:''For other meanings of the word, see
Manila (disambiguation). For the greater metropolitan area, see
Metro Manila.''
The 'City of Manila' (
Filipino: ''Lungsod ng Maynila''), or simply 'Manila', is the
capital of the
Philippines and one of the municipalities that comprise
Metro Manila. The city is located on the eastern shore of
Manila Bay on
Luzon, the country's largest island.
Manila is the hub of a thriving metropolitan area home to over 10 million people. The
Metro Manila area also known as the National Capital Region (NCR), of which the City of Manila is a part, is a much bigger metropolis consisting of 17 cities and municipalities. This article discusses the city itself; see
Metro Manila for the article on the metropolis.
Manila is the second most populous city proper in the Philippines, with more than 1.5 million inhabitants. Only nearby
Quezon City, the country's former capital, is more populous. Manila is currently included in the roster of
global cities of the world.
Manila got its name from ''may nilad'',
Tagalog for "there is
nilad," in reference to the flowering mangrove plant that grew on the marshy shores of the bay. In the 16th century, Manila (then ''Maynilad'') grew from an Islamic settlement on the banks of the
Pasig River into the seat of the
colonial government of
Spain when it controlled the Philippine Islands for over three centuries from 1565 to 1898. Beginning in 1898, the
United States occupied and controlled the city and the Philippine archipelago until
1946. During
World War II, much of the city was destroyed. The Metropolitan Manila region was enacted as an independent entity in
1975. Today, the city and the metropolis thrive as an important cultural and economic center. However, overpopulation, traffic congestion, pollution, and crime challenge the city.
Manila has been classified as a "Gamma"
global city by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network.
[1]
The city
Manila lies at the mouth of the
Pasig River on the eastern shores of
Manila Bay, which is on the western side of
Luzon. It lies about 950 kilometers southeast of
Hong Kong and 2,400 kilometers northeast of
Singapore. The river bisects the city in the middle. Almost all of the city sits on top of centuries of prehistoric
alluvial deposits built by the waters of the Pasig River and on some land reclaimed from Manila Bay. The layout of the city was haphazardly planned during Spanish Era as a set of communities surrounding the original Spanish Era walled city of Manila, called
Intramuros. Intramuros is one of the oldest walled cities in the far east. During the American Period, some semblance of city planning using the architectural designs and master plans by
Daniel Burnham was done on the portions of the city south of the Pasig River. Burnham, the noted American city planner and architect, was famed for his plans and designs of Chicago, Cleveland (the Group Plan), San Francisco, Washington, DC (the McMillan Plan), and Baguio City, details of which appear in The Chicago Plan publication of 1909.
Manila is bordered by several municipalities and cities in
Metro Manila:
Navotas and
Caloocan City to the north,
Quezon City to the northeast,
San Juan and
Mandaluyong City to the east,
Makati City to the southeast, and
Pasay City to the south.
City seal
The Seal of Maynila depicts the words ''Lungsod ng Maynila'' and ''Pilipinas'',
Filipino for ''City of Manila'' and ''Philippines'', in a circle around a shield. The circle also contains six yellow stars representing the city's six congressional districts. The shield, in the shape of pre-colonial people's shield, depicts the city's nickname ''Pearl of the Orient'' on top; a sea lion in the middle, in reference to the city's Spanish influences; and the waves of the
Pasig River and
Manila Bay in the bottom portion. The colors of the seal mirror that of the
Flag of the Philippines.
Districts
Map of Manila (click for larger version)
The city is divided into sixteen (16) districts. Only one district was not an original town - Port Area. Eight (8) districts are located north of the Pasig River and eight (8) are in the south. San Andres Bukid was previously part of Santa Ana, while Santa Mesa was once a part of Sampaloc.
'North of Pasig River'
★
Binondo
★
Quiapo
★
Sampaloc
★
San Miguel
★
San Nicolas
★
Santa Cruz
★
Santa Mesa
★
Tondo
'South of Pasig River'
★
Ermita
★
Intramuros
★
Malate
★
Paco
★
Pandacan
★
Port Area
★
San Andres Bukid
★
Sta. Ana
All of these districts, with the exception of Port Area, have their own churches, and several of these districts have achieved recognition in their own right. Intramuros being the old and original enclave of Manila is a historical site. The district of Binondo is the city's
Chinatown. Tondo is the densest in terms of population, the largest in land area and also with the highest poverty level. The districts of Ermita and Malate are well-known and popular with tourists, having many bars, restaurants, five-star hotels, and shopping malls while the districts of San Miguel and Pandacan hosts the official residence of the President of the country, Malacañang Palace.
National Government Offices
The former Agriculture and Finance Buildings and the Agrifina Circle in
Rizal Park.
The City of Manila is the capital of the Philippines and is also the seat of political power in the country. During the early years of the American colonial government, they envisioned a well designed city outside the walls of Intramuros. In nearby "Bagumbayan" or what is now Rizal Park, was chosen to become the center of government and a design commission was given to
Daniel Burnham to create a master plan for the city patterned after
Washington D.C.
Eventually, under the Commonwealth Government of Manuel L. Quezon, a new government center was to be built on the hills northeast of Manila, or what is now
Quezon City. Several government agencies have set-up base in Quezon City but several key government offices are in Manila such as, the Office of the Philippine President, the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, the
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Departments of
Budget,
Finance,
Health,
Justice,
Labor & Employment, and
Tourism.
Parks and open areas
Rizal Monument
Directly south of Intramuros lies
Rizal Park, the country's most significant park. Also known as ''Luneta'' (Spanish term for "crescent-shaped") and previously as ''Bagumbayan'', the 60 hectare Rizal Park sits on the site where
José Rizal, the country's national hero, was executed by the Spaniards on charges of subversion. A monument stands in his honor where Rizal's remains were buried. The big flagpole west of the Rizal Monument is the Kilometer Zero for road distances on the island of
Luzon and the rest of the country.
