San Andres, Manila

San Andres
Location of San Andres in Manila's 5th legislative district
Country	Philippines
Region	National Capital Region
City	Manila
Congressional districts	Part of the 5th district of Manila
Barangays	65
Population (2000)
• Total	116,998

San Andrés is a district located in the south east of the City of Manila in the Philippines, and includes what used to be the pre-World War II district of Singalong as well as parts of the Malate, and Paco districts. San Andrés shares its northeastern border with Santa Ana, and Paco, while to its south lie Pasay City, and Makati City. The district is under the jurisdiction of the 5th congressional district of Manila.

Profile

Although San Andrés only has a small land area, it is the second most densely populated district in Manila after Tondo. Mostly residential, the majority of the district's residents live just above the poverty line. The original inhabitants were middle or lower-class migrant families who had formerly settled in Tondo but found the rough working-class lifestyle less suitable for raising children. During World War II, the south side of Manila was devastated and afterwards migrants from nearby provinces and the Visayas region moved to Manila where they settled in San Andres when much of it was still open space. The flow of settlers into the district was unplanned, resulting in a lack of urban planning as evidenced with irregular buildings, narrow roadways, and large blocks of houses accessible only through one meter wide alleyways. The only sections of the district that have any semblance of planning are those in what used to be the Singalong district. Although largely absorbed into San Andres, there is still a street called Singalong that runs parallel to the Quirino Highway.

San Andrés is divided into eastern and western sectors by the Sergio Osmeña Highway. Singalong is what used to be the western section of San Andres while the eastern parts used to be part of the territories of Paco and Santa Ana. Elderly residents of Singalong believe that its name was derived from a Tagalog word for a cup shaped from bamboo. During the colonial period, Spaniards awarded the area to members of the Capuchin Catholic missionaries who thereafter converted the native population.

San Andrés is largely a residential area with some sections classified as commercial. The district is home to two private schools, St. Scholastica's College established by the Benedictine Sisters in 1914, and the College of St. Benilde (DLSU) and St. Anthony School, a parochial school next to the Parish of St. Anthony de Padua.

References

• "By Sword and Fire: The Destruction of Manila in World War II, 3 February-3 March 1945" by Alphonso J. Aluit (1994) Bookmark, Inc. © 1994 National Commission for Culture and the Arts ISBN 971-569-162-5

• San Andres Manila Volunteer Fire Brigade Inc., History by Charles Chua, Callsign San Andres 1, Presently President and Brigade Fire Marshall

External links

• Official Website of Manila