Metro Manila, thecapital region of thePhilippines, is a largemetropolitan area that has several levels of subdivisions. Administratively, the region is divided into seventeenprimary local government units with their own separate elected mayors andcouncils who are coordinated by theMetropolitan Manila Development Authority, a national government agency headed by a chairperson directly appointed by thePhilippine president. Thecities andmunicipality that form the region's local government units are further divided into severalbarangays or villages (formerly calledbarrios) which are headed by an electedbarangay captain andbarangay council.
The region as a whole is geographically divided into four districts, of which the first district is the central capitalCity of Manila, the second and third districts located to the east and north of the City, respectively, and the fourth district covering the remaining areas of the region south of the City and thePasig River.
Unlike otheradministrative regions in the Philippines, Metro Manila is not composed ofprovinces. Instead, the region is divided into four geographic areas called "districts."[1] The districts have their district centers at the four original cities in the region: the city-district of Manila (Capital District),Quezon City (Eastern Manila),Caloocan (Northern Manila, also informally known asCamanava), andPasay (Southern Manila).[2] The districts serve mainly to organize the region's local government units for fiscal and statistical purposes.
Districts of Metro Manila | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| District | Cities/Municipality | Population(2024) | Area |
| Capital District (1st District) | Manila | 1,902,590 | 42.34 km2 (16.35 sq mi) |
| Eastern Manila District (2nd District) | 5,008,857 | 236.36 km2 (91.26 sq mi) | |
| Northern Manila District (Camanava) (3rd District) | 3,080,925 | 126.42 km2 (48.81 sq mi) | |
| Southern Manila District (4th District) | 4,009,379 | 208.28 km2 (80.42 sq mi) | |
| Metro Manila | 14,001,751 | 636.00 km2 (245.56 sq mi) | |
| Sources: | |||
The political and administrative boundaries of the National Capital Region has not changed since its formation in 1975 as a public corporation under Presidential Decree No. 824. They are composed of sixteenindependent cities, classified ashighly urbanized cities, and one independent municipality:Pateros.
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The cities and municipality of Metro Manila are divided intobarangays with populations ranging from under 1,000 to over 200,000. In the City of Manila,Caloocan andPasay, the barangays are grouped into zones for strategical purposes. As of 2015, there are 1,710 barangays in Metro Manila.
In terms of congressional representation, the region has 32congressional districts with each city comprising one or more districts. The lone municipality of Pateros shares a congressional district with the first district ofTaguig.
| City / Municipality | District | Area[10] (km2) | Population (2020)[11] | Electorate (2022)[12] | Representative (20th Congress) | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caloocan | 1st | 34,86 | 953,125 | 342,766 | Oscar Malapitan | Nacionalista | |
| 2nd | 8.40 | 381,690 | 233,294 | Edgar Erice | Liberal | ||
| 3rd | 12.54 | 327,769 | 124,219 | Dean Asistio | Lakas–CMD | ||
| Las Piñas | Lone | 32.69 | 606,293 | 291,074 | Mark Anthony Santos | Independent | |
| Makati | 1st | 16.31 | 254,600 | 209,859 | Monique Lagdameo | MKTZNU | |
| 2nd | 15.65 | 375,016 | 248,503 | Alden Almario | MKTZNU | ||
| Malabon | Lone | 15.71 | 380,522 | 258,115 | Antolin Oreta III | NUP | |
| Mandaluyong | Lone | 21.26 | 425,758 | 232,492 | Alexandria Gonzales | NUP | |
| Manila | 1st | 4.57 | 441,282 | 264,362 | Ernix Dionisio | Lakas–CMD | |
| 2nd | 4.08 | 212,938 | 152,929 | Rolando Valeriano | NUP | ||
| 3rd | 6.24 | 220,029 | 164,664 | Joel Chua | Lakas–CMD | ||
| 4th | 5.14 | 388,305 | 162,767 | Giselle Maceda | Asenso Manileño | ||
| 5th | 11.56 | 395,065 | 217,787 | Irwin Tieng | Lakas–CMD | ||
| 6th | 7.79 | 300,186 | 170,533 | Benny Abante | NUP | ||