Other attractions in Rizal Park include the Chinese and Japanese Gardens, the Department of Tourism building, the
National Museum of the Philippines, The
National Library of the Philippines, the Planetarium, the Orchidarium and Butterfly Pavilion, an open-air auditorium for cultural performances, a relief map of the Philippines, a fountain area, a children's lagoon, a chess plaza, a light and sound presentation, and the
Quirino Grandstand.
Another famous open space in Manila is the ''
Baywalk''. This promenade lies in front of the Manila Bay where one can experience one of the most breathtaking sunsets of the world. Coconut trees, giant kaleidoscopic lamp posts, al fresco cafès and restaurants, and live acoustic bands dot this two-kilometer stretch of ample space beside
Roxas Boulevard.
Aside from Rizal Park, Manila has very few other open public spaces.
Rajah Sulayman Park, Manila Boardwalk, Liwasang
Bonifacio, Plaza Miranda,
Paco Park, Remedios Circle, Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden, Plaza Balagtas and the Malacañang Garden are some of the other parks in the city. In 2005, Mayor
Lito Atienza opened the Pandacan Linear Park, a strip of land that served as a buffer zone between the oil depot and the residential-commercial properties in Pandacan and could be found along the banks of the Pasig River. In the northern most part of the city lies the three cemeteries of Loyola, Chinese, and Manila North Green Park, the largest public cemetery in Metropolitan Manila.
People
Demographics
Ethnic groups
The original
Austronesian settlers of Manila were the
Tagalogs. Throughout the centuries, there has been a constant migration of
Visayans,
Bicolanos,
Ilocanos,
Moros,
Kapampangans,
Chinese,
Japanese, and
Spaniards. The Chinese and Spanish currently control most of the economy. There are also
Americans,
Arabs,
Indonesians,
South Asians, and
Koreans in Manila. Intermarriage between ethnic groups is not uncommon in the Philippines.
Population density
View of the Malate and Ermita skyline.
With a population of 1,581,082 and a land area of 38.55 km², it has the
highest population density of any major city in the world with 41,014 people/km² (with district 6 being the most dense with 68,266, followed by the first two districts (Tondo) with 64,936 and 64,710, respectively, and district 5 being the least dense with 19,235). A million more transients are added during daytime as students and workers come to the city.
Manila's population density dwarfs that of
Paris (20,164 inhabitants per km²),
Shanghai (16,364 people/km², with its most dense district of Nanshi's 56,785 density),
Buenos Aires (2,179 people/km², with its most dense inner suburb Lanus' 10,444 density),
Tokyo (10,087 people/km²),
Mexico City (11,700 people/km²), and
Istanbul (1,878 people/km², with its most dense district Fatih's 48,173 density).
Languages
The vernacular language is
Filipino in the form of
Tagalog, while
English is the language most widely used in education and business throughout the Metro Manila region.
Religion
Roman Catholicism
Manila is the seat of the
Archdiocese of Manila and the
Primate of the Philippines. Being the seat of the Spanish colonial government in past centuries, it has been used as the base of numerous Roman Catholic missions to the Philippines. Among the religious orders that have gone to the Philippines include the
Dominicans, the
Jesuits, the
Franciscans, and the
Augustinians (which includes the
Augustinian Recollects).
Intramuros is currently the seat of the
Archdiocese of Manila, the oldest archdiocese in the country. The archdiocese's offices is located in the
Manila Cathedral (Basilica Minore de la Nuestra Señora de la Immaculada Concepcion) in Intramuros.
Other notable churches and cathedrals in the city include
San Agustin Church in Intramuros, a
UN World Heritage Site is a favorite wedding place of notable people and one of two fully air-conditioned churches in the city;
Quiapo Church, also known as the Basilica Minore del
Nazareno Negro, site of the annual January Black Nazarene procession;
Binondo Church, also known as Basilica Minore de
St. Lorenzo Ruiz;
Malate Church (
Nuestra Señora de Remedios); and
San Sebastian Church or the Basilica Minore de San Sebastian, the only all-steel church in Gothic style in Asia. Many of the other districts of Manila have their own notable churches.
Other faiths
There are many
Buddhist and
Taoist temples built by the Chinese community in Manila. The Quiapo district is home to a sizable
Moslem population in Manila which include extremist groups which seek to establish a Moslem State, and
The Golden Mosque is located there. In Ermita is a large
Hindu temple for the Indian population, while on U.N. Avenue, there is a Sikh Temple. There is also an LDS temple. In Malate, along Quirino Avenue, there once was a synagogue for the small
Jewish community in the Philippines.
Education and culture
Main articles: Education in the Philippines,
List of colleges and universities in the Philippines
Manila is home to the majority of the colleges and universities in Metro Manila. The
University Belt or ''U-Belt'', informally located in the districts of Malate, Ermita, Intramuros, San Miquel, Quiapo, and Sampaloc is the colloquial term for the high concentration of institutions of higher education that are located in these districts. Among them are private school
De La Salle University-Manila in Malate, the private schools
Far Eastern University and
University of Santo Tomas in Sampaloc, and the city-owned
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila at Intramuros
The city also plays host to the
Manila Science High School, the forerunner of the country's science high schools, the
National Museum of the Philippines, where the
Spoliarium of
Juan Luna is housed, the Metropolitan Museum, the Museong Pambata (Children's Museum), as well as the
National Library, located within Rizal Park.
Economy
Commerce
Every district in the city with the exception of Port Area has its own public market, locally called the ''pamilihang bayan'' or ''Palengke''. Public markets are often divided into two, the dry goods section and the wet goods section. Commerce in these public markets is lively, especially in the early morning. Under the urban renewal program of the incumbent administration, some of the public markets had been refurbished and given a fresher look, like the Sta. Ana public market. It is one of the more advanced markets in the city featuring a modern 2-story building with an escalator.
