Pateros, officially the Municipality of Pateros (; ), is the lone

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 65,227 people. This municipality is famous for its duck-raising industry and especially for producing '' balut'', a Filipino delicacy, which is a boiled, fertilized duck egg. Pateros is also known for the production of red salty eggs and "''inutak''", a local rice cake. Moreover, the town is known for manufacturing of "''alfombra''", a locally-made footwear with a carpet-like fabric on its top surface. Pateros is bordered by the highly urbanized cities of

Pasig Pasig, officially the City of Pasig (), is a highly-urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 803,159 people. It is located along the eastern border of Metro Mani ...

to the north, and by

Taguig Taguig (), officially the City of Taguig (), is the List of cities in the Philippines, fifth-most populous city in the Philippines situated on the eastern shores of Metro Manila, the national capital region. It is a center for culture, finance ...

to the east, west and south. Pateros is the smallest municipality both in population and in land area, in Metro Manila, but it is the second most densely populated at around after the capital city of

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

. Unlike its neighbors in Metro Manila, Pateros is the only municipality in the region.

Etymology

The name ''Pateros'' is most likely derived from the duck-raising industry. The Tagalog word (of

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

origin) for "

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...

" is ''pato'' and ''pateros'', "duck-raisers". The early 19th-century U.S. diplomat Edmund Roberts used Duck-town, another name for Pateros, stating that he "never before saw so many ducks together" in one place. The duck reference is perfectly suited for Pateros, whose popular culinary specialty is a street food called Balut (food), a fertilized developing duck embryo that is boiled and eaten from the shell. Several ''balutans'' offer different and unique cuisine as well as street merchants selling them on the side of the road.

History

Spanish colonial era

Before 1799, Pateros was a ''

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...

'' of

called "''Aguho''" (''agoho'', the ''

Casuarina equisetifolia ''Casuarina equisetifolia'', commonly known as coastal she-oak, horsetail she-oak, ironwood, beach sheoak, beach casuarina, whistling tree or Australian pine is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is native to Australia, ...

'' tree), or "''embarcadero''" (“small port”). The port made the area a focal point of trade and commerce for Pasig and nearby towns, making it a more progressive ''barrio''. The Spanish

Governor-General of the Philippines The governor-general of the Philippines (; ; ) was the title of the Executive (government), government executive during the colonial period of the Philippines, first by History of the Philippines (1521–1898), the Spanish in Mexico City and l ...

later issued a decree creating Pateros as an independent municipality, initially with five ''barrio''s (villages): Aguho, San Roque, Santa Ana, Santo Rosario (since partitioned into Santo Rosario-Silangan and Santo Rosario-Kanluran), and Mamangcat (now in Fort Bonifacio).

The Philippine Revolution

During the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

in March 1899, the first contingent of American Volunteers from Washington arrived in the town of Pateros. The American soldiers rallied and eventually won the battles to take control and establish a temporary camp in town.

American colonial era

Throughout the American colonisation of the Philippines, American soldiers were able to experience the culture and livelihood of the citizens of Pateros, such as eating roast duck meals during wartime and sending postcards of Pateros back to the United States. In 1900, Lieutenant Charles Nosler renamed the city of Ive's Landing in

Washington State Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

after the town of Pateros in the Philippines. The American Pateros in Washington officially became a city on May 1, 1913.

Province of Rizal and restructurings

On March 29, 1900, Pateros, then a part of the Province of

, was among the towns absorbed by the newly created province of Rizal, by virtue of ''General Order No. 40, Act No. 137 of the

Philippine Commission The Philippine Commission was the name of two bodies, both appointed by the president of the United States, to assist with governing the Philippines. The First Philippine Commission, also known as the Schurman Commission, was appointed by Pre ...

