Taguig

Before the Spaniards came, Taguig was a part of Namayan and Tondo ruled by Lakandula. There were also accounts that Chinese settlements were once present in the area as revealed by the recent archaeological diggings of various artifacts like cups, plates and other utensils, which bear Chinese characters. This was believed to have originated from China's Ming dynasty.

Taguig was one of the earliest known territories to have been Christianized when the Spaniards succeeded in subjugating mainland Luzon through the Legazpi expedition in 1571. Between the years 1582 and 1583, Taguig was part of the encomienda of Tondo headed by an alcalde mayor, Captain Vergara. It was in 1587 when Taguig was established as a separate "pueblo" (town) of the then province of Tondo (later renamed Manila). Captain Juan Basi was its Kapitan from 1587 to 1588. According to records, Taguig had nine barrios then, namely: Bagumbayan, Bambang, Hagonoy, Palingon, Santa Ana, Tipas, Tuktukan, Ususan, and Wawa. Santa Ana was then the municipal center (poblacion) of Taguig.[6] Records show that Tipas had once petitioned to become an independent town but was denied by the Spanish government.

During that time, Taguig was accessible via the Pasig River, which was connected to two large bodies of water, Manila Bay and Laguna de Bay. The population then was estimated to be 800 tributes. The town produced more than enough rice for consumption but had less sugar cane to mill. The men lived through fishing while women wove cotton cloth and "sawali" from bamboo strips. The people of Taguig were known to have resisted both Spanish and American colonial rule. During that early period of Spanish colonization. Don Juan Basi, "Kapitan" of Taguig from 1587 to 1588, took part in the Tondo Conspiracy, an attempt to overthrow the Spanish government which failed. Basi was exiled for two years as punishment. When the Katipunan was on its early years, many from Taguig became followers and later joined the uprising. The people of Taguig also joined the revolutionary government of General Emilio Aguinaldo on August 6, 1898.

During the American occupation, they struggled against the forces of General Wheaton under the command of General Pio del Pilar. It was recorded that on February 6, 1899, Filipino forces including Taguig "revolutionarios" dislodged an American position in the hills of Taguig, now a portion of Pateros and Fort Bonifacio. They were defeated eventually by the Americans with superiority in the armaments and training. Taguig finally fell to the contingent of the First Washington Volunteer Infantry led by Col. Wholly.

The defeat of the Filipinos after two years of struggle against the American forces subsequently subjected the Philippines to another system of governance. On August 14, 1898, United States occupied the islands and established a military government with General Wesley Meritt as the First Military Governor. He exercised legislative powers until September 1, 1900. At the start of American occupation, Taguig was proclaimed as an independent municipality with the promulgation of General Order No. 4 on March 29, 1900. The town was subsequently incorporated to the newly created province of Rizal when the Philippine Commission promulgated Act No. 137 on June 11, 1901.[7] On October 12, 1903, Taguig, Muntinlupa and Pateros were merged by the virtue of Act. No. 942 with Pateros hosting the seat of the municipal government.[8] The merger did not last long as a month later Muntinlupa was segregated from it and made part of Biñan when Act. No. 1008 was enacted on November 25, 1903.[9] However, it was returned to Taguig on March 22, 1905, with the promulgation Act No. 1308.[10] Eventually, Pateros separated from Taguig by January 1, 1909 and Muntinlupa was granted an independent municipality status on December 17, 1917.[11]

It was also during the American Colonial Period that the United States government acquired a 25.78 km² (9.95 sq mi) property of Taguig for military purposes. This large piece of land, which had a TCT dated 1902, was turned into a camp that became known as Fort William McKinley, named after the 25th president of the U.S. who was responsible for the American colonization of the Philippines.

When the Japanese occupied the Philippines in 1942, Fort McKinley was taken over by the Japanese Imperial Army. They occupied the military camp until the end of World War II in 1945.

After the Philippines gained its political independence from the United States on July 4, 1946, the US surrendered the Republic of the Philippines all right of possession, jurisdiction, supervision and control over the Philippine territory except the use of the military bases. On May 14, 1949, Fort William McKinley was turned over to the Philippine government by virtue of the US Embassy Note No. 0570. Fort McKinley was made the permanent headquarters of the Philippine Army in 1957 and was subsequently renamed Fort Bonifacio after the Father of the Philippine Revolution against Spain, Andres Bonifacio.

