Pateros

Also known for the production of red salty eggs and "inutak", a local rice cake. Moreover, the town is known for manufacturing of "alfombra", a locally made footwear with a carpet-like fabric on its top surface. Bordered by the highly urbanized cities of Pasig to the north, and by Taguig to the east, west and south. The smallest municipality in the Philippines by land area, and is the smallest administrative division in Metro Manila by population, but it is the third most densely populated within Metro Manila at around 37,000 PD/km2. Unlike its neighbors in Metro Manila, Pateros is the only municipality in the region.

• Name — name • Named For — "Criadores de Patos" (Duck Raisers) • Nicknames — Balut Capital of the Philippines; Small Town with a Big Heart • Motto — Gobyernong Maayos, Gobyernong Bilis Kilos Good Government, Fast Government • Anthem — Himno ng Pateros Pateros Hymn • Coordinates — coordinates • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Name — Philippines • Subdivision Type1 — Region • Subdivision Name1 — region • Subdivision Type3 — District • Established Title — Founded • Established Date — 1799 • Established Title2 — Chartered • Established Date2 — January 1, 1909 • Parts Type — Barangays • Parts Style — para • P1 — label (see Barangays) • Leader Title — Mayor • Leader Name — Gerald German (PFP) • Leader Title1 — Vice Mayor • Leader Name1 — Carlo U. Santos (Nacionalista) • Leader Title2 — Representative • Leader Name2 — Ricardo "Ading" S. Cruz Jr. (Nacionalista) • Leader Title3 — Council • Leader Title4 — Electorate • Leader Name4 — electorate voters (electorate_point_in_time) • Elevation Max M — 136 • Elevation Min M — 0 • Area Total Km2 — area • Population Blank1 Title — Households • Population Blank1 — household • Population Density Km2 — auto • Time Zone — PHT • Utc Offset — +8 • Postal Code Type — ZIP code • Website — website • Demographics Type1 — Economy • Demographics1 Title2 — Poverty incidence • Demographics1 Info2 — poverty_incidence% (poverty_incidence_point_in_time)poverty_incidence_footnotes • Demographics1 Title3 — Revenue • Demographics1 Info3 — revenue revenue_point_in_time • Demographics1 Title4 — Revenue rank • Demographics1 Title5 — Assets • Demographics1 Info5 — assets assets_point_in_time • Demographics1 Title6 — Assets rank • Demographics1 Title7 — IRA • Demographics1 Title8 — IRA rank • Demographics1 Title9 — Expenditure • Demographics1 Info9 — expenditure expenditure_point_in_time • Demographics1 Title10 — Liabilities • Demographics1 Info10 — liabilities liabilities_point_in_time • Demographics Type2 — Service provider • Demographics2 Title1 — Electricity • Demographics2 Info1 — label • Demographics2 Title2 — Water • Demographics2 Title3 — Telecommunications • Demographics2 Title4 — Cable TV • Custom Label1 Sec1 — Native language • Custom Data1 Sec1 — Tagalog (Filipino) • Custom Label2 Sec1 — Crime index • Custom Label2 Sec2 — Feast date • Custom Label3 Sec2 — Catholic diocese • Custom Data3 Sec2 — Roman Catholic Diocese of Pasig • Custom Data4 Sec2 — Saint Martha • Blank Emblem Size — 200px • Blank Emblem Type — Wordmark • Established Title1 — Reorganization • Established Date1 — March 29, 1900

The name Pateros is most likely derived from the duck-raising industry. The Tagalog word (of Spanish origin) for "duck" is pato and pateros, "duck-raisers". The early 19th-century US diplomat Edmund Roberts used Duck-town, another name for Pateros, stating that he "never before saw so many ducks together" in one place. The duck reference is perfectly suited for Pateros, whose popular culinary specialty is a street food called balut, a fertilized developing duck embryo that is boiled and eaten from the shell. Several balutans offer different and unique cuisine as well as street merchants selling them on the side of the road.

• Illustration — 1821 Idyllic Painting of Pateros by José Honorato Lozano, showing the duck farms on the river banks that are the namesake of the municipality Before 1799, Pateros was a barrio of Pasig called "Aguho" (agoho, the Casuarina equisetifolia tree), or "embarcadero" (“small port”). The port made the area a focal point of trade and commerce for Pasig and nearby towns, making it a more progressive barrio. The Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines later issued a decree creating Pateros as an independent municipality, initially with five barrios (villages): Aguho, San Roque, Santa Ana, Santo Rosario (since partitioned into Santo Rosario-Silangan and Santo Rosario-Kanluran), and Mamangcat (now in Fort Bonifacio).

