Pasig


', officially the ', is a of the Philippines| in Metropolitan Manila,. According to the, it has a population of people.
Located along the eastern border of Metro Manila, the city shares its name with the Pasig River. A formerly rural settlement, Pasig is primarily residential and industrial, but has been becoming increasingly commercial in recent years, particularly after the construction of the Ortigas Center business district in its west. The city is home to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pasig, based in Pasig Cathedral, a landmark built around the same time as the town's foundation in 1573.
Pasig was formerly part of Rizal province before the formation of Metro Manila, the national capital region of the country. The seat of government of Rizal was hosted in Pasig at the old Rizal Provincial Capitol until a new capitol was opened in Antipolo, within Rizal's jurisdiction in 2009. However, it remained as the de jure, or official capital of the province until July 7, 2020. On June 19, 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11475, which designated Antipolo as the official capital of Rizal.

Etymology

The city's name Pasig was believed to have come from the old Sanskrit word "pasega", meaning "sand", which refers to the tribal community beside the sandy edges of the river. Some historians believed that El Pasig came from "Legazpi". "Mapaksik" later became "Pah-sik", and was then changed to what is now "Pasig". It may have also come from the Tagalog word "dalampasigan", which means "".
According to Jose Villa Panganiban, the former director of the Institute of National Language, "Pasig" is another ancient Sanskrit word meaning "a waterway coming from one body of water to another," which briefly describes the river because its flow starts from Laguna de Bay, leading to Manila Bay.

Geography

Pasig is bordered on the west by Quezon City and Mandaluyong; to the north by Marikina; to the south by Makati, the municipality of Pateros, and Taguig; and to the east by the municipalities of Cainta and Taytay in the province of Rizal.
The Pasig River runs through it and forms its southwestern and southeastern borders with Makati and Taguig respectively, while the Marikina River forms its western border with Quezon City. The artificial Manggahan Floodway, built in 1986, begins at its confluence with the Marikina River in its northeast.

Climate

The dry season runs through the months of November to April, while the wet season starts in May and lasts to November. The wet season reaches its peak in the month of August. Maximum rainfall in Muntinlupa usually occurs from the month of June to September. The average annual of rainfall is 2,014.8 millimeters with a peak of 420.0 millimeters in July and a low 26.9 millimeters in April. The highest temperature occurs during the month of April and May while the lowest occurs during the months of January & February.
The Philippines, due to its geographical location, is one of the Asian countries often affected by typhoons. It is located within the so-called "typhoon belt". Generally, typhoon season starts from June and ends in November. However, the rest of the months are not entirely free of the typhoons since they are unpredictable in nature and might enter the country anytime of the year.

History

Early history

There are no surviving firsthand accounts of the history of Pasig before Spanish colonizers arrived in 1573 and established the settlement which they called the Ciudad-Municipal de Pasig.
However, surviving genealogical records and folk histories speak of a thriving indigenous community on the banks of the Bitukang Manok river, which eventually became modern-day Pasig. The greatest rulers of this pre-colonial polity are named Rajah Lontok and Dayang Kalangitan by the legends, which also say that they are closely related to the pre-colonial rulers of Tondo and Maynila.
The creek was given the name "Bitukang Manok", due to the serpentine shape of its waterway. Among its early dwellers were Ethnic Malays, the Chinese from Southern China, and the Indigenous Tinguian nomads who migrated from the deep jungles of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range. The Bitukang Manok was once a principal tributary of the Marikina River. The Spanish colonizers called the creek "Rio de Pasig"; however, the natives still referred to it as the Bitukang Manok.
The first stretch of the Bitukang Manok became known as the "Pariancillo", where its shoreline was once settled by Chinese and Malay merchants to trade their goods with the natives, until it developed up to the 1970s as the city's main public market. Likewise, the creek contributed enormously to the economic growth of Pasig during the Spanish Colonial Era, through irrigation of its wide paddy fields, and by being the progressive center of barter trade.
The Bitukang Manok, also known as the "Parian Creek", had once linked the Marikina River with the "Antipolo River". Before the Manggahan Floodway was built in 1986, The Parian Creek was actually connected to the Sapang Bato-Buli Creek, the Kasibulan Creek, the Palanas Creek, the Bulaw Creek, and the Hinulugang Taktak Falls of Barangay Dela Paz, thus being the detached and long-abandoned Antipolo River.

