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Metro Manila

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This article is about the region surrounding the capital of the Philippines. For the capital city, see Manila. For the former province, see Manila (province). For other uses, see Manila (disambiguation).
Metropolitan Manila
Kalakhang Maynila
Metropolis
(From top, left to right): LRT Purple Line, Ayala Avenue, Ayala Triangle, Rizal Monument, Bonifacio Global City, SM City North EDSA, Ninoy Aquino International Airport
(From top, left to right): LRT Purple Line, Ayala Avenue, Ayala Triangle, Rizal Monument, Bonifacio Global City, SM City North EDSA, Ninoy Aquino International Airport
Political map of Metro Manila
Political map of Metro Manila
Country Philippines
Divisions
See list
Government
 • Chairman of MMDAFrancis Tolentino (since 2010)
Area
[1]
 • Total638.55 km2 (246.55 sq mi)
Population
 (2010)[2]
 • Total11,855,975
 • Density18,567/km2 (48,090/sq mi)
DemonymManileños
Time zoneUTC+8 (PST)
Websitewww.mmda.gov.ph

Metropolitan Manila[3] (Template:Lang-fil), the National Capital Region (NCR) (Template:Lang-fil), or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines. It is composed of 16 cities, namely Manila, Caloocan, Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Pasay, Pasig, Parañaque, Quezon City, San Juan, Taguig, and Valenzuela, and the Municipality of Pateros.

The region is the political, economic, social, cultural, and educational center of the Philippines. As proclaimed by Presidential Decree No. 940, Metro Manila as a whole is the Philippines' seat of government while the City of Manila is the capital.[4] The largest city in the metropolis is Quezon City, while the largest business district is the Makati Central Business District.

Metro Manila is the most populous of the twelve defined metropolitan areas in the Philippines and the 11th most populous in the world. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 11,855,975, comprising 13% of the national population.[2] The sum total population of provinces with a provincial density above 700 people per square kilometer (more than double the national average) in a contiguous zone with Metro Manila is 25.5 million people as of the 2007 census, one way to refer to the conurbation around Metro Manila is Greater Manila.

Metro Manila's gross regional product is estimated as of July 2011 to be $149 billion and accounts for 33% of the nation's GDP.[5] In 2011, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers, it ranked as the 28th wealthiest urban agglomeration in the world and the 2nd in Southeast Asia (after Singapore).

Etymology

For information on the etymology of "Manila" see History of Manila.

The term Metro Manila increasingly came into use after the creation of the metropolitan area in 1975 and is the de facto name for Metropolitan Manila. Metro Manila is often referred to as simply as Manila. It is very often abbreviated as M.M. or MM.

History

File:Metro Manila by cityhood.svg
Development of Metro Manila showing the years that each area became a city. Pateros is currently the only remaining municipality.

Spanish Manila was founded on June 24, 1571 by three conquistadors: Martín de Goiti, Juan de Salcedo and Miguel López de Legazpi. In 1867, the Spanish Government of the Philippines established the municipalities and territories south of the District of Morong in Nueva Ecija, north of the Province of Tondo and Manila, and isolated these from their mother province of Nueva Ecija. The government created the Province of Manila composed of the Province of Tondo to the south and the isolated territories of Nueva Ecija to the north. The parts of Tondo were Navotas, Tambobon (presently called Malabon), and Caloocan; the parts of Nueva Ecija were Mariquina, Balintauag (Balintawak), Caloocan, Pasig, San Felipe Neri (presently called Mandaluyong), Las Piñas, what had been known as Parañaque, and Muntinlupa. The capital of the Province was Intramuros, then itself called and considered to be Manila, a walled city located along the banks of the Pasig River and on the shore of Manila Bay.

During the Philippine Revolution the Province of Manila was the last of the eight provinces to first revolt against Spain in 1896, paving the establishment of the Philippine Republic (composed of Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Bulacan, Tarlac, Laguna, Batangas, Cavite and Manila). The Province of Manila remained in existence until 1901, when its territory was subdivided by the Americans.

In 1901, the Philippine Assembly created the City of Manila composed of the municipalities of Ermita, Intramuros or the Imperial City of Manila, Tondo, Santa Cruz, Santa Ana de Sapa, San Nicolas, San Miguel, San Fernando de Dilao (Paco), Port Area, Pandacan, Sampaloc, Quiapo, Binondo, Malate, San Andres, and Santa Mesa. The municipalities of Caloocan, Mariquina, Pasig, Parañaque, Malabon, Navotas, San Juan del Monte, Makati (San Pedro de Macati), Mandaluyong (San Felipe Neri), Las Piñas, Muntinlupa and Taguig-Pateros were incorporated into a new province named Rizal, the capital of which was Pasig.

