San Andres (also San Andres Bukid, ''bukid'' being the

Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Taga ...

for "farm" or " icefield") is a district of

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. San Andres shares the Estero Tripa de Gallina as its western and northern border with the districts of

Malate Malic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a dicarboxylic acid that is made by all living organisms, contributes to the sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms (L ...

and

Paco Paco is a Spanish nickname for Francisco. According to folk etymology, the nickname has its origins in Saint Francis of Assisi, who was the father of the Franciscan order; his name was written in Latin by the order as ''Pater Communitatis'' (fath ...

, respectively and Pedro Gil and Tejeron streets to the east with the district of Santa Ana. It borders the cities of

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 440,656 people. Due to its location jus ...

and

Makati Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...

in the south. The area is under the jurisdiction of the Fifth Congressional District of Manila, and includes the Manila South Cemetery, an

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

of the city surrounded by land administered by

Profile

Although San Andres has only a small land area, it is the most densely populated district in Manila, as of 2015, surpassing even Tondo. San Andres is divided into its eastern and western sectors by the

Osmeña Highway The President Sergio Osmeña Sr. Highway (often shortened as Osmeña Highway), also known as the South Superhighway, is a major highway that links Quirino Avenue in Paco, Manila to Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) and South Luzon Express ...

. Mostly residential, San Andres also has some sections classified as commercial. The majority of the district's population live just above the poverty line, mostly composed of post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

settlers from various

provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

while the original inhabitants were middle or lower-class migrant families who had formerly settled in Tondo but found the rough working-class lifestyle less suitable for raising children. The influx of settlers into the district was unregulated, resulting in a lack of

urban planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...

as evidenced by irregular buildings, narrow roadways, and large blocks of houses accessible only through meter-wide alleyways.

Barangays

San Andres has 65 barangays.

History

What is now San Andres Bukid was carved from the pre-

district of Singalong as well as parts of Santa Ana,

, and

districts. Singalong district is largely absorbed into San Andres and is commemorated by a namesake street that runs perpendicular to Quirino Avenue and parallel to

Taft Avenue Taft Avenue ( fil, Abenida Taft; es, Avenida Taft) is a major road in the south of Metro Manila. It passes through three cities in the metropolis: Manila, Pasay and Parañaque. The road was named after the former Governor-General of the Philippin ...

. The street lies west of what is now the western section of San Andres. Elderly residents of Singalong believe that the area's name was derived from a

word for a cup fashioned from

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

. In the Spanish colonial era,

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex history, including a number of different languages, both ...

awarded the area to members of the Capuchin

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

who thereafter converted the native population to

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. In the aftermath of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, the southern section of Manila was devastated as with most of the city. San Andres was then mostly open space, and it was repopulated by migrants from nearby

and the

Visayas The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands ( Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; tl, Kabisayaan ), are one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. Located in the central part of the archipelago, ...

San Andres Street

San Andres Street is a road in the city of Manila. It starts from Augusto Francisco Street in San Andres. It traverses the neighborhoods of Rubi, Coral, and Nakar. It crosses . It was bisected by Taft Avenue in front of Quirino Avenue LRT Station. It continues at the intersection of Quirino Avenue and traverses the

streets of Pilar Hidalgo Lim, Guerrero, Maria Orosa Avenue, Adriatico Street, Mabini, and

Del Pilar Street Marcelo H. del Pilar Street, also known as M.H. del Pilar Street or simply Del Pilar Street, is a north–south road running for connecting Ermita and Malate districts in Manila, Philippines. It is a two-lane street which carries traffic one-way ...

. It terminates at in

Intersections

References

*"By Sword and Fire: The Destruction of Manila in World War II, 3 February-3 March 1945" by Alphonso J. Aluit (1994) Bookmark, Inc. © 1994 National Commission for Culture and the Arts * San Andres Manila Volunteer Fire Brigade Inc., History by Charles Chua, Callsign San Andres 1, Presently President and Brigade Fire Marshall

External links

Official Website of Manila
{{Metro Manila populated places Districts of Manila