Makati City

Makati, officially the City of Makati (Filipino: Lungsod ng Makati), occupies a central position—both geographically and economically—within Metro Manila. Situated at approximately 14°40′N 121°03′E, this 21.57-square-kilometre territory is framed by the Pasig River to the north, Taguig to the east, Pasay to the southwest and Manila to the northwest. Its boundary traces the meandering courses of creeks such as the Estero de Tripa de Gallina, Maricaban Creek and San Jose Creek, while enclosing a small exclave of Manila’s San Andres district around the Manila South Cemetery. Although its footprint is modest, Makati’s impact on the Philippine economy, culture and built environment is vast.

Politically, Makati is divided into 23 barangays grouped into two congressional districts. The 1st District comprises the barangays adjacent to EDSA and those to its north and west (excluding Guadalupe Viejo), while the 2nd District encompasses the southern and eastern barangays, including Guadalupe Viejo itself. Each district elects a representative to the House and selects eight city councilors, who together form a 16-member legislative body. This governance framework underpins Makati’s steady fiscal health: since its 2006 Revenue Code, the city council has maintained unchanged tax rates and sustained a deficit-free budget for roughly three decades.

At the time of the 2020 national census, Makati registered 629,616 inhabitants, ranking it 47th among Philippine cities and eighth in Metro Manila. With 28,975 persons per square kilometre, it ranks second only to Manila for density in the Philippines and stands among the world’s most tightly settled urban cores. In 2023, following the transfer of several “Embo” barangays to Taguig as the result of a territorial dispute, the city’s population count was adjusted to 292,743.

Yet these figures belie the city’s true daily intensity: according to the Transport and Traffic Improvement Plan 2004–2014, an estimated 3.7 million individuals descend upon Makati each weekday for work, commerce and leisure. This tidal movement underscores the city’s role as a magnet for skilled labour and consumer demand, while simultaneously exerting pressure on transport corridors, utilities and public services.

Religiously, a majority of residents identify as Roman Catholic. Substantial communities belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Iglesia ni Cristo, evangelical and Protestant denominations, as well as to minority faiths including Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism. Makati uniquely hosts Beth Yaacov, the nation’s sole Jewish synagogue, amid its mosaic of spiritual sites.

Makati falls within the tropical monsoon zone (Köppen Am), registering minimal annual temperature fluctuation—from a typical low of 20 °C to peaks near 38 °C—yet extreme humidity often intensifies the heat. Its dry season, spanning January through May, gives way to a prolonged wet period from June until December. Despite its dense urbanization, the city preserves vestiges of greenery: landscaped parks, tree-lined avenues and pocket gardens pepper the urban fabric, offering respite amid the concrete skyline.

Long established as the Philippines’ foremost financial nucleus, Makati hosts the headquarters of major domestic and international banks, multinational corporations and foreign embassies. As of 2013, it retained the nation’s highest concentration of both local and global firms. The 2023 estimate from the Philippine Statistics Authority placed its GDP per capita at ₱1,778,002, the country’s top mark.

The Makati Central Business District—anchored by the Ayala Triangle—features the Ayala Triangle Gardens, a landscaped public plaza ringed by gleaming office towers. Within this precinct stands Tower One & Exchange Plaza of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), historically noted for Asia’s briefest daily trading hours. Although the PSE has since relocated its main floor to Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, the former trading floor along Ayala Avenue remains emblematic of Makati’s financial legacy.

Makati’s economy extends beyond banking and stock-market operations. The Makati Business Club, comprising over 800 chief executives and senior officials from 450 leading corporations, serves as a strategic convener for policy discussion. By end-2021, the city’s office inventory reached 2.8 million square metres—second only to Taguig within Metro Manila (holding 20 percent of the market versus Taguig’s 26 percent as of 2023)—underscoring its enduring draw for corporate tenants.

In revenue collection, Makati ranks second in the National Capital Region, trailing only Quezon City. This robust fiscal performance enables sustained investment in public infrastructure and social services.

Makati’s skyline is punctuated by some of the country’s tallest structures. The 259-metre PBCom Tower reigned as the Philippines’ tallest office building from 2001 until 2017, when Taguig’s Metrobank Centre claimed the title at 318 metres. Other notable high-rises include Trump Tower Manila, Gramercy Residences in Century City, Discovery Primea, Shang Salcedo Place and G.T. International Tower.

Away from the gleaming towers of Ayala and Paseo de Roxas, the thoroughfare of Evangelista Street in Barangay Bangkal has evolved into a specialised automobile district, housing repair workshops, parts retailers, tire and wheel shops, air-conditioning services and tinting outlets reminiscent of Quezon City’s Banawe Street.

Retail activity in Makati is both varied and prolific. The Ayala Center complex unites five malls—Greenbelt, Glorietta, Park Square, The Link and One Ayala—under a pedestrian network. Here, luxury boutiques share space with local brands and international food chains. Department stores SM Makati, Rustan’s and The Landmark add breadth to the shopping mix.

Elsewhere, Power Plant Mall at Rockwell Center and Century City Mall cater to upscale patrons, while Ayala Malls Circuit at Circuit Makati offers contemporary retail and entertainment options. Community-oriented centres such as Cash & Carry Mall, Walter Mart Makati, Makati Central Square (formerly Makati Cinema Square), Guadalupe Commercial Center and Paseo de Magallanes serve neighbourhood needs. Small “pocket malls” attached to residential condominiums and office blocks further diffuse commercial convenience throughout the city.