In 1941 with the onset of World War II, President Manuel L. Quezon created the City of Greater Manila as an emergency measure, merging the city and municipal governments of Manila, Quezon City, San Juan del Monte, Caloocan, etc. and appointed Jorge Vargas as mayor. Existing mayors of the included cities and municipalities served as vice-mayors for their areas. This was in order to ensure Vargas, who was Quezon's principal lieutenant for administrative matters, would have a position of authority that would be recognized under international military law. There were doubts if the Japanese Imperial Army poised to occupy Manila would recognize the authorities of members of the Quezon cabinet. The City of Greater Manila was abolished by the Japanese with the formation of the Philippine Executive Commission to govern the occupied regions of the country. As an administrative concept, however, the City of Greater Manila served as a model for Metro Manila and the position of Metro Manila governor established during the Marcos administration.

In 1975, the Metropolitan Manila Commission was created to administer the emerging metropolis when President Ferdinand Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 824.[3] Marcos appointed his wife Imelda Marcos as governor of Metro Manila.

In 1986, after a major government reorganization, President Corazon Aquino issued Executive Order No. 392 and changed the structure of the Metropolitan Manila Commission and renamed it to the Metropolitan Manila Authority. Metro Manila mayors chose from among themselves the chair of the agency.

In 1995, through Republic Act 7924, Metro Manila Authority was reorganized and became the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. The chair of the agency is appointed by the President and should not have a concurrent elected position such as mayor.

Geography

Located at 14°40' N 121°3 E, Metro Manila is situated on an isthmus bounded by Laguna de Bay to the south-east and Manila Bay to the west. The metropolitan area lies on a wide flood plain composed mainly of alluvial soil deposits. The area is bounded by Bulacan to the north, Rizal to the east, Laguna to the south and Cavite to the southwest. The swampy isthmus on which the western metropolitan area partly lies has an average elevation of 10 meters. The eastern area lies on a ridge gradually rising towards the foothills of the Sierra Madre and overlooks the Marikina River valley, which is part swamp.

The Pasig River bisects the isthmus and links the two bodies of water. From Laguna de Bay, it enters Taguig, and flows east-west through Pateros, Pasig, Makati, Mandaluyong and Manila before draining in Manila Bay. Its main tributary, the Marikina River, originates in the Sierra Madre mountain range in Rodriguez to the northeast of the city. The Marikina River runs north-south and meets with the Pasig in Pateros. Traversing the course of the Marikina River is the Marikina Valley Fault System, part of the seismically active network of fault lines surrounding Metro Manila placing it at serious risk of earthquakes.

Skyline of Manila as seen from Harbour Square.

Climate

Under the Köppen climate classification system, Metro Manila is split between a tropical wet and dry climate and a tropical monsoon climate. Manila, which features less rainfall than Quezon City, has a tropical wet and dry climate while Quezon City features a tropical monsoon climate. Together with the rest of the Philippines, Metro Manila lies entirely within the tropics. Its proximity to the equator means that the temperature range is very small, rarely going lower than 20C or higher than 38C. However, humidity levels are usually very high which makes it feels much warmer. It has a distinct, albeit relatively short dry season from January through April, and a relatively lengthy wet season from May through December.

Climate data for Metro Manila
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 35
(95) 		35
(95) 		36
(97) 		37
(99) 		38
(100) 		38
(100) 		38
(100) 		36
(97) 		35
(95) 		35
(95) 		35
(95) 		34
(93) 		38
(100)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 30
(86) 		30
(86) 		31
(88) 		33
(91) 		34
(93) 		34
(93) 		33
(91) 		31
(88) 		31
(88) 		31
(88) 		31
(88) 		31
(88) 		31
(88)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 21
(70) 		21
(70) 		21
(70) 		22
(72) 		23
(73) 		24
(75) 		24
(75) 		24
(75) 		24
(75) 		24
(75) 		23
(73) 		22
(72) 		23
(73)
Record low °C (°F) 14
(57) 		14
(57) 		16
(61) 		16
(61) 		17
(63) 		20
(68) 		22
(72) 		21
(70) 		21
(70) 		21
(70) 		19
(66) 		17
(63) 		14
(57)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 23
(0.9) 		23
(0.9) 		13
(0.5) 		18
(0.7) 		33
(1.3) 		130
(5.1) 		254
(10.0) 		432
(17.0) 		422
(16.6) 		356
(14.0) 		193
(7.6) 		145
(5.7) 		2,042
(80.4)
Source: BBC

Government

File:Malacanang palace view.jpg
Malacañan Palace, the residence and office of the President of the Philippines
File:Coconut Palace Court.jpg
Coconut Palace, the residence and office of the Vice President of the Philippines.

The City of Manila proper is the national capital of the Philippines. The wider Metropolitan Manila area is the seat of government. The executive and judicial branches of government are based in Manila as represented by Malacañan Palace, the official office and residence of the President of the Philippines, and the buildings of the Supreme Court of the Philippines respectively. However, the upper house of the legislature, the Senate of the Philippines, is based in Pasay, and the lower house, the House of Representatives of the Philippines, in Quezon City.

Metro Manila is the smallest of the country's administrative regions, but the most populous and the most densely populated, having a population of 11,855,975 (2010 census) in an area of approximately 638.55 square kilometers (246.55 sq mi). It is also the only region without any provinces, instead being subdivided into 17 local government units: 16 cities and one municipality.