| Marikina | 1st | 9.03 | 174,892 | 114,298 | Marcelino Teodoro | NUP | |
| 2nd | 13.62 | 281,167 | 146,451 | Miro Quimbo | Lakas–CMD | ||
| Muntinlupa | Lone | 39.75 | 543,445 | 311,750 | Jaime Fresnedi | Liberal | |
| Navotas | Lone | 10.77 | 247,543 | 150,693 | Toby Tiangco | Navoteño | |
| Parañaque | 1st | 17.06 | 265,839 | 142,815 | Eric Olivarez | Lakas–CMD | |
| 2nd | 27.99 | 424,153 | 203,263 | Brian Yamsuan | Independent | ||
| Pasay | Lone | 13.97 | 440,656 | 276,579 | Antonino Calixto | Lakas–CMD | |
| Pasig | Lone | 48.46 | 803,159 | 457,370 | Roman Romulo | NPC | |
| Pateros–Taguig | Lone | 20.61 | 484,906 | 227,906 | Ading Cruz | Nacionalista | |
| Quezon City | 1st | 19.59 | 384,384 | 224,351 | Arjo Atayde | Nacionalista | |
| 2nd | 19.59 | 738,238 | 309,300 | Ralph Tulfo | PFP | ||
| 3rd | 46.27 | 319,371 | 161,366 | Franz Pumaren | NUP | ||
| 4th | 23.42 | 407,402 | 210,720 | Bong Suntay | UNA | ||
| 5th | 28.03 | 596,047 | 264,130 | PM Vargas | Lakas–CMD | ||
| 6th | 21.97 | 514,516 | 234,028 | Marivic Co-Pilar | NUP | ||
| San Juan | Lone | 5.95 | 126,347 | 109,240 | Bel Zamora | Lakas–CMD | |
| Taguig | Lone | 24.6 | 467,043 | 249,644 | Jorge Daniel Bacobo | Nacionalista | |
| Valenzuela | 1st | 25.82 | 360,894 | 199,294 | Kenneth Gatchalian | NPC | |
| 2nd | 18.69 | 354,084 | 244,317 | Gerald Galang | Independent | ||
| Total | 619.57 | 13,484,462 | 7,310,879 | Total | |||
In terms ofSangguniang Panlungsod (city council, or in the case of Pateros,Sangguniang Bayan or municipal council) representation, each city is divided into city or municipal council districts. These are coextensive to congressional districts above, except that those cities that elect their representativeat-large (Las Piñas, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Pasay, Pasig and San Juan) their city council representation is divided into two districts.
For Taguig, its two congressional districts, with the first district taken without Pateros, are used to determine representation to its city council. For Pateros, it is divided into two districts, independent of Taguig.
Each district sends in an equal number of councilors.
Metro Manila cities may also be divided into traditional districts, such as the former municipalities (now city districts) that make up the City of Manila and the historical municipalities and estates likeNovaliches, Balintawak,San Francisco del Monte and Diliman that were amalgamated to form Quezon City. Neither division has its own government. In Pasay, traditional districts include Malibay, Santa Clara, San Rafael and Maricaban.
Some cities in Metro Manila may also be divided into severalgated communities, also known assubdivisions, which may or may not constitute their own barangays or low-level local government units. Some examples are:Dasmariñas Village in Makati;Ayala Alabang in Muntinlupa; Marina Bay, Merville, Tahanan Village and Better Living Subdivision in Parañaque;Greenhills in San Juan; La Vista, White Plains, BF Homes, Greenmeadows and Filinvest Homes in Quezon City.
Before 1901, theProvince of Manila which today encompasses most of Metro Manila and the northern part of the neighboring province ofRizal was divided into 24 municipalities withIntramuros (then known as Manila) as its capital.
Except for the City of Manila which amalgamated six smaller municipalities in June 1901, the Province of Manila was absorbed by the newly created Province of Rizal withPasig as its provincial capital.
The City of Greater Manila was formed in January 1942 combining the City of Manila andQuezon City, as well as six other municipalities from Rizal:Caloocan,Makati,Mandaluyong,Parañaque,Pasay andSan Juan.[13]
The seven municipalities of the City of Greater Manila were restored and reorganized under the Province of Rizal.
In November 1975 through Presidential Decree No. 824, Metropolitan Manila was created out of four cities and thirteen municipalities (twelve from the province of Rizal and the municipality ofValenzuela fromBulacan) which covers the present-day territory of Metro Manila.[14] It was declared the National Capital Region of the Philippines in June 1978.[15]
