m (19.7 ft)
Highest elevation	47 m (154 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[3]
• Total	107,535
• Density	4,300/km2 (11,000/sq mi)
• Households	29,082
Demonym	Kawiteño
Economy
• Income class	1st municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	10.13 % (2021)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 546.8 million (2022)
• Assets	₱ 851.9 million (2022)
• Expenditure	₱ 630.3 million (2022)
• Liabilities	₱ 404.3 million (2022)
Service provider
• Electricity	Manila Electric Company (Meralco)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	4104
PSGC	042111000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)46
Native languages	Tagalog
Major religions	Catholic
Catholic diocese	Roman Catholic Diocese of Imus
Patron saint	St. Mary Magdalene

Formerly known asCavite el Viejo, it is the location of his home, and the name Kawit is from the word kalawit, theAguinaldo Shrine, whereindependence fromSpain was declared on June 12, 1898. It is also the birthplace ofEmilio Aguinaldo, the firstpresident of the Philippines, who from 1895 to 1897, served as the municipality's chief executive.

Kawit is 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) fromImus and 23 kilometres (14 mi) fromManila.

The name Kawit is derived from theTagalog wordkawit orkalawit (hook), which is suggestive of its location at the base of a hook-shaped shoreline alongManila Bay extending to the tip ofCavite City.

Legend, however, gives another version on how the town got its name. One day, a Spanish visitor asked a native blacksmith about the name of the village. The latter was busy at the time pounding on the anvil a piece of hot metal that looked like a hook. He hesitated to speak, not understanding what the stranger was asking, but when pressed for an answer, and thinking that he wanted to know what he was doing, he merely saidkawit. The Spanish left muttering the wordkawit. In the course of the time, the word evolved intocauite, and finallycavite.

Kawit was the most thriving settlement prior to the coming of the Spanish. In fact, the town provided the first anchorage of the Spanish in the province, whence colonization andproselytization of the Christian religion began, spreading to all corners of the province. It was established as a town in 1587 or, as recognized by laws, on August 1, 1600.^[5][6]

For a long time, the place was called by the Spanish "Cavite el Viejo" or Old Cavite to distinguish it from "Cavite la Punta" or "Cavite el Puerto", the commercial port and naval base (nowCavite City) whence came many Spanish marines on shore leave who made frequent visits to Cavite el Viejo, eventually turning it into ared-light district. This seedy reputation of the town was erased whenSaint Mary Magdalene was madepatroness, under the spiritual supervision of theJesuits as ordered byMiguel García Serrano,O.S.A. (1618–1629), the fifthArchbishop of Manila.

With the establishment in the wake of thePhilippine Revolution, thePhilippine Independent Church built a shrine toSaint Michael, the Archangel in thebarrio of Binakayan in 1902.

Cavite el Viejo was then a big town, comprising the municipality of Kawit today, Cavite la Punta (now Cavite City),Noveleta (called Tierra Alta by the Spanish), andImus. Eventually, these three barrios' populations grew and they eventually seceded to become independent municipalities.

Aside from its role as the birthplace of independence, Kawit was also the site of theBattle of Binakayan-Dalahican, one of several Filipino victories during the Revolution.

In 1907, the town was renamed to Kawit, its present name, by virtue of Act No. 1718 by thePhilippine Commission.^[7]

Kawit is politically subdivided into 23barangays. ^[8] Each barangay consists ofpuroks and some havesitios.

In the 2020 census, the population of Kawit was 107,535 people,^[3] with a density of 4,700 inhabitants per square kilometer or 12,000 inhabitants per square mile.

Poverty incidence of Kawit

An original Kawit tradition that takes place everyChristmas Eve, a dramatic retelling of the Virgin Mary and Joseph's search in Bethlehem for a place to stay called "Panunuluyan". This reenactment happens on the streets of Kawit with different floats depicting different biblical scenes from Adam and Eve up to Mary and Joseph. The "Panunuluyan" takes place in several houses and is done in singing until it reaches the 400-year-oldSt. Mary Magdalene Church, where the Virgin Mary and Joseph are welcomed by angels in a giantbelen (Nativity Scene), which covers the whole mainRetablo or altarpiece of the church. The songs performed by the angels acted by little girls are mostly inSpanish andTagalog.

Like any other Philippine municipality, Kawit is headed by a municipal mayor, vice mayor, and 10 councilors, eight of them elected at large by the voting populace and two of them being sectoral representatives (one for thebarangays and one for the youth, elected respectively through their federations).

The mayor is assisted by the vice mayor, who presides over alegislative council. The current mayor of the historical town is Angelo Emilio G. Aguinaldo, a descendant of the first officially recognizedPresident of the Philippines, GeneralEmilio Aguinaldo. The current vice mayor is Edward R. Samala Jr.

•  Sakegawa, Yamagata, Japan^[22]

•  
  Procession (Karakol, dancing)
•  
  Emilio Aguinaldo tomb
•  
  Old Town Hall facade
•  
  Junction
•  
  Beach
•  
  Kawit Toll Plaza ofManila–Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX)

• Aguinaldo Shrine
• St. Michael the Archangel Parish of Binakayan (Aglipayan Church)
• St. Mary Magdalene Church (Kawit)
• Baldomero Aguinaldo Shrine
• Battle of Binakayan-Dalahican
• Kawit revolt, 1896
• Kawit shooting, 2013

• Official Website of the Provincial Government of Cavite
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information