Mandaluyong

Residents of Mandaluyong have always been known for their industry. Men did the laundry to the amusement of non-residents until shortly after the war, while the women ironed the clothes.

These industrious people trace their roots to Emperor Soledan (also known as "Anka Widyaya" of the Great Madjapahit Empire) and Empress Sasaban of the Kingdom of Sapa, whose son Prince Balagtas ruled as sovereign of the kingdom in about the year 1300.

More than a century later, in about the year 1470, it expanded and was called the "Kingdom of Namayan" with "Lakan Takhan" as sovereign. The vast Kingdom comprised what are now Quiapo, San Miguel, Sta, Mesa, Paco, Pandacan, Malate, Malate and Santa Ana in Manila, and Mandaluyong, San Juan, Makati, Pasay, Pateros, Taguig, Parañaque, and portions of Pasig and Quezon City up to Diliman, which were then part of Mandaluyong.[7]

Mandaluyong was first known as a barrio of Santa Ana de Sapa, which was part of the District of Paco, Province of Tondo (later known as the Province of Manila). It was named San Felipe Neri by the Spaniards in honor of the patron saint of Rome. It was separated civilly from Santa Ana de Sapa in 1841.

On September 15, 1863, San Felipe Neri established its own parish. Under the administration of the Congregation “Dulcísimo Nombre de Jesús” (lit. transl. Sweet Name of Jesus), it constructed its own church, convent and school. The Parish of San Felipe Neri played a significant role as a relay station for propagating the Katipunan during the 1896–1898 Revolution.

According to Pedro Patricio in his book (Mandaluyong: 1837–1975[8]), Mandaluyong had five original barrios (Poblacion, Barangka, Hagdang Bato, Namayan, & Hulo) as per the first recorded census in 1903. From these five evolved 22 sub-barrios.

Mandaluyong was significant in the Philippine Revolution of 1896 as the baluarte (territory) of the Katipunan or "Makabuhay" group, with seventeen branches.[9]

On August 29, 1896, Andres Bonifacio, together with Emilio Jacinto and other members of the Katipunan went into the house of Romualdo Vicencio at Sitio Balakbak (now Villa San Miguel) to prepare for the upcoming revolution against Spanish authority. In this site, Bonifacio read the last manifestation of the Katipunan before they transferred in Hagdan Bato, in the house of Felix Sanchez. This event is also known as the "29 De Agosto" and "Pinagtipunan" in which it is already named in two streets near the historic Barangay Hagdan Bato Itaas. It was in Barangay Hagdang Bato on August 28, 1896, where Andres Bonifacio issued a proclamation setting Saturday, August 29, 1896, as the date of the attack on Manila.

On August 30, 1896, after the successfully revolution in San Felipe Neri, the Katipuneros went to San Juan del Monte and attacked the El Polvorin (gunpowder depot) in order to amass more weapons to use against the Spaniards. This event is popularly known as the Battle of San Juan del Monte. It was also in this town that the revolutionary paper, La Republika, was established on September 15, 1896.

On June 11, 1901, San Felipe Neri was incorporated into the newly established province of Rizal. During the American Occupation, it was raised to a first-class municipality with five barrios, namely: Poblacion, Barangka, Hagdang Bato, Namayan and Hulo. By virtue of Act No. 942 dated November 6, 1903, it was consolidated with the municipality of San Juan del Monte and became the seat of the municipal government.[10] For several months in 1904, San Felipe Neri became the capital of Rizal.[11] San Juan del Monte was later separated from San Felipe Neri to regain its independent municipality status on March 27, 1907.[12]

San Felipe Neri was renamed to its present name of Mandaluyong on November 6, 1931, by virtue of Act No. 3836.[13] Many government infrastructures are established during the American Period, including the Correctional Institute for Women, Welfareville Compound, The Boy's Town, and the National Center for Mental Health.

From 1942 to 1945, during World War II, Mandaluyong formed part of the City of Greater Manila, along with Manila, Quezon City, and other nearby towns of Rizal.[14][15] Also during the war, Mandaluyong lost many of her people; among them were Catholic priests and civilians. Destruction was felt all over, but with the timely arrival of the American Liberation Forces and the Philippine Commonwealth troops on February 9, 1945, the municipality was saved from further damages. That day became a red calendar day for Mandaluyong marking its liberation from the Japanese Imperial forces by the Allies.

