Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ______ 
Introduced by HONORABLE RAMON JOLO B. REVILLA III 
and HONORABLE BRYAN B. REVILLA 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Saint Mary Magdalene Parish Church or also known as Kawit Church is the parish 
church of the Municipality of Kawit, Province of Cavite. The first wooden church was 
constructed in 1638 through the aid of six Filipino families from the towns of Maragondon and 
Silang, Cavite.1  
During the Spanish era, the town of Kawit was slowly turned into a pleasure area by the 
visiting Spanish marines. To solve and renew its bad reputation, Manila Archbishop Miguel 
Garcia Serrano ordered the dedication of the Kawit Church to St. Mary Magdalene, who 
successively became the patroness of the town. In 1869, the president of the First Philippine 
Republic, General Emilio Aguinaldo was baptized in this church. His birth certificate is kept 
inside a glass cabinet and on the left side of the altar, where the miraculous statue of St. Mary 
Magdalene is enshrined. 
During the Philippine-American War in 1898, the St. Mary Magdalene Church was 
almost destroyed due to the bombardment of the Americans as Filipino revolutionaries were 
hiding in the church for protection. Scars from the suffered damages on the building can still be 
traced on the church’s facade. 
As time itself has unequivocally witnessed, it is only befitting for the Saint Mary 
Magdalene Parish Church to be included in the annals of history and be recognized as a tourism 
destination and pilgrimage site. This bill seeks to establish the immediate environs of Saint Mary 
Magdalene Parish Church located in the Municipality of Kawit, Province of Cavite as a tourism 
destination and pilgrimage site.  
1 National Registry of Historic Sites & Structures in the Philippines. Simbahan ng Kawit. Information retrieved from 
http://nhcphistoricsites.blogspot.com/2011/10/simbahan-ng-kawit.html 
September 27, 2022
9:09 am
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It shall mandate the Department of Tourism (DOT) and other government agencies to 
develop the vicinity of the area in accordance with the rules and regulations governing the 
development of tourism sites. Moreover, the DOT shall, in coordination with the Department of 
Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the National Historical Commission of the Philippines 
(NHCP), and other concerned government agencies shall prepare a tourism development plan for 
the construction, installation and maintenance of the facilities and infrastructure surrounding 
Saint Magdalene Parish Church. 
 
 
In view of the foregoing, immediate approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
RAMON JOLO B. REVILLA III  
 
 
BRYAN B. REVILLA 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ______ 
Introduced by HONORABLE RAMON JOLO B. REVILLA III 
and HONORABLE BRYAN B. REVILLA 
AN ACT 
DECLARING THE IMMEDIATE ENVIRONS OF SAINT MARY MAGDALENE 
PARISH CHURCH LOCATED IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF KAWIT, PROVINCE OF 
CAVITE, A TOURISM DESTINATION, PROVIDING FOR ITS DEVELOPMENT, AND 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippine Congress 
Assembled: 
SECTION 1. The immediate environs of Saint Mary Magdalene Parish Church located 
in the Municipality of Kawit, Province of Cavite, is hereby declared a tourism destination. As 
such, the development of the immediate environs of Saint Mary Magdalene Parish Church shall 
be prioritized by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and other concerned agencies, subject to the 
rules and regulations governing the development of tourism destinations. 
SECTION 2. Within one (1) year after the approval of this Act, the DOT shall, in 
coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the National 
Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), and other concerned agencies of the 
government, prepare a tourism development plan that shall include the construction, installation, 
and maintenance of such appropriate facilities and infrastructure to improve the overall features 
of the immediate environs surrounding Saint Mary Magdalene Parish Church, thereby enduring 
its accessibility and the security of the tourists: Provided, That said development plan shall 
ensure the preservation and conservation of the historical significance of the area. 
SECTION 3. The DOT and its concerned attached agencies shall take immediate steps to 
implement the tourism development plan for the immediate environs of Saint Mary Magdalene 
Parish Church, and shall incorporate the same in its tourism development program for the 
calendar year immediately succeeding the approval of this Act. 
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SECTION 4. The Secretary of the DOT shall include in the Department’s program the 
implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall be included in the annual General 
Appropriations Act, and shall augment such allocation with internally generated funds of the 
Department. 
 
SECTION 5. Within sixty (60) days from the passage of this Act, the DOT shall, in 
consultation with the municipal government of Kawit, promulgate the necessary rules and 
regulations for the implementation of this Act. 
 
SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the 
Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
 
Approved,