Makati

Makati is a highly urbanized city within Metro Manila, the capital region of the Philippines.

It serves as a vital center for finance, commerce, and culture. The city is also a hub for fashion, academics, and international diplomacy. Many foreign embassies and diplomatic missions are located here. Geographically, Makati is quite small in land area. It is bordered by Mandaluyong to the north and Taguig to the east. Pasay lies to the south, while the capital city of Manila is to the west.

The city is famous for its massive skyline.

Makati contains 432 high-rises and skyscrapers. This is the largest skyline in the Philippines. Specifically, 138 of these buildings exceed 150 meters in height. While the 2024 census recorded a residential population of 309,770, the city feels much larger during the day. Because of workers in the central business district, the daytime population swells to between 3.2 and 4.2 million people. This makes Makati an economic powerhouse with the highest GDP per capita in the Philippines as of 2023.

The name "Makati" has two possible origins rooted in the local environment. One theory connects it to the Tagalog word "kati," meaning low tide or ebb tide. This refers to the tidal movements of the adjacent Pasig River. Another theory suggests the name means "itchy." This refers to the lipang kalabaw plant, or Dendrocnide meyeniana, which once grew in the area.

In 1571, Governor-General Miguel López de Legazpi recorded the name as "Macati." This happened after hearing locals exclaim "Makati na! Kumakati na!"

Before it was a modern city, Makati had a long colonial history. Parts of the area were once part of the pre-Hispanic Kingdom of Namayan.

During the Spanish era, Captain Pedro de Brito purchased land in the present-day Poblacion area in 1589. He named his estate "Hacienda Pedro." In 1608, he and his wife donated half of this land to the Jesuits. They provided 14,000 pesos to build a church for Saint Peter the Apostle. This became the Saints Peter and Paul Parish Church, completed in 1620.

Until 1914, the town was known as San Pedro de Macati.

Ownership of the land played a major role in the city's modern development. In 1851, Don José Bonifacio Róxas purchased the estate from the Jesuits. He named it "Hacienda San Pedro de Macati." This estate was later acquired by the Zóbel de Ayala family.

The development of Makati has remained closely linked to the Ayala Corporation. In the 1950s, the family established planned communities such as Forbes Park, Urdaneta, San Lorenzo, and Bel-Air. These efforts helped transform the area from a town into a major urban center. By the late 1960s, Makati had become the country's financial and commercial capital.

Makati has also been a site of significant political and social change. During the Martial Law era under Ferdinand Marcos, the city saw intense activity. In 1977, ten activists disappeared in a case known as the "Southern Tagalog 10."

Following the 1983 assassination of Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., the business district became a center for protests. These demonstrations were called the "Confetti Revolution." They eventually contributed to the 1986 People Power Revolution. The city also faced territorial disputes with Taguig regarding the "Embo" barangays, a conflict that lasted for three decades.

Today, Makati is a complex mix of business, history, and modern living.

You can visit cultural sites like the Ayala Museum or the Yuchengco Museum.

The city features massive shopping complexes like Glorietta and Greenbelt.

It also contains green spaces like the Ayala Triangle.

Despite its history of economic growth and political shifts, Makati remains the essential heart of the Philippine economy.