Malate is a district of
Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
,
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. Together with the district of
Ermita
Ermita is a district in central Manila, Philippines. It is a significant center of finance, education, culture, and commerce. Ermita serves as the civic center of Manila, bearing the seat of city government and a large portion of the area's e ...
, it serves as Manila's center for commerce and tourism.
Etymology
The name ''Malate'' is derived from a corruption of the
Tagalog word ''maalat'' ("salty").
The name likely referred to the brackish waters, where the river estuary (in today's Malate Estero) meets the bay.
Antonio de Morga, writing in his 1609 ''
Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas'': "Manila has two drives for recreation. One is by land, along the point called Nuestra Señora de Guia. It extends for about a legua along the shore and is very clean and level. Thence it passes through a native street and settlement, called Bagunbayan, to a chapel, much frequented by the devout, called Nuestra Señora de Guia, and continues for a goodly distance further to a monastery and mission-house of the Augustinians, called Mahalat."
José Rizal
José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is popularly considered a na ...
, who republished Morga's account, later annotated: "Better, Maalat. The Spaniards pronounced this later as "Malate". There lived the chief Tagáls after they were deprived of their houses in
Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
, among whom were the families of Raja Matanda and Raja Soliman. San Augustín says that even in his day many of the ancient nobility dwelt there, and that they were very urbane and cultured. 'The Men hold various positions in Manila, and certain occupations in some of the local public functions. The women make excellent lace, in which they are so skilful that the Dutch women cannot surpass them.' This is still true of the women."
History

Malate was thought of as the place where the kings or high chiefs of Manila settled after losing their fort "Maynila" (now
Intramuros
Intramuros () is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila.
Intramuros comprises a centuries-old hist ...
) to the Spanish in 1571.
During most of the Spanish colonial period, Malate was an open space with a small fishing village. During the
Spanish period, the center of activity was the Malate Church, dedicated to Our Lady of Remedies. It was bordered by Pasay to the south,
San Andres Bukid to the east, shores of Manila Bay to the west,
Paco to the northeast,
Makati
Makati ( ; ), officially the City of Makati (), is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, known for being one of the leading financial centers in the country. As of 2013, the city has the highest concent ...
to the southeast, and
Ermita
Ermita is a district in central Manila, Philippines. It is a significant center of finance, education, culture, and commerce. Ermita serves as the civic center of Manila, bearing the seat of city government and a large portion of the area's e ...
to the north.
After the
United States of America
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...
annexed the islands in 1898 as a consequence of the
Spanish–American War
The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...
, American urban planners envisioned the development of Malate as the newest and trendiest exclusive residential area for American families. American expatriates and some of the old Spanish
mestizo
( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturall ...
families populated the district in modern high-rise apartments and bungalows. In 1901, with the chartering of the city of Manila, Malate would be absorbed by the city of Manila when its borders were extended outside Intramuros.
Despite extensive damage after the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, many homes and buildings were still standing. The displaced wealthy families who evacuated their homes during the war returned and re-built their private villas and kept the whole district exclusively residential until the 1970s.
The once exclusive residential areas in western Malate began to transform into a commercial area with some large homes and residential apartments being converted into small hotels, specialty restaurants and cafes.
During the presidency of
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...
, visual and performing artists found a haven in Malate and it became a bohemian enclave.
The Malate was plot setting for the episode 'Mata' of the 2010 horror film ''
Cinco''. In 2011 was plot setting in the horror film ''
Bulong''.
List of barangays
Accessibility
The district can be directly accessed by the main roads like the
Roxas Boulevard,
Quirino Avenue and
Taft Avenue.
The
Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) follows Taft Avenue and has two stations located in Malate, namely
Vito Cruz and
Quirino stations.
Economy
Government offices
Agencies like the
Department of Finance (DOF), the
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and lending institution
LandBank of the Philippines are headquartered in the district, whilst the National Naval Command Headquarters of the
Philippine Navy
The Philippine Navy (PN) () is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an estimated strength of 24,500 active service personnel, including the 10,300-strong Philippine Marine Corps. It operates 91 combat ...
is at the boundary limits of Manila and the city of
Pasay
Pasay, officially the City of Pasay (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Philippine census, 2020 census, it has a ...
along Roxas Boulevard. The
Bureau of Plant Industry is also headquartered in the district.