The tropical climate in Manila plus the facilities of its world-class malls continue to attract Filipinos to the shopping malls. Modern shopping malls dot the city especially in the areas of Malate and Ermita. SM City Manila, part of the country's largest chain of malls, stands behind the Manila City Hall, while the original SM Department store still operates in Carriedo in Sta. Cruz while another called SM Centrepoint is located north east of the city in Sta. Mesa close to the Quezon City-San Juan boundary. One of the popular malls that lies at the heart of Manila is Robinson's Place Ermita. In the southern part of the city in Malate district is Harrison Plaza, one of the city's oldest shopping malls.
For the adventurous shoppers, you may venture beyond the hotel/shopping complex package and combine other interesting destinations for cheap buys such as in Divisoria and Quiapo districts. Bargaining is the major part of your shopping experience when you pass by on these areas, as it sells goods at rock-bottom prices. In Divisoria, there is already a shopping mall that caters to the adventurous shoppers. Tutuban Center in Divisoria gives a little comfort to the shoppers as it offers air-conditioned mall, but the price of the goods here is still very similar to the goods bought outside. In Quiapo, one unique spot is the marketplace under the bridge. It sells indigenous Filipino crafts and delicacies. Raon Center is famous for its cheap electronic products. Though through the changing times, department stores began sprouting the Quiapo area, but still the flea market of Quiapo is still vibrant and very much popular among the average Filipinos. Photo and video enthusiasts looking for cheap equipment can proceed to R. Hidalgo street in the Quiapo district.
Manufacturing
Historical Perspective
The establishment of the country's manufacturing base centered around the not so distant districts of Manila during the Spanish colonial times. During the arrival of the Americans by the turn of the 20th century, Manila's manufacturing base expanded and diversified into different areas and interests.
The district of Tondo due to its proximity to the Manila North and South Harbor became a center for several manufacturing facilities and the district of Pandacan and portions of Paco nearest to the banks of the Pasig River served as centers for manufacturing in the city.
Manila during the Spanish period was well-known for its quality tobacco production by the Manila Tabacalera Company which had its manufacturing and production base along Tayuman street in Tondo. Philippine food and beverage giant
San Miguel Corporation first started its beer brewing production along San Miguel district. The old brewing building for San Miguel is now within the high security enclave of Malacañan Palace grounds. Nearby the old San Miguel brewery was the Manila Ice Plant and portions of its old building now houses the Department of Budget and Management. Tanduay Distilleries, a manufacturer of rhum still operates its facilities in the San Miguel district while its rival La Tondeña which had its production facilities in nearby Quiapo district has scaled down its operations.
Tondo was base for food manufacturing by the 1920s and several American companies established plants in the area. The Philippine Manufacturing Company or PMC established production of various products derived from coconut oil ranging from cooling oil to soaps and toiletries. The Philippine Manufacturing Company would later become
Procter and Gamble Philippines and in the late 1980s, production from within the crowded Tondo area was gradually phased down and moved to areas outside of Metro Manila.
PMC's rival company, the Philippine Refining Company or PRC established its based of operations five kilometers upstream of the Pasig River in Paco district, along the United Nations Avenue, near Isla de Provisor. PRC was also engaged in the manufacture of product derivatives from coconut oil. In the 1990s, Philippine Refining Company changed its corporate name as part of the global strategy of company brand recognition and is now called
Unilever Philippines.
The United Nation's Avenue near the corner of Romualdez street used to be the mini Detroit in the 1930s when the
Ford Motor Company established its first assembly plant in the area. The plant facility remains standing and it houses the government office issuing the seaman's passbook.
American owned oil companies in the 1930s like
Esso,
Mobil Oil and Filipino Oil or FilOil established their oil distribution and lube facilities along the banks of the Pasig River in Pandacan district, at a time when the area was largely a farm village. after almost a century of operations, the fuel distribution and manufacturing facilities are gradually being removed due to its potential security and safety risk to the highly dense population in the area.
Coca Cola still operates its bottling plant in Pandacan but its plant operations is more focused on product distribution into the Metro Manila franchise area.
Several key and notable manufacturing facilities in the City of Manila closed down through the years especially after 1980s. The country's then largest copra milling company at the boundary of Paco and Pandacan district closed down and its plant site is now a middle class town house facility. The depot of the Philippines only gas company with pipelines servicing every home, the Manila Gas Company ceased operations in the 1980s after a protracted legal battle on ownership issue and its facilities were torn down as the 5.5 hectare Manila Gas property is now being converted into a mixed condominium and commercial tower.
Transportation
Air
Terminal 1 of NAIA
(NAIA), outside the city proper, serves Manila and the metro area. Over 40 airlines provide daily service to over 26 cities and 19 countries worldwide. Approximately 17 million travellers use NAIA a year, straining what was originally a domestic airport built in the 1930s. A second terminal, Terminal 2 (or the Centennial Terminal) opened in October 1999. The International flag-carrier
Philippine Airlines now uses this terminal exclusively for both its domestic and international service while all other international flights use the original NAIA terminal.
Air Philippines is in the transition to the newer Terminal 2 alongside PAL. A third terminal was nearly completed until a controversy was discovered by the current Arroyo administration that prompted a series of investigations and international court battle with the builders and the Philippine government.
The main carrier serving NAIA is
Philippine Airlines, which has the most extensive network in the Philippines. Newly repackaged
Cebu Pacific Air, which uses all A320 aircraft and promotes online booking, positions itself as the first true discount airline in the country. Air Philippines, a subsidiary of Philippine Airlines, competes with Cebu Pacific in the budget market and the inter-provinces routes.
Asian Spirit and
South East Asian Airlines, which use smaller 48-seat planes, are some of the smaller airlines serving the city of Manila.
