Magellan and his successors began by establishing themselves in the Visayas, in the centre of the archipelago, and from there moved gradually northward. When the Spanish captain Miguel de Legazpi arrived in 1571 at the site of Manila and decided to found a permanent settlement there. The site was occupied only by a small fishing village called May Nilad. May Nilad was a walled Muslim settlement ruled by Rajah Sulayman.

Concerned to maintain communications with Spain, Legazpi first built a harbour defended by a fortified post. Then, having been appointed by Philip II as first Governor-General of the Philippines, he selected Manila to be the capital of the Spanish Pacific possessions. In 1853 they formed an imposing fortified town known as Intramuros. The beauty of the old Spanish town with its narrow streets, churches and palaces enclosed within its walls earned Manila the title of Pearl of the East.

Down the centuries this system of fortifications suffered frequent attack by a variety of enemies first by the Chinese, who were concerned by this Western presence off their coasts (in 1574 Salcedo beat off a raid by a Chinese pirate named Limahong); then by the various European nations with whom Spain was at war during the 17th and 18th centuries, including the Dutch (1600, 1614, 1617), whose naval defeat in 1646 is still commemorated, and the British, who actually occupied Manila for two years (1762-1764) during the Seven Years War.

During the national rising against the Spaniards which became the War of Independence of 1898 it was the Filipinos themselves who laid siege to the Spanish forces entrenched within the walls of Manila. For the first time the international situation favoured the rebels; for a similar rising in Cuba had turned American's attention to the importance of the Spanish colonies and provided a pretext for the Spanish-American war. When Commodore Dewey's squadron entered Manila Bay without encountering any opposition from the battery of rebels on Corregidor and destroyed a Spanish flotilla at Cavite, the Spanish forces trapped in Manila found themselves in a desperate position, and Aguinaldo's rising came within an ace of success. But victory was snatched from his by the coup de théâtre of the Treaty of Paris (December 1898), under which Spain evacuated Cuba and ceded the Philippines to the United States. The Americans now took over from the Spaniards and dislodged the besieging forces, their erstwhile allies, from their trenches; and after violent fighting a new colonial period began for Manila. In 1901 the first American Governor-General, William H. Taft (later to be President), took up residence in his official headquarters, the Malacañang Palace.

In 1934 the Philippines were granted domestic self-government and promised independence in ten years; but before that period expired, the country, particularly the capital suffered the worst disaster in their history. The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, the American naval base in Hawaii, on 7 December 1941 marked the beginning of a bitterly fought war which soon spread to the whole Pacific area. The Japanese at once launched an attack on the Philippines and on Manila, the principal American naval and military base in the Far East. Not daring to force an entrance to the bay, they landed on Mindanao and Luzon, attacked Manila from the rear and occupied it on 2 January 1942. The American and Filipino forces trapped on the island of Corregidor and the peninsula of Bataan in Manila Bay were compelled to surrender on 6 May 1942. A government of collaborators was set up, and Manila learned to live under Japanese occupation.

Gen. MacArthur, ordered to withdraw just in time to escape the final disaster, vowed that he would return and was fulfilled after three years; after a naval victory in October 1944, American forces landed on Leyte, in the Visayas, and re-entered Manila on 4 February 1945, and in the following year the Malacañang Palace, which had seen succession of different occupants, became the residence of the first President of the Independent Republic of the Philippines.

After the American bombing of 1945, however, the city had been reduced to rubble, the most seriously devastated capital in the world after Warsaw and Berlin, alleged the Filipinos and the Pearl of the East seemed to have been destroyed for good. After its post-war rebuilding, however, Manila now presents a very different aspect.

In 1976, President Ferdinand Marcos issued a Presidential Decree 824, creating the Metropolitan Manila. The decree seceded the 12 municipalities and 3 cities of Rizal, the Municipality of Valenzuela in Bulacan, Quezon City and Manila. His wife, First Lady Imelda Marcos was appointed as a governor and the Metropolitan Manila Commission was created to administer the emerging metropolis.

Among the developments promoted by Sonora Imelda Marcos, as a governor of Greater Manila, were the Cultural Center, with houses for opera and ballet and halls for concerts and exhibitions which offer standards of performance perhaps unequalled in Asia; the Design Center; the Folk Arts Theater; and the International Congress Center, with luxury hotels for the accommodation of congress members. Architecturally and artistically all these buildings are undoubted successes. Along with them must be mentioned the Heart Center, a hospital which ranks as a great centre of medical technology.