• Illustration — 1896 Revolution Memorial Monument, also known as the Dulumbayan Memorial Monument During the Philippine–American War in March 1899, the first contingent of American Volunteers from Washington arrived in the town of Pateros. The American soldiers rallied and eventually won the battles to take control and establish a temporary camp in town.

Throughout the American colonisation of the Philippines, American soldiers were able to experience the culture and livelihood of the citizens of Pateros, such as eating roast duck meals during wartime and sending postcards of Pateros back to the United States. In 1900, Lieutenant Charles Nosler renamed the city of Ive's Landing in Washington State after the town of Pateros in the Philippines. The American Pateros in Washington officially became a city on May 1, 1913.

On March 29, 1900, Pateros, then a part of the Province of Manila, was among the towns absorbed by the newly created province of Rizal, by virtue of General Order No. 40, Act No. 137 of the Philippine Commission, promulgated on June 11, 1901. On October 12, 1903, Act No. 942 united Pateros with Taguig and Muntinlupa into one municipality under Pateros. On November 25, 1903, Muntinlupa was later ceded from Pateros to Biñan, La Laguna through Act No. 1008. The remaining municipality was renamed Taguig, and it reabsorbed Muntinlupa on March 22, 1905, through Act No. 1308. Executive Order No. 20 dated February 29, 1908, partitioned Pateros from Taguig, and the town regained its status as an independent municipality on January 1, 1909, by Executive Order No. 36.

On November 7, 1975, Pateros became a part of the new Metropolitan Manila Area through Presidential Decree No. 824.

On July 23, 2013, Mayor Jaime C. Medina visited the city of Pateros, Washington State, United States to sign the Sister City Memorandum of Understanding between the Municipality of Pateros, Metro Manila and Pateros City of Okanogan County, Washington State, USA. According to Mayor Gail Howe, the two cities have not applied through Sister Cities International but the goals of promoting the culture and exchanges have turned the sisterhood into reality.

Pateros is politically subdivided into ten barangays: • — Barangays — Population (2024) — Area (km 2) — Density (/km 2) • Aguho — 7,488 — 0.21 — 35,657 • Magtanggol — 1,452 — 0.08 — 18,150 • Martirez del 96 — 5,130 — 0.19 — 27,000 • Poblacion — 2,089 — 0.0743 — 28,116 • San Pedro — 2,252 — 0.1 — 22,520 • San Roque — 4,897 — 0.2 — 24,485 • Santa Ana — 30,950 — 0.75 — 41,267 • Santo Rosario–Kanluran — 5,504 — 0.21 — 26,210 • Santo Rosario–Silangan — 4,744 — 0.2 — 23,720 • Tabacalera — 2,853 — 0.1 — 28,530 • Source: Facts & Figures | Pateros Official

• Illustration — Delineation map showing territories claimed by Pateros. The municipal government of Pateros claims that its original land area was not its present land area of 2.10 km2 but 1,040 ha including Fort Bonifacio, particularly the Embo barangays Comembo, Pembo, East Rembo, West Rembo, Cembo, South Cembo, Pitogo, Rizal, Post Proper Northside and Post Proper Southside which are now part of the city of Taguig (originally Mamancat, Masilang, San Nicolas, and Malapadnabato, former parts of Pateros), based on documents and official maps obtained by former Pateros Councilor Dominador Rosales from 30 libraries and offices including USA Library of Congress and USA Archives. One of those maps was the 1968 Land Classification Map of the Bureau of Land. Also included in their claim are the present-day barangays Buting, San Joaquin, and Kalawaan in Pasig. Pateros' decrease in territory was accounted to a cadastral mapping in Metro Manila conducted in 1978. Pateros Mayor Nestor Ponce challenged the map through an objection letter dated June 23, 1978. But in January 1986, then President Ferdinand Marcos issued Proclamation No. 2475 which stated that Fort Bonifacio is situated in Makati and it is open for disposition. Because of that, a boundary dispute arose which moved Pateros to request a dialogue about that with then Municipal Council of Makati in 1990. Pateros also filed a complaint against Makati at the Makati Regional Trial Court in 1996 but the trial court dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction. The case was brought to the Court of Appeals in 2003 but the case was also denied. The same case was also elevated to the Supreme Court in 2009 but it was denied again.

