Malabon

Malabon, officially theCity of Malabon(Filipino:Lungsod ng Malabon), is ahighly urbanized cityin theNational Capital Regionof thePhilippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 380,522 people.
Located just north of the city ofManila, it is primarily a residential and industrial area, and is one of the most densely populated cities in the metropolis. It has a total land area of 15.96 square kilometers (6.16 sq mi).
Malabon is part of the sub-region of Metro Manila informally calledCAMANAVA, an area which derives its name from the first syllable of its component cities:Caloocan, Malabon,Navotas, andValenzuela. Caloocan lies to the south and east, Navotas to the west, and Valenzuela to the north. Malabon also borders the town ofObandoin the province ofBulacanto the northwest.
The name Malabon is fromTagalogwordmalabon, meaning "having manysilt deposits". The name was previously also used for two other places inCaviteduring the earlySpanish colonial period: Santa Cruz de Malabon (nowTanza) and San Francisco de Malabon (nowGeneral Trias).It is previously named as Tambobong, after the rural Tagalog wordtambúbong, which translates to barn.
Originally calledTambobong, Malabon was founded as avisita(hamlet) of Tondo by theAugustinianson May 21, 1599.It remained under the administrative jurisdiction of theProvince of Tondo(renamed to Manila in 1859) from 1627 to 1688.
Malabon played an important economic role in the late 19th century with the founding ofLa Princesa Tabacaleratobacco company in 1851 and theMalabon Sugar Companyin 1878. La Princesa was under the corporate umbrella ofCompañia General de Tabacos de Filipinas(owned by theSpanish Crown), while the latter pioneered therefined sugarindustry in the Philippines.
In 1859, three Malabon barangays—San Jose, Navotas, and Bangkulasi—were separated from Tambobong to form a new town that is nowNavotas.
The newspaperLa Independenciawas first printed in Malabon'sAsilo de Huérfanos(Orphanage), where children orphaned by the Plague of 1882 were housed.
In 1889, a stream tram line from Tondo borough reached Malabon, later to be linked to the other lines of horse drawn and later electrictramcarsin Manila, the latter operated byMeralcountil the Second World War. The steam connection would be one of the pioneer steam-powered rail services in Southeast Asia and the first at large in the Philippines, pre-dating the Main Line North of the Philippine National Railways which opened in 1892, 3 years later.
The firstMayor of MalabonwasDonAgustín Salamante, a Spanishmestizooriginally fromCavite. The first Filipino Mayor of Malabon was Don Vicente P. Villongco, in 1899 during the onset of theAmerican regime.
Malabon was officially made a municipality of the newly createdProvince of Rizalon June 11, 1901, by virtue of Philippine Commission Act No. 137.From 1903 to 1906,Navotaswas returned to Malabon to form a single municipality.
In 1955, Malabon mayorFlorante Villegasof theLiberal Partyran forgovernorofRizal, but lost toNacionalistacandidateIsidro Rodriguezfrom Montalban (nowRodriguez).
Malabon remained a municipality of Rizal until November 7, 1975, when Malabon became a part of the National Capital Region orMetro Manilaby virtue of Presidential Decree No. 824.
Malabon became a highly urbanized city on April 21, 2001, under Republic Act No. 9019, 407 years after its founding.
Malabon is one of the most densely populated cities in the Philippines and its low-lying, flat terrain makes it prone to frequent flooding, especially during high tides, heavy rains and when river and dams overflow. The four cities in CAMANAVA are commonly affected by interconnected rivers, one of which is theTullahan River.
The river system used to be navigable, and fishing was the major livelihood activity in the area. The river used to be wider and deeper with better quality water, and was a regular source of different species of fish, an important food source for local residents. Also, trees and crops likepalay(rice) and vegetables used to be grown along the riverbanks. However, these agricultural plots have been replaced by industrial yards, which also became home to thousands of informal settlers who built makeshift dwellings without legal claim to the land.
Floods have worsened in recent years, occurring more frequently and reaching depths of several feet. Most affected are families in the communities that are along or near the riverbanks. The river has become narrower and shallower over the years, and its capacity to hold water has decreased. With more frequent intense rains, the riverbanks flood regularly and flooding reaches farther into low-lying and densely populated areas of the city.
Before the present-day Malabon, the town was originally composed ofsitios(barangay) and others were further divided into two or morepurok(zone).
Malabon is divided into 21 barangays.
Malabon belongs to theRoman Catholic Diocese of Kalookanunder the episcopal seat of Bishop Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David. Almost 80% of the people here adhere to this religion. Today there are eight Roman Catholic Parishes in Malabon.
Malabon bears the old images of San Bartolome in the Poblacion and the La Inmaculada Concepcion,canonically crownedsince 1986 during the pontificate ofPope John Paul II.
Other religions in Malabon includeIglesia Filipina Independiente(belongs to the Diocese of Rizal and Pampanga, Parish of La Purisima Concepcion de Malabon), Baptists, Jesus the Living Stone International Assembly of God,Iglesia ni CristoorChurch of Christ,Members of the Church of God International,Jesus Is Lord Church,IEMELIFandSeventh-day Adventist.
Malabon industries include sugar refinery, patis- (fish sauce) making, cigar-making, candle production, fishing andilang-ilangflower-extract production (the distilled perfume is exported).
On April 21, 2008, Malabon's newly constructed 11-story city hall building along F. Sevilla Blvd. in Barangay San Agustin, was inaugurated byGloria Macapagal Arroyoon Malabon's 7th City anniversary. It was dubbed as a "potential business center of the city," a one-stop shop for government transactions, due to its state-of-the-art facilities such as 3 high-speed elevators and the new city hall building and its offices' "digital system."
The Malabon City Tourism Office launched the Malabon Tricycle Tours in December 2014. The tours take visitors to eight heritage sites including the newly renovated 400-year-old San Bartolome Church as well as to notable heritage houses like the Raymundo House and Ibaviosa House.
On March 14, 2015, the tours started to offer visitors a unique gastronomic experience through visits to the city's home-based eateries. This culinary aspect was the brainchild of current Mayor Antolin Oreta III's wife Melissa Oreta, the next mayor of Malabon.
TheMalabon Zooand Aquarium, located in Potrero, is a small zoo that features an array of caged animals, along with an aquarium and gardens.
Malabon is considered as the localVenice, due to year-long floods and gradual sinking. It is a place famous for itsPancit Malabonand its predominantly Atlantic ambience. It is also famous for other variety of foods (kakanin), such asputo sulot,puto bumbong,sapin-sapin,broas,bibingkaandcamachile. The culinary delights are abundant in its specialty eateries.
Its most famous festival is the "Pagoda-Caracol", a fluvial procession with street dancing to commemorate theFeast of the Immaculate Conceptionevery December 8.
Malabon houses several old homes of historical value: the Dionisio family home, the Rivera house, the Villongco house, the Luna house, the Pascual house, the Chikiamco house, the Rojas-Borja house, the (Teodoro) Luna house, the Santos-Lapus house, the Pantaleon Bautista house, the Syjuco (formerly Gaza) house, and the Raymundo house, considered to be the oldest located along C. Arellano Street. Other old but well-preserved heritage houses in Malabon include the Asilo de Huérfanos, the Paez House, and the Nepomuceno House.
There are various modes of transportation that people use to go in and out of the city and to the barangays.
Ferry terminals which uses boats include the Badeo Cuatro, connecting Flores to San Roque, Navotas; and Badeo Tres, connecting Concepcion to Daanghari, Navotas.
The city of Malabon is home for famous personalities in different sectors including businessmen, celebrities, politicians, among others.