Administrative districts of Metro Manila:
  1st district
  2nd district
  3rd district
  4th district
Local government unit Population
(2010 census)[6] 		Area
(km²)[1] 		Pop. density
(per km²)[1] 		Annual pop.
growth rate[6] 		Per capita
GDP 		Cityhood[1]
Caloocan 1,489,040 53.33 25,907 3.06 $9,426 1962
Las Piñas 552,573 41.54 12,815 1.65 $8,678 1997
Makati 529,039 27.36 20,736 3.41 $29,259 1995
Malabon 353,337 15.76 23,076 0.98 $4,334 2001
Mandaluyong 328,699 11.26 27,138 1.29 $20,258 1994
Manila 1,652,171 38.55 43,079 0.68 $13,731 1571
Marikina 424,150 21.5 12,500 1.14 $10,346 1996
Muntinlupa 459,941 46.70 9,699 2.48 $13,789 1995
Navotas 249,131 10.77 22,780 0.87 $5,296 2007
Parañaque 588,126 47.69 11,589 2.88 $10,146 1998
Pasay 392,869 19.00 21,214 1.77 $6,876 1947
Pasig 669,773 31.00 20,240 3.04 $12,032 1995
Pateros 64,147 2.10 29,495 1.05 $3,324 n/a
File:Quezon City Seal.svg Quezon City 2,761,720 161.12 16,630 2.92 $11,213 1939
San Juan 121,430 5.94 21,101 0.87 $16,893 2007
Taguig 644,473 47.88 12,810 3.82 $12,342 2004
Valenzuela 575,356 44.58 12,762 2.21 $7,531 1998
Total 11,855,975 638.55 18,113 2.12 $10,223

 

In terms of local governance, Metro Manila cannot properly be considered a single political entity. The cities and municipality comprising it are considered the highest level of local government with each having their own set of separately elected officials. While the cities and municipality are independent from each other politically, several basic public services, such as traffic and flood control, are handled collectively by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). The MMDA is headquartered in Makati and is headed by the MMDA Chairman, an appointee of the President of the Philippines, who holds cabinet rank. The mayors of the cities and municipality belong to the Metro Manila Mayor's League that serves as the board of the MMDA.

For mainly fiscal and statistical purposes Metro Manila or the National Capital Region (NCR) has also been divided into four districts grouped according to geographical basis in reference to the Pasig River. These districts were created in 1976 but have no local government and no congressional representation.

The cities and municipalities within the NCR are grouped into the four districts as follows:

# Alternate Name City/Cities
1 The Capital District Manila
2 Eastern Manila District Mandaluyong, Marikina, Pasig, Quezon City, and San Juan
3 Southern Manila District Las Piñas, Makati, Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Pasay, Pateros, and Taguig
4 CAMANAVA District Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela

Representation to the two houses of the Congress of the Philippines is as follows:

Metro Manila is also a judicial region ("National Capital Judicial Region"); as such, all regional trial court judges can be stationed anywhere within the region.

Economy

Makati, the financial capital of the Philippines

Business districts

Ayala Avenue, the Wall Street of the Philippines.

Metro Manila is the financial, commercial and industrial center of the Philippines. It accounts for 33% of the Philippines' GDP. It has a third of the country's bank offices but over two thirds of its deposits. Makati is the financial and economic hub of the metropolitan area and the country. Its central business district hosts many of the Philippines' largest corporations including the Ayala Group of Companies and the nation's major banks as well as the main Philippine offices of many multinational corporations. Makati became the financial center of the Philippines during the 1950s. Many districts and landmarks in the city have become well known to outsiders. Makati has been iconified as the "Financial Capital of the Philippines". Anchored by Ayala Avenue, Makati is the financial capital of the Philippines and is the home of the Philippine Stock Exchange and the Makati Business Club, one of the most important economic hubs in the Philippines.

Manila's economy is diverse and multifaceted. With its excellent protected harbor, Manila serves as the Chief Seaport of the Country, as the Port of Manila is one of the busiest in the world. Diverse manufacturers produce industrial-related products such as chemicals, textiles, clothing, and electronic goods. Food and beverages and tobacco products also produced. Local entrepreneurs continue to process primary commodities for export, including rope, plywood, refined sugar, copra, and coconut oil. The food-processing industry is one of the most stable major manufacturing sector in the city. One of the largest projects within the city is the ₱5 billion development by Ayala Land Inc., the Celadon Residences. Binondo has begun to be revitalized along with Divisoria, and several high-rise condominiums and offices are rising. Recently, a 20-hectare development was planned by the city government within the Port Area Manila is a major publishing center in the Philippines. Clustered in the central business districts of Makati, Ortigas Center, and Bonifacio Global City, all of the fifty tallest skyscrapers in the Philippines are located in Metro Manila, the tallest of which are The Gramercy Residences and the PBCom Tower in Makati.