Another alternative point of embarkation and disembarkation is
Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in the
Clark Special Economic Zone. As of October 2006, scheduled flights from Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Seoul, Kota Kinabalu, and Kuala Lumpur, and chartered flights from Shanghai and Taipei use this small airport because of its cheaper landing and parking fees. A mediocre shuttle system serves Clark and Manila. Travellers depart from this airport will have to pay 500 peso departure tax from end of 2006.
Roads
A major road in Manila.
The main roads of Metro Manila are organized around a set of radial and circumferential roads that radiate and circle in and around Manila proper. Roxas Boulevard, easily the most well-known of Manila's streets, line the southern shores of Manila with Manila Bay. The boulevard is part of the ''Radial Road 1'' that leads south to the province of
Cavite. Another well-known radial road is España Boulevard (part of ''Radial Road 7'') that starts in Quiapo and ends at the Welcome Rotunda along the border with Quezon City. Pres. Sergio Osmeña Sr. Highway, part of the
South Luzon Expressway or ''Radial Road 3'' is the most important highway linking Manila with the provinces of southern Luzon.
The most common types of public transportation are buses and the
jeepney.
Tricycles and
Pedicabs are used for short distances. In some areas, especially in Divisoria, two stroke motors are fitted in the pedicabs and are used for goods transport.
Major roads in Manila:
★
Claro M. Recto Avenue (San Nicolas/North Harbor to Quiapo-Mendiola)
★
Escolta (Sta. Cruz)
★
España Boulevard (Sampaloc to Quezon City)
★
Honorio Lopez Boulevard (Formerly ''North Bay Boulevard'') (Gagalangin, Tondo to Navotas)
★
Jose Abad Santos Avenue (Divisoria to Sta. Cruz)
★
Juan Luna Street (Divisoria to Caloocan City-Manila border, where it becomes A. Mabini Street.
★
Mendiola Street
★
Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard (Sta. Mesa and parts of Quezon City)
★
Rizal Avenue (Sta. Cruz to Caloocan City)
★
Roxas Boulevard (San Nicolas/North Harbor to
Talisay,
Batangas)
★
Taft Avenue (Ermita to Paranaque City)
★
Quezon Boulevard (Quiapo)
★
United Nations Avenue (Paco to Ermita)
Bridges
Roxas Bridge (formerly Del Pan Bridge)
There are eight (8) major bridge spans in Manila, more than half of the number of bridges that connects the north and south banks of the Pasig River in Metro Manila. There are two (2) rail bridges that crosses the river, the Light Rail Transit 1 and the Philippine National Railways track. The bridges listed below are in a west to east order, with the first bridge Del Pan, nearest to the mouth of the Pasig River into Manila Bay.
★ Roxas bridge - ''formerly called Del Pan'' (San Nicolas to Port Area)
★ Jones bridge (Binondo to Ermita)
★ McArthur bridge (Santa Cruz to Ermita)
★ LRT 1 (Carriedo station to Central station)
★ Quezon bridge (Quiapo to Ermita)
★ Ayala bridge (San Miguel to Ermita)
★ Mabini bridge - ''formerly called Nagtahan bridge'' (Santa Mesa to Pandacan)
★ Philippine National Railways (Santa Mesa station to Pandacan station)
★ Padre Zamora bridge (Santa Mesa to Pandacan)
★ Lambingan bridge (Sta. Ana)
Rail transport
Manila LRT 2 Station.
Manila is the hub of a railway system on Luzon. The main terminal of the
Philippine National Railways is in the Tondo district. Railways extend from this terminal north to the city of
San Fernando in
Pampanga and south to
Legazpi City in
Albay, though only the southern railway is currently in operation.
Manila is also serviced by the
Manila Light Rail Transit System (separate from
Manila Metro Rail Transit System), a national priority project designed to address the overwhelming traffic that congests the national capital. Development of the system began with its inception in the 1970s under the Marcos administration, making it the first light rail transport in Southeast Asia. Recently, the system saw a massive multi-billion dollar expansion in correlation with the rising population of the city; its purpose: to create an alternative form of transportation to solve the demand of an increasingly mobile workforce. After three decades in service, the project has enjoyed an insurmountable success, with favorable opinions from commuters, mainly because of its extremely low fares that is subsidized by the national government. Two lines service the city dwellers and they run along the length of Taft Avenue (R-2) and Rizal Avenue (R-9). A second line runs along Ramon Magsaysay Blvd (R-6) from Santa Cruz, through
Quezon City, up to Santolan in
Pasig City.
These are the major rail systems, with their station within Manila:
★ LRT 1: R. Papa, J. Abad Santos, Blumentritt, Tayuman, Bambang, D. Jose, Carriedo, Central Station, UN Ave., P. Gil, Quirino Ave, and Vito Cruz
★ LRT 2: C.M. Recto, Legarda, Pureza, and V. Mapa
★ PNR: Vito Cruz, Herran, Pandacan, Sta. Mesa, España, Laong Laan, Blumentritt and Tutuban.
Seaports and piers
The City of Manila is the chief seaport of the Philippines. North Harbor and South Harbor experience busy periods during long holidays such as
Holy Week,
All Saints Day and the
Christmas holidays. The
Port of Manila serves the city's commercial needs, it also one of South East Asia's more major ports.
Communication
Postal service
The Philippines central office for its
postal service now called
Philippine Postal Corporation and it is located at the foot of the Jones Bridge. The main office is housed in a huge art deco style building designed with huge columns at front, built during the American colonial period. The building houses the Philippine Postal Bank and the main mail sorting-distribution operations of the country.
Print and publication
Manila is home to major Philippine newspaper publishers with a number of offices and printing presses located at the Port Area. The news industry is one of the legacies of the American colonization of the Philippines, as they paved the way for the freedom of the press. Some of the major publications based in Manila include the country's oldest newspapers, the
Manila Times, the
Manila Bulletin, the
Philippine Star, the
Manila Standard Today,
The Daily Tribune and others.