The
Apostolic Nunciature to the Philippines is located in the district along Taft Avenue near Quirino Avenue. This serves as the residence of the
pope
The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
during visits in the country.
Facilities
In the 1990s, Malate and the nearby district of
Ermita
Ermita is a district in central Manila, Philippines. It is a significant center of finance, education, culture, and commerce. Ermita serves as the civic center of Manila, bearing the seat of city government and a large portion of the area's e ...
had been "cleaned-up" and big businesses and resort hotels have sprouted in the district.
Harrison Plaza
Harrison Plaza (HP) was a shopping mall situated along Adriatico Street corner Ocampo Street in the district of Malate in Manila, Philippines. Opened in 1976 and closed at the end of 2019, it was the first modern and major shopping mall loca ...
, Manila's first enclosed modern mall, was located in the Malate district.
There is one public hospital, the
Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center, located at the corner of
Roxas Boulevard and
Quirino Avenue. It serves the
5th legislative district of Manila.
Recreation
The district is also home to the Philippine's first sports stadium, the
Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, and the country's premiere zoological park, the
Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden
The Manila Zoo, formally known as the Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden, is a zoo located in Malate, Manila, Philippines. First opened on July 25, 1959, it was recently renovated and reopened on November 21, 2022.
History
The Manila Zoo ...
. Promenades and parks by the Manila Bay have been made more convenient and safe with the opening of the Manila Baywalk area and the renovated
Plaza Rajah Sulayman. A portion of the
Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex
The Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, also known as the CCP Complex, is an Arts district, art district managed by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) located along Roxas Boulevard in Metro Manila, Philippines. It is a mixed- ...
also lies within the district.
The district contains a
red-light district.
A
Koreatown
A Koreatown (), also known as a Little Korea or Little Seoul, is a Korean-dominated ethnic enclave within a city or metropolitan area outside the Korean Peninsula.
History
Koreatowns as an East Asian ethnic enclave have only been in existence s ...
could also be found in the district.
Education and scholarly activity
Education in Malate is mostly provided by private schools. Several educational institutions which are part of the
University Belt are located in Malate, these are the
De La Salle University,
De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde,
Philippine Christian University,
Philippine Women's University,
St. Paul University Manila
St. Paul University Manila (SPUM), also referred by its acronym SPU Manila, is a private, Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution established and run by the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres in Manila, P ...
and
St. Scholastica's College Manila
Saint Scholastica's College, also referred to by its acronym SSC or colloquially St. Scho, is a private Catholic basic and higher education Women's colleges, institution for women founded and managed by the Congregation of the Missionary Benedi ...
. Prominent secondary schools in Malate are the Jesus Reigns Christian Academy,
Jose Abad Santos Memorial School and the
Malate Catholic School. Doña Aurora Quezon Elementary School is the only public school in the district.
Notable residents
*
Herminio A. Astorga
*
Kim Atienza
*
Beethoven Del Valle Bunagan a.k.a. Michael V.
*
Eugene Domingo
*
Tina Monzon-Palma
María Cristina "Tina" Mapa Monzón-Palma (; born March 29, 1951) is a Filipina broadcast journalist and anchorwoman. She is best known as a late night news presenter in various Philippine television news programs in different television ne ...
*
Inigo Pascual
*
Piolo Pascual
Piolo Jose Nonato Pascual (, born January 12, 1977) is a Filipino actor, model, singer, television host, comedian and film producer.
Pascual began a career in 1993 after landing a bit role in the film ''The Vizconde Massacre Story (God Help ...
*
Carlos Yulo
Gallery
File:Malate Church, Manila, Mar 2024.jpg, Malate Church
File:Rajah Sulayman Monument, Malate, Manila.jpg, Rajah Sulayman Monument
File:Remedios Circle Manila.jpg, Remedios Circle
File:Rajah Sulayman Park (Malate, Manila; 02-06-2021).jpg, Plaza Rajah Sulayman
File:05402jfQuirino Avenue Barangays Malate Manila Medical Centerfvf 04.jpg, Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center
File:Redevelopment of Manila Zoo 02.jpg, Manila Zoo
The Manila Zoo, formally known as the Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden, is a zoo located in Malate, Manila, Malate, Manila, Philippines. First opened on July 25, 1959, it was recently renovated and reopened on November 21, 2022.
History ...
File:Manila Korea Town, Malate, Manila.jpg, Manila Korea Town
Notes
*''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
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Districts of Manila
Red-light districts in the Philippines