Taguig

The original farmer-fishermen of the area, about 800 in number, were good at threshing rice after harvest. Hence they were referred to as "mga taga-giik," (Tagalog for "rice thresher") and the settlement as "pook ng mga taga-giik." Spanish friar Fray Alonso de Alvarado, together with conquistador Ruy López de Villalobos who crossed Pasig River to reach the city's present site in 1571, found "taga-giik" difficult to pronounce. "Tagui-ig" was later shortened to its current form "Taguig".[5]

Before the Spaniards came, Taguig was a part of Namayan and Tondo ruled by Lakandula. There were also accounts that Chinese settlements were once present in the area as revealed by the recent archaeological diggings of various artifacts like cups, plates and other utensils, which bear Chinese characters. This was believed to have originated from China's Ming dynasty.

Taguig was one of the earliest known territories to have been Christianized when the Spaniards succeeded in subjugating mainland Luzon through the Legazpi expedition in 1571. Between the years 1582 and 1583, Taguig was part of the encomienda of Tondo headed by an alcalde mayor, Captain Vergara. It was in 1587 when Taguig was established as a separate "pueblo" (town) of the then province of Manila. Captain Juan Basi was its Kapitan from 1587 to 1588. According to records, Taguig had nine (9) barrios then namely, Bagumbayan, Bambang, Hagonoy, Palingon, Santa Ana, Tipas, Tuktukan, Ususan, and Wawa. Records show that Tipas had once petitioned to become an independent town but was denied by the Spanish government.

During that time, Taguig was accessible via the Pasig River, which was connected to two large bodies of water, the Manila Bay and Laguna de Bay. The population then was estimated to be 800 tributes. The town produced more than enough rice for consumption but had less sugar cane to mill. The men lived through fishing while women wove cotton cloth and "sawali" from bamboo strips. The people of Taguig were known to have resisted both Spanish and American colonial rule. During that early period of Spanish colonization. Don Juan Basi, "Kapitan" of Taguig from 1587 to 1588, took part in the Tondo Conspiracy, an attempt to overthrow the Spanish government which failed. Basi was exiled for two years as punishment. When the Katipunan was on its early years, many from Taguig became followers and later joined the uprising. The people of Taguig also joined the revolutionary government of General Emilio Aguinaldo on August 6, 1898.

During the American occupation, they struggled against the forces of General Wheaton under the command of General Pio del Pilar. It was recorded that on February 6, 1898, Filipino forces including Taguig "revolutionarios" dislodged an American position in the hills of Taguig, now a portion of Pateros and Fort Bonifacio. They were defeated eventually by the Americans with superiority in the armaments and training. Taguig finally fell to the contingent of the First Washington Volunteer Infantry led by Col. Wholly.

The defeat of the Filipinos after two years of struggle against the American forces subsequently subjected the Philippines to another system of governance. On August 14, 1898, United States occupied the islands and established a military government with General Wesley Meritt as the First Military Governor. He exercised legislative powers until September 1, 1900. At the start of American occupation, Taguig was proclaimed as an independent municipality with the promulgation of General Order No. 4 on March 29, 1900. The town was subsequently incorporated to the newly created province of Rizal when the Philippine Commission promulgated Act. No. 137 on June 11, 1901. On October 12, 1903, Taguig, Muntinlupa and Pateros were merged by the virtue of Act. No. 942 with Pateros hosting the seat of the municipal government. The merger did not last long as a month later Muntinlupa was segregated from it and made part of Biñan when Act. No. 1008 was enacted on November 25, 1903. However it was returned to Taguig on March 22, 1905 with the promulgation Act. No. 1308. On February 29, 1908, Taguig was again declared an independent municipality through Executive Order No. 20. Eventually, Pateros separated from Taguig and both became independent municipalities of Rizal province on January 1, 1918.

It was also during the American Colonial Period that the US government acquired a 25.78 km² property of Taguig for military purposes. This large piece of land, which had a TCT dated 1902, was turned into a camp that became known as Fort McKinley (named after William McKinley, 25th president of the U.S.). When the Japanese occupied the Philippines in 1942, Fort McKinley was taken over by the Japanese Imperial Army. They occupied the military camp until the end of the war in 1945. After the Philippines gained its political independence from the United States on July 4, 1946, the US surrendered the Republic of the Philippines all right of possession, jurisdiction, supervision and control over the Philippine territory except the use of the military bases. On May 14, 1949, Fort William McKinley was turned over to the Philippine government by virtue of the US Embassy Note No. 0570. Fort McKinley was made the permanent headquarters of the Philippine Army in 1957 and was subsequently renamed Fort Bonifacio after the Father of the Philippine Revolution against Spain, Andres Bonifacio.