Ortigas Center in Pasig

Ortigas Center is Metro Manila's second most important Philippine financial district central business district after the Makati Financial and Central Business District in Makati. With an area of at least 100 hectares, the district is located at the boundaries of Pasig, Mandaluyong, and Quezon City. It is governed by Ortigas Center Association, Inc.

Ortigas Center is home to many shopping malls, office and condominium skyscrapers and other building complexes, and nightlife bars and restaurants. These include the St. Francis Square, the Asian Development Bank compound, the Oakwood Premier serviced apartments and the Shangri-La hotel. It is also the headquarters of San Miguel Corporation, Jollibee Foods Corporation, the Philippine branch of HSBC, and Robinsons Galleria. It also home to the Banco de Oro main office owned by mall taipan Henry Sy, Sr. SM Megamall, the third largest mall in the country after SM North EDSA and SM Mall of Asia, is also in the Center along EDSA, as is the The Medical City, one of the three hospitals in the country accredited by the Joint Commission on International Accreditation.

Ortigas Center is surrounded by the streets of EDSA to the west, Ortigas Avenue to the north, Meralco Avenue to the east, and Shaw Boulevard to the south.

The Makati area is built around the former Nielsen Air Base, an American installation during World War II, and its runways now form the district's main roads, which cross each other at the Makati Triangle, home of one of the two trading venues of the nation's stock exchange. Ortigas Center is the second most important business district in Metro Manila. Situated in Mandaluyong and Pasig, it is home to the headquarters of several major Philippine companies such as San Miguel Corporation and Meralco, and hosts many shopping malls and hotels. It also hosts the Asian Development Bank's headquarters and the Philippine Stock Exchange's trading floor at Tektite Towers.

New developments seeking to become vibrant business centers of their own are Bonifacio Global City in Taguig; Eastwood City, Neopolitan Business Park and Triangle Park in Quezon City; the Manila Bay City Reclamation Area in the cities of Pasay, Parañaque and Las Piñas; and Alabang Estates, Madrigal Business Park, and Filinvest Corporate City in Muntinlupa. The traditional business center of Chinese-Filipino businessmen and the country's CBD prior to the development of the Makati CBD was the Binondo District in the City of Manila. Escolta was the central street of commerce during the time of the Spaniards up until the development of the Makati CBD when Ayala Avenue superseded it. G.T. International Tower is an office skyscraper located in Makati, Philippines. The "G.T." in the name stands for George Ty, the building's owner and chairman of the Metrobank Group. Standing at 217 meters (712.93 feet). The Philippine Bank of Communications Tower, more commonly known as PBCom Tower, is an office skyscraper that currently holds the title, since 2000, of the tallest building in the Philippines. It has a total ground to architectural top height of 259 metres (850 ft), with 52 storeys, until the Completion of the Gramercy Residences, with a height of 302 metres (990 ft).

Shopping Centers

See also: List of shopping malls in Manila
File:SM Mall of Asia wide pan.jpg
Panoramic view of SM Mall of Asia (2009)

"Malling" has been a pastime of Filipinos since the rise of "megamalls", a phenomenon developed by Chinese Filipino businessman Henry Sy and his company SM. Three SM shopping malls are among the top 10 largest in the world. The largest mall in the country is currently the renovated SM City North EDSA in Quezon City. It is expected to become the nexus for three metropolitan rail lines once the terminal station next to it is fully completed. Previously, the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay was the country's largest mall, and before it the SM Megamall in Ortigas Center in Mandaluyong held the distinction from 1991 to 2006.

Malls are generally clustered into major shopping districts, sometimes within financial hubs such as Makati or Ortigas Center. Ayala Center, a major development within the Makati central business district, contains various up-market malls such as Greenbelt and Glorietta. SM Megamall is located within Ortigas Center, which is also the site of Robinsons Galleria, Shangri-La Plaza, and The Podium. Within the City of Manila itself, the largest malls include SM City Manila, Robinsons Place Manila, and the older Harrison Plaza. Cubao is Quezon City's central commercial area and has five malls including the Gateway Mall at the Araneta Center. There is also Eastwood City, located along Libis; SM City Fairview, in Novaliches; and TriNoma, Ayala Land's newest mall, in front of SM City North EDSA. Newer business districts such as Bonifacio Global City have also become shopping hubs since the opening of Bonifacio High Street and Serendra. Recently opened in Pasig is a new development called Frontera Verde, which currently hosts Tiendesitas, a tiangge-style shopping center; SM Supercenter Pasig; and SilverCity AutoMall, the first mall in the Philippines that is dedicated to the automotive market.

Traditional Filipino shopping areas, while now rivaled by more modern shopping malls, maintain a presence in Metro Manila. Filipino wet markets, known locally as palengke, are most prominent within the City of Manila, especially in Divisoria, near Binondo. Cloverleaf Market in Balintawak, Quezon City supplies much of Metro Manila's fruit and vegetable products. Navotas Port Market supplies most of Metro Manila's fish products. Other smaller markets include the Cubao Farmers Market, EDSA Central, Nepa-Q Mart, Novaliches Talipapa, and those found in Muñoz, Balingasa, Galas, Santa Mesa, Baclaran, Pasay Libertad, and Pasay Cartimar, the latter also being one of the finest pet markets. Tiangge, or flea markets, are also prevalent in the city, and sell a wide range of dry goods, accessories and electronics.