Colonial period

Since the early 1600s up to the period of Japanese Imperialism, over a thousand Catholic devotees coming from "Maynilad", "Hacienda Pineda", "San Juan del Monte", "Hacienda de Mandaloyon", "Hacienda Mariquina", "Barrio Pateros", "Pueblo de Tagig", and "San Pedro de Macati", followed the trail of the Parian Creek to the Pilgrimage Cathedral on the mountainous pueblo of Antipolo, Morong.
The Antipoleños and several locals from the far-reached barrios of "Poblacion de San Mateo", "Montalban", "Monte de Tanhai", "Santa Rosa-Oroquieta", and "Punta Ibayo", had also navigated this freshwater creek once to go down to the vast "Kapatagan" of lowland Pasig. Even the marian processions of the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage passed this route back and forth eleven times.
The creek has been also used during the British Occupation of Manila in 1762 to 1764 by the Royal British army, under the leadership of General William Draper and Vice Admiral Sir Samuel Cornish, 1st Baronet, to transport their red troops upstream to take over the nearby forest-surrounded villages of Cainta and Taytay. They even did an ambush at the "Plaza Central" in front of the Pasig Cathedral, and turned the Roman Catholic Parish into their military headquarters, with the church's fortress-like "Campanilla" serving as a watchtower against Spanish defenders sailing from the walled city of Intramuros via the Pasig River.
The Sepoys backstabbed their abusive British lieutenants and sided with the combined forces of the Spanish Conquistadors, local rice farmers, fisherfolk, and even Chinese traders. After the British Invasion, the Sepoys remained and intermarried with Filipina women, and that explains the Hindu features of some of today's citizens of Pasig, especially Cainta and Taytay.
In 1742, an Augustinian friar named Fray Domingo Diaz, together with a group of wealthy "Mestizos de Sangley" from Sagad, ordered a construction of a marble, roof-tiled cover bridge across the creek in the style of an oriental pagoda. It was named "Puente del Pariancillo", and a few years later, it changed to "Puente de Fray Felix Trillo", dedicated to the dynamic parochial curate of the Immaculate Conception Parish. Edmund Roberts visited Pasig in 1832.
On the night of May 2, 1896, more than 300 revolutionary Katipuneros, led by the Supremo Gat. Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto and Pio Valenzuela, secretly gained access in this very creek aboard a fleet of seventeen "Bangkas" to the old residence of a notable Valentin Cruz at Barangay San Nicolas, and formed the "Asamblea Magna".
Three months later on Saturday evening, 29 August, about less than 2,000 working-class Pasigueños, armed with coconuts, machetes and bayoneted muskets, joined the Katipunan and made a surprise attack at the "Municipio del Gobernadorcillo" and its adjacent garrison of the "Guardias Civil", situated near the border of barangays Maybunga and Caniogan.
That was the first and victorious rebellion ever accomplished by the Katipunan, and that particular event was popularly known as the "Nagsabado sa Pasig". After they had managed to successfully out-thrown the seat of Spanish government on Pasig, the Katipuneros fled immediately and advanced towards a "Sitio" located at the neighboring "Ciudad de San Juan" called "Pinaglabanan", and there they launched their second attempt to end the numerous cases of corruption made by the greedy Castilian "Encomenderos" and "Hacienderos", which shall be commemorated as the Battle of San Juan del Monte.
On June 11, 1901, during the Philippine-American War, the province of Rizal was created through Act No. 137 of the Philippine Commission. Pasig was incorporated into the province of Rizal, and was designated as the capital of the new province. In 1975, Pasig was carved out of Rizal province and became part of Metro Manila when the Metro Manila Commission was created by Pres. Ferdinand Marcos through Presidential Decree 824.

After World War II

After World War II, the Bitukang Manok was slowly exposing its ecological downfall. It resulted in water pollution due to rational ignorance. The worst came to the Bitukang Manok in the late 1960s when the disappearing waterway, instead of being revived was totally separated from the Marikina River, and was converted into an open sewage ditch, with its original flow now moving in reverse towards the direction of the Napindan Channel, to give way to public commercial facilities.
In July 1994, Pasig was converted into a highly urbanized city through Republic Act 7829. And in December 1994, President Fidel V. Ramos signed it into law, which was ratified through a plebiscite on January 21, 1995.
On February 4, 2006, the ULTRA Stampede, in which 71 people died, happened during the first anniversary celebration of ABS-CBN's noontime show Wowowee, because of the prizes that were to be given away. The anniversary of the show would be held on PhilSports Arena but the event has been already canceled due to the tragedy.
Pasig was one of the areas struck by the high flood created by Typhoon Ondoy on September 26, 2009, which affected the Ortigas Avenue and the east city side of the Manggahan Floodway. It is the most destructive flood in Philippine history. Pasig is accessed by the Pasig River, wherein the waters of Marikina River channeled and the Manggahan Floodway routed to Laguna de Bay.
In the first week of August 2012, intense monsoon rain caused the 2012 Philippines flooding, which affected again Pasig and particularly the National Capital Region, Calabarzon and the southwest part of Luzon. The nonstop eight-day monsoon rain, strengthened by Typhoon Gener, caused the Marikina River to overflow and destroyed the same places that were ruined by Typhoon Ondoy in 2009.
In 2020, the city and the entire metropolitan Manila was placed under community quarantine for one month starting March 15 due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.
On June 19, 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law Republic Act 11475, officially transferring the capital of the Rizal province from Pasig City to Antipolo. The law will effect 15 days after the official publication in newspaper of general circulation or in the Official Gazette. The official publication is June 22, 2020 and the law will effect on July 7, 2020.