Makati also sustains an active cultural scene. The Ayala Museum on Dela Rosa Street houses “Gold of Ancestors,” an exhibition of over one thousand pre-Hispanic artifacts, and showcases Philippine art from colonial times to the modern era. Guided tours complement its galleries. The Yuchengco Museum in RCBC Plaza spotlights Filipino and Filipino-Chinese visual arts, displaying works by Amorsolo, Luna and Botong Francisco. Housed in the old Nielson Airport control tower, the Filipinas Heritage Library preserves rare volumes dating to the Spanish colonial period. The Makati Museum on Dr. José P. Rizal Avenue occupies a historic colonial building and exhibits local artifacts and photographs tracing the city’s evolution.

Makati’s spiritual landscape includes Spanish-era churches such as Saints Peter and Paul Parish, the Baroque-inspired Nuestra Señora de Gracia Church and Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. The modern domed Sto. Niño de Paz Greenbelt Chapel stands amid Greenbelt Park, a leafy enclave with a koi pond. Forbes Park hosts the Santuario de San Antonio, a favoured wedding venue, while San Antonio Village houses the National Shrine of the Sacred Heart. A series of monuments—honouring figures like Gabriela Silang, Sultan Kudarat and Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino—dot the city along Makati and Paseo de Roxas Avenues, each accessible twenty-four hours a day.

Public green spaces provide urban relief. Greenbelt Park, adjacent to the Greenbelt malls, features a duck pond, stream and shaded walkways. Ayala Triangle Park, bounded by Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas, offers open lawns framed by restaurants and cafés. Legazpi Active Park and Salcedo Park—anchors for weekend organic markets—serve residents of Legaspi and Salcedo Villages. Washington SyCip Park in Salcedo Village presents a tranquil environment for strolling or quiet respite.

Sports facilities include the exclusive Manila Golf Club and Manila Polo Club in Forbes Park, the Makati Sports Club in Salcedo Village and the indoor Makati Coliseum, which hosts large-scale events. The Makati OKBet Kings once represented the city in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League. Circuit Makati’s Blue Pitch stadium, established on the former Santa Ana Park racetrack, has been the hub of the Philippine-American Football League since 2017. The University of Makati Stadium—now within Taguig—served as home ground to Kaya F.C.–Makati until the club relocated to Iloilo.

Makati sits at the confluence of Metro Manila’s primary conveyances. Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) skirts its eastern edge; the South Luzon Expressway begins in its southwest corner; and the Skyway—an elevated tollway—threads overhead, linking to both the North and South Luzon expressways. The Magallanes Interchange, where EDSA and SLEX intersect, is among the metropolis’s most intricate junctions.

Within the city, One Ayala functions as an intermodal hub, connecting buses to provincial destinations and to the Bonifacio Global City via the BGC Bus. Jeepneys traverse inner roads, while tricycles serve shorter routes outside the central business district. Makati pioneered electric-hybrid bus and e-jeepney pilot services along busy arteries such as Gil Puyat Avenue and Kalayaan Avenue.

Major arterial roads—Gil Puyat Avenue, Ayala Avenue, McKinley Road, Arnaiz Avenue, Makati Avenue and J. P. Rizal Avenue—link Makati to neighbouring cities. The city’s road inventory once totalled 261.573 kilometres of concrete and 74.068 kilometres of asphalt, prior to the Embo barangays’ transfer.

Rail service comprises four MRT Line 3 stations (Guadalupe, Buendia, Ayala and Magallanes) along EDSA, and three Philippine National Railways South Main Line stations (Pasay Road, Dela Rosa and EDSA). PNR Metro Commuter operations are suspended pending the North–South Commuter Railway, which will include new Buendia and EDSA stops.

Earlier proposals for a ₱1.75-billion monorail sought a 12.56-kilometre loop linking Guadalupe, BGC and Ninoy Aquino International Airport. A 2015 public-private partnership envisioned a Makati–Pasay–Taguig mass transit loop through key Makati nodes. Revived in 2018 as the Makati Intra-City Subway, the plan stalled in 2023 following the Embo barangays’ reclassification.

Makati’s status as an upscale commercial and residential enclave has driven real estate values—and by extension, cost of living—well above neighbouring urban areas. Nonetheless, selective bargains can be found at venues such as Makati Cinema Square, The Landmark, Cash & Carry and Guadalupe Mall, making even a budget-conscious visit feasible.

Daily commuters should account for heavy traffic during peak periods. English is universally understood; all signage and business transactions routinely employ English. Tap water is acceptable for handwashing, though not for consumption. Taxi passengers must insist on metered fares—particularly on weekend evenings—to avoid inflated charges, and should be prepared to challenge drivers who claim ignorance of major landmarks.

From its origins as a low-lying expanse surrounding colonial-era estates to its present role as the Philippines’ financial heartbeat, Makati exemplifies the layered complexity of urban growth. Its compact land area belies a diversity of districts: glass-skinned skyscrapers rise above century-old churches; verdant parks punctuate high-density blocks; global commerce thrives alongside neighbourhood markets. For residents and visitors alike, the city offers both the pulse of high finance and the quieter rhythms of cultural heritage—an urban tapestry that remains distinctly human in scale, texture and aspiration.