News agencies
The city serves as host to a number of news and information offices, agencies or services that includes the Office of the Press Secretary and Radio-TV Malacañang or RTVM (the close-in news team of Philippine Presidents) located at the Malacañang Palace grounds.
The National Press Club's building office is located at the foot of the Jones bridge across the Post Office building and it houses the International Press Center or IPC, a government agency tasked to accredit and grant working permits for visiting foreign agencies.
Manila is also home to the prestigious and exclusive organization of journalists called, "''Samahang Plaridel''," whose members include some of the prominent publishers, editors, reporters of the country.
The
Associated Press, Japan's
NHK and
Fuji TV, and London-based
Global Radio News, Ltd. made Manila as its base of newsgathering operations in the Philippines.
Utilities
Electricity and water
Manila's source of electricity is part of the central franchise service area of the Manila Electric Company or
Meralco. Water supply for the city is supplied by the
Maynilad Water Services, except for portions of the district of Sta. Ana which is serviced by the
Manila Water.
Mobile phone, telephone & cable television
The city's telecommunications infrastructure (landlines) are provided by
PLDT, Eastern Telecoms,
Bayantel and cellular service providers
Smart Communications,
Globe Telecom and
Sun Cellular cover the city. Cable television access is provided by
SkyCABLE and
Global Destiny Cable.
Internet service providers
Internet
Digital Subscriber Line or DSL coverage is provided by PLDT, and Eastern Telecoms, cable internet is serviced by Sky Cable's ZPDee brand and by Global Destiny. Wireless broadband is provided by Smart Communications. Availability of services from among the listed providers vary in the various districts of Manila, except in Malate and Ermita where all providers are available.
Wi-Fi is also offered in some gas stations and cafés.
Government
Manila City Hall
Like all
cities of the Philippines, Manila is governed by a mayor who heads the executive department of the city. The current mayor for the 2007-2010 term is
Alfredo Lim, who is making a comeback to the city hall following a 3-year stint as a Senator. The city mayor is restricted for three consecutive terms (nine years), although he can be elected again after an interruption of one term.
Isko Moreno, the city's incumbent vice-mayor heads the legislative arm which is composed of the elected city councilors, six from each of the city's six congressional districts.
The city is divided into 897
barangays, which are the smallest unit of local government in the Philippines. Each barangay has its own chairperson and councilors. For administrative convenience, all the barangays in Manila are grouped into 100 zones and which are further grouped into 16 administrative districts. These zones and districts have no form of local government.
The city further has six representatives popularly elected to the
House of Representatives, the lower legislative branch of the Philippines. Each representative represents one of the six
Congressional districts of Manila.
Current Officials (2007-2010)
★ 'Mayor':
Alfredo Lim
★ 'Vice Mayor':
Isko Moreno (serving under his birth name, Francisco Domagoso)
Elected House of Representatives
★ '''1st District:'''
Benjamin Asilo
★ '''2nd District:'''
Jaime Lopez
★ '''3rd district:'''
Ma. Zenaida Angping
★ '''4th district:'''
Ma. Theresa Bonoan-David
★ '''5th district:'''
Amado Bagatsing
★ '''6th district:'''
Bienvenido Abante Jr.
Councilors
'''1st District:'''
★ Ernesto "Dionix" Dionisio Jr.
★ Erick Ian Nieva
★ Dennis Alcoreza
★ Moises Lim
★ Arlene Koa
★ Rolando Sy
'''2nd District'''
★ Marlon Lacson
★ Rolando Valeriano
★ Abelardo Viceo
★ Numero "Uno" Lim
★ Ivy Varona
★ Carlo Lopez
'''3rd District'''
★ Manuel "Letlet" Zarcal
★ Ernesto Isip Jr.
★ Monina "Pipay" Silva
★ Joel Chua
★ Yul Servo (John Marvin Nieto)
★ Ramon Morales
'''4th District'''
★ Edward Maceda
★ Victoriano Melendez
★ Ma. Sheila "Honey" Lacuna-Pangan
★ Jocelyn Quintos
★ Amalia Tolentino
★ Luisito Chua
'''5th District:'''
★ Corazon Gernale
★ Cristina Isip
★ Josefina Siscar
★ Raymundo Yupangco
★ Rafael "Che" Borromeo
★ Roderick Valbuena
'''6th District:'''
★ Luis "Joey" Uy
★ Luciano "Lou" Veloso
★ Danilo Victor "Dennis" Lacuna
★ Ma. Lourdes "Bonjay" Isip-Garcia
★ Jocelyn Dawis-Asuncion
★ Ernesto Rivera
Places of interest
General landmarks
Chancery of the Manila American Embassy
★
Apolinario Mabini Shrine
★ Chinatown (Binondo district)
★ Embassy of the
United States of America
★
Ermita and
Malate Districts, a place for Bohemian night life
★
Fort Santiago
★
Intramuros, the walled city built by the Spaniards, originally considered to be the City of Manila
★
Liwasang Bonifacio
★
Malacañang Palace, the official residence of the
President of the Philippines
★
Manila Baywalk
★
Manila Boardwalk
★
Manila City Hall
★
Manila Yacht Club
★ Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden (
Manila Zoo)
★
Metropolitan Theater
★
Museo Pambata
★
National Library of the Philippines
★ National Museum
★
Paco Park, the location of the hit ''Paco Park Presents''
★
Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz
★
Plaza Miranda
★
Quirino Grandstand
★
Rajah Sulayman Park
★ Remedios Circle
★
Rizal Park, also known as ''Luneta''
★
The Manila Hotel
★ The
Supreme Court of the Philippines
★
University Belt Area
★ Victims of
Martial Law Memorial Wall - Bonifacio Shrine (near City Hall)
Malls and shopping centers
★ 168 Shopping Malls
★ Divisoria Flea Market