In 1986, after the major reorganization of the government, President Corazon Aquinas issued Executive Order No. 392 and changed the structure of Metropolitan Manila Commission and renamed it as Metropolitan Manila Authority in which Manila mayors chose the chair of this agency.

In 1995, Metro Manila Authority was reorganized and became the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, through a Republic Act 7924 wherein the President appoints its chair.

Pasay
Continuing South along Roxas Boulevard from the Cultural Center is the City of Pasay. The city is adjacent to the City of Manila and is bounded to the south by Parañaque, to the northeast by Makati and Taguig and to the west by Manila Bay. The city proper has a total land area of 18.50 sq km in which the 9.5 sq km is being occupied by the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) complex, which includes the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and the Villamor Air Base.

The name is said to come from the Spanish "Paso hay" (there is a track), referring to a track which once ran through the dense vegetation then covering the shores of the bay and was used for transporting goods to and from the galleons at Cavite. Its line is now followed by Taft Avenue Extension.

Pasay became an independent municipality in 1863 and in the following year took the name of Pineda in honour of a local Spanish benefactor. On 4 August 1901, a resolution was passed petitioning that the original name of Pasay be returned. In 1947 achieved the status of a town into a city and be named as Rizal City, in honour of the country's national hero. It resumed the original name Pasay in 1949.

Since the City of Pasay has become a great centre for international congress and trade exhibitions and other hundreds of gatherings it is considered to be Metro Manila's "tourist belt". In order to house this multitude the city has great number of hotels including the three five star hotels, two are along Roxas Boulevard, the Heritage and the Hyatt Regency while the Westin Philippine Plaza is by the bay. Along the winking and knowing street of San Rafael, are a numerous motels, ranging from modestly respectable lodging.

Located near the old Manila International Airport and Philippine Village Hotel is a thirty-five hectare oasis of rustic tranquility known as Nayong Pilipino or Philippine Cultural Village. This village was established by Mrs. Marcos, with reconstructions of the various types of dwelling found in the Philippines. The replicas of six major regions in the archipelago can also be found, together with terraced rice-fields like those of northern Luzon, a miniature Mount Mayon and Spanish houses from Vigan. In each house is a display of craft goods from the particular region, which visitors can buy. Near the Mindanao village is a Museum run by Panamin (Presidential Assistance for National Minorities), with the dress, domestic articles and weapons of the native tribes, in particular the little Tasaday tribe discovered on Mindanao in 1971. A thorough tour of the Philippine Village takes 2 or 3 hours, but visitors pressed for time can get a general impression in an hour or so. Another feature of this village is the Philippine Museum of Ethnology, which showcases ethnological objects and artistic crafts which form part of the country's rich and diverse cultural heritage.

On an area of reclaimed land on the other side of Roxas Boulevard is the Cultural Center of the Philippines, a huge theatrical, musical and artistic complex conceived by the President's wife, Mrs. Imelda Marcos, and built in the 1970s by the design of Leandro Locsin. In front of it is a luminous fountain. This complex was build to provide a home for preservation, promotion and development of the Philippine art and culture.

The complex includes a concert hail with seating for 2000, a theatre, a library and a museum which includes the Arturo de Santos collection (archaeology, Asian ceramics) and the Badillo collection (ethnography and native arts). The open air Folk Theater, a 10,000 capacity theater used for popular performances which anticipates extensive number of audience. It was designed by Locsin and was built in two and a half months in 1974 by 2000 workmen working in shifts day and night.

Among other elements in the complex are a Design Center, the Philippine Center for International Trade and Exhibitions (Philcite), the Philippine Plaza Hotel (eleven floors, 700 rooms) and the Philippine International Convention Center. The Convention Center, which has a conference hall seating 6000 people and a banqueting hail seating 3500, was the scene of the 1976 meeting of the International Monetary Fund. On the third floor is a historical and economic exhibition. The Center is superbly decorated with marble and works by leading contemporary artists (Ocampo, Legazpi). Lastly, Coconut Palace, consisting of seven suites, each unit depicting a different region in its use of materials indigenous to its region.

Not to forget the largest shopping mall in the country, the SM Mall of Asia which is considered to be the 3rd largest shopping malls in the world. Situated within the reclamation area, west of Roxas Boulevard, and has a total floor area of 386,224 sq m. Its mall grounds consist of four buildings interconnected by walkways. One of the mall's unique features is a 20 seater tram traveling around the mall grounds to ferry shoppers around.