The town's political subdivision was changed to barangays following the nationwide implementation of the Integrated Reorganization Plan (IRP) in the 1970s when the country was under Martial Law. The IRP has increased its subdivisions into 18 barangays, namely, Bagong Tanyag, Bagumbayan, Bambang, Calzada, Hagonoy, Ibayo-Tipas, Ligid-Tipas, Lower Bicutan, Maharlika, Napindan, Palingon, Signal Village, Santa Ana, Tuktukan, Upper Bicutan, Ususan, Wawa, and Western Bicutan. On November 7, 1975, Taguig seceded from the province of Rizal to form the National Capital Region through Presidential Decree No. 824.

In 1998, a bill was passed in Congress pushing for the cityhood of Taguig. The resulting plebiscite in April showed that the citizens were against cityhood. A recent petition to the Supreme Court sought a recount of the plebiscite and the Supreme Court on February 19, 2004 ordered the Commission on Elections to conduct a recount. The recount showed that the residents did want the municipality of Taguig to become a city (21,105 'yes' and 19,460 'no'). Subsequently, Taguig became a city on December 8, 2004. In 2008, the City Council created 10 new barangays, carving them out from the initial 18 barangays. Hence, in December 2008, after a successful plebiscite, the numbers of barangays in the city increased from 10 to 28 barangays. The 10 newly created barangays were Central Bicutan, New Lower Bicutan, Fort Bonifacio, Katuparan, North Signal Village, South Signal Village, South Daanghari, North Daanghari, Pinagsama, San Miguel, and Tanyag.

In 2011, doing 424th foundation day of Taguig, former Mayor (now Congresswoman) Lani Cayetano takes pride in calling the city a “ProbinSyudad” because it is the only remaining city in Metro Manila which has the amenities of a highly urbanized city, yet has the feel and relaxing atmosphere of a province plus its people exude the values and magandang asal of the probinsyano, what with its more than 10 kilometers of lakeshore, with farmers, fishermen, old churches, a historic lighthouse, and with people whose virtue of pagtutulungan is still very much alive.

In 2020, the city and the entire metropolitan Manila was placed under community quarantine for one month starting March 15 due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

A new, "state-of-the-art" 17-storey Taguig City Hall is currently being built in Barangay Ususan along Cayetano Boulevard and is expected to be completed in 2021.[6] This will replace the current city hall in Barangay Tuktukan that was built in 1959 and was renovated thrice.[7]

Taguig is located on the western shore of Laguna de Bay and is bordered by Muntinlupa to the south, Parañaque to the southwest, Pasay to the west, Cainta and Taytay on the northeast, and Makati, Pateros, and Pasig to the north. The Taguig River, a tributary of the Pasig River, cuts through the northern half of the city while the Napindan River, another tributary of the Pasig, forms the common border of Taguig with Pasig.

Like other cities in the Philippines, Taguig is governed by a mayor and vice mayor who are elected to three-year terms. The mayor is the executive head and leads the city's departments in executing the city ordinances and improving public services. The city mayor is restricted to three consecutive terms, totaling nine years, although a mayor can be elected again after an interruption of one term. The vice mayor heads a legislative council consisting of 18 members: 8 councilors from the First District, 8 councilors from the Second District, the president of the Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) Federation, representing the youth sector, and the president of the Association of Barangay Chairmen (ABC) as barangay sectoral representative. The council is in charge of creating the city's policies in the form of Ordinances and Resolutions.[12]

The current mayor for the 2019–2022 term is Lino Cayetano. Ricardo Cruz, former councilor and Barangay Chairman of Lower Bicutan is the city's incumbent vice mayor. Current district representatives of the city are Alan Peter Cayetano, representing the 1st district and House Speaker of the congress and Lani Cayetano, representing the 2nd district.