Dambana ng Ala-ala Alay sa mga Dakilang Anak ng Mandaluyong (lit. transl. Shrine of Remembrance Offering to the Great Sons of Mandaluyong), a memorial dedicated to the gallant locals of Mandaluyong

After World War II, Mandaluyong began to become progressive and dramatically increase the economy. Many infrastructures, companies, and other businesses were developed in 1950s–1960s and as the result, making Mandaluyong recognized as the most developed municipality in the province of Rizal.[9]

Mandaluyong played a small part in Ferdinand Marcos' efforts to rationalize his declaration of Martial law because the alleged 1972 ambush of Juan Ponce Enrile took place in Wack Wack, an exclusive neighborhood in Mandaluyong, in the hours immediately preceding its implementation.[16] Because the alleged ambush took place in an exclusive subdivision, no independent eyewitnesses of the event have come forward, and witnesses of the immediate aftermath are few.[17] This has lent credence to accounts which say that the ambush was faked, and that the site was selected specifically because it was easy to stage the incident there.[18][19][20] The 14-year period which followed that night is remembered for the Marcos administration's record of human rights abuses,[21][22] particularly targeting political opponents, student activists, journalists, religious workers, farmers, and others who fought against the Marcos dictatorship.[23]

A prominent figure in Philippine business before Martial Law was Mandaluyong-based industrialist Domingo M. Guevara, Sr., whose success began when he created Radiowealth, a brand of affordable Philippine-made appliances including radios and televisions.[24] This eventually became the Mandaluyong-based Guevara Enterprises which dominated the fields of electronics, communications, agriculture and industrial development, transportation, and manufacturing in the Philippines, whose headquarters was on Libertad (now D.M. Guevarra).[25] National Artist Nick Joaqin noted that Guevara's projects - which included the manufacturing the "Sakbayan," which was the ever first Philippine-made car - brought the Philippine economy to the verge of Newly Industrialized Country status in the years before Martial Law.[26] However, the growth of Guevara's businesses stopped when he refused to surrender control of his businesses to President Ferdinand Marcos during Martial Law,[25] and Marcos retaliated by making it difficult for Guevarra to do business.[25][26]

On November 7, 1975, Mandaluyong was formally included in newly established Metropolitan Manila by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 824[27] signed by President Ferdinand Marcos.

By virtue of the 1987 Constitution, Mandaluyong and the then-municipality of San Juan were represented in Congress by a single congressman.

San Juan–Mandaluyong Representative Ronaldo Zamora sponsored a House Bill which eventually became Republic Act No. 7675[28] otherwise known as "An Act Converting the Municipality of Mandaluyong into a Highly Urbanized City to be known as the City of Mandaluyong." President Fidel V. Ramos signed R.A. No. 7675 into law on February 9, 1994 (the 49th anniversary of its liberation from the Japanese), which was ratified through a plebiscite on April 10, 1994, making Mandaluyong the fifth city in Metro Manila. Mandaluyong became a lone district with its own representative in Congress. Prior to the enactment of the assailed statute, the municipalities of Mandaluyong and San Juan belonged to only one legislative district.

Mandaluyong today is composed of 27 barangays divided into two political districts mainly by Boni Avenue and G. Aglipay Street.

In 2003, Mandaluyong was recognized as "The Tiger City of the Philippines" because of dramatic improvement in the city's economy.

Political map of Mandaluyong

Mandaluyong is politically subdivided into 27 barangays.

Mandaluyong's climate is classified as tropical. In winter, there is much less rainfall in Mandaluyong than in summer. This climate is considered to be Aw according to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. The temperature here averages 27.2 °C (81.0 °F). In a year, the average rainfall is 2,093 mm (82.4 in). Precipitation is the lowest in February, with an average of 8 mm (0.31 in). With an average of 448 mm (17.6 in), the most precipitation falls in August. At an average temperature of 29.2 °C (84.6 °F), May is the hottest month of the year. January has the lowest average temperature of the year. It is 25.5 °C (77.9 °F). Between the driest and wettest months, the difference in precipitation is 440 mm (17 in). During the year, the average temperatures vary by 3.7 °C (38.7 °F).

The Mandaluyong city skyline excluding Ortigas Center.

Like other cities in Metro Manila, Mandaluyong has its own share of commercial strips and a central business district. The former commercial area, consisting mostly of banks, offices and service establishments, stretch along public transport routes thereby serving both local consumers and passers-by from the neighboring localities. Major commercial strips of the city include the stretch of Boni Avenue, Shaw Boulevard, Libertad-Sierra Madre area, Kalentong, San Francisco, part of Martinez, Sgt. Bumatay towards Barangka Drive and Pinatubo towards EDSA. Mandaluyong's central business district is concentrated on the EDSA-Shaw-Pioneer area; it includes the Greenfield District development.[51]

TV5 Media Center

Industrial activities are mostly concentrated within the Shaw Boulevard-Pioneer area and along the Pasig River. Although prominent in the manufacture of foods, medicines and laboratory equipment, these industries are gradually declining in number, opting to relocate in newly developed industrial zones outside Metropolitan Manila. In the Pasig River area, particularly in Barangays Namayan and Mabini–J. Rizal, areas formerly industrial are now the sites for residential subdivisions and townhouses. In the EDSA-Shaw-Pioneer area, the transformation is toward a more economically profitable and globally competitive commercial activity. And since December 2013, Mandaluyong is the home of one of the largest television networks in the country TV5 and one of the largest pay TV operator Cignal TV (both owned by the PLDT-backed firm MediaQuest Holdings located at the TV5 Media Center), Nine Media Corporation-owned news channel CNN Philippines and the master playout facility of Solar Entertainment Corporation (both are located at the Worldwide Corporate Center which also housed the main offices of companies owned by real estate magnate and former Senator Manny Villar), and several radio stations associated to the Vera Group (Mellow 94.7, Magic 89.9, 99.5 Play FM, 103.5 K-Lite, DWBL and DWSS, all are located at the Paragon Plaza).[52]

