Makati City is one of the most important cities in the Philippines in terms of finance and commerce. A suburb of the capital, Manila, Makati is one of the cities and municipalities that comprise Metro Manila—the National Capital Region. Makati is often referred to as the Business Capital of the Philippines since many companies have their offices and headquarters in the city. Makati is also home to the influential Makati Business Club and the Philippine Stock Exchange. Ayala Avenue, running through the heart of the central Business District is often called the Wall Street of the Philippines.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
City of Makati

Dates:
Founded
CityhoodJanuary 2, 1995
Population:
2000 census—444,867
Density—16,260 per km²
Area: 27.3 km²
Barangays: 33
Congressional districts: 1st and 2nd districts of Makati City
Class: 1st class; urban

Makati is noted for its highly cosmopolitan culture. Many expatriates live and work in the city. Makati is also home to many first-class shopping malls such as Ayala Center and Rockwell Center. The city also has many of the country's five-star hotels like The Peninsula Manila, the Mandarin Oriental, and the Shangri-la Makati Hotel.

Makati came from the Tagalog word kati, which means tide. This primarily refers to the rise and ebb of the tide of the Pasig River on the city's northern border. The river drains into Manila Bay to the east.

Today the city is one of the most modern cities in the country. However, it faces challenges due to the disparate gap between the new city in the west, which contains the Central Business District, and the old city in the east, which is largely poor and where most of the city's slums are located.

The Seal of Makati City depicts a silhouette of the territory of Makati. At the bottom is the Pasig River, located on the northern border of the city. The Guadalupe Church stands on the river and is the oldest church in Makati—a reference to Spanish influence. Behind the church rises the skyscrapers for which Makati City is well-known. Behind the skyscrapers are 33 rays representing the barangays of Makati.

Table of contents
1 The City
2 History
3 External Links

The City

Makati is located within the quadrangle of 12′011″ °north and 14′331″ °E right at the center of Metro Manila. The city is bounded on the north by the Pasig River, facing Mandaluyong City, on the northeast by Pasig City, on the southeast by the municipalities of Pateros and Taguig, on the northwest by the City of Manila, and on the southwest by Pasay City. Makati has a total land area of 27.36 square kilometers; it constitutes 4.3 percent of Metro Manila's total land area.

At the center of the city is the Central Business District (CBD) where many companies in the Philippines have their offices or headquarters. This is where many of the country's tallest skyscrapers are located. The Makati skyline is one of the most impressive sights in Metro Manila.

Two of Metro Manila's main arteries pass through Makati. The Epifanio De los Santos Avenue (EDSA) pass along the southeast part of Makati and connects the city with Mandaluyong City and Pasay City. The South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) runs through the western part of Makati and connects the city with Manila to the north and with southern Metro Manila. The Skyway, an elevated highway built on top of SLEX, provides residents coming from southern Metro Manila a fast way to reach Makati. SLEX and EDSA intersect at the Magallanes Interchange, which is the most complex system of elevated roadways in Metro Manila.

Other major roads in Makati include Buendia Avenue, also called Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, which connects EDSA and SLEX in the north; Ayala Avenue, an important street that runs through the Central Business District; and Makati Avenue, which connects Ayala Avenue with Buendia Avenue.

Population

Makati City has a population of 444,867, according to the 2000 Census. This figure represents an increase of 39,824 or 8 per cent over the 1995 Census figure. Among the cities and municipalities in Metro Manila, Makati ranks fifth in population, with a 5 percent share. In a span of 97 years, Makati's population grew 193 times. The 1903 Census placed the population at 2,700.

Although its population is slightly less than half a million, the daytime population of Makati City is estimated to be a million during the weekdays because of the large number of people who go to the city to work, shop, and do business, especially in the Central Business District.

Central Business District

The Central Business District (CBD) is where most of Makati's financial resources is concentrated. This is an informal district bounded by Buendia Avenue, Makati Avenue, Ayala Avenue, Pasay Road, and Pasong Tamo. It mainly encompasses Legaspi Village, Salcedo Village, and parts of Bel-Air.