Wealth extremes

Metro Manila is a place of economic extremes. Many high-income citizens are concentrated in gated communities in places such as Forbes Park and Dasmariñas Village in Makati, Ayala Alabang Village in Muntinlupa (all three initially developed in part by the influential Zobel de Ayala family), Wack Wack Village in Mandaluyong, Valle Verde in Pasig, White Plains, La Vista, and Greenmeadows in Quezon City, Greenhills in San Juan, Marina Bay Village in Parañaque or in high-rise developments in or around central business districts, such as Rockwell Center in Makati, Eastwood City in Libis, Quezon City and Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, or along Roxas Boulevard overlooking Manila Bay.

In sharp contrast to these residences are the slums and illegal settlements scattered across the metropolitan area, often found on vacant government land or in districts such as Tondo, San Andres, Bagong Silangan and Payatas. Illegal settlements have been concentrated on land adjacent to the tracks of PNR lines; but with efforts to rehabilitate the railway system, steps have been taken to clear these areas and relocate the squatters to other areas.

Landmarks and recreational areas

A Japanese garden in Rizal Park

Located in the western portion of Metro Manila in the heart of Manila proper, Rizal Park, also known as the Luneta, is an iconic public promenade. Rizal Park features the Rizal Monument, a statue honoring José Rizal; a gigantic relief map of the Philippines; scenic Chinese and Japanese gardens; and several government offices, such as the Department of Tourism. On the seaside front of Rizal Park are numerous seafood restaurants specializing in Filipino and Asian cuisine. The National Museum of the Filipino People is also found here. It is a complex of two Greco-Roman buildings which house various relics and natural treasures in its galleries. The museum also boasts a large collection of artwork and masterpieces crafted by Filipinos. Part of the museum complex is the first planetarium in Southeast Asia. A newer attraction is the Manila Ocean Park, an oceanarium which opened in March 2008. Located nearby is the Quirino Grandstand, which apart from political campaign gatherings is also a popular staging ground for rallies such as those for various charismatic religious groups.

The main entrance of Fort Santiago in Intramuros

Near Rizal Park is the 400-year-old former imperial city known as Intramuros. Intramuros, is a walled domain which was once the seat of government during the Spanish Colonial Era and American Period. Among its attractions are Fort Santiago, a timeworn Spanish military fortress; Casa Manila, a Spanish colonial villa which is converted into a house gallery; Manila Cathedral, the official seat of the Archbishop of Manila; San Agustin Church, erected in 1587, the oldest existing church in the Philippines;[7] Intramuros Golf Club, a golf course outside the walls; and the Clam Shell Tent, an exhibition center of the Department of Tourism. Horse-carriages and tourist buses are also some of the attractions. The rest also includes a walk above the walls surrounding Intramuros, government offices, universities and colonial houses. The Quiapo area is home to the famous Quiapo Church and Plaza Miranda, home to the Black Nazarene. It also has the largest Filipino Muslim community outside of the southern Philippines, where the trading-focussed Muslim Town and the Masjid Al-Dahab mosque is situated.

Fort Bonifacio is the location of military detachments, cemeteries, corporate headquarters, and world-class dining and shopping facilities. Other local recreation areas include the Nayong Pilipino (Philippine Village) in Parañaque, Quezon Memorial Circle and Ninoy Aquino Wildlife Center, both in Diliman district of Quezon City, the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex and Bay City, both in Pasay. Meanwhile, the Paco Park, Arroceros Botanical Garden, Manila Zoo, Plaza Rajah Sulayman, Plaza Miranda, new Rizal Avenue Bargain Walkway, the all-steel Gothic San Sebastian Church, the bars and night clubs of Ermita and Malate districts and the Roxas Boulevard Bay Walk which offers a fine view of the Manila Bay sunset and hip dining are in Manila.

Transportation

See also: Transportation in the Philippines

Roadways

Main article: Major roads in Metro Manila
Ayala Triangle

The metropolis has an extensive system of highways connecting the various cities and municipalities estimated to measure 5092 kilometers long. Of this total 1087 kilometers are national roads; 2366 kilometers are city, municipal, or barangay roads; 1639 kilometers are subdivision roads; and 37 kilometers are privately run toll expressways.[8][9]

The major roads include ten radial roads, which branch out from central Manila and five circumferential roads which form a series of concentric semi-circular arcs around downtown Manila. Most of these roads are very important transportation arteries. One is the C-4 (Circumferential Road 4), also called Epifanio de los Santos Avenue or more popularly as EDSA. It is the major thoroughfare in Metro Manila connecting five cities in Metro Manila, namely Pasay, Makati, Mandaluyong, Quezon City, and Caloocan. The MRT-3 line of Manila's metro network runs down the middle of EDSA between the road's opposite running lanes. A major alternative to EDSA is Circumferential Road 5 (C-5). Some other important roads are R-1 (Radial Road 1) better known as Roxas Boulevard and the Manila-Cavite Expressway (Coastal Road) connecting to Cavite province in the southwest; R-3 or the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) connecting to Laguna province in the southeast; R-6 (Aurora Boulevard and Marcos Highway) connecting to Rizal province in the east; and R-8 or the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) connecting to Bulacan province in the north. One of its newest roads, the Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard, running on the reclamation area parallel to R-1, is one of the destinations of Metro Manila's elite.