Barangays

Map showing the barangays of Taguig

Taguig is politically subdivided into 28 barangays. In December 2008, ten new barangays were created in the city after a successful plebiscite by virtue of City Ordinance Nos. 24–27, 57–61, 67–69, and 78, Series of 2008.[13]

First District
Barangay	Barangay Chairman	Population (2015)[14]
Bagumbayan	Sergio B. Cruz	40,685
Bambang	Jaime T. Cruz Jr.	10,010
Calzada Tipas	Marilyn R. Tanyag	21,747
Hagonoy	Renato O. Gutierrez	18,652
Ibayo Tipas	Erwin C. Mendiola	20,932
Ligid Tipas	Lamberto Mañosca	9,700
Lower Bicutan	Roel Pacayra	56,754
New Lower Bicutan	Gregorio S. Franco Jr.	49,829
Napindan	Virgilio C. Dela Paz	19,346
Palingon	Jerome M. Mendiola	13,705
San Miguel	Vicente G. Espital	8,590
Santa Ana	Roberto M. Flogen	18,057
Tuktukan	Suranie G. Ulunday	10,730
Ususan	Marilyn F. Marcelino	54,186
Wawa	Phillip E. Buenaflor	11,177

• Parts of Hagonoy became under the jurisdiction of a new barangay San Miguel
• Lower Bicutan was divided into two, the other one to be known as Barangay New Lower Bicutan

Second District
Barangay	Barangay Chairman	Population (2015)[14]
Central Bicutan	Jennifer F. Alit	28,705
Central Signal	Henry A. Duenas III	39,674
Fort Bonifacio	Jorge Daniel S. Bocobo	11,739
Katuparan	Edgar Victor S. Baptista	23,062
Maharlika Village	Hareem P. Pautin	22,944
North Daang Hari	Lorenzo O. Fortuno	11,771
North Signal	Jesus J. Pullente	32,112
Pinagsama	Nomie S.Veloria	57,343
South Daang Hari	Velerado D. Hernandez	19,166
South Signal	Michelle Anne M. Odivilas	39,214
Tanyag	Cecilia C. Teodoro	22,711
Upper Bicutan	Alexander S. Penolio	41,216
Western Bicutan	Perlita B. Carmen	91,158

• Signal Village was divided into four barangays, Central Signal Village (originating barangay), Katuparan, North Signal Village, and South Signal Village.
• Bagong Tanyag was divided into three barangays, North Daang Hari, South Daang Hari, and Tanyag proper (originating barangay)
• Parts of Upper Bicutan became under the jurisdiction of a new barangay Central Bicutan
• Western Bicutan was divided into three barangays, Fort Bonifacio, Pinagsama and Western Bicutan (originating barangay).

Contested territory of Bonifacio Global City between Makati and Taguig

Makati and Taguig have recently fought over the jurisdiction of Fort Bonifacio. This Philippine military base, most of which has been converted to a modern commercial and residential development area, lies in an ambiguous area. A portion of the base, including the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes' Cemetery) and the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial lies within Taguig, while the northern portion where the development center is now located used to be considered part of Makati, but is currently and permanently considered part of Taguig. A 2003 ruling by a judge in the Pasig Regional Trial Court has upheld the jurisdiction of Taguig over the whole of Fort Bonifacio, including Barangay Pinagsama and Bonifacio Global City.

Status Quo prevails

The district of Fort Bonifacio

On August 22, 2013, Taguig filed a Motion for Reconsideration before the Court of Appeal's Sixth Division affirming its claim on Fort Bonifacio.[19]

"Taguig's claim has the backing of history—it precedes Makati as a political and corporate entity by decades. Taguig's claim has the weight of official authority behind it—in statutes, in proclamations, in public documents—while Makati can only rely on private writings and proclamations that expand the original terms of that which it sought to amend", part of the motion read.

"Taguig's claim has been established by the numerous documentary and official documents, while Makati's has been one characterized by numerous legal maneuvers and overreliance on technicalities", the motion added. With the filing of the said Motion for Reconsideration, Taguig's jurisdiction forces itself over Fort Bonifacio. According to Taguig's legal department, jurisprudence and the rules of procedure in the country's justice system all say that the filing of a motion for reconsideration suspends the execution of a decision and puts it in limbo.