When Ferdinand Marcos placed the Philippines under martial law in 1972, Taguig, which contained Fort Bonifacio, became the host of two detention centers full of political prisoners - the Maximum Security Unit where Senators Jose W. Diokno and Benigno Aquino Jr. were detained.[12] and the Ipil Reception Center (sometimes called the Ipil Detention Center).[13] A third facility, the Youth Rehabilitation Center (YRC),[13] was still treated as part of Fort Bonifacio but was later turned into the Makati City Jail.[14] These detention centers became infamous for the numerous human rights abuses of the Marcos dictatorship, including warrantless detention and torture.[13]

Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. and Senator Jose Diokno were Marcos' first martial law prisoners, arrested just before midnight on September 22, 1972, and at 1 AM on September 23, 1972, respectively. They were eventually imprisoned in Fort Bonifacio at the Maximum Security Unit separate from Ipil and YRC. They stayed there until Marcos moved them to an even higher security facility in Fort Magsaysay in Laur, Nueva Ecija on March 12, 1973.

Ipil was the largest prison facility for political prisoners during martial law. Among the prisoners held there were some of the country's leading academics, creative writers, journalists, and historians including Butch Dalisay, Ricky Lee, Bienvenido Lumbera, Jo Ann Maglipon, Ninotchka Rosca, Zeus Salazar, and William Henry Scott. After Fort Bonifacio was privatized, the area in which Ipil was located became the area near S&R Membership Shopping and MC Home Depot, near 32nd Street and 8th Avenue in Bonifacio Global City.[15]

In 1974, the name of the Taguig's political subdivisions was changed from "barrios" to "barangays" following the nationwide implementation of the Integrated Reorganization Plan (IRP) under Presidential Decree No. 557.[16] The IRP increased Taguig's administrative divisions to 18 barangays, namely, Bagong Tanyag, Bagumbayan, Bambang, Calzada, Hagonoy, Ibayo-Tipas, Ligid-Tipas, Lower Bicutan, Maharlika, Napindan, Palingon, Signal Village, Santa Ana, Tuktukan, Upper Bicutan, Ususan, Wawa, and Western Bicutan.

On November 7, 1975, Taguig seceded from the province of Rizal to become part of the newly formed the National Capital Region through Presidential Decree No. 824.[17]

In 1998, a law was enacted, pushing for the cityhood of Taguig.[18] The resulting plebiscite on April 25 showed that the citizens were against the cityhood. A recent petition to the Supreme Court sought a recount of the plebiscite and on February 19, 2004, the Supreme Court ordered the Commission on Elections to conduct a recount. The recount showed that the residents did want the municipality of Taguig to become a city (21,105 'yes' and 19,460 'no'). Subsequently, Taguig became a city on December 8, 2004.[19]

View of central Taguig in 2022

In 2008, the City Council created 10 new barangays by virtue of City Ordinance Nos. 24–27, 57–61, 67–69, and 78, Series of 2008, carving them out from the initial 18 barangays. Hence, in December 2008, after a successful plebiscite, the numbers of barangays in the city increased from 10 to 28 barangays. The 10 newly created barangays were Central Bicutan, New Lower Bicutan, Fort Bonifacio, Katuparan, North Signal Village, South Signal Village, South Daanghari, North Daanghari, Pinagsama, San Miguel, and Tanyag.[20]

In 2011, during 424th foundation day, Mayor Lani Cayetano takes pride in calling the city a “ProbinSyudad” because it is the only remaining city in Metro Manila which has the amenities of a highly urbanized city, yet has the feel and relaxing atmosphere of a province plus its people exude the values and etiquette of the provincial natives, what with its more than 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) of lakeshore, with farmers, fishermen, old churches, a historic lighthouse, and with people whose virtue of pagtutulungan is still very much alive.[21]

A new, "state-of-the-art" 17-storey Taguig City Hall is currently being built in Barangay Ususan along Cayetano Boulevard. It will replace the current city hall in Barangay Tuktukan that was built in 1959 and was renovated thrice.[22]

Taguig won the territorial dispute with Makati on April 2022, which was ruled with finality a year later on April 2023. The city will gain 10 barangays from Makati, adding an estimated 300,000 people to its population.