Many skyscrapers rise in this area. PBCom Tower, the country's tallest building, reaches up 265 meters along Ayala Avenue. The headquarters of the Philippine Stock Exchange is housed in Ayala Tower One and at the old Makati Stock Exchange Building, both also along Ayala Avenue.

The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), the country's oldest bank, has its headquarters at the corner of Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas. Other companies that have their offices and country/regional headquarters within Makati City, most within the CBD, include IBM, Procter & Gamble, Citibank, Ayala Corporation, Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), Metrobank, Intel Philippines, and JG Summit.

Shopping centers

Ayala Center, along EDSA and Ayala Avenue is the most known commercial center in the City. Developed by the Ayala Corporation, it contains two shopping malls, five hotels, and an office building. The larger of the two shopping malls is Glorietta. Rising from Glorietta 4 is the Oakwood Premier Hotel. Along the periphery of Glorietta are three department stores: SM Makati, Rustan's, and the Landmark. Across Makati Avenue from Glorietta is the Greenbelt Mall. This is one of the most beautiful malls in the country. Greenbelt features dozens of coffee stores and restaurants, all overlooking a well-maintained public park at the center of which is a domed Catholic chapel. Other hotels in Ayala Center are the Makati Shangri-la Hotel, the Dusit Hotel Nikko Manila Garden, the Hotel Intercontinental Manila, and the New World Renaissance Hotel.

Rockwell Center is the other first-class shopping center in Makati. Rockwell features the large Power Plant Mall popular with expatriates. At the periphery of the center are many high-class residential condominium towers.

Other shopping centers. The Cash and Carry Supermarket in the west along South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) features many products at low prices. Makati Cinema Square, along Pasong Tamo Road, used to be a popular shopping mall with the residents. The Guadalupe Commercial Center, along EDSA and Pasig River is a middle-class shopping center frequented by residents from the poorer areas of Makati.

Housing and Residences

Many of the country's wealthiest families live in Forbes Park and Dasmariñas Village, on the other side of EDSA from the Central Business District. Other well-to-do people live in Urdaneta Village, San Antonio Village, San Lorenzo Village, Bel-Air, and Magallanes Village; others live in condominium and apartment units in the Central Business District in Salcedo and Legaspi Villages. These villages are not rural settlements, but gated communities. The usage probably arose because most villages correspond to barangays. Most of the poor residents of the city live in the city's periphery at Bangkal and especially in the eastern portions of Guadalupe, Rembo, Cembo, Pembo, and Comembo.

Housing, especially for the poor residents of the city, remains an acute problem. Many people in the provinces migrate to Metro Manila looking for better living. Subsequently, many of them end up squatting in many areas of the metropolis. In Makati, the squatters live in poor shanties along Pasig River and in the eastern areas.

Education, Culture, and Sports

Makati City is home to the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), which is the country's top graduate school for MBA students. AIM, located along Paseo de Roxas across Greenbelt is a collaborative project of the De La Salle University and the Ateneo de Manila University, the top two private-run universities in the Philippines.

Other notable colleges and Universities in Makati are the Assumption College, Colegio de San Agustin, the University of Makati, and the Ateneo Graduate School. The Ateneo Graduate School, located at Rockwell Center, is under the Ateneo de Manila University. It's famous school is the Ateneo Law School, which is one of the top law schools in the country. Assumption College, in San Lorenzo Village, is an all-female college. The University of Makati (officially, Pamantasan ng Makati) is a university run by the city government.

The Sta. Ana Racetrack, besides Pasig River in the northern part of the city, is one of the two centers of horseracing in Metro Manila. The other is the San Lazaro Hippodrome in Manila. Along the southeastern border of Makati beyond Forbes Park is the Manila Golf Club and the Manila Polo Club. The Manila Golf Club features an 18-hole golf course amidst the lush greenery of the city. The Manila Polo Club counts among its polo enthusiasts some of the country's wealthiest people. The Makati Sports Club in Salcedo Village is another popular place for sports people.

