Pasig, National Capital Region, Philippines

🇵🇭 Pasig, officially the City of Pasig, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines.

It is located along the eastern border of Metro Manila with Rizal province, 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 No. 11475, which designated Antipolo as the official capital of Rizal.

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 Tagalog community (barangay) on the banks of the Bitukang Manok river (now nearly extinct, and known as Parian Creek), 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.

History: 19th century Historically, Pasig produced rice, fruit and sugarcane.

Economy 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 (C-5) and Ortigas Avenue. Real estate and commercial developments along Mercedes Avenue and other areas near the city centre are developing. The eastern part was mostly dominated with residential areas but numerous commercial establishments are now being developed along Marcos Highway. 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 (C-5) include Arcovia City, The Grove by Rockwell, and Ortigas East (formerly Frontera Verde), home of the Tiendesitas market. El-Pueblo, a colonial-themed commercial complex in Ortigas Center, provides new concept of cafes, restaurants and bars. Metrowalk (formerly Payanig), a commercial hub along Ortigas Avenue and Meralco Avenue, was established in 2005 and comprises shops, depot warehouses, stalls, restaurants and bars. Parklinks, a 35-hectare (86-acre) urban estate, will partly be built in Pasig near C-5.

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 south-western and south-eastern 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.

Barangays 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 (Buting, San Joaquin and Kalawaan) are located on the river's southern side or left bank.

Sport PhilSports Complex or the Philippine Institute of Sports Complex (formerly ULTRA) 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.

The City is currently represented by Pasig City in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League. The team also used to play in the now defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association as the Pasig Pirates. The team play their home games at two venues within the city, the Pasig Sports Center and the Ynares Sports Arena.

Transport: Road Pasig is accessed by the following major roads: • Ortigas Avenue • E. Rodriguez Avenue Jr. (C-5) • Pasig Boulevard • Julia Vargas Avenue • Shaw Boulevard • Meralco Avenue • Pioneer Street • Marcos Highway (Marikina-Infanta Highway) • Amang Rodriguez Avenue.

Waterways 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: • Pineda • San Joaquin • Bambang • Kalawaan • Pinagbuhatan • Maybunga • Nagpayong.

Bridges Pasig is accessed by Pasig River and Marikina River. The city has only eleven bridges: • C.P. Garcia Bridge – spans Pasig River • Kaginhawaan Bridge – spans Marikina River • Manalo Bridge – spans Marikina River • Rosario Bridge – spans Marikina River • Sandoval Bridge – spans Marikina River • Santa Rosa De Lima Bridge – spans Marikina River • Julia Vargas Bridge (parallel bridges) – spans Marikina River • Bambang Bridge – spans Napindan Channel • Napindan Bridge – spans Napindan Channel • Kalawaan Bridge – spans Pasig River • Ortigas Bridge – spans Manggahan Floodway • Manggahan Bridge (Daan Pasig Bridge) – spans Manggahan Floodway • F B Legaspi Bridge – spans Manggahan Floodway • Kaunlaran Bridge – spans Pasig River.

Transport: Rail This city is also served by Santolan Station of LRT 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 (Rodriguez) 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 (Barangay Rosario, Pasig) 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, UV Express, 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.