Makati City

Makati City is one of the most important cities in the Philippines in terms of finance and commerce. Situated east 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 Financial 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.

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, the Shangri-la Makati Hotel, New World Rennaisance Hotel, Intercontinental Hotel Manila, and Dusit Hotel Nikko.

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 west. and it was also known as San Pedro Macati during the Spanish era.

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.

Seal of Makati City

The official 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.

The city

Makati and Ortigas Center CBD's

Makati City and Metro Manila

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 municipality of Pateros and Taguig City, 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 % 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.

Makati and Taguig City Boundary

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.

Makati's sister city is Los Angeles, California.

Population

Makati City has a population of 444,867, according to the 2000 Census. This figure represents an increase of 39,824 or 8 % over the 1995 Census figure. Among the cities and municipalities in Metro Manila, Makati ranks fifth in population, with a 5 % 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 a typical working weekday because of the large number of people who go to the city to work, shop, and do business, especially in the Central Business District.

Makati has the highest GDP per capita in the Philippines.

The Central Business District

High-rise buildings of Makati Central Business District, owned by Ayala Land, Inc.

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. It is the headquarters of the Philippine Bank of Communications, or PBCom. One of the trading floors 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, Nestlé, and JG Summit. The most well-known monument of the late senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. can also be seen at Ayala Avenue corner Paseo de Roxas.

Most areas of the CBD are serviced by private or commercial wi-fi hotspots.

Shopping centers

Ayala Center Makati in Metro Manila

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, Glorietta and Greenbelt, five hotels, and an office building. The larger of the two shopping malls is Glorietta, which itself is a cluster of malls. Rising from Glorietta 4 is the Oakwood Premier, a luxurious hotel-apartment residence at the heart of the center. Along the periphery of Glorietta are three department stores: SM Department Store Makati, Rustan's, and the Landmark. Across Makati Avenue from Glorietta is Greenbelt. This is one of the most sophisticated, modern, and expensive malls in the country. Greenbelt features dozens of coffee stores and restaurants, all overlooking a well-landscaped green park at the center where a domed Catholic chapel dominates the skyline. Other hotels in the vicinity of Ayala Center are the Makati Shangri-la Hotel, the Manila Peninsula, 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, the Asian Eye Institute, and the Ateneo Professional Schools main campus, which houses the Ateneo School of Law, the Ateneo Graduate School of Business, and the Ateneo School of Government.

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. Adjacent to the Makati Cinema Square is the big and modern Waltermart Mall. The Guadalupe Commercial Center, along EDSA and Pasig River is a middle-class shopping center frequented by residents from the poorer areas of Makati. PureGold is another independent Supermarket located at the end of J.P. Rizal Street, Barangay Singkamas. Shopwise, another popular Supermarket Chain in the Philippines, is situated at Pasong Tamo corner Vito Cruz.

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 San Lorenzo Village, Urdaneta 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 specially in the eastern portions of Rizal, East and West Rembo, Pembo, Comembo, Cembo, South Cembo, and Pitogo.

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.

Public and Private Territories

The Makati Central Business District, the core being Ayala Avenue, is owned, governed and developed by Makati Development Corporation and Ayala Land, Inc. Exclusive villages are administered by their barangay captains and home-owners association. Former parts of Makati, the Fort Bonifacio Global City and Military Resevation, are now under jurisdiction of Taguig City. The rest of Makati, having no usable sidewalks and having tons of sidewalk, road obstructions and National Building Code violations, is directly (mis)administered by the city government.

Education, culture, and sports

Makati City is home to the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). AIM, located along Paseo de Roxas across Greenbelt began as a collaborative project of the Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University. The Ateneo Professional Schools, a unit of the Ateneo de Manila University has facilities in Rockwell Center and Salcedo Village. The Rockwell campus houses the Ateneo School of Law the Ateneo Graduate School of Business]], and the Ateneo School of Government. The Salcedo campus houses the Ateneo Information Technology Institute. De La Salle University's Professional Schools also operates in RCBC Tower along Ayala Avenue.

Other notable colleges and Universities in Makati are the Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries (ASCM)[1], Assumption College, Colegio San Agustin, Asia Pacific College, Centro Escolar University's Makati campus, the University of Makati. 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. Also in the city is the Makati Science High School, a city-run high school. Makati is also home to RTRMS-Medical Center, a nursing school.