The city is politically subdivided into 28 barangays: Bagumbayan, Bambang, Calzada, Central Bicutan, Central Signal Village, Fort Bonifacio, Hagonoy, Ibayo Tipas, Katuparan, Ligid Tipas, Lower Bicutan, Maharlika Village, Napindan, New Lower Bicutan, North Daang Hari, North Signal Village, Palingon Tipas, Pinagsama, San Miguel, Santa Ana, South Daang Hari, South Signal Village, Tanyag, Tuktukan, Ususan, Upper Bicutan, Wawa, and Western Bicutan. An additional 10 barangays are integrated within the city: Cembo, South Cembo, Comembo, East Rembo, West Rembo, Pembo, Rizal, and Pitogo, while the status of Post Proper Northside and Post Proper Southside are still unclear as it overlaps the territory of Fort Bonifacio, all of which formerly forms the Embo areas and eastern Makati.[23][24] However, Taguig is already exercising its jurisdiction with the offering of the city's programs and services over the affected areas. The status of barangays Post Proper Northside and Post Proper Southside from Makati are still unclear as they overlap barangays Fort Bonifacio, Pinagsama, Western Bicutan, and Ususan, respectively. The city is also divided into two legislative districts: the 1st district, which also includes the Municipality of Pateros for representation in the Congress, and 2nd district.

Barangays under Taguig's de facto jurisdiction

Barangays under Taguig's de jure jurisdiction

Political maps of Taguig

• Parts of Hagonoy became under the jurisdiction of a new barangay San Miguel
• Lower Bicutan was divided into two, the other one to be known as Barangay New Lower Bicutan
• Signal Village was divided into four barangays, Central Signal Village (originating barangay), Katuparan, North Signal Village, and South Signal Village.
• Bagong Tanyag was divided into three barangays, North Daang Hari, South Daang Hari, and Tanyag proper (originating barangay)
• Parts of Upper Bicutan became under the jurisdiction of a new barangay Central Bicutan
• Western Bicutan was divided into three barangays, Fort Bonifacio, Pinagsama and Western Bicutan (originating barangay)

Contested territories between Makati, Pateros and Taguig.

Taguig, Makati and Pateros have fought over the jurisdiction of Fort Bonifacio and nearby places. In 2003, the Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC) ruled that Fort Bonifacio and Pinagsama Village belongs to Taguig. In 2011, the Pasig RTC also ruled that the Embo barangays (Cembo, South Cembo, East Rembo, West Rembo, Comembo, Pembo), as well as Rizal and Pitogo, are part of Taguig since they were formerly part of the military reservation. Pateros also claims the "embo" barangays, parts of Taguig and Fort Bonifacio, but the municipality's petition were dismissed by the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the Court of Appeals stopped Taguig from exercising jurisdiction in the said areas in 2013. On 2017, the Court of Appeals upheld its final decision that Fort Bonifacio belongs to Taguig; it was later upheld by the Supreme Court in 2022. The Supreme Court junked the motion for reconsideration that was filed by the Makati city government to override the court's earlier decision, siding with Taguig a year later.

As a result of the ruling, the following Makati barangays are transferred to Taguig:

In addition, Taguig is also involved in a dispute with Pasig and Taytay, Rizal over a large area which covers Ibayo Napindan in Napindan, barangay Pinagbuhatan in Pasig, and Lupang Arendra area in Taytay.

View of the FB tenement

The city is known for being the location of Fort Bonifacio Tenement (FB Tenement or Tenement), which is known for its central basketball court known as Tenement Court which often serves as a medium for murals and exhibitions.

Like other cities in the Philippines, Taguig is governed by a mayor and vice mayor who are 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 city mayor is restricted to three consecutive terms, totaling nine years, although a mayor can be elected again after an interruption of one term. The vice mayor heads a legislative council consisting of 18 members: 8 councilors from the 1st district, 8 councilors from the 2nd district, the president of the Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) Federation as sectoral representative of the youth, and the president of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) as barangay sectoral representative. The council is in charge of creating the city's policies in the form of ordinances and resolutions.[43]

The current seal of Taguig, adopted in 2019, incorporates the colors of the Philippine flag; blue, red, white and yellow. The buildings symbolize the city's transformative growth and continued progress, the heart echoes the "I Love Taguig" motto, the sun represents bright future and warmth, the waves depict water and life, paying homage to the fishing livelihood of Taguigeños, and the rice grains describe the city's etymology (from taga-giik or rice thresher in Tagalog), the 28 grains represent the 28 barangays of Taguig at the time of its adoptation.

The incumbent mayor is Lani Cayetano. Arvin Alit, a former councilor, is the city's incumbent vice mayor. The current district representatives of the city are Ricardo "Ading" Cruz Jr. for 1st district and Amparo Maria "Pammy" Zamora for 2nd district.

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

The local government of Taguig maintains relations with other cities in the Philippines.

Local city
Bacolod[56]
Himamaylan[57]
Iloilo City[58]
Tabaco[59]
Vigan[60]

International city
Blacktown, Australia[61]
Goyang, South Korea[62]