'', promulgated on June 11, 1901. On October 12, 1903, Act No. 942 united Pateros with

and

Muntinlupa Muntinlupa (), officially the City of Muntinlupa (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population o ...

into one municipality under Pateros. On November 25, 1903, Muntinlupa was later ceded from Pateros to

Biñan Biñan (), officially the City of Biñan (), is a component city in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 407,437, making it the third largest in population in the province of Laguna, after ...

, La Laguna through Act No. 1008. The remaining municipality was renamed Taguig, and it reabsorbed Muntinlupa on March 22, 1905 through Act No. 1308. Executive Order No. 20 dated February 29, 1908, partitioned Pateros from Taguig, and the town regained its status as a independent municipality on January 1, 1909, by Executive Order No. 36.

Philippine independence

Incorporation in Metropolitan Manila

On November 7, 1975, Pateros became a part of the new Metropolitan Manila Area through Presidential Decree No. 824.

International partnership

On July 23, 2013, Mayor Jaime C. Medina visited the city of Pateros, Washington State,

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

to sign the ''Sister City Memorandum of Understanding between the Municipality of Pateros, Metro Manila and Pateros City of Okanogan County, Washington State, USA''. According to Mayor Gail Howe, the two cities have not applied through Sister Cities International but the goals of promoting the culture and exchanges have turned the sisterhood into reality.

Geography

Climate

Barangays

Pateros is politically subdivided into 10

barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

Boundary dispute

The municipal government of Pateros claims that its original land area was not its present land area of but including Fort Bonifacio, particularly the Embo barangays Comembo, Pembo, East Rembo, West Rembo, Cembo, South Cembo, Pitogo, Rizal, Post Proper Northside and

Post Proper Southside Post Proper Southside, also known as Post Proper South Fort Bonifacio, Barangay 31, or simply Southside, is one of the 38 barangays of Taguig, Philippines. It is one of the ten Embo barangays, and one of the two Inner Fort Bonifacio barangays, th ...

which are now part of the city of

(originally Mamancat, Masilang, San Nicolas, and Malapadnabato, former parts of Pateros), based on documents and official maps obtained by former Pateros Councilor Dominador Rosales from 30 libraries and offices including USA

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

and USA

Archives An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials, in any medium, or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organ ...

. One of those maps was the 1968 Land Classification Map of the Bureau of Land.Rosales, D. 2009, November. ''Sanhi ng pagliit ng Pateros. Susi ng Pateros'', 5. Also included in their claim are the present-day barangays Buting, San Joaquin, and Kalawaan in

. Pateros' decrease in territory was accounted to a cadastral mapping in Metro Manila conducted in 1978. Pateros Mayor Nestor Ponce challenged the map through an objection letter dated June 23, 1978. But in January 1986, then President Ferdinand Marcos issued Proclamation No. 2475 which stated that Fort Bonifacio is situated in

Makati Makati ( ; ), officially the City of Makati (), is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, known for being one of the leading financial centers in the country. As of 2013, the city has the highest concent ...

and it is open for disposition. Because of that, a boundary dispute arose which moved Pateros to request a dialogue about that with then Municipal Council of

in 1990. Pateros also filed a complaint against Makati at the Makati Regional Trial Court in 1996 but the trial court dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction. The case was brought to the

Court of Appeals An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear a case upon appeal from a trial court or other lower tribunal. Appellat ...

in 2003 but the case was also denied. The same case was also elevated to the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

in 2009 but it was denied again.

Supreme Court decision

Almost two decades later, the Supreme Court on June 16, 2009, per Antonio Eduardo B. Nachura denied Pateros' petition against Makati but ruled out that the boundary dispute should be settled amicably by their respective legislative bodies based on Section 118(d) of the Local Government Code. Pursuant to the decision, Pateros invited Makati to a council-to-council dialogue. This happened on October 8, 2009. Four meetings were held and at the fourth dialogue on November 23, 2009, a joint resolution was made stating that Makati is requesting a tripartite conference between Pateros,

and

.Rosales, D. 2010, April. Update: Fort Bonifacio claim. ''Susi ng Pateros'', 1 & 4. Despite the resolution of the dispute between Taguig and Makati in favor of the former by the Supreme Court in 2023, the high court has allowed Pateros to pursue its claims.