Katipunan Avenue

Metro Manila is notorious for its traffic jams with trips averaging at speeds as low as 6–8 kilometers per hour.[10] A trip that should take 20 minutes will last an hour or more especially during rush hour. Consequently, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (see section below) has constructed many projects to decongest traffic.

Such projects of the MMDA for motorists are the construction of flyovers (elevated roads), interchanges, loading bays for Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs), emergency bays, and U-turn slots over various intersections and thoroughfares, and the completion of the comprehensive railway system (see below). It has also been engaged in road widening with the support of the Department of Public Works and Highways. MMDA has also utilized projects for the pedestrians such as the installation of footbridges, waiting sheds, and men's urinals to various roads in the metropolis. The agency has also implemented various schemes for motorists such as the Uniform Vehicular Volume Reduction Scheme (UVVRS), more popularly known as "color coding", where vehicles whose plate numbers end in different digits are banned from traveling on different days, the Yellow Lane scheme, where yellow-plated PUBs (Public Utility Buses) will only use the two outermost lanes in EDSA, and the Organized Bus Route (OBR) for Metro Manila.

Railways

Main articles: Public transport in Manila, Strong Republic Transit System, Manila Light Rail Transit System, Manila Metro Rail Transit System, and Philippine National Railways
LRT Purple Line

As of 2005, there are two different rapid transit systems in Metro Manila: the Manila Light Rail Transit System, or the LRT, and the Manila Metro Rail Transit System, or the MRT.[11] The Yellow Line (LRT-1) and the Purple Line (LRT-2) form the LRT network, while the Blue Line (MRT-3) forms the MRT network, with 29 stations on the LRT and 13 stations on the MRT . Four more lines are proposed and would connect Metro Manila to the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal upon their completion.

Philippine National Railways also operates two main-line railway lines within Metro Manila, all part of the once-flourishing Luzon railway system. The northern line, known as Northrail and connecting Manila to Caloocan, is currently closed. Line extensions are proposed to Valenzuela and further on to Bulacan and Pampanga. The trans-Metro Manila portion of the still-open southern line, known as Southrail, commences at Tutuban station in Tondo, Manila, passes through the cities of Manila, Makati, Taguig, Parañaque and Las Piñas, and ends in Barangay Buli, Muntinlupa, before entering the province of Laguna.

Airports

Terminal 1 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the main gateway into the country

Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), which straddles the boundary between Parañaque and Pasay, is the country's busiest airport. It consists of a domestic terminal and three international terminals; it has two main runways. It is the hub of Philippine Airlines which has its main hangar located near the Villamor Air Base. The future international gateway for the metropolitan area and the country is currently being built at Clark International Airport in Angeles, Pampanga.[12] It is planned on becoming one of the world's biggest in terms of terminal size and land area. A fast train will be built to connect the new airport to Metro Manila.Officially, NAIA is the only airport serving the Manila area. However, in practice, both NAIA and Clark International Airport(CRK), located in the Clark Freeport Zone in Angeles, Pampanga serve the Manila area, with CRK catering mostly to low-cost carriers that avail themselves of the lower landing fees than those charged at NAIA. In the long term CRK is set to replace NAIA as the primary airport of the Philippines. The airport is named after the late Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr., who was assassinated at the airport in 1983.

Water transportation

The Manila Seaport Terminal in the Port Area, Manila is the shipping gateway to the Philippines.[13] The Pasig River Ferry Service traveled the Pasig River from Intramuros, Manila to Barangay Kalawaan Sur in Pasig. However, as of April 2012, the Pasig River Ferry Service has been suspended.

Demographics

Makati at sunset with Manila Golf Club in the foreground.

Metro Manila has a registered population of 11,855,975 people.[2] However, as of 2011, the greater urban area of Manila has a population at around 21,295,000.[14] According to the census of 2000, there were 9,932,560 people and 2,132,989 households residing in Metro Manila. With a population density of 15,617/km², it is by far the most densely populated region of the Philippines. For the period 1995 to 2000, the annual population growth rate was 1.06 percent, lower than that of the 1990 to 1995 period (3.30 percent).