The Ayala Center also features among its shopping malls the Ayala Museum. This museum is most noted for its series of dioramas depicting major events in Philippine history, from the Battle of Mactan, to the EDSA Revolution.

Makati has many Spanish-era churches, such as the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and the Nuestra Señora de Gracia (Our Lady of Grace) Parish in the old town. At the Greenbelt park stands the modern-style domed chapel of the Sto. Niño de la Paz.

At the northern part of the city is the 25-hectare Manila South Cemetery. Every All Saints Day, thousands of people flock to the cemetery to pay their respects to their deceased loved ones.

Transportation

Makati is a short drive from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and the Manila Domestic Airport. Buses plying the Epifanio De los Santos Avenue (EDSA) route from Baclaran in Paranaque to Quezon City and Calookan City pass through the Central Business District daily. Jeepneys ply Makati's inner roads, and connect the city to its surrounding towns and cities. The Metropolitan Rail Transit (MRT) on EDSA has three stations located in Makati: Guadalupe, Buendia and Ayala Avenue.

Government

Like other cities in the Philippines, Makati City is governed by a Mayor and Vice mayor elected to three-year terms. The Mayor is the executive head and leads the city's departments in executing the city ordinances and improving public services. The Vice mayor heads a legislative council consisting of 10 members. The council is in charge of creating the city's policies.

Makati City, being a part of the Metro Manila region, has its mayor in the Metro Manila Council headed by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA). This council formulates development plans that seeks to solve the problems and improve the conditions in the metropolis.

Makati city is divided into 33 barangays (the smallest local government units) which handles governance in a much smaller area. These barangays are grouped into two congressional districts where each district is represented by a congressman in the country's House of Representatives. Congressional District I occupies the western and modern half of the city, while District II covers the poorer half.

Barangay Population¹ Area² District
Bangkal 27,652 74.4581 1st
Bel-Air 6,054 170.57 1st
Carmona 4,344 33.8672 1st
Cembo 26,880 24.9247 2nd
Comembo 15,555 26.8790 2nd
Dasmarinas 6,767 26.8790 1st
East Rembo 22,939 47.5842 2nd
Forbes Park 3,807 252.6642 1st
Guadalupe Nuevo 24,803 57.4931 2nd
Guadalupe Viejo 13,250 62.0934 2nd
Kasilawan 6,274 9.2284 1st
La Paz 9,609 31.8110 1st
Magallanes 6,963 119.8220 1st
Olympia 22,414 44.3766 1st
Palanan 18,635 65.3886 1st
Pembo 51,570 123.0850 2nd
Pingkaisahan 7,778 123.0850 2nd
Pio del Pilar 23,283 64.6802 1st
Pitogo 13,459 14.0373 2nd
Poblacion 17,836 103.5215 1st
Post Proper Northside 6,816 2nd
Post Proper Southside 16,458 2nd
Rizal 10,527 2nd
San Antonio 12,227 89.1309 1st
San Isidro 10,631 50.0824 1st
San Lorenzo 5,264 209.3586 1st
Santa Cruz 8,802 47.33374 1st
Singkamas 8,487 18.5965 1st
South Cembo 13,343 19.8749 2nd
Tejeros 20,535 28.6478 1st
Urdaneta 3,575 73.7564 1st
Valenzuela 7,567 23.9936 1st
West Rembo 30,072 53.7558 2nd

¹ 2000 Census
² in hectares

History

External Links

Metro Manila: Caloocan City | Las Piñas City | Makati City | Malabon City | Mandaluyong City | Manila | Marikina City | Muntinlupa City | Navotas | Parañaque City | Pasay City | Pasig City | Pateros | Quezon City | San Juan | Taguig | Valenzuela City