Spanish era Bailen was originally a Catholic parish of the neighboring town of
Maragondon. It was established through a decree issued on August 28, 1857, by
Archbishop Fray Aranguren, OSA, of the
Archdiocese of Manila. The decree separated the barrios of Batas and Guyong-guyong from Maragondon, creating a new parish named Bailen after
a town in the province of
Jaén. Subsequently, residents of Barrio Batas petitioned Spanish Governor-General
Fernando Norzagaray to convert their barrio into a municipality due to its distance from the town proper. The request was approved on August 2, 1858.
Revolutionary era After the
Cry of Pugad Lawin and the outbreak of the
Philippine Revolution, Bailen was one of the towns that were liberated by the
Katipuneros of Cavite. However, after the Spanish General Polavieja launched his offensive, General Emilio Aguinaldo's forces retreated to the upland towns of Cavite, including Bailen. The Spanish offensive followed and when they arrived in Bailen on May 18, 1897, Aguinaldo's forces could no longer be seen. They stayed for three days and when the inhabitants were uncooperative, the Spaniards burned the town and the church. When the inhabitants returned the day after the Spanish occupation, they saw their town already burned.
American era The American civil government, from 1899 to 1901, reduced the number of towns to facilitate the military policy of concentrating the civilian population of the poblaciones. The
Philippine Commission approved Act No. 947 on October 15, 1903, annexing the municipalities of Bailen and
Mendez to
Alfonso, thus becoming barrios of Alfonso. Bailen was reconverted into an independent municipality in 1915 with the complete restoration of peace and order in Cavite.
Post-war independence On June 19, 1965, with the signing of Republic Act No. 4346, the town's name, Bailen, was changed to
General Emilio Aguinaldo, in honor of the
first Philippine president, who died the year prior.
Contemporary era On September 3, 2012, administrators voted to revert the town's name back to Bailen. The
Cavite Provincial Board unanimously approved Committee Report 118-2012, renaming General Emilio Aguinaldo, during the 95th Regular Session. However, the plebiscite to rename the municipality was never held. ==Geography==