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 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 (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, Nestle, 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 Dasmari�as 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.
Education, Culture and Sports
Educational Institutions in Makati City
AMA Computer College
Asia Pacific College
Asian Institute of Management (AIM)
Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries (ASCM)
Assumption College
Ateneo Professional Schools
Benigno Ninoy Aquino High School
Centro Escolar University Makati
Colegio San Agustin
Colegio de Sta. Rosa
De La Salle Professional Schools, Inc.
Don Bosco Technical Institute
Fort Bonifacio High School
Gen. Pio Del Pilar National High School
Lyceum of the Philippines College of Law
Makati High School
Makati Science High School
Mapúa Institute of Technology
Saint Paul College
San Antonio National High School
San Isidro National High School
STI Makati
University of Makati
Makati City is home to the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), which is Asia's top graduate school for MBA students. 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.
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 Se�ora de Gracia (Our Lady of Grace) Parish in the old town. At the Greenbelt park stands the modern-style domed chapel of the Sto. Ni�o de la Paz. Between Forbes Park and Dasmari�as Village is the Santuario de San Antonio.
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.
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)
Dasmari�as 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)
Makati City - Wall Street Of The Philippines
Description
Urban lifestyle and affluence are nowhere more pronounced in the Philippines than in Makati, the country's classiest city. Bustling and modern, it is the country's model for city planning, rising in less than a decade from vast stretches of empty land to become the nation's premier city.
This affluent city southwest of Manila is the country's financial center, earning it the nickname, "Wall Street of the Philippines". � The major banks, corporations, department stores as well as embassies of the different nations are based here. Situated along Ayala Avenue is the Makati Stock Exchange, which houses the trading of stock. Fully developed, well-reputed city villages provide the perfect address for office buildings, shops, and restaurants.
Right in the heart of bustling Makati, spread along Ayala Avenue, is Ayala Center, the country's business and financial center. Encompassing the Glorietta and Greenbelt shopping malls, among others, Ayala Center is also a commercial complex completely at par with the world's most modern business cosmos. Within it is the Ayala Museum, among the city's primary repositories of history, culture, and heritage, along with the Filipinas Heritage Library and Museo ng Makati.
Makati has the highest concentration of the country's finest department stores, fashion boutiques, exclusive jewelry shops and antique stores, shoe stores, bookstores, and most other commercial establishments. In identified portions, the city contains the most exclusive residential subdivisions, including Forbes Park, where many of the country's wealthy and powerful families make their homes. Five-star hotels and restaurants further provide the ultimate avenue for a life of comfort and relaxation.
Geography
Around the northern and eastern borders of Makati City curl the serpentine length of the Pasig River, which separates the premier urbanscape from the adjacent cities of Pasig and Mandaluyong and the municipality of Pateros. Fort Bonifacio and its crowded barangays sprawl along the eastern fringes. Due west is Pasay City, joined at various points to Makati's major arteries via the South Superhighway, Gil Puyat and Taft Avenues. Across Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) from the Ayala Center are the posh villages of Forbes Park and Dasmari�as. The trend spills over Makati's boundaries all the way down the South Superhighway towards the newer subdivisions of Magallanes and Merville Park in Para�aque, and Ayala Alabang in Muntinlupa. Villamor Air Base, skirting the highway due southwest, is the headquarters of the Philippine Air Force. The city occupies a total land area of 29.9 sq. kilometers.
Contact