Parañaque
Parañaque is located approximately 8 km South of Manila, bounded by Pasay City in the north, on the southeast by Muntinlupa while Las Piñas is on the southwest, Taguig in the Northeast and the Manila Bay in the west. It has a total land area of 47.7 sq km.

The then town of Palanyag was founded in 1572. Since the place is near the sea, the Paraqueños did much trade with the Chinese, Indonesians, Indians and Malayans. In 1580, an Augustinian missionary, Fr. Diego de Espinar established the mission house in the area, with its spiritual jurisdiction reaching up to Kawit, Cavite. Nuestra Señora del Buensuceso, the image of Palanyag's patroness was brought to St. Andrew Church in La Huetra in 1625.

During the 19th century Philippine revolution the city was one of the hottest battle zones due to the fact it was a practical gateway to Cavite, the bastion of the revolutionary Katipuneros. When the Americans took over, Parañaque became one of the first municipalities in Metro Manila. It was 15 February 1998 when the municipality was converted into a chartered and urbanized city.

Consider to be the most attended church in Asia is the Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help also known as Baclaran Church. Every Wednesday it is thronged with a large and colourful crowd of pilgrims. The first novena in Baclaran was celebrated on 23 June 1948. The church has a capacity of 2,000 person seated, and for another 9,000 standing.

Another nice place to see is the Baclaran Dry Goods Market also known as the bargain center throughout the world due to the amazing discounts shoppers enjoy. The center for duty-free shopping in the Philippines is also located in the heart of the city. It is one of the finest duty-free shopping center while its item prices are usually lower than those in its counterparts.

Las Piñas
Farther South on the Cavite and Tagaytay road, 15 km from the centre of Manila, is Las Piñas, the 10th city of Metro Manila. The main feature of interest is the St. Joseph Parish Church that has a unique bamboo organ, the only one of its kind in the world, built in 1816-24 by the local priest, Diego Cera. It stands 5.17 m high, weighs 3500 kg and has 1031 pipes; 902 are made of bamboo and the remaining pipes are made of metal. In 1882 a strong earthquake destroyed the church and water fell inside the organ case which made it unplayable for several years, the organ was carefully restored by Johanes Klais Orgelbau in West Germany in 1975. Frequent recitals are given in the church.

Muntinlupa
This is another city in the southernmost of Metro Manila, situated on the other road to the South, the South Luzon Expressway, which runs to the East of the road skirting the Laguna de Bay. Muntinlupa is renowned for its fruit, which is sold by the roadside. During the last decade, the city has undergone rapid development particularly in its Alabang district. The once pasture land in 1980s trasformed into a super city that houses new residential, business, industrial and commercial establishments. The largest malls in the country - Alabang Town Center, Festival Mall and Manuela Metropolis, are situated in the city. The national penitentiary is also situated here.

Makati
To the southeast of the metropolis is the city of Makati, a well established city which has grown up since 1950 to the East of the older town. The city is bounded on the north by the Pasig River, facing Mandaluyong City, on the northeast by Pasig City, on the southeast by the municipality of Pateros and Taguig City, on the northwest by the city of Manila and Pasay City on the southwest. Makati is a site chosen by a large Filipino holding company, the Ayala Corporation, for a large modern development to make good after the destructions of the war. This former area of waste land has been developed on a large scale particularly since 1960, with many banks, business houses and multinational companies establishing their offices here, followed from 1975 onwards by a number of large hotels, the Intercontinental, Mandarin, Manila Garden, Peninsula, etc. At the center of the city is the Central Business District in which the country's tallest skyscrapers are situated. Philippine Bank of Communication is the tallest building which reaches up 265 m. One of the most impressive sights in Metro Manila is the city's skyline. Also situated in the city are the some of the well-known residential estates, Forbes Park and Dasmariñas. Here, too, in villages surrounded by walls and protected by armed guards a reminder of the insecurity which prevailed at the time of the Huk insurrection are the residences of diplomats, businessmen and large landowners, set in beautiful gardens and with polo grounds and golf courses in close proximity.

On Makati Avenue, opposite Makati Commercial Center, is the Ayala Museum established in 1974. It contains scale models of old ships (the Manila galleon, Chinese junks, etc.), weapons, and material of ethnographical interest, old books, etc., together with 60 dioramas that reveal significant events in the history of the country and the fine arts collections spanning from prehistory to the present, which features some of the work of great Filipino artists. Beyond the Museum is the Ayala Aviary, with beautiful orchids and tropical birds in natural settings.

