Pateros

Pateros, officially the Municipality of Pateros (Tagalog: Bayan ng Pateros), is the lone and 1st class municipality in Metropolitan Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 63,643 people.[5]

This municipality is famous for its duck-raising industry and especially for producing balut, a Filipino delicacy, which is a boiled, fertilised 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 following highly urbanized cities of Pasig to the north, Makati to the west, and Taguig to the south.

Pateros is the only municipality and the smallest, both in population and in land area, in Metro Manila, but it is the second most densely populated at around 29,000 people per square kilometer after Manila.

The name Pateros is most likely derived from the duck-raising industry. The Tagalog word (of Spanish origin) for "duck" 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.[6]

Another, lesser-known theory is that the name may allude to the town's small shoe-making industry. The Tagalog word for "shoe" is sapatos (< zapatos Sp. "shoes"), and shoemakers are called sapateros.

Before 1770, Pateros was only a barrio of Pasig until the Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines issued a decree making Pateros an independent municipality. The town was then composed of five barangays (villages): Aguho, San Roque, Santa Ana, Santo Rosario (Santo Rosario-Silangan and Santo Rosario-Kanluran), and Mamancat (now part of Fort Bonifacio).

During the Philippine–American War 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. Throughout this period, American soldiers were able to experience the culture and livelihood of the citizens of Pateros. Having roast duck for meals during wartime and sending postcards of Pateros back to the United States of America. In 1900, a member of the American contingent, Lieutenant Charles Nosler, renamed the city of Ive's Landing in Washington State, USA, after the town of Pateros in the Philippines. Pateros in Washington State officially became an American city on May 1, 1913.[7]

On March 29, 1900, Pateros became one of the towns in the newly created province of Rizal, by virtue of General Order No. 40, Act No. 137 of the Philippine Commission, which was promulgated on June 11, 1901. Then on October 12, 1903, Act No. 942 united Pateros with Taguig and Muntinlupa into one municipality under Pateros. The municipality was renamed Taguig on March 22, 1905, through Act No. 1308.

Executive Order No. 20 dated February 29, 1908 partitioned Pateros from Taguig, and the town regained independent status as a municipality on January 1, 1909, by Executive Order No. 36.

On November 7, 1975, Pateros became a part of the new Metropolitan Manila Area through Presidential Decree No. 824,[8] which mandated by then President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos.

On July 23, 2013, Former Mayor Jaime C. Medina visited the city of Pateros, Washington State, USA 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.[9]

The Inauguration of Rodrigo Duterte to presidency that took place on June 30, 2016 paved way to another attempt of the conversion of the town into a city and constituting into two congressional districts through the collaborative efforts of the municipal government of Pateros spearheaded by Mayor Miguel Ponce III and the most especially by the passage of a house bill sponsored by Congressman Arnel Cerafica of Lone District of Pateros-Taguig.[10]

Pateros is politically subdivided into 10 barangays:[12]

The municipal government of Pateros claims that its original land area was not its present land area of 2.10 km2 but 1,040 hectares (10.4 km2) including Fort Bonifacio, particularly Barangays Comembo, Pembo, East Rembo, West Rembo, Cembo, South Cembo and Pitogo which are now part of the city of Makati and Bonifacio Global City (known as Post Proper Northside by Makati, and Mamancat, the former part of Pateros) which was made part of Taguig, based on documents and official maps obtained by former Pateros Councilor Dominador Rosales from 30 libraries and offices including USA Library of Congress and USA Archives. One of those maps was the 1968 Land Classification Map of the Bureau of Land.[14]

Pateros' decrease in territory was accounted to a cadastral mapping in Metro Manila conducted in 1978. The late Pateros Mayor Nestor Ponce challenged the map through an objection letter dated June 23, 1978.[15] But in January 1986, then President Ferdinand Marcos issued Proclamation No. 2475 which stated that Fort Bonifacio is situated in Makati and it is open for disposition.[16] Because of that, a boundary dispute arose which moved Pateros to request a dialogue about that with then Municipal Council of Makati 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 in 2003 but the case was also denied. The same case was also elevated to the Supreme Court in 2009 but it was denied again.[14][17]

Almost 2 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.[18] 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, Taguig and Makati.[19]

As of 1818, the population was estimated at 3,840 Tagalog peoples. When Edmund Roberts visited in 1834, he estimated approximately 4,500 residents.[6]

According to the town's 2005 land use classification report 91.62% of Pateros' 1.7 square kilometres (0.66 sq mi) land is classified as residential.[24]

The town of Pateros is known for balut and had a duck raising industry.[24] As early as 1834, Pateros has been raising and selling duck and maintaining a fishing industry.[6] However, since the duck raising industry declined after the Pasig River, which is connected to the Pateros River too polluted around the 1970s or 1980s.[24]

Vendors continues 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, 1.76 square kilometres (0.68 sq mi), remains a hindrance.[24]

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.[24]

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

Secondary Institutions

International and Local sister cities: