Dasmariñas is a municipality in the province of Cavite, in the Philippines, and is a part of the CALABARZON region. Located approximately 30 kilometers south of Manila, it has a population of approximately 700,000. Dasmariñas is categorized as a First-Class municipality.
Dasmariñas is considered a university town of Cavite. SM and Robinsons mall are also located in Dasmariñas. It is the only municipality in the Philippines that has both SM and Robinsons mall. Dasmariñas meets many of the qualifications for becoming a city, but this has implications both for taxes and property values. Conversion to a city is not yet underway and has met some opposition, but is probably inevitable by 2015 (if not earlier).
The origin of the name "Dasmariñas" comes from "Perez Das Mariñas", a Spanish Governor ("Virrey") of Philippines from 1590 - 1593. After his death, his son Luis Pérez das Mariñas was the governor from 1593 - 1596. Perez Das Mariñas came from "As Negradas", Galiza, Spain.
Dasmariñas literally means "from the marines" in the Galician language (NW of Iberian Peninsula).