Almost two decades later, the Supreme Court on June 16, 2009, per Antonio Eduardo B. Nachura denied Pateros' petition against Makati but ruled out that the boundary dispute should be settled amicably by their respective legislative bodies based on Section 118(d) of the Local Government Code. Pursuant to the decision, Pateros invited Makati to a council-to-council dialogue. This happened on October 8, 2009. Four meetings were held and at the fourth dialogue on November 23, 2009, a joint resolution was made stating that Makati is requesting a tripartite conference between Pateros, Taguig and Makati. Despite the resolution of the dispute between Taguig and Makati in favor of the former by the Supreme Court in 2023, the high court has allowed Pateros to pursue its claims.

• Illustration — Aerial view of Pateros As of 1818, the population was estimated at 3,840 Tagalog people. When Edmund Roberts visited in 1834, he estimated approximately 4,500 residents. According to the town's 2005 land use classification report, 91.62% of Pateros's 1.7 sqkm land is classified as residential.

Filipino and English are the Philippine official languages. Filipino, a standardized version of Tagalog, is spoken primarily in Pateros.

• Illustration — Red salty duck eggs, a popular product of Pateros The town of Pateros is known for balut and had a duck-raising industry. As early as 1834, Pateros has been raising and selling duck and maintaining a fishing industry. Due to the water pollution on the Pateros River which connects to the Pasig River, the duck-raising industry declined around the 1970s or 1980s. Vendors continue to sell balut in Pateros, taking advantage of the association of the food item to the town with duck eggs supplied from neighboring provinces in the Calabarzon region. While the duck-raising industry in the town is now minimal, the local government is encouraging the growth of the balut industry. It gives tax exemptions to balut vendors in the town. As of 2017, the local government is encouraging the growth of other industries in Pateros such as business process outsourcing although the town's size, 1.76 sqkm, remains a hindrance. • Illustration — Alfombra Slippers Another product of Pateros is the "alfombra slippers", a footwear with carpet-like fabric, which is produced using abaca fiber. According to the town's 2005 classification report, 3.13% of its land area is classified as commercial, 0.39% industrial, and 0.88% agricultural.

Following the 2025 local elections, Gerald German (Partido Federal ng Pilipinas) has been elected and proclaimed as the new Mayor of Pateros, alongside Carlo Santos (Nacionalista Party) who secured his reelection as Vice Mayor. The municipality's local government is supported by a set of eight councilors elected at large, with winners including Allan dela Cruz, Don Ponce, Jay Mabanglo, and Edwin Acosta. The legislative representation for the Pateros-Taguig Lone District is held by Ricardo "Ading" Cruz Jr.

• Illustration — Pateros Municipal Seal The official municipal seal of Pateros features the Pateros (Mallard) duck and ten duck eggs. The duck symbolizes the duck-raising industry where town was known, while the eggs represent the barangays of Pateros and signifies the town's balut industry.

• Illustration — Mayor Simplico Manalo National High School The following are the different elementary and high schools under Pateros School District of the Department of Education – Schools Division of Taguig City and Pateros, and one community college recognized by Commission on Higher Education.

• Aguho Elementary School • Captain Hipolito Francisco Elementary School • Captain Hipolito Francisco Elementary School-Annex • Paulina Manalo Elementary School • Pateros Elementary School • Sta. Ana Elementary School • Sto. Rosario Elementary School

• Mayor Simplicio Manalo National High School • Maria Concepcion Cruz High School • Pateros National High School

• Pateros Technological College

• APEC Schools – Pateros (Santo Rosario-Silangan) • Huckleberry Montessori School • Maranatha Christian Academy • Pateros Catholic School • Saint Genevieve School of Pateros • SEP Christian School Inc.

The annual Pandangguhan Festival honors the town's patron, Santa Marta. Typically observed on the second Sunday of February, it is renowned for its "pasubo" where food like balut, suman, and fruits are thrown into floats.

• Cesar Homero Rosales Concio Sr. (1907–2003) – architect who, as the first University Architect of the University of the Philippines, designed many buildings in the University of the Philippines Diliman campus. • Berting Labra (1933–2009) – actor, sidekick of FPJ. • Pete Lacaba (b. 1945) – poet, writer and journalist. • Emmanuel Lacaba (1948–1976) – poet, writer and activist. • Pelagia Mendoza y Gotianquin (1867–1939) – first female sculptor in the Philippines and was the first female student at the Escuela de Dibujo y Pintura (Drawing and Painting School). • Daisy Reyes (b. c. 1976) – beauty queen, actress. • Jimmy Santos (b. 1951) – Filipino actor, basketball player, and TV host. • Socrates Villegas (b. 1960) – Bishop of Balanga (2004–2009), Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan (2009–present), former CBCP President.

• Taguig, Metro Manila • Pasig, Metro Manila

• Pateros, Washington, US