★ Ever Gotesco Manila Plaza (Recto)
★ Harrison Plaza (SM Harrison; Shopwise; Rustan's)
★ Isetann Department Store (Recto and Quiapo)
★ Palengke or Pamilihan sa ilalim ng tulay (lit. "marketplace under the bridge" - a center for indigenous Filipino products
★ Quiapo Bargain Center, home of endless bargain goods
★ Robinson's Place - Manila
★ SM City Manila (Located In Navidad Lopez St Corner Arocceros St Ermita Manila in front of the Manila City Hall)
★ SM City San Lazaro (Located In Felix Huretas corner A Lacson Avenue Sta Cruz Manila)
★ SM Sta. Mesa (Ramon Magsaysay Blvd. boundary Quezon City and San Juan)
★ SM Department Store Harrison Plaza
★ SM Department Store Quiapo
★ Tutuban Center (Cluster Building, Centermall & Primeblock)
★ University Mall (beside De La Salle University)
Hospitals
★ Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center (Private - Blumentritt St., Santa Cruz)
★
Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital (Lope de Vega, Santa Cruz)
★ Dr. Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Hospital (Rizal Ave., Manila)
★ Family Clinic (Private - Sampaloc)
★ Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center (Tondo)
★ Hospital of the Infant Jesus (Private - Laong Laan St., Sampaloc)
★ Manila Doctor's Hospital (Private - UN Ave., Ermita)
★ Manila Medical Center (Private - Gen. Luna St., Ermita)
★ Mary Chiles General Hospital (Private - Gastambide St., Sampaloc)
★ Mary Johnston Hospital (Private - Juan Nolasco St., Tondo)
★
Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center (Roxas Blvd., Malate)
★ Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital (Private - Sanchez St., Santa Mesa)
★
Philippine General Hospital (Taft Ave., Ermita)
★ San Lazaro Hospital (Quiricada, Santa Cruz)
★ University of Santo Tomas Hospital (Private - España, Sampaloc)
★ Tondo Medical Center (Balut, Tondo)
Hotels
The historic lobby of the Manila Hotel, one of the first of its kind in Southeast Asia built in 1901.
Manila offers a wide range of accommodations ranging from top-rated de-luxe hotels to more affordable universal lodges. Most of these accommodations are located within Roxas Boulevard overlooking Manila Bay, or in the districts of Ermita and Malate. Manila's hotel accommodations are 20 to 30 minutes away from the international and domestic airport.
★ Admiral Hotel
★ Aloha Hotel
★ Bayview Hotel
★ City Garden
★ Executive Plaza
★ Grand Boulevard Hotel
★ Manila Diamond Hotel
★ Manila Pavillion (Waterfront)
★ Hyatt Hotel and Casino
★ Palm Plaza Hotel
★ Pan Pacific Plaza
★ The Manila Hotel
★ Traders Hotel
★ Sheraton Hotel
Places of worship
Facade of Basilica Minore del Nazareno Negro
Interior of Basilica Minore de San Sebastian (Engineering design are from
Gustave Eiffel. Metal parts came from Belgium and later shipped and assembled in Manila in 1891)
The cosmopolitan atmosphere and cultural diversity of Manila is reflected in the number of places of worship scattered around the city. The freedom of worship in the Philippines, which have existed since the creation of the republic, allowed the diverse population to build their sacred sites without the fear of persecution. People of different denominations are represented here with the presence of Christian churches, buddhist temples, Jewish synagogues, and islamic mosques.
★ Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat (Benedictine Chapel inside
San Beda College)
★ Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus
★ Basilica Minore de San Lorenzo Ruiz (Binondo Church)
★ Basilica Minore de San Sebastian (
San Sebastian Church), the only all-steel church in
Gothic style in Asia
★ Basilica Minore de la Immaculada Concepcion (
Manila Cathedral)
★ Basilica Minore del Nazareno Negro (
Quiapo Church)
★ Buddhist Temple (Malate, Manila)
★ Cathedral of the Child Jesus - Iglesia Filipina Independiente (
Aglipayan)
★ Chinese Temple (Binondo, Manila)
★ Mosque del Globo de Oro (Quiapo, Manila)
★ Hindu Temple (Paco, Manila)
★ Iglesia de la Parroquia de Santo Niño (Pandacan, Manila)
★ Iglesia de Santa Cruz
★ Nuestra Señora de Guia Church (Ermita Church)
★ National Shrine of St. Michael and the Archangels (San Miguel, Manila)
★ Nuestra Señora de Remedios Church (Malate Church)
★ Parroquia de San Fernando de Dilao (Paco, Manila)
★
San Agustin Church
Sporting venues
★
Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (RMSC)
★ San Andres Gym (formerly Mail and More Arena, the home of the
Manila Metrostars.)
Museums
★
Bahay Tsinoy
★ Intramuros Light and Sound Museum
★ Museo ng Maynila (Museum of Manila)
★ National Museum of the Filipino People
★ Museo Pambata (Children's Museum)
★ Parish of the Our Lady of the Abandoned - Sta. Ana (pre-Spanish artifacts)
★ The Museum - De La Salle University-Manila
★ UST Museum of Arts and Sciences
Cemeteries
★
Manila Chinese Cemetery
★
La Loma Cemetery
★
Manila North Cemetery
★
Manila South Cemetery
History
Pre-Spanish times
Manila began as a Muslim settlement at the mouth of the Pasig River along the shores of Manila Bay. The name came from the term ''maynilad'', literally "where there is nilad." Nilad is a white-flowered mangrove plant that grew in abundance in the area.
In the mid-16th century, the area of present-day Manila was governed by three ''rajahs'', or Muslim community leaders. They were
Rajah Sulayman and
Rajah Matanda who ruled the communities south of the Pasig, and
Rajah Lakandula who ruled the community north of the river. Manila was then the northernmost Muslim sultanate in the islands. It held ties with the sultanates of
Brunei,
Sulu, and
Ternate in
Cavite.
