Manila Bay

Manila Bay is one of the finest natural harbors in the world which serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. The entrance is 19 km wide and expands to a width of 48 km. Mariveles, in the province of Bataan, is an anchorage just inside the northern entrance and Sangley Point is the former location of Cavite Naval Base.

On either side of the bay are volcanic peaks topped with tropical foliage: 40 km to the north is the Bataan Peninsula and to the south is the province of Cavite.

Across the entrance to Manila Bay are several islands. The largest is Corregidor, which is 3 kilometers from Bataan and, along with the island of Caballo, separates the mouth of the bay into the North and South Channels. In the south channel is El Fraile Island and outside the entrance, and to the south, is Carabao Island. El Fraile, a rocky island some 4 acres (16,000 m²) in area, supports the massive concrete and steel ruins of Fort Drum, an island fortress constructed by the United States Army to defend the southern entrance of the bay. To the immediate north and south are additional harbors.

The bay was the setting for the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898 and the siege of Corregidor Island by invading Japanese forces in 1942.

Manila City Hall

Like all cities of the Philippines, Manila is governed by a mayor who heads the executive department of the city. The current mayor for the 2007-2010 term is Alfredo Lim, who is making a comeback to the city hall following a 3-year stint as a Senator. The city mayor is restricted for three consecutive terms (nine years), although he can be elected again after an interruption of one term.

Isko Moreno, the city's incumbent vice-mayor heads the legislative arm which is composed of the elected city councilors, six from each of the city's six congressional districts.

The city is divided into 897 barangays, which are the smallest unit of local government in the Philippines. Each barangay has its own chairperson and councilors. For administrative convenience, all the barangays in Manila are grouped into 100 zones and which are further grouped into 16 administrative districts. These zones and districts have no form of local government.

The city further has six representatives popularly elected to the House of Representatives, the lower legislative branch of the Philippines. Each representative represents one of the six Congressional districts of Manila.

University of Santo Tomas

The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines (or simply the "University of Santo Tomas", "UST" or affectionately, "Ustê"), is a private Roman Catholic university run by the Order of Preachers in Manila. One of the world's largest Catholic universities in terms of population, it was established on April 28, 1611. It has the oldest extant university charter in the Philippines. It is the oldest and the largest university in the city of Manila.

The University is composed of several autonomous faculties, colleges, schools and institutes, each conferring undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, and the basic education units. Several degrees have been accredited by the Commission on Higher Education as Centers of Development and Centers of Excellence.

The campus is located at Manila's Sampaloc district. Composed in an almost perfect square of 220,000 square meters, the present campus was settled on 1927 when the first campus at Intramuros district was deemed inadequate for the university's growing population. The university is at the process of adding new campuses at Sta. Rosa, Laguna, General Santos City and Negombo, Sri Lanka.

The athletic teams are the Growling Tigers, members of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and are consistent winners of the Overall Championship. Prominent Thomasians include saints, Philippine presidents, heroes and religious figures, which have figured well in the history of the Philippines.

Balut

Balut is a Paradise Philippines delicacy.

A balut is a fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. They are considered delicacies of Asia and especially the Philippines. Popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac and considered a high-protein, hearty snack, baluts are mostly sold by street vendors at night in the regions where they are available in Metro Manila or anywhere in the Philippines. They are often served with beer.

Manila Jeepney

Famous Paradise Philippines Manila Jeepneys:

Jeepneys are a popular means of public transportation in the Paradise Philippines. Not only in Manila but also all over the places of the Philippines. They were originally made from US military jeeps left over from World War II and are well known for their flamboyant decoration and crowded seating. They have also become a symbol of Philippine culture.

Preview of Manila

Metro Manila - Capital City of Paradise Philippines

Business Districts

Makati City is widely acknowledged as the financial capital of the country where one can find the Makati Central Business District (CBD), the Philippines' major international economic hub. Interesting landmarks in Makati's Central Business District include Ayala Center, composed of Glorietta and Greenbelt, Ayala Museum, and Yuchengco Museum. Also in Makati is Rockwell Center, a high rise subdivision and shopping mall which was renovated from an old power plant. Most multi-national company offices and embassies in the Philippines are situated in Makati.
Also posing as a competitor for a vibrant business center are Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, Eastwood City in Quezon City, Ortigas Center in Mandaluyong City, Manila Bay City Reclamation Area in the cities of Pasay, Parañaque and Las Piñas, and Alabang Estates, Madrigal Business Park & Filinvest Corporate City in Muntinlupa.

