Sampaloc 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 ...
. It is referred to as the
University Belt or simply called "''U-Belt''" for numerous colleges and universities are found within the district such as the
University of Santo Tomas
The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...
, the oldest extant university in Asia; the
National University
A national university is mainly a university created or managed by a government, but which may also at the same time operate autonomously without direct control by the state. In the United States, the term "national university" connotes the highe ...
, the first private nonsectarian and coeducational institution in the Philippines; the
Far Eastern University
Far Eastern University (), also referred to by its acronym FEU, is a Private university, private research non-sectarian university in Manila, Philippines. Created by the merger of Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accounts, Business and ...
, known for its
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
campus and
cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by socie ...
site of the Philippines; and the
University of the East
The University of the East (), also known as UE, is a private university located in Manila, Philippines. Founded in 1946, business tycoon Lucio Tan acquired the university in 1990. UE was once labeled as the "largest university in Asia" when i ...
, once dubbed as the largest university in Asia in terms of enrollment. The district is bordered by the districts of
Quiapo
Quiapo may refer to:
* Quiapo, Chile, a location in Arauco Province
*Quiapo, Manila, a district in the Philippines
** Quiapo Church
The Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno (), commonly known as Quiapo Church and canonically ...
and
San Miguel in the south,
Santa Mesa district in the south and east,
Santa Cruz district in the west and north, and
Quezon City
Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...
in the northeast.
Aside from being the "
University Belt", Sampaloc is also known to Metro Manila and the surrounding provinces for its
Dangwa flower market, located in Dimasalang Road, well known as the selling center for
cut flowers
Cut flowers are flowers and flower buds (often with some Plant stem, stem and leaf) that have been cut from the plant bearing it. It is removed from the plant for decorative use. Cut greens are leaves with or without stems added to the cut flow ...
from all over the Philippines, mainly
Baguio
Baguio ( , , ), officially the City of Baguio (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...
. Sampaloc is also the location of a former colonial mansion, now called Windsor Inn, which is popular among backpackers and budget travelers.
Barangays
The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the precolonial polities of the same name, modern barangays are political subdivisio ...
395 to 636 of the City of Manila would all have belonged to Sampaloc and comprise 241 barangays for the district.
[Final Results - 2007 Census of Population]
However, what are now known as barangays 587-636 became part of
Santa Mesa when these areas were separated from Sampaloc after Santa Mesa became a separate parish in 1911. Santa Mesa is now a part of the
6th congressional district of Manila, while Sampaloc is the sole district comprising the
4th congressional district of Manila.
Many streets in Sampaloc, particularly in the northeast portion divided by España and Lacson Avenues and also street names in neighboring
Quezon City
Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...
, have names that are directly associated with the Philippine national hero
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 ...
, either named after the places (e.g. Calamba, Dapitan), real-life people (e.g.
Blumentritt), characters from his novels (e.g. Ibarra, Maria Clara) or his pen names (e.g. Laong Laan, Dimasalang).
Etymology
"Sampaloc" or ''"Sampalok"'' is the native
Tagalog word for the
tamarind
Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this spe ...
fruit; the place was likely named after tamarind trees that may have been prevalent in the area.
History

The founding of Sampaloc as a town coincided with its establishment as a parish independent of
Santa Ana de Sapa in 1613. At the time, it included what is now
Pandacan which was separated from it in 1712. Sampaloc would comprise ten barangays ― Bacood, Balic-Balic, Bilarang Hipon, Calubcub, Manggahan, Nagtahan, San Isidro, San Roque, Santa Mesa, and Santol.
Outbreak of the Philippine-American War
Following the
Philippine Revolution
The Philippine Revolution ( or ; or ) was a war of independence waged by the revolutionary organization Katipunan against the Spanish Empire from 1896 to 1898. It was the culmination of the 333-year History of the Philippines (1565–1898), ...
against Spain and the
Treaty of Paris of 1898 which seceded the Philippines to the
United States
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 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, the subsequent arrival of American colonial troops shortly drew animosity between both American troops and Filipino troops.
On the evening of February 4, Private William W. Grayson fired the war's first shots at the corner of Sociego Street and Tomas Arguelles Street.
A study done by Ronnie Miravite Casalmir places the event at this corner, not at Sociego-Silencio where they erroneously have the marker.
American colonial era
In 1901, with the chartering of the city of Manila under the American-led
Taft Commission
The Taft Commission, also known as the Second Philippine Commission (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Ikalawang Komisyon ng Pilipinas'', Spanish language in the Philippines, Spanish: Segunda Comisión de Filipinas), was established by United Sta ...