International School Manila

Technological University of the Philippines

Taguig City[23] is home to several prestigious international schools which provide international education to Metro Manila residents, such as the British School Manila, Everest Academy Manila, International School Manila, and Manila Japanese School, which are all located in the University Parkway of Bonifacio Global City. The Chinese International School Manila, Enderun Colleges, and Korean International School Philippines are in the nearby area of McKinley Hill, while The Beacon School is located along the nearby Chino Roces Avenue.

The Taguig City University is the prime university run and managed by the City. Established in 2004 through Ordinance No. 29, Series of 2004 (enacted 6 September 2004, Municipal Government of Taguig. The University main campus is located inside the Taguig City Hall of Justice Compound.[24]

Other schools in Fort Bonifacio are the STI College Global City, Global City Innovative College, Leaders International Christian School of Manila (Christian-based curriculum), Victory Leadership Institute, and MGC-New Life Christian Academy.

Two of the top state universities are also in Taguig—the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, and the Technological University of the Philippines. Both universities are located within the city in Central Bicutan and Western Bicutan.

The University of Santo Tomas in 2015 offered an offsite Masters in Business Administration (MBA) class of its Graduate School at the PCCI Building at McKinley Hills.[25]

In 2016, the University of the Philippines inaugurated its campus in Bonifacio Global City for its law programs.[26] Following that year in 2017, the De La Salle University College of Law opened its Rufino Campus at Bonifacio Global City's University Parkway Drive.[27]

Enderun Colleges, an affiliate of Les Roches International School of Hotel Management-Switzerland is an undergraduate college and management school in the Philippines that offers a full range of bachelor's degree and non-degree courses in the fields of international hospitality management and business administration.[28] Likewise, The Meridian International College or MINT, a tertiary educational institution of arts, business and technology are both located in McKinley Hill, Barangay Pinagsama, Taguig City.[29]

Taguig City University, the city's local state university located in Central Bicutan started operations in November 2006.[30]

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) was established through the enactment of "Technical Education and Skills Development Act of 1994", which was signed into law by President Fidel V. Ramos. This Act aims to encourage the full participation of and mobilize the industry, labor, local government units, and technical-vocational institutions in the skills development of the country's human resource. The TESDA complex and facilities are located at the East Service Road of the South Luzon Expressway in Taguig.

The Philippine Public Safety College in Fort Bonifacio is an educational institution offering undergraduate and graduate programs for the training, human resource development, and continuing education of police, fire and jail personnel.

Taguig has two Islamic educational institutions located in Maharlika Village—the Maharlika Bandara-Inged Integrated School and the Maharlika Village Islamic Madrasa.

Other notable schools in Taguig include the city's Science High Schools Taguig Science High School in Barangay San Miguel, Senator Renato "Compañero" Cayetano Memorial Science and Technology High School in Ususan, Taguig National High School, a state-owned secondary institution in New Lower Bicutan, the Catholic Church-owned Colegio de Santa Ana (formerly Santa Ana Parochial School), The Fisher Valley College, a Christian school in Hagonoy and Pinagsama and Saint Francis of Assisi College System, a Catholic school in Bagumbayan.

Taguig is set to become the new "university city" of Metro Manila as new campuses of University of the Philippines Professional Schools and De La Salle University are located in Bonifacio Global City.[31][32]

• 
  Pia Cayetano, Senator
• 
  Alan Peter Cayetano, House Speaker of the Congress
• 
  Bea Alonzo, actress

• Dante Tiñga, former Associate Justice
• Rene Cayetano, former Senator
• Felix Y. Manalo, Iglesia Ni Cristo Preacher
• Lino Cayetano, TV/movie director, former Congressman, Mayor
• Jamalul Kiram III, claimant to throne of Sultanate of Sulu
• Ervic Vijandre, actor
• Precious Lara Quigaman, actress and Miss International 2005 titleholder
• Lance Lucido, Filipino child actor
• Rene Facunla Humpshire a.k.a. Ate Glow, Filipino Actor/Commediane/Impersonator
• Lucita Soriano, actress

Groups

• Taguig Renegade Drum and Lyre Corps, 3 time National Drum and Lyre champion

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Taguig City.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Taguig.

• Official Website of Taguig
• Taguig Profile at PhilAtlas.com
• Think Big Taguig - Official Lifestyle Website
• Official Facebook page of City of Taguig
• Bonifacio Global City
• Geographic data related to Taguig at OpenStreetMap