Population of Metro Manila
YearPop.±% p.a.
1980 5,925,884—    
1990 7,948,392+2.98%
1995 9,454,040+3.30%
2000 9,932,560+1.06%
2007 11,553,427+2.11%
2010 11,855,975+0.95%
[6]

The indigenous people of the area now known as Metro Manila were the Tagalog. Other native ethnic groups of the Philippines also inhabit the metropolis as a result of migration. The include the Visayans, Bicolanos, Kapampangan, Ilocanos, Pangasinan, and Moro groups (mostly Maranao and Maguindanao). Tribal groups such as the Igorot and the Bajau have also settled. There are also numerous peoples of Chinese, Japanese, and Indian descent. Resident Spaniards, Americans, and Koreans are also present in large numbers. Metro Manila is classified as a social urban conglomerate, meaning, it is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world.

The most common language spoken in households is Tagalog (94.34%). English is widely used and understood, and is the main language of the middle and upper classes and in business. Chinese is taught in certain Chinese schools. Other languages of the Philippines are also spoken, mostly between family members, relatives, or neighbors belonging to the same ethnic group. Among these languages, the most spoken include Visayan languages, Bikol languages, and Kapampangan. The large majority of the population of Metro Manila is Roman Catholic (80%). Other religions represented are Protestant and Orthodox Christianity (15%), Islam (3%), and others (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism) (2%).

Education

University of Santo Tomas, the oldest university in Asia
See also: List of universities and colleges in Manila

As of 2008 there are 511 elementary schools and 220 secondary schools in the National Capital Region.[15] There are around 81 higher educational institutions. Literacy rate is around 92.4%.[16]

As the educational center of the country, many students from the provinces head to Metro Manila to study. Areas of high number of educational institutions include the so-called "University Belt" and Taft Avenue in Manila, Katipunan Avenue and Fairview in Quezon City, and Santa Mesa straddling the Manila, Quezon City and Mandaluyong borders. Metro Manila is also home to many private schools run by religious orders; these are among the first schools established in the country. The Dominican Order established the University of Santo Tomas in 1611 and took control of the Colegio de San Juan de Letran, which was established in 1620. The Jesuit Order opened the Ateneo de Manila University in 1859; among the secular schools, National University is the oldest, having been open since 1900.

Government-funded/run schools such as the constituent campuses of the University of the Philippines in Manila and Diliman, Quezon City, the main campus of the Philippine Science High School and Manila Science High School are located here as well.

Health

File:Asian1.jpg
Asian Hospital and Medical Center

Manila is home to the World Health Organization's Regional Office for the Western Pacific, the main office of the Department of Health, and several hospitals and medical centers. Major hospitals such as the Makati Medical Center in Makati, Asian Hospital and Medical Center in Muntinlupa, St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City and Taguig, and The Medical City in Pasig have world-class facilities. Some of these have geared themselves toward medical tourism. The Asian Hospital and Medical Center, established on March 15, 2002 with Jorge Garcia, MD, an alumnus of the Faculty of Medicine & Surgery of the University of Santo Tomas, as its founding chairman, is the first private tertiary hospital built in the southern part of Metro Manila. It currently stands on a land area within the vicinity of Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa, Philippines, measuring 17,258-square meters that both includes the main hospital building and the hospital's medical offices.

Police and security

File:Camp Crame.jpg
Headquarters of the PNP

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is responsible for law enforcement in the country. Police structure in the Philippines is centralized and its command center is in Camp Rafael Crame in Santolan, Quezon City. Metro Manila is divided into 5 police districts under National Capital Region Police Office namely Central (Quezon City), Western (City of Manila), Eastern (Mandaluyong, Pasig, Marikina, San Juan), Northern (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela) and Southern (Makati, Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Taguig, Pasay, and Pateros). The NCRPO Headquarters is located in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines' command headquarters is in Camp Emilio Aguinaldo in Murphy, Quezon City. The National Capital Region Command is in Metro Manila and was created by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to defend the metropolis from insurgents and terrorist groups. Philippine Army headquarters is in Fort Andres Bonifacio in Taguig. Philippine Air Force headquarters is in Jesus Villamor Air Base in Pasay. Philippine Navy headquarters is along Roxas Boulevard in Manila.

Public utilities

Electricity

Metro Manila's electricity is generated by the state-owned National Power Corporation (Napocor) and other independent power producers across the island of Luzon. It is transmitted by the privately-owned National Grid Corporation of The Philippines (NGCP) through high tension wires. It is distributed by the Manila Electric Company (Meralco), the company that holds the franchise to distribute electricity to the metropolis.

Water

Metro Manila and its surrounding areas are divided into two water concessionaires: Maynilad Water (red) and Manila Water (blue).

Metro Manila's tap water is sourced from the Angat Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan. It is stored in the Novaliches Reservoir and filtered in the La Mesa Dam, both in northeast Quezon City. Metro Manila's water distribution and sewerage system used to be managed by the Metropolitan Water and Sewerage System (MWSS), a state-owned company. In 1997, MWSS awarded concessionaire licenses to two private corporations. Metro Manila was sliced into two distribution areas.

