Metropolitan Manila or the National Capital Region (NCR) is the metropolitan area of the city of Manila, the national capital of the Philippines. Its residential population as of August 2007 is 11,553,427. Including suburbs in the adjacent provinces (Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, Bulacan) Greater Metro Manila, has a population of approximately 22 million people (August 2007 census).
Metro Manila is one of the two defined metropolitan areas in the Philippines, the other being Metro Cebu. In 2005, it ranked as the 42nd richest urban agglomeration in the world with a GDP of $108 billion according to PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
INTRAMUROS - "WITHIN THE WALLS"
Intramuros, located along the southern bank of the Pasig River, was built by the Spaniards in the 16th century and is the oldest district of the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Its name, in Spanish, intramuros, literally "within the walls", meaning within the wall enclosure of the city/fortress, also describes its structure as it is surrounded by thick, high walls and moats. During the Spanish colonial period, Intramuros was considered Manila itself.
At present, the walled city is the only district of Manila where old Spanish-era influences were retained. Much of the development of present-day Manila occurred outside the gates of Intramuros, leaving the surviving walls, streets and churches of Intramuros minimally touched by modernization, although outlets of Jollibee, McDonald's and Starbucks now sit alongside distinguished educational institutions within its walls. The old moats that surrounded Intramuros have been filled up and transformed into a golf course where locals and foreign nationals play the sport.
The garrison that was Fort Santiago is now a tourist spot where visitors can enjoy the nostalgic romance of a bygone Spanish era within its gardens.
SHOPPING CENTERS
Mall of Asia
Metro Manila currently has a large number of malls in the Philippines, the largest being the SM Mall of Asia, the third-largest mall in the world and now a well-known landmark on the shore of Manila Bay.
Prior to its construction the largest was SM Megamall in Ortigas Center. Other shopping centers in Ortigas Center include Robinson's Galleria, Shangri-La Plaza, and The Podium. Recently opened in Pasig is a new development called Frontera Verde, which currently hosts Tiendesitas, a tiangge-style shopping center; SM Supercenter Pasig, the smallest SM mall to date; and SilverCity AutoMall, the first mall in the Philippines that is dedicated to the automotive market.
In the Central Business District of Makati, the Ayala Center hosts other malls, including Glorietta and the upscale Greenbelt shopping districts. Also in Makati is the Rockwell Center. These places are frequented by members of Metro Manila's upper classes.
Taguig City has a mall named Market!Market!, which is strategically located in a transportation hub within Fort Bonifacio Global City. In the City of Manila, the largest malls include SM City Manila and Robinson's Place-Ermita. Cubao is Quezon City's Central Commercial Area that hosts 5 malls that includes the ultra-modern Gateway Mall.
Other malls include various SM chains in the metropolis. Aside from Cubao, there is also Eastwood City, located along Libis; SM City North EDSA, located at the junction of EDSA, West Avenue, and North Avenue; SM City Fairview, located in the Novaliches District; and TriNoMa, Ayala Land's newest mall, located in front of SM City North EDSA..
Metro Manila is also full of palengke, the Filipino-style open-air wet markets. One of these is the Central Market, located in Quiapo district of Manila, and Divisoria Market, also in Manila. Cloverleaf Market in Balintawak, Quezon City supplies most of Metro Manila's fruit and vegetable products. Navotas Port Market supplies most of Metro Manila's fish products. Other smaller markets include the markets of Cubao Farmers, Nepa-Q Mart, Muñoz, Balingasa, Galas, Santa Mesa, Novaliches Talipapa, Baclaran, Pasay Libertad, and Pasay Cartimar, the latter also being one of the finest pet markets in the Philippines.
Midway between a mall and a market are the Philippine-only tiangges, or airconditioned markets selling goods such as clothes, shoes, accessories, computer parts, mobile phones, CDs, VCDs, MP3s, iPods, and DVDs. Among these can be found in Greenhills Shopping Center in the municipality of San Juan and St. Francis Square in Mandaluyong City. Muntinlupa City hosts malls like Festival Supermall, Alabang Town Center and Metropolis Star Mall, all located in Alabang.
There is also the new SM SuperCenter Muntinlupa in Barangay Tunasan, which opened last November 16, 2007. Las Piñas has the SM Southmall, the largest based SM Mall South of Metro Manila. Parañaque City has the SM City Sucat and alongside Pasay City, Duty Free Philippines, known as the mall of the "Balikbayans" or "back-to-home citizens" here in Metro Manila.
BUSINESS DISTRICT
Glorietta, Makati
Makati City is the main central business district of Metro ManilaMakati City is the largest financial and economic hub of the metropolitan area. It is one of the major economic centres in Southeast Asia. Now regarded as the city's central business district, several of the Philippines' largest corporations including Ayala, as well as the nation's major banks such as Metro Bank, are based here.
The Makati area is built around the former Nielsen Air Base, an American installation during World War II, and its runways now form the district's main roads, which cross each other at the Makati Triangle, home of the nation's stock exchange.
Different well-known skycrapers in Metro Manila are here like PBCom Tower and G.T. International Tower. Foreign corporations also have their main Philippine hubs here. The traditional business center of the Chinese-Filipino businessmen and the country's CBD prior to the development of the Makati CBD was the Binondo District in the City of Manila.
Ortigas Center is the second most important central business district in Metro Manila. Situated between Mandaluyong and Pasig, it is home to HQ of major Philippine companies such as San Miguel Corporation and Meralco. The Asian Development Bank also has its headquarters in Ortigas. In Ortigas also lies some of Metro Manila's famed building like the One San Miguel Corporation, BSA Twin Tower, and the Astoria Plaza. Also posing as a competitor for a vibrant business center are Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, Eastwood City in Quezon City, Manila Bay City Reclamation Area in the cities of Pasay, Parañaque and Las Piñas, and Alabang Estates, Madrigal Business Park & Filinvest Corporate City in Muntinlupa.
GETTING THERE
By Air:
Manila is the main gateway to the Philippines and is readily accessible from the travel capitals of the world.