Spanish rule
Gate of Fuerza de Santiago.
In 1570, a
Spanish expedition ordered by the
conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi demanded the conquest of Manila. His second in command,
Martín de Goiti departed from
Cebu and arrived in Manila. The Muslim
Tagalogs welcomed the foreigners, but Goiti had other plans. The Spanish force of 300 soldiers marched through Manila and a battle was fought with the heavily armed Spaniards quickly defeating the native settlements. Legazpi and his men followed the next year and made a peace pact with the three rajahs and organized a city council consisting of two mayors, 12 councilors, and a secretary. A walled city known as
Intramuros, at the southern banks of
Pasig River was built to protect the Spanish colonizers. On
June 10,
1574,
King Philip II of Spain gave Manila the title of ''Insigne y Siempre Leal Ciudad'' ("Distinguished and Ever Loyal City").
In 1595, Manila was proclaimed as the capital of the Philippine Islands and became a center of trans-Pacific trade for more than three centuries. For example, the famous
Manila galleons sailed between Manila and the port of
Acapulco in today's
Mexico. These Manila galleons carried silver and other precious metals from the
New World to Manila to purchase goods and raw materials from throughout Asia — for example, spices
transhipped from the
Spice Islands to the south, and
porcelain,
ivory,
lacquerware and processed
silk cloth from China and Southeast Asia. Some of these Asian goods were used in Mexico, however, most of the cargo was transhipped across Mexico for delivery to Spain, to be sold in European markets.
British occupation
There was a brief British occupation of Manila from 1762-1764 as a result of the
Seven Years' War, which was fought between
France and
England. Spain became a British enemy when it sided with France due to ties between their royal families. The British Occupation was confined to Manila and
Cavite while
Simón de Anda y Salazar, acting as a ''de facto'' Spanish governor general, kept the countryside for Spain with the help of Filipino soldiers. The Indian soldiers known as
Sepoys, who came with the British, deserted in droves and settled in
Cainta, Rizal, and explains the uniquely Indian features of generations of Cainta residents. French mercenaries who came with the British also settled in various locations around Manila.
[2]
United States rule
U.S. Troops invaded Manila in 1898 and waged war with the Spaniards and Filipinos in the
Spanish-American War and the
Philippine-American War. Following the defeat of Spain, U.S. forces took control of the city and the islands in one of the most brutal and forgotten chapters of Philippine American history. The Filipinos, having just won their independence from Spain, were fiercely opposed to once again being occupied. They had established the
First Philippine Republic under
Emilio Aguinaldo at the
Malolos Congress and had begun to build the foundations for an independent nation. The Americans, who had promised Aguinaldo their support and help in 1898 had struck a deal with the Spanish, in which they would stage a mock battle for the islands in Manila which would establish the Americans as the "legitimate" rulers.
American high command was then under the incompetent and unimaginative General Otis. He invaded and immediately routed the Filipino troops who had taken classic defensive positions around Manila to keep them out. These poorly armed, ill-trained soldiers could not compete with the superior firepower of the Americans: they lost and were so severely beaten that the Filipino dead were used as breastworks.
Aguinaldo immediately ordered the Filipinos to start fighting a guerilla campaign. They did this with unmitigated success, as they had the support of the peasantry and knew the terrain and language better that the Americans. The Americans became uneasily aware that they were fighting not just one "tribe" as they had originally thought, but the entire country, and that their original belief in easy victory was not to be.
Otis was becoming an embarrassment to the McKinley administration as his continual pronouncements of victory were never followed up with success. He was replaced with MacArthur, who with his officials, embarked on a long and bloody campaign. MacArthur once confidentially declared that to subdue the islands would take at least ten years. Officially, it ended after three years, unofficially he was proven right.
One incident in particular stands out. Howling Jake was one of the American commanders in charge of the pacification of Samar. His words to his troops were infamous, "Kill and burn, kill and burn. The more you kill and the more you burn, the more you please me." When asked who would be spared, he replied, "Everyone under ten."
Villages were burned. People were raped and killed. Filipinos were rounded up and placed in concentration camps where disease and hunger took their toll. They had to sleep standing up in the rain, and those who misbehaved were subjected to water torture. Everyone not in the camp was an enemy and killed. Estimates for the war dead go from 100,000 to a million or more.
[3]
In the
Treaty of Paris in 1898, Spain handed over the Philippines to the United States of America for
US$ 20,000,000 and ending 333 years of Spanish rule in the islands.
[1] [2] [3]
The headquarters for
USAFFE were located here as were the
U.S. 31st Infantry Regiment and the
U.S. 808th Military Police Company. The headquarters and bulk of the
Philippine Division was located just to the south, at
Fort William McKinley. The headquarters for the
Far East Air Force was on the outskirts of town, at
Nielson Field. Nearby, at
Nichols Field was the
U.S. 20th Air Base Group. A battalion of the
U.S. 12th Quartermaster Regiment was located in the port area and training was conducted there for quartermasters of the
Philippine Army.
There were 6
airfields, for the
Far East Air Force, within 130 km of Manila, notably
Clark,
Nichols, and
Nielson fields. After Philippine independence, only Clark Field, later Clark Air Base, and a training facility,
Camp O'Donnell, remained. All U.S. military and airforce bases were closed down in 1991.
World War II
American combat units were ordered to withdraw from the city and all military installations removed on
December 30 ,
1941. Manila was declared an open city by President
Manuel L. Quezon, to spare the city from death and destruction. Quezon issued a decree enlarging the safe zone to include outlying areas of Manila as safe zones, establishing the new administrative jurisdiction called Greater Manila.
The post of mayor of Greater Manila was given to Quezon's former Executive Secretary,
Jorge B. Vargas. On the evening of New Year's Day of 1942, a Japanese courier delivered notice to Vargas that Japanese forces already bivouacked at Parañaque would enter Greater Manila the following day. From 9 am to 10 am of January 2,
Japanese imperial forces marched into the City of Manila.