Shopping Centers

SM Mall of Asia the largest - the third-largest mall in the world located near the shore of Manila Bay. Before it was constructed, the SM Megamall was the largest located in Ortigas Center. Other shopping centers in Ortigas Center are Shangri-La Plaza, Robinson's Galleria and The Podium.
Recently opened in Pasig is a new development called Frontera Verde, which currently hosts Tiendesitas, a tiangge-style shopping center; SM Supercenter Pasig, the smallest SM mall to date; and SilverCity AutoMall, the first mall in the Philippines that is dedicated to the automotive market.
In the Central Business District of Makati, the Ayala Center hosts other malls, including Glorietta and the upscale Greenbelt shopping districts. Also in Makati is the Rockwell Center. These places are frequented by members of Metro Manila's upper classes.
Taguig City has a mall named Market!Market!, which is strategically located in a transportation hub within Fort Bonifacio Global City.
In the City of Manila, the largest malls include SM City Manila and Robinson's Place-Ermita.
Cubao is Quezon City's Central Commercial Area that hosts 5 malls that includes the ultra-modern Gateway Mall. Other malls include various SM chains in the metropolis. Aside from Cubao, there is also Eastwood City, located along Libis; SM City North EDSA, located at the junction of EDSA, West Avenue, and North Avenue; SM City Fairview, located in the Novaliches District; and TriNoMa, Ayala Land's newest mall, located in front of SM City North EDSA..
Metro Manila is also full of palengke, the Filipino-style open-air wet markets. One of these are the Central Market, located in Quiapo district of Manila, and Divisoria Market, also in Manila. Cloverleaf Market in Balintawak, Quezon City supplies most of Metro Manila's fruit and vegetable products. Navotas Port Market supplies most of Metro Manila's fish products. Other smaller markets include the markets of Cubao Farmers, Nepa-Q Mart, Muñoz, Balingasa, Galas, Santa Mesa, Novaliches Talipapa, Baclaran, Pasay Libertad, and Pasay Cartimar, the latter also being one of the finest pet markets in the Philippines.
Midway between a mall and a market are the Philippine-only tiangges, or airconditioned markets selling goods such as clothes, shoes, accessories, computer parts, mobile phones, CDs, VCDs, MP3s, iPods, and DVDs. Among these can be found in Greenhills Shopping Center in the municipality of San Juan and St. Francis Square in Mandaluyong City.
Muntinlupa City also hosts malls like Festival Supermall,Alabang Town Center and Metropolis Star Mall, all located in Alabang. There is also an on-going construction of SM Muntinlupa in Barangay Tunasan, which will be finished by the end of 2007.
Las Piñas also has the SM Southmall, the largest based SM Mall South of Metro Manila.
Parañaque City also has the SM Sucat and alongside Pasay City, Duty Free Philippines as the mall of the "Balikbayans" or "back at home citizens" here in Metro Manila.

Recreation

Located west of Metro Manila, Rizal Park is the reference point for all kilometer points in the island of Luzon and the Philippines. Rizal Park features the statue of the Philippine National Hero Jose Rizal, as well as several Philippine flags, a gigantic relief map of the Philippines, scenic Chinese gardens, and the several government offices, such as the Department of Tourism. On the seaside front of Rizal Park are numerous seafood restaurants specializing in Filipino and Asian cuisine. The National Museum of the Filipino People can be also found here. It is a complex of two Greco-Roman buildings which house ancient relics, native mummies, natural treasures and factual galleries about the Philippines and other countries. The museum also boasts a vast collection of artworks and masterpieces crafted by Filipinos which were commended by the Louvre Museum per se. Similarly, part of the museum complex is the first planetarium in Southeast Asia. Also located here is the Quirino Grandstand, which apart from the regular miting de avance (Spanish: political gatherings), is also a popular rendezvous of various religious groups, such as the charmismatic Catholic El Shaddai and popular American-based Protestant movements, such as Benny Hinn International Ministries.
Near the Rizal Park is a 400-year-old Imperial City known as Intramuros, a walled domain which was once the seat of government during the Spanish Colonial Era and Mid-American Periods. Among the attractions are the Fort Santiago, a timeworn Spanish military fortress which was also the cell for the national hero, Jose Rizal in 1896; Casa Manila, a Spanish colonial villa which is converted into a house gallery; Manila Cathedral, the official seat of the Archbishop of Manila; San Agustin Church, the oldest existing church/building in the Philippines that survived the wars and earthquakes of Manila since 1587; Intramuros Golf Club, a prime golf course outside the walls; and the Clam Shell Tent, an exhibition center of the Department of Tourism. Horse-carriages and tourist buses are also some of the attractions. The rest also includes a walk above the walls surrounding Intramuros, government offices, universities and colonial houses.
Fort Bonifacio is the location of military detachments, cemeteries, international schools, corporate headquarters and world-class dining and shopping facilities. Other local recreation areas include the Nayong Pilipino (Philippine Village) in Parañaque City, Quezon City Memorial Circle and Ninoy Aquino Wildlife Center, both located in Diliman district of Quezon City, the posh Greenbelt Center, located in Makati City, the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex and Bay City, both located in Pasay City. Meanwhile, the Paco Park, Arroceros Botanical Garden, Manila Zoo, Plaza Rajah Sulayman, Plaza Miranda, new Rizal Avenue Bargain Walkway, the all-steel Gothic Church of San Sebastian, the bars and night clubs of Ermita and Malate districts and the famous Roxas Boulevard Bay Walk which offers a fine view of the legendary Manila Bay sunset and hip-dining of Asian, Western and Filipino cuisine, are all located in Manila.