Nearby is a large shopping district, the Ayala Center, located at the corner of Ayala Avenue and EDSA in Makati's central business district. It offers recreation, shopping galore, dining and entertainment.

A short drive east along MacKinley Avenue to Fort Bonifacio is the American Cemetery and Memorial, stands as a solemn reminder of heroism of American soldiers during the World War II. Laid out by Gardner A. Dailey in 1948, this cemetery contains the graves of 17,000 American and Allied servicemen. In the centre is the circular Memorial, with a tower 20 m high decorated with carving by Boris Lovet-Lovski. In the base is a chapel with mosaics by the same artist.

Adjacent to the American Cemetery is the Philippine Military Cemetery or the Libingan ng Mga Bayani, with the tomb of the Unknown Soldier and its eternal flame as well as the headstones of Filipino statesmen.

There are great number of art galleries within the city among them are; the Luz Gallery along Ayala Avenue, features interesting art works by Filipino artists; and Osmundo Gallery in Dusit Hotel Nikko, showcases antiques furniture, Philippine saints and folk art, excavated Philippine pottery and others.

Farther on, just before Guadalupe Bridge, is the Guadalupe ruin or the church of Nuestra Seora de Gracia. The church, dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe, much venerated in Spain and Mexico, was founded by Augustinians in 1601. The wonder-working statue of the Virgin was saved from profanation during the British occupation in 1762 by an Irish Roman Catholic soldier who concealed it from the plunderers. The church was damaged by an earthquake in 1880 and subsequently repaired, but suffered severe damage in an American bombardment in 1899, directed against Filipino forces who had established themselves in the church. It was later rebuilt, along with a new convent and seminary.

Located at Barangay Poblacion is a church with architecture typical of colonial mission churches of rectangular single-nave plan composed of the nave, apse and sacristy. The Saint Peter and Paul Church was built in 1620.

Quezon City
Quezon City, to the Northeast of Manila, has a population of more than 2.4 million. It is the largest city of Manila with approximately 1160 sq km. Founded by President Manuel L. Quezon in 1939 to house low-income families; it was built on land purchased from the Tuason family. Development was interrupted by the war but was resumed after 1945. Quezon City is named after a former President of the Republic who put through a law making it the new capital of the Philippines. It is well laid out, with beautiful avenues radiating in star-shaped patterns, and contains a number of government departments as well as the University of the Philippines, a huge campus on the American model which was founded in 1908; but it has failed to dethrone Manila, which recovered its historic status as capital under a law passed in 1976 by a Presidential Decree No. 940.

Here we can find some interesting places such as: The 14-storey City Hall is an imposing structure, located along the Circle. Surrounding the city hall are spacious parks and open areas; The Quezon Memorial, in the middle of a roundabout, is a prominent landmark, consisting of three pillars 30 m high; and the Araneta Coliseum, a large stadium which towers 220 feet and has a seating capacity of 32,000. The world heavyweight championship fight between Mohammed Ali and Joe Frazier took place here in October 1975.

Other features of Quezon City are the Philippine Heart Center for Asia, one of the world's leading cardiological research centres; the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, the white-domed and egg-shaped structure, considered to be as one of the most advance atomic research centers in Asia; the Pangkat Kawayan (Singing Bamboos), an orchestra of young people between the ages of 8 and 18 who play bamboo pipes and other instruments; and along East Avenue is the interesting Museum of Philippine Life (Museo ng Buhay Pilipino), it houses furniture, woodwork, carved articles, etc. of yesteryears.

Caloocan City
Lying Northwest of Manila City centre, beyond Tondo, Caloocan City has a population of 1,177,604 as of 2000 and is growing rapidly. Its industries include textiles, foodstuffs, engineering and craft industry. The original village was founded by Augustinians in 1762 and became a municipality in 1815. It suffered severe damage during the war, situated as it was on the route by which the Japanese entered Manila in 1942 and the Americans in 1945.

The city's main landmark, Bonifacio Monument, is located at the intersection of Rizal Avenue and EDSA. It commemorates the most proletarian among the Filipino heroes, Andres Bonifacio. Immortalized by the great nationalist Guillermo Tolentino, the monument marks the first battle between the Katipuneros and Spanish soldiers that took place in the city on