The Sta. Ana Racetrack, which actually part of the City of Manila, beside Pasig River in the northern part of the city, is one of the two centers of horseracing in the country. The other is in the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite. Along the south-eastern 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 Makati Coliseum is another famous sports landmark in the city, where some of the biggest sports gatherings are held.

The Ayala Center also features aside from 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. Beteen Forbes Park and Dasmariñas Village is the Santuario de San Antonio, a popular church for weddings in the Makati area. The National Shrine of the Sacred Heart is located in San Antonio Village.

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 Caloocan 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 Metro Rail Transit (MRT-3) on EDSA has four stations located in Makati: Guadalupe, Buendia, Ayala and Magallanes.

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 18 members: 8 Councilors from the First District, 8 Councilors from the Second District, the President of the Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) Federation representing the youth sector and the President of the Association of Barangay Chairmen (ABC) as barangay sectoral representative. The council is in charge of creating the city's policies in the form of Ordinances and Resolutions.

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. These barangays are grouped into two congressional districts, with each district represented by a congressman in the Philippine House of Representatives. Congressional District I occupies the western and modern half of the city, while District II covers the poorer half.

Greenbelt Park, at the heart of Makati CBD, where al fresco cafés and restaurants are situated

Barangay	Population (year 2004)	Area (km²)	District
Bangkal	22,433	0.74	(1st)
Bel-Air	9,330	1.71	(1st)
Carmona	3,699	0.34	(1st)
Cembo	25,815	0.22	(2nd)
Comembo	14,174	0.27	(2nd)
Dasmariñas	5,757	1.90	(1st)
East Rembo	23,902	0.44	(2nd)
Forbes Park	3,420	2.53	(1st)
Guadalupe Nuevo	22,493	0.57	(2nd)
Guadalupe Viejo	13,632	0.62	(2nd)
Kasilawan	6,224	0.09	(1st)
La Paz	8,843	0.32	(1st)
Magallanes	7,509	1.20	(1st)
Olympia	20,172	0.44	(1st)
Palanan	16,614	0.65	(1st)
Pembo	35,035	1.23	(2nd)
Pinagkaisahan	6,186	0.16	(2nd)
Pio del Pilar	22,495	1.20	(1st)
Pitogo	13,367	0.14	(2nd)
Poblacion	16,697	1.04	(1st)
Post Proper Northside	1,475	0.45	(2nd)
Post Proper Southside	25,037	0.60	(2nd)
Rizal	37,022		(2nd)
San Antonio	12,226	0.89	(1st)
San Isidro	8,686	0.50	(1st)
San Lorenzo	6,487	2.09	(1st)
Santa Cruz	7,419	0.47	(1st)
Singkamas	6,226	0.13	(1st)
South Cembo	13,570	0.20	(2nd)
Tejeros	16,820	0.29	(1st)
Urdaneta	3,817	0.74	(1st)
Valenzuela	5,908	0.24	(1st)
West Rembo	28,889	0.55	(2nd)

Mayors

#Marcelino Magsaysay (1901-1903)#Eusebio Arpilleda (1903-1908)#Hermogenes Santos (1908-1911)#Urbano Navarro (1911-1913)#Jose Magsaysay (1913-1916)#Pedro Domingo (1917-1919)#Ricardo Arpilleda (1919-1920)#Igmidio Flores (1920-1922)#Nicanor Garcia (1922-1934)#Jose Villena (1935-1941)#Pablo Cortez (1945-1947)#Jose Villena (1948-1954)#Ignacio Babasa (1954)#Bernardo Umali (1954)#Maximo Estrella (1956-1969)#Jose Luciano (1969-1971)#Cesar Alzona (1971)#Nemesio I. Yabut (1972-1986)#Jejomar C. Binay (1986-1998)#Elenita S. Binay (1998-2001)#Jejomar C. Binay (2001-present)

Transportation

The stations of MRT are Guadalupe, Buendia, Ayala and Magallanes and in PNR stations are Buendia, Pio Del Pilar and EDSA

External links

*Official website of the City of Makati
*Makati City Area Transit Map