The Marketplace Shopping Mall

These super-regional supermalls each have over a hundred local and international stores and are anchored by at least one department store and supermarket or hypermarket. They are the largest malls in Metro Manila which feature not just stores but also such attractions as movie theaters, rides, skating rinks, bowling alleys and other recreational facilities. Each provides thousands of automobile parking spaces and are located mostly near rail stations and established business districts within the metropolis. These malls serve not only the Metro Manila and Greater Manila Area residents, but also local and foreign tourists. Among the malls in the city are Shangri-La Plaza, SM Megamall, The Podium, St. Francis Square, Starmall EDSA-Shaw, SM Cherry Shaw, The MarketPlace Shopping Mall (the site of the Mandaluyong Public Market), Shaw Center Mall, four strip malls at the Greenfield District, and pocket malls at residential condominiums.

2022 local election results:[53]

Benjamin Abalos Sr., the incumbent Mayor of Mandaluyong

Listed below are persons who have served as mayors (previously municipal president) of Mandaluyong.

The city is 36 minutes away from Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Mandaluyong is primarily served by a public road network consisting of 80.93 km (50.29 mi) concrete and asphalt roads. With a total road density of 7.19 km (4.47 mi) per 1 ha (0.010 km²) of land, the city is considered to be over-served with roads.[55]

The city is mainly served by EDSA, Metro Manila's main thoroughfare. Considered as the heart of the metropolis, main roads such as Ortigas Avenue and Shaw Boulevard provide inter-city linkages, while Boni Avenue and F. Martinez Street serve as alternate routes in the city.[55] Other major roads in Mandaluyong include the Boni-Pioneer Underpass, a 280-meter-long (920 ft) tunnel underneath EDSA connecting Boni Avenue on its western-end and Pioneer Street on the east. and Julia Vargas Avenue in Ortigas Center. Jeepneys are one of the most common modes of public transportation for commuters in the city. Aside from jeepneys, tricycles and pedicabs are also one of the important modes of public transportation in Mandaluyong, especially on alleys around the city.

The presence of the Pasig River stretching along the south border of Mandaluyong provides an alternative route and mode of public transportation mainly for cargo freight of industries along the river, and for commuters seeking for a faster and more direct route to and from the cities of Pasig and Manila.[55] The Pasig River Ferry Service has one station in the city.

The city is also served by rail via the Manila Metro Rail Transit System Line 3, located along EDSA. The city is served by the three Line 3 stations of Ortigas, Shaw Boulevard, and Boni.

Mandaluyong is accessed by the Pasig River, the San Juan River, and the Maytunas Creek:

Crossing	Carries	Image	Location	Built	Coordinates
Pasig River Makati – Mandaluyong
Makati–Mandaluyong Bridge	Makati Avenue to Coronado Street		Barangay Poblacion and Barangay Hulo	1986	14.569354°N 121.031742°E / 14.569354; 121.031742
Estrella–Pantaleon Bridge Rockwell Bridge	Estrella Street to Pantaleon Street		Barangay Poblacion and Barangay Hulo	2011 (closed as of 2019)[56]	14.567408°N 121.037516°E / 14.567408; 121.037516
Guadalupe Bridge	C-4 Epifanio de los Santos Avenue		Brgys. Guadalupe Nuevo/Viejo and Barangay Barangka Ilaya	1966	14.568466°N 121.045979°E / 14.568466; 121.045979
Line 3 Bridge	Manila Metro Rail Transit System Line 3 (Line 3)		Brgys. Guadalupe Nuevo/Viejo and Barangay Barangka Ilaya	1998	14.568466°N 121.045979°E / 14.568466; 121.045979
San Juan River Manila – Mandaluyong
Sevilla Bridge	P. Sanchez Street to Shaw Boulevard		Santa Mesa and Barangay Daang Bakal	1991[57]	14.593973°N 121.026128°E / 14.593973; 121.026128
Maytunas Creek San Juan – Mandaluyong
Kalentong Bridge	F. Blumentritt Street to Gen. Kalentong Street		Barangay Kabayanan and Barangay Daang Bakal	1976[57]	14.595367°N 121.028065°E / 14.595367; 121.028065
Maytunas Bridge	P. Guevarra Street		Barangays Maytunas/Addition Hills and Barangay Bagong Silang		14.59328°N 121.03208°E / 14.59328; 121.03208
J.B. Vargas Bridge	Argonne Street to J.B. Vargas Street		Barangay Addition Hills and Barangay Bagong Silang		14.59238°N 121.03272°E / 14.59238; 121.03272

Countries that have set up permanent missions or embassies in the city include:

•  Malta
•  Peru
•  Slovenia
•  Sudan
•  Tanzania