Demographics

As of 1818, the population was estimated at 3,840

Tagalog people The Tagalog people are an Austronesian Ethnic groups in the Philippines, ethnic group native to the Philippines, particularly the Metro Manila and Calabarzon regions and Marinduque province of southern Luzon, and comprise the majority in the p ...

. When Edmund Roberts visited in 1834, he estimated approximately 4,500 residents. According to the town's 2005 land use classification report, 91.62% of Pateros's land is classified as residential.

Economy

The town of Pateros is known for balut and had a duck-raising industry. As early as 1834, Pateros has been raising and selling duck and maintaining a

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

industry. Due to the water pollution on the Pateros River which connects to the Pasig River, the duck-raising industry declined around the 1970s or 1980s. Vendors continue to sell balut in Pateros, taking advantage of the association of the food item to the town with duck eggs supplied from neighboring provinces in the Calabarzon region. While the duck-raising industry in the town is now minimal, the local government is encouraging the growth of the balut industry. It gives tax exemptions to balut vendors in the town. As of 2017, the local government is encouraging the growth of other industries in Pateros such as business process outsourcing although the town's size, , remains a hindrance. According to the town's 2005 classification report, 3.13% of its land area is classified as commercial, 0.39% industrial, and 0.88% agricultural.

Government

Local government

Official seal

The official municipal seal of Pateros features the Pateros (

Mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

) duck and ten duck eggs. The duck symbolizes the duck-raising industry where town was known, while the eggs represent the barangays of Pateros and signifies the town's balut industry.

Education

The following are the different Elementary and High schools in Pateros under Pateros School District of the Department of Education – Schools Division of Taguig City and Pateros and one community college recognized by Commission on Higher Education.

Primary public schools

* Aguho Elementary School * Captain Hipolito Francisco Elementary School * Captain Hipolito Francisco Elementary School-Annex * Paulina Manalo Elementary School * Pateros Elementary School * Sta. Ana Elementary School * Sto. Rosario Elementary School

Secondary public schools

*Mayor Simplicio Manalo National High School *Maria Concepcion Cruz High School *Pateros National High School

Tertiary

* Pateros Technological College

Private schools

* APEC Schools - Pateros (Santo Rosario-Silangan) * Pateros Catholic School * Saint Genevieve School of Pateros * Maranatha Christian Academy * SEP Christian School Inc. * Huckleberry Montessori School

Notable personalities

* Pelagia Mendoza y Gotianquin (1867–1939) - first female sculptor in the Philippines and was the first female student at the Escuela de Dibujo y Pintura (Drawing and Painting School) * Socrates Villegas (b. 1960) - Bishop of Balanga (2004–2009), Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan (2009–present), former CBCP President * Pete Lacaba (b. 1945) - poet, writer and journalist * Emmanuel Lacaba (1948–1976) - poet, writer and activist * Cesar Concio (1907 – 2003) - architect who as the first University Architect of the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...

designed many buildings in the

University of the Philippines Diliman The University of the Philippines Diliman (also called UPD; ), also referred to as UP Diliman, is a State university and college (Philippines), public, coeducational, Research university, research university located in Diliman, Quezon City, Ph ...

campus. * Jimmy Santos (b. 1951) - Filipino actor, basketball player, and TV host * Berting Labra (1933–2009) - actor, sidekick of FPJ * Daisy Reyes - beauty queen, actress

Sister cities

;Local *

, Metro Manila ;International *

Pateros, Washington Pateros is a city in Okanogan County, Washington, Okanogan County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census was 593. History Pateros was originally established as Ive's Landi ...

, U.S.

References

External links

Municipality of Pateros official websiteMunicipality of Pateros official website
* {{Authority control Municipalities of Metro Manila Populated places established in 1770 1770 establishments in the Philippines