, where most of Sampaloc, with the exception of barangay Bilarang Hipon, would be absorbed by the city of Manila when its borders were extended outside the walled city now known as
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 ...
. The latter barangay would be incorporated into San Francisco del Monte town and later on
Quezon City
Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...
, being divided later into several villages itself under what is now its 4th district.
In 1911, Santa Mesa became a separate religious district (parish) out of Sampaloc when the first and oldest parish in the Philippines in honor of its Titular Patron, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was established. However, it remained politically part of Sampaloc.
Contemporary period
In 1996,
Ramon Bagatsing Jr., the then-representative of
Manila's 4th district, launched a program called the "Sampaloc Experiment", which sought to implement the then-new subject of
computer education within the district's public schools as a trial program for the rest of the country.
In the afternoon of April 28, 2025, chairman Leninsky Bacud of the Ang Bumbero ng Pilipinas partylist (ABP, ) was assassinated by two motorcycle-riding gunmen while he was standing just outside the covered gym of Barangay 435, of which Bacud was a former barangay captain.
Even after Bacud was shot, witnesses recounted that the backrider stepped off the motorcycle and continued firing multiple shots at Bacud on the ground even as he was pleading for his life.
Bacud had been running as the partylist's second nominee in the
2025 elections at the time of the shooting.
Barangays
Education

Education in Sampaloc is handled by the
Division of City Schools – Manila. Sampaloc is also home to some universities and colleges part of the
University Belt such as
Far Eastern University
Far Eastern University (), also referred to by its acronym FEU, is a Private university, private research non-sectarian university in Manila, Philippines. Created by the merger of Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accounts, Business and ...
, Informatics, Mary Chiles College,
National University
A national university is mainly a university created or managed by a government, but which may also at the same time operate autonomously without direct control by the state. In the United States, the term "national university" connotes the highe ...
,
Perpetual Help College of Manila,
Philippine College of Health Sciences,
Philippine School of Business Administration,
University of the East
The University of the East (), also known as UE, is a private university located in Manila, Philippines. Founded in 1946, business tycoon Lucio Tan acquired the university in 1990. UE was once labeled as the "largest university in Asia" when i ...
,
University of Manila, and
University of Santo Tomas
The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...
.
Sampaloc elementary-public education's
Dr. Alejandro Mayoralgo Albert Elementary School along Dapitan Street, Barangay 521, Sampaloc, named after the first Filipino Undersecretary of Public Instruction (b. September 1, 1896) opened on April 8, 2024. The 10-story DDAES has 234 air-conditioned classrooms, a 334 seating capacity gymnasium, 72 comfort rooms, 28 offices, 10 elevators, library,
roofdeck, outdoor basketball courts, football field and 364-seat capacity auditorium on the eighth floor.
Transportation
Sampaloc is the hub of major national bus transportation carriers. Among the bus companies in Sampaloc with their terminal are:
Fariñas Transit Company,
GV Florida Transport,
Victory Liner,
Partas, Maria De Leon, RCJ Trans, RCJ Lines,
Five Star Bus Company, Northern Luzon Bus Line and Dalin liner and other southern Luzon buses.
Sampaloc is served by two
Philippine National Railways stations:
Laon Laan and
España station. It is also served by the
Legarda station of the
LRT Line 2 to the south.
Main thoroughfares in Sampaloc are S.H. Loyola (formerly Lepanto), Vicente Cruz, M. De La Fuente, P. Florentino, Blumentritt, Aurora Boulevard, Dapitan, Laon Laan, Dimasalang, Maria Clara, Maceda, Padre Campa, Padre Noval, Tomas Earnshaw (Bustillos),
Legarda, Gastambide,
Recto Avenue
Claro M. Recto Avenue, more popularly known as simply Recto, is the principal commercial thoroughfare in north-central Manila, Philippines. It spans six districts just north of the Pasig River in what is generally considered Manila's old downt ...
, Lerma, Nicanor Reyes (Morayta),
Lacson Avenue and
España Boulevard. The elevated
NLEX Connector also cuts through Sampaloc with two exits in the district at España and Magsaysay.
Notable people
*
Juan Abad
*
Mon Confiado
*
Pilita Corrales
*
Tirso Cruz III
*
Lexi Gonzales
*
Mon Gualvez
*
Angeline Quinto
*
Mikee Quintos
*
Tuesday Vargas
*
Sam Verzosa
*
Mitoy Yonting
See also
*
Hugh Wilson Hall
*
University Belt
References
{{Metro Manila populated places
Districts of Manila