Overview of the Region

The National Capital Region (NCR), popularly known as Metropolitan Manila, is the Philippines' premier urban area which grew out of the original core of the city of Manila. It is the only region in the country that is entirely urban. Since the end of World War II, particularly after 1960, a rapid growth of the eight adjoining cities and nine municipalities around them has been observed. These areas have become the country's political, economic and educational center.

NCR, which has a total land area of 636 square kilometers, is made up of eight cities and nine municipalities broken down into 1,689 barangays as of 1995. Its capital, Manila, has a land are of 38.3 square kilometers and has the largest number of barangays, totaling 897.

The Metropolis was further divided by Presidential Decree No. 921 into four districts with four cities as centers: First District - Manila; Second District - Quezon City, Third District - City of Mandaluyong, San Juan, Marikina and Pasig; Fourth District - Caloocan City, Malabon and Navotas, Valenzuela; Fifth District - Makati, Taguig and Pateros; Sixth District - Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Parañaque and Pasay City.

The affairs of Metropolitan Manila is administered by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) created under Republic Act 7924. The governing board and policy making body of the MMDA is the Metro Manila Council, composed of the mayors of the thirteen (13) cities and  (4) four municipalities, the president of the Metro Manila Vice Mayor League and the president of the Metro Manila Councilors League. The council is headed by a chairman, assisted by a general manager, and three (3) assistant general managers, all of whom are appointed by the President with the consent and concurrence of the majority of the council.

NCR is characterized by the concentration of economic, social and political activities as evidenced by the presence of 90 out of the 100 biggest corporations in the country, all major newspapers, radio and TV networks and 60 percent of the country's non-agricultural labor force. The area serves as the distribution center for exports and capital goods. In addition, about 90 percent of the internal revenue collections for the entire country is taken from the area and almost 80 percent of the national imports enter through its harbors. The NCR is also the nation's center for non-primary production, providing almost half of the total national output in manufacturing, commerce and services.

Metro Manila residents come from all over the archipelago. The original residents are the Tagalogs. But there has been a continuous migration of people from all points of the country - the Pangasinenses and Ilocanos from the north; the Bicolanos, the Cebuanos, Ilonggos, Leyteños and Boholanos from the Visayas; and even Muslims from Mindanao. Filipino, which is Tagalog-based, is spoken throughout the area. However, English is the language of business and the medium of instruction from the upper primary grades up to college and postgraduate levels.

Metro Manila is predominantly Catholic, being a bastion of Catholicism as early as the Spanish times. However, churches or chapels of other religious denominations like the  Iglesia ni Kristo, numerous Protestant groups, as well as Muslim mosques can also be seen all over the metropolis.