Pasig

Pasig, officially the City of Pasig (Filipino: Lungsod ng Pasig) is a city of Metro Manila in the Philippines. It was capital of the province of Rizal prior to the formation of the National Capital Region. The current mayor of this city is "Vico Sotto".

The demonym of Pasig is "Pasigueño".

History

The Augustinians built Pasig City in 1572 making it one of the oldest towns in the Philippines. But after the Government combined Pasig with Rizal making Pasig the capital of Rizal province in June 1901. It became the provincial capital, not until Metro Manila is formed in 1975 by the Metro Manila Commission making Pasig a city. Soon the government considered Pasig as a highly urbanized city. President Fidel V. Ramos signed it to become a law after five months on December 8, 1994. Pasig residents approved this through a referendum on January 21, 1995.

Public Services

Pasig recognizes the efforts of its residents and students, that’s why they give back school supplies yearly to public school students. Examples are free complete PE uniforms from shirts to rubber shoes and even complete school uniforms. The public government also enhanced the PCIST (Pasig City School of Science and Technology) by adding more school courses and programs such as auto mechanic, soldering, welding, refrigerator fixing and more. They have also expanded the Rainforest park in Pasig that is also for the youth of the city. The expansion of RAVE (Rainforest Adventure Experience) such as adding libraries, music halls, auditoriums and a sports center.

Because the Pasig River is rich in water lilies, the government made livelihood programs of making baskets from water lilies and other recycled items. The government also made a market for these businesses to give them a regular place to trade. They also provided jobs for smart and hardworking students who wanted to work on their summer vacation. SPES (Summer Program for Employment Services) program accepts 2,000 students who apply and is given an opportunity to work for the government. The government also gives job fairs 4 times a year for people who are having a hard time to look for a job with the college courses that they studied.

Tourist Sites

Bahay Na Tisa

One of the most famous parks in Metro Manila is RAVE or the Rainforest Adventure Experience. It opened in 1977 and was known as the Pasig Central Park. Right now the park consists of many different recreational activities and a mini zoo. It also has an Olympic-sized swimming pool which is offered for the citizens of Pasig with a lower price. Pasig is also known for the place Ace Water Spa. The spa is an all-weather indoor place that has a pool that uses water for helping people feel better.

The Philippines is also known to have huge malls around the country and because Pasig is the center of Metro Manila it can access a lot of nearby malls and the malls inside its city itself such as SM Megamall. SM Megamall is the 3rd biggest SM (Shoe Mart) mall in the country owned by the famous Henry Sy. “Kapitolyo” is also famous for its neighborhood filled with restaurants and bars that can be found in East Capitol Drive of the “Barangay”. Pasig is also occupied by food parks that a person with good taste in food will enjoy. As for historical places, one famous place is the “Bahay na Tisa” which translates to House of Chalk. It is called House of Chalk because of its white walls. In Martial Law this house was used for two party lists of the Martial Law to hold their meetings and gatherings. The first Marian Parish is also found in the middle of Pasig called Immaculate Conception Cathedral. It was founded by the Augustinians (the founders of Pasig as well) in 1572. Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary was the original a female patron of the church.

Lastly, Pasig was formerly part of Rizal province before the formation of Metro Manila, the national capital region of the country.[5] The seat of government of Rizal was hosted in Pasig at the old Rizal Provincial Capitol until a new capitol was opened in Antipolo, within Rizal's jurisdiction in 2009.[6] On June 19, 2020, Former President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11475, which designated Antipolo as the official capital of Rizal.[7][8][9] However, it remained as the de jure, or official capital of the province until July 7, 2020.[5]