Makati City Travel information

About Makati City

Makati City is widely considered the Philippines' most vital city for commerce, industry, and retail. Located east of the Philippine capital of Manila, Makati City is one of 14 cities that comprise Metro Manila – the other thirteen being Caloocan City, Las Pinas City, Malabon City, Mandaluyong City, Manila, Marikina City, Muntinlupa City, Paranaque City, Pasay City, Pasig City, Quezon City, Taguig City, and Valenzuela City – the most industrialized, urban area in the Philippines.
Often referred to as the Financial Capital of the Philippines, Makati City is home to many of the Philippines' top businesses. The Philippine Stock Exchange and the Makati Business Club are both based here, as are major shopping malls, including the Ayala Center and Rockwell Center, tourist destinations, and the country's most famous museum, the Ayala Museum.
Renowned for its first-class accommodations, high standard of living, and relatively manicured avenues, Makati City is a favorite home away from home for Philippines-based expatriates. Five-star Makati hotels are among the best in the country, including the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Makati, the Shangri-la Hotel in Makati, the New World Renaissance Hotel in Makati, the Makati Hotel Intercontinental, and the Dusit Nikko Hotel in Makati.

Location and Major Thoroughfares

LOCATION

Makati City's geographical location is 12′011″ °north and 14′331″ °E smack dab in the center of Metro Manila. Bounded on the north by the once-mighty Pasig River, on the northeast by Pasig City, on the southeast by Taguig City and the national municipality of Pateros, on the northwest by the City of Manila, and on the southwest by Pasay City, Makati City totals 27.36 square kilometer and constitutes 4.3 % of Metro Manila's total land area.

The Makati Central Business District (CBD) is home to many of the Philippines' top companies. Located in the center of the city, the CBD is bisected by Ayala Avenue, a street many consider to be the country's 'Wall Street,' where many deals are brokered and billions of dollars make their way through various transactions to keep the Philippines going, economically.

MAJOR THOROUGHFARE

Two of Metro Manila's main arteries pass through Makati. Epifanio De Los Santos Avenue (EDSA), the Philippine capital's primary thoroughfare passes through Makati's southeastern section, connecting it to Mandaluyong City and Pasay City. Meanwhile, the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) runs Makati City's western portions, connecting the city to Manila in the north, and southern Manila, Paranaque City, and Muntinlupa City in the south.

The Skyway, a faster alternative route built on top of the SLEX, provides more affluent travelers coming from southern Metro Manila a speedy albeit expensive way to reach Makati City. SLEX and EDSA intersect at the Magallanes Interchange.

Other major roads in Makati include Senator Gil Puyat Avenue – also known as Buendia Avenue – which connects EDSA and SLEX in the north, and Makati Avenue, which connects Ayala Avenue to Buendia Avenue.

Population

According a census taken by the Makati City government in 2000, the city has a population of 444,867, representing an increase of 39,824 (or 8%) over the census taken in 1995. Among the cities and municipalities in Metro Manila, Makati is fifth overall in terms of population, with a 5% share. Although its population by now is probably more than half a million strong, the daytime population of Makati City is estimated to number more than a million, thanks to the number of Filipinos and expatriates who trek to the city daily to work, shop, and do business. As a result, Makati City registers the highest GDP per capita of any city in the Philippines.

The Central Business District

Makati City's Central Business District (CBD) is home to many of the top companies of the Philippines. A district informally bordered by Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue (popular known as Buendia Avenue), Makati Avenue, Ayala Avenue, Pasay Road, and Pasong Tamo, the Makati City CBD also encompasses residential and business areas of Makati villages Legaspi Village, Salcedo Village, and parts of Bel-Air Village.

The Makati City CBD is home to the country's foremost skyscrapers and business buildings. The PBCom Tower, the country's tallest building, towers 265 meters into the Ayala Avenue skyline. It houses the Philippine Bank of Communications. The Philippine Stock Exchange divides its interests between two homes, one at Ayala Tower One and the other at the Makati Stock Exchange Building, both along Ayala Avenue.

The home of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), the Philippines' oldest bank, is at the corner of Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas. Other companies that have their offices and country/regional headquarters within Makati City, most within the CBD, include IBM, Prockter & Gamble, Citibank, Ayala Corporation, Development Bank of the Philippines, Metrobank, Intel Philippines, Nestle, and JG Summit.

Government

Like other Philippine cities, Makati City is governed by a mayor and vice-mayor, whose elected terms run for three consecutive years. As the executive head of the Makati City government, the Mayor leads the departments of the city in executing the city ordinances and improving public services; the vice-mayor, meanwhile, heads a legislative council consisting of 18 members (eight councilors from Makati's first district and eight councilors from the second district, as well as the President of the Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) Federation, who represents the youth sector, and the President of the Association of Barangay Chairmen (ABC), representing the city's barangays) which creates city ordinances and resolutions.

Makati city is divided into 33 barangays. These barangays are grouped into two congressional districts, with each district represented by a congressman in the Philippine House of Representatives.

Education

Makati is home to several world-class primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions, including the renowned Asian Institute of Management (AIM) across the Ayala Greenbelt Mall, along Paseo de Roxas Avenue. The AIM is acclaimed throughout the Southeast Asian region as a stellar institution for graduate studies focusing in business management. Also based in Makati are the Ateneo Professional Schools, a unit of the Ateneo de Manila University, with facilities at the Rockwell Center (the Ateneo School of Law, the Ateneo Graduate School of Business, and the Ateneo School of Government) and Salcedo Village (the Ateneo Information Technology Institute); rival De la salle University's Professional Schools Inc. also operates in Makati (at the RCBC Tower along Ayala Avenue).

Other notable educational institutions colleges and universities in Makati are the Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries (ASCM), Assumption College, Colegio de San Agustin, Asia Pacific College, the Makati Science High School, Centro Escolar University, and the University of Makati (officially recognized as the Pamantasan ng Makati.