Vargas was tasked to hand over to the new authorities Greater Manila and present the remaining Filipino leaders to Japanese authorities. Vargas and the Filipino leaders present were asked to choose three options; (1) a purely Japanese military administration, (2) a dictatorial government run by a Filipino under
General Artemio Ricarte who went on self-exile to Japan after the Filipino-American war, or (3) a government by commission selected by Filipinos. Vargas and the local leaders chose the third option and established the
Philippine Executive Commission to manage initially Greater Manila, and was later expanded to cover the whole of the Philippines.
Vargas assumed the chairmanship of the Philippine Executive Commission and appointed to the post of Mayor of Greater Manila in 1942,
Leon G. Guinto Sr., a Secretary of Labor under the
Philippine Commonwealth administration of President Manuel L. Quezon. Guinto held the position of Mayor of Greater Manila until the liberation of the city.
Under Guinto's war-time administration, the City of Manila that was expanded to Greater Manila included districts such as; ''"Bagumbayan"'' means New Town (South of Manila), ''"Bagumpanahon"'' means New Era (Sampaloc, Quiapo, San Miguel and Santa Cruz), ''"Bagumbuhay"'' means New Life (Tondo), ''"Bagong Diwa"'' means New Order (Binondo & San Nicholas), the then newly established
Quezon City was collapsed and divided into two districts, while the municipalities of
Caloocan,
Las Piñas,
Malabon,
Makati,
Mandaluyong,
Navotas,
Parañaque,
Pasay, and
San Juan became districts of Manila.
On
October 20,
1944 American General
Douglas MacArthur fulfilled a promise to return to the Philippines (see
Battle of Leyte). From
February 3 to
March 3 1945, after the climactic battle at Intramuros ended, the thoroughly devastated city of Manila was officially
liberated. Allied troops did not reach the city in time to prevent the
Manila Massacre though.
Manila and security
Manila has been subject to militant attacks. The metropolis have been targeted twice by groups
Moro Islamic Liberation Front and
Abu Sayyaf. In addition,
Al-Qaida cells have been discovered in the metropolis.
Project Bojinka, which was a large-scale attack being planned in late 1994 and early 1995, was being planned in Manila. The project was abandoned after the night of
January 6,
1995 and the morning of
January 7, when an apartment fire led investigators to a laptop computer containing the plans.
Sister cities
Manila has five
sister cities, as designated by
Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
★ '
Los Angeles',
California,
United States
★ '
Sacramento',
California,
United States
★ '
San Francisco',
California,
United States
★ '
Honolulu City and County',
Hawaii,
United States
★ '
Maui County',
Hawaii,
United States
Other sister cities include:
★ '
Winnipeg',
Manitoba,
Canada[4]
★ '
Yokohama',
Japan
★ '
Beijing',
China
★ '
Shanghai',
China
★ '
Cartagena',
Colombia
★ '
Bangkok',
Thailand
★ '
New Delhi',
India
★ '
Haifa',
Israel
★ '
Taipei',
Republic of China [5]
★ '
Santa Barbara',
California,
USA [6]
See also
★
Imperial Manila, a political epithet to describe Manila's role in national affairs.
★
Mega Manila, a larger, albeit geographical area of
Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
★
List of metropolitan areas by population
★
Megacity
References
1. http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/rb/rb5.html
2. Fish, S. (2003). ''When Britain Ruled the Philippines 1762-1764''. Milton Keynes, UK: Lightning Source, Inc.
3. The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power, Boot, Max, , , Basic Books, , ISBN 0-465-00720-1 p. 125, ''As many as 200,000 civilians also died, victims of disease and famine and the cruelties of both sides.'';
★ Poetics/Politics: Radical Aesthetics for the Classroom, Kumar, Amitava, , , Palgrave, , ISBN 0-312-21866-4 ''“In the fifteen years that followed the defeat of the Spanish in Manila Bay in 1898, more Filipinos were killed by U.S. forces than by the Spanish in 300 years of colonization. Over 1.5 million died out of a total population of 6 million.”''
★ Standing at Armageddon: The United States, 1877–1919, Painter, Nell Irvin, , , W. W. Norton & Company, , ISBN 0-393-30588-0 p. 154, ''Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos died in battle, of disease, or of other war-related causes.''
★ The Columbia Documentary History of Race and Ethnicity in America, Bayor, Ronald H, , , Columbia University Press, , ISBN 0-231-11994-1 p. 335, ''Some seven thousand Americans and twenty thousand Filipinos were killed or wounded in the war, and hundreds of thousands of Filipinos – some estimates are as high as 1 million – died of war-related disease or famine.''
★ A first taste of empire, Guillermo, Emil, , , Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, ''The Philippines: 20,000 military dead; 200,000 civilian dead. Some historians, however, put the toll higher – closer to 1 million Filipinos because of the disease and starvation that ensued.''
★ Kipling, the 'White Man's Burden,' and U.S. Imperialism, (author unknown), , , Monthly Review, ''Although a quarter of the million is the “consensual” figure of historians, estimates of Filipino deaths from the war have ranged as high as one million, which would have meant depopulation of the islands by around one-sixth.''
4. http://www.newwinnipeg.com/news/info/sister-cities.htm
5. http://www.protocol.taipei.gov.tw/sister/esister.htm
6. http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/Government/Boards_and_Commissions_N-Z/Sister_Cities_Board/ Santa Barbara, California Web site
External links
★
Official website of Manila
★
Manila Photos
★
Manila Map and Directory
★
Manila Metrography (MMG)
★
Explore Old Manila
★
Open Door For Good Government
★
Manila Hotels and Lodges Information about Hotels and Lodging in Manila
★
''Reception of the Royal Seal in Manila:'' from
''www.filipiniana.net''
★
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