  • Maynilad Water Services Inc (MWSI). It is currently majority-owned by DM Consunji Holdings, Inc (DMCI) and Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC). It operates in western Quezon City, southern Caloocan, Manila (excluding downtown), Valenzuela, Malabon, Navotas, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, and western Muntinlupa. MWSS is currently bidding out its shares in MWSI and expects to conclude the bidding before the end of the year.
  • Manila Water Company, Inc. (MWC). It is majority-owned by the Ayala Corporation, which also controls Globe Telecom. MWC operates the East Concession Zone, which comprises Makati, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Pasig, Pateros, San Juan, Taguig, eastern Quezon City, and the southeast portions of Manila.

Communications

For a long time since its founding in 1925, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) was the Philippines' only phone carrier. With the passage of the National Telecommunications Act of 1995, the Philippine National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) granted licenses to new and independent companies to install new phones across the Philippines. The NTC granted 3 new licenses for Metro Manila.

  • BayanTel/ Benpres - Northern Metro Manila (Quezon City, northern Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela, Marikina, northeastern Manila, and the Ortigas Center in Pasig)
  • Globelines/ Innove - Southern Metro Manila (Makati, Mandaluyong, Muntinlupa, Pasay, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Taguig, Pateros, San Juan, and Pasig excluding the Ortigas Center)
  • Eastern Telecom - Western Metro Manila (Southern Caloocan and Manila, excluding the northeast part)
  • Digitel

Garbage

Metro Manila produces about 8,400 to 8,600 tons of garbage each day which is equivalent to 25% of the national waste generation. Paper wastes account for 17% of the daily total while 16% are plastics.[17] Efforts to reduce pollution is one of the metropolis' major public management concerns especially with the closure of some garbage dump sites in Greater Manila. At present, collected waste from the metropolis are disposed to various MMDA-designated waste disposal facilities, namely the Rizal Provincial Sanitary Landfill (SLF) in Rodriguez, Payatas SLF in Quezon City and Tanza SLF in Navotas. These facilities service all 17 LGUs in Metro Manila as well as the dispose of the garbage collected by the MMDA Agency from the different esteros and pumping stations. In addition, the agency also maintains closed disposal facilities in San Mateo, Carmona and Antipolo (Boso Boso).[18]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Metro Manila.
  1. ^ a b c d "Table 1.0: Metropolitan Manila Land Area and Year of Cityhood By Local Government Units". Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
  2. ^ a b c "2010 Census of Population and Housing: National Capital Region" (PDF). National Statistics Office of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  3. ^ a b Republic of the Philippines. (November 7, 1975). Presidential Decree No. 824 – Creating The Metropolitan Manila And The Metropolitan Manila Commission And For Other Purposes. Retrieved 2010-11-21 from the Chan Robles Virtual Law Library.
  4. ^ Republic of the Philippines. (May 29, 1976). Presidential Decree No. 940 – Establishing Manila as the Capital of the Philippines and as the Permanent Seat of the National Government. Retrieved 2010-04-04 from the Chan Robles Virtual Law Library.
  5. ^ Republic of the Philippines. National Statistical Coordination Board. (July 2009). 2008 Gross Regional Domestic Product - Levels of GRDP. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
  6. ^ a b c Republic of the Philippines. National Statistics Office. (April 2012). "Population and Annual Growth Rates for The Philippines and Its Regions, Provinces, and Highly Urbanized Cities Based on 1990, 2000, and 2010 Censuses" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-04-04.
  7. ^ Torres, Jose Victor Z. (2005). Ciudad Murada: A Walk Through Historic Intramuros. Manila: Intramuros Administration & Vibal Publishing House, Inc. pp. 62–63. ISBN 971-07-2276-X.
  8. ^ Asia Pacific Energy Research Centre (APERC). Institute of Energy Economics, Japan. (2008). Urban Transport Energy Use in the APEC Region - Benefits and Costs (PDF). Tokyo: Author. p. 62. ISBN 978-4-931482-39-5.
  9. ^ Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. (2010). Metro Manila Road Classification and Surface Type, 2008. Retrieved April 3, 2010 from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Website.
  10. ^ Cervero, Robert. (2000). Informal Transport in the Developing World. UN-HABITAT. ISBN 92-1-131453-4.
  11. ^ GMA Launches transit system, Philippine Star, July 15, 2003
  12. ^ Arroyo wants DMIA become top airport amid plan to close NAIA, GMA News and Public Affairs, January 29, 2008.
  13. ^ AAPA official world study on port rankings
  14. ^ "Largest Urban Areas in the World: 2011" (PDF). Demographia World Urban Areas: 7th Annual Edition (2011.04). Demogrpahia. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  15. ^ Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. (2010). Basic Education Indicators, 2004 to 2008. Retrieved April 3, 2010 from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Website.
  16. ^ Philippine Information Agency. (2005). The National Capital Region. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
  17. ^ Philippine Daily Inquirer. (8-16-2011). Metro Manila produces a fourth of Philippine garbage. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  18. ^ Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. Accomplishment Report January-April 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
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