Pasig City Information
Brief History
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There are several and different legends about the origin of the word
"Pasig."
A pair of lovers, named Virgilio, a Spanish mestizo and a Filipina beauty
named Paz, customarily spent their evening together on the bank of the
river. They found a banca and went boating one moonlit night but as fate
had it, the banca capsized. Virgilio not knowing how to swim was carried
away by the current and desperately kept afloat but to no avail. He
shouted "Paz sigue me" (meaning "Paz, come with me"), until he could only
utter Paz sig and finally sank into the river. Thus, the name Pasig.
It was also believed that it came from the Sanskrit word "passis" or sand
and refers to the community on a river bank which was sandy. Historians
who are less inclined to rely on a legendary romantic origins traced the
town’s name to the word "mabagsik" meaning violent in action or
force which aptly describes the river. Its strong and swift current
brought the woods of Montalban to Manila.
It was also called "mapaksik" by the Chinese living in Binondo. As time
went on, "mapaksik" became "Pasik" then later on "Pasig". Another belief
was that it was derived from "pasigan" which means "baybay ng ilog",
river edge or bank in English.
The most convincing theory on the origin of the name comes from the late
Dr. Jose Villa Panganiban, linguist, polyglot, professor, and former
director of The Institute of National Language, who said that "Pasig" is
an old Sanskrit word referring to a "river flowing from one body of water
to another," in the case of the Pasig River, from Laguna de Bay
(pronounced Ba-I) to Manila Bay.
Political Subdivision
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Pasig is directly under the jurisdiction of the Metro Manila Authority.
Before it became a part of Metro Manila, it was the capital of the
province of Rizal, then the premier province of the country.
At the helm of the local government is the mayor, assisted by the
vice-mayor and the municipal council. The Pasig Town Hall is the seat of
government located at the end of a wide, well-paved and well-lighted
Caruncho Avenue in the center of the town. It has thirty barangays, each
headed by a barangay captain with a barangay council that oversee the
continuing projects of the barrio.
Geography
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Pasig is approximately 12 kms. East-south-east of Manila with a total
land area of 3,100 hectares or approximately 31 sq. kms. Sprawled along
the banks of Marikina and Pasig Rivers.
The biggest barangays, each occupying 12% of the total area, are
Manggahan and Ugong. Ranking third and fourth are Pinagbuhatan and
Rosario, 11% and 10% respectively. Of the total land area, 85% is
residential, institutional commercial and industrial use, 15%
agricultural and open space. Pasig is considered urbanized in 85% of its
area, and 15% is for agricultural use.
There are 1,705 hectares for residential use, 248 hectares for commercial
activities like schools, hospitals and others, 558 hectares for
industrial purposes, and about 589 hectares for parks, cemetery, open
spaces, and institutional areas.
Language
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Native Pasiguenos are Tagalogs and are a close-knit group, somehow
related with each other. The earliest settlers are from Taytay and Cainta
and other neighboring towns, which were already existing long before the
coming of the Spaniards. Pasig was at that time an old sitio of
Pinagbuhatan. People of Pasig are religious, literate, skillful, and
industrious. They are warm, friendly and hospitable. There are many
migrants in Pasig that include Ilocanos, Bicolanos, Visayans, each proud
of being a part of Pasig.
Historical Attractions
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Pasig Town Hall. It is the seat of government.
Church of the Immaculate Conception
Bahay na Tisa. Tech family owned residence of Spanish architecture
that serves as venue for art shows and cultural forums.
Dona Geronima’s Cave. Legendary caves along the banks of
Pasig River.
Concepcion Residence. A multi-story mansion successively used as
Japanese and American headquarters during the World War II on top of
which the American flag was hoisted on Liberation Day February 19, 1945
and now used as the Pasig National Museum.6. Heroes Monument - a monument
built to pay tribute to the town’s war heroes.
Provincial Capitol. It is the seat of government in the province
of Rizal.
Man-made Tourist Attraction
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Mutya ng Pasig Market. With an 11-storey tower with revolving top
floor - the center of business activities in Pasig.
Source: Department of Tourism, Philippines
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