The Fashion Capital of the Philippines and The City of Lights

History

Even before the Spaniards came, Parañaque already had an ongoing industry. Their nearness to the sea enabled them to trade with other Asian traders such as the Japanese, Chinese, Indians, Indonesians and Malays. They used to trade salts, fish, rice, shoes and slippers.

Year 1572, Parañaque was officially founded by the Augustinian Missionaries. Fr. Diego de Espiñar, an Augustinian Missionary who was appointed to be the local priest, established mission house there. May 11, 1580, a meeting was held called as the Council of the Definitors was held that made Palanyag, as Parañaque was then known, to be an independent town.

The people showed loyalty to the Spanish colonizers and continued to be at their service whenever possible. That loyalty was put into test when a Chinese pirate named Limahong came to invade the whole town. The Parañaqueños, heroically helped to prevent this. The horrible battle led to the sacrifice of many lives thus calling it as “Red Sea Incident”. When the forces of Captain Juan de Salcedo came, Limahong was finally driven back and the invasion of the town was prevented. The people continued to be loyal to their oppressors, the Spaniards, when the British colonizers came and tried to invade the town. However that loyalty changed especially upon the creation of Katipunan and the continued participation of the locals there including prominent Parañaqueños such as Manuel Quiogue and secular priest Father Pedro Dandan.

Population/ Language/ Area

Parañaque is located at 121′ 01″ longitude and 14′ 30″ latitude and is bordered to the north by Pasay, to the northwest by Taguig, to the southeast by Muntinlupa, to the southwest by Las Piñas and to the west by Manila Bay. Its land area covers a total of 18.41 sq miles (47.69 km²) with a population of 588,126 according to the 2010 census.

Like the rest of Metro Manila, Parañaque also experiences a tropical climate with only two distinct seasons: wet (every July to September) and dry (every October to June). The city enjoys rainfall of 1.822 mm and an average temperature of 34.4 degree Celsius.

Parañaque is a home of warm, friendly, hospitable and devoted Filipinos. It also serves as the second home for various foreign nationals who came to love and like the city and its people. People from different places of the country also came to live in the city. Ten percent of the total population are pure Tagalog Paraqueños.

Products and Services

Parañaque is known for its dry and wet goods. They have dry goods market all over the northern part of the city. Much of those were known for their “ready-to-wear” (RTW) clothes. The fishing industry still continues in the city, stationed at Barangay La Huerta. There, marine products from all over the country are being shipped and can be purchased straight from the boats.

Business Opportunity

Due to its proximity to the sea, Parañaque is one of the major trade and business centers in the Philippines.

Tourist Spots

• Bird Sanctuary – this serves as the home of migratory birds from the neighboring Asian countries such as China and as far as Siberia during winter season. You can see different kind of migrating birds here every August to March.
• Tambo Mangroves Avian Reserve – this mangrove, located by the bay, is visited by hundreds of bird species from all over the Asia-Pacific region seeking for sanctuary in this exclusive zone.
• Redemptorist Church – one of the most visited church in Asia with the capacity seat of 3,000 and another 9,000 for standing devotees.
• Roligon Mega Cockpit – considered as the largest and most modern cockpit in Asia which is visited by not only locals from all over the country but also by foreigners.