Pasig City Information

Brief History

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

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

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

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

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

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