Demographics

Population growth of Pasig has consistently been higher than the regional average. Thus, the percentage share of Pasig in the total population of Metro Manila has significantly increased. Its share has grown from less than 3% in 1960 to 4.5% in 1980 and then to almost 6% in 2015. Pasig's population is projected to reach one million between the 2025 and 2030 census years.

Religion

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pasig was established in 2003 by Pope John Paul II as the diocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, with the Immaculate Conception Parish as the seat.
Pasig is the headquarters of the Presbyterian Church of the Philippines.

Economy

19th century

Historically, Pasig produced rice, fruit and sugarcane.

Today

The western part of the city is where most of Pasig's financial resources are primarily concentrated. It includes numerous factories, warehouses, establishments and commercial facilities. They are primarily situated in Ortigas Center, Pasig proper and along E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue and Ortigas Avenue. Real estate and commercial developments along Mercedes Avenue and other areas near the city center are developing. The eastern part was mostly dominated with residential areas but numerous commercial establishments are now being developed along Marcos Highway. Per capita income of Pasig is $12,032 per year. The barangay of San Antonio has the largest income in Pasig, second only to San Lorenzo of Makati as the largest single income-generating local government unit in the Philippines. In the arguably more significant western part of Pasig, east of the city of Mandaluyong and part of the barangay of San Antonio, lies the Ortigas Center.
Ortigas Center is one of the top business districts in the country. Numerous high-rise office buildings, residential condominiums, commercial establishments, schools and malls are situated here. The University of Asia and the Pacific is also located here. The head office of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines was established in the district. The former headquarters of the Philippine Stock Exchange is located along ADB Avenue. San Miguel Corporation, owner of one of the largest producer of beer in Asia, also has its headquarters in the district along San Miguel Avenue. Situated along Ortigas Avenue is Crowne Plaza, a five-star hotel near Robinsons Galleria.
Notable developments along E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue include Arcovia City, The Grove by Rockwell, and Ortigas East, home of the Tiendesitas market. El-Pueblo, a colonial-themed commercial complex in Ortigas Center, provides new concept of cafes, restaurants and bars. Metrowalk, a commercial hub along Ortigas Avenue and Meralco Avenue, was established in 2005 and comprises shops, depot warehouses, stalls, restaurants and bars. Parklinks, a urban estate, will partly be built in Pasig near C-5.

Local government

Pasig is governed primarily by the city mayor, the vice mayor and the city councilors. The mayor acts as the chief executive of the city while the city councilors act as its legislative body. The vice mayor, besides taking on mayoral responsibilities in case of a temporary vacancy, acts as the presiding officer of the city legislature.

City seal

The woman represents the Mutya ng Pasig. Pasig is derived from a Hindu word meaning a body of water connecting two bodies of water. On the lower left portion is the Pasig Cathedral, the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pasig. The factory in lower right portion represents the prosperity and progress of the city.

List of mayors

Pasig is politically subdivided into 30 barangays.
Its barangays are grouped into two districts for city council representation purposes. The first district encompasses the southern and western sections of the city, while the second district encompasses the northern and eastern sections. Among these barangays, 27 are located on the northern side or right bank of the Pasig River while 3 are located on the river's southern side or left bank.

Sports

or the Philippine Institute of Sports Complex is a notable national sports complex of the Philippines. Located in Meralco Avenue, it is where the offices of the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee and some national sports associations are.
Pasig will host some matches at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup at the PhilSports Arena.

Transportation

Road network

Pasig is accessed by the following major roads:
Pasig is the location of the east end of Pasig River. It is accessed by Pasig River Ferry Service with 7 stations named after the Barangays of the city beside the river, these are the following:
Pasig is accessed by Pasig River and Marikina River. The city has only eleven bridges:
This city is also served by Santolan Station of Line 2 along Marcos Highway located in Pasig-Marikina Boundary where the depot is also located.
Long before the Manila Light Rail Transit System finally opened its services in Santolan in the Pasig-Marikina border in the early 2000s, Steam train services had once served those places in the past, even before World War II.
In Marikina, there is a street named "Daangbakal", also called by the names of "Shoe Avenue Extension", "Munding Avenue" and "Bagong Silang". There is also a similar "Daangbakal" in the San Mateo-Montalban area, and on the maps one can notice that the two roads should have been connected with each other. In fact, as the name suggests in Tagalog, these streets were once a single railway line. The two sides of the "Daangbakal" roads were once connected by a bridge in the San Mateo-Marikina border. However, as the railroad tracks have been largely ignored after the Japanese cccupation and was transformed into separate highways, the railway connection was abandoned.
The old railroad tracks, called the Marikina Line, was connected from Tutuban station in Manila, passing through Tramo coming all the way to the town of Marikina up to Montalban. On the northern end of the "Daangbakal" road in Montablan is a basketball court. That basketball court which stands today, surrounded by the Montalban Catholic Church and Cemetery, was once the railway station terminus of that particular line.
The present-day Santo Niño Elementary School in Marikina was said to be a train depot. And also it was said that a railroad station once stood in the Marikina City Sports Park.
The Marikina Line was completed in 1906, and continued its operation until 1936. It was said that the Imperial Japanese Army made use of this railway line during the Second World War. These railways were dismantled during the 1960s and were converted into ordinary roads.
Today, the citizens are dependent on Tricycles, Jeepneys, Taxis, FX, Buses, and AUV's which contribute to the everyday unusual and unbearable traffic of Metropolitan Manila. Even now, there is uncertainty in the Northrail project, which links Manila to the northern provinces of Luzon, because of corruption within the project's construction.
Aside from the Marikina Line, two other railways have existed before but are now removed permanently.
First is the Cavite Line, which passed through Paco, Parañaque, Bacoor and up to Naic, Cavite. Completed in 1908, its operation continued until 1936.
Second is the Antipolo Line, which passed through Santa Mesa, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Cainta, Taytay, up to Antipolo near the "Hinulugang Taktak" Falls. There is also a street named "Daangbakal" in Antipolo, where like the "Daangbakal" roads on Marikina and San Mateo, a railway line once existed. The railroad tracks also passed through what is now the Ortigas Avenue Extension. Its operation ceased in 1917.

Education

Along C. Raymundo Avenue lies the national headquarters of Parents for Education Foundation, Inc. which runs schools such as PAREF Southridge School, PAREF Woodrose School, PAREF Northfield School, PAREF Rosehill School, and seven other schools.
At the heart of city proper, lies Colegio del Buen Consejo. It is one of the oldest school in Pasig and one of the educational institutions promulgated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pasig.

Secondary Schools

is a private sectarian college located at the heart of Pasig. Established in 1913 as a small school managed by the CICM Fathers headed by Fr. Pierre Cornelis De Brouwer at the present Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Pasig, it is considered as the city's center of Catholic educational institution of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pasig.
Pasig City Science High School is the second science high school in Pasig recognized by the Department of Education for bright students of the city. It is located near Rainforest, a fully restored public resort and amusement park.
Rizal High School is located in Pasig. Named after the Philippine national hero José Rizal, it is one of the world's largest secondary education by student population. Formerly hailed in the Guinness World Records as the largest school by overall enrolled students, it is now surpassed by the City Mississippi School in Lucknow, India.

Tertiary Schools

, a local university in Kapasigan, offers degree courses for poor, bright and deserving residents of Pasig. It is established under the mayoralty of Vicente C. Eusebio in 1999.
St. Paul College Pasig was near the Philippine Institute of Sports Complex. It was established in 1970 as one of the educational institutions administered by the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres.
University of Asia and the Pacific in Ortigas Center traces back to the Center for Research and Communication which started by two Harvard graduates in 1967 as an economic and social think-tank institution. Its spiritual and doctrinal formation is entrusted to Opus Dei.

Technical and vocational training

was located near the Ortigas Center along Ortigas Avenue. It is established in 1983 to serve and meet the industry's demand for middle-level technical manpower. As a partner of Philippine government's institution of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority or TESDA, it provided two main programs in the Industrial Technician Program which targets the youth and the Technical Training and MFI Training for skilled workers and professionals.

International Schools

is located in Barangay Ugong and offers the International Baccalaureate PYP program for elementary students. Established in 2000 as a pre-school under the name Second Mom, it has expanded to primary and secondary education. The school is in partnership with the TAO Corporation and as of 2015, became a candidate school of the IB Diploma Program.
Saint Gabriel International School in Sandoval Avenue is the sister school of the Chinese-based Manila Xiamen International School. It provides Mandarin Chinese classes and ESL education for local and foreign students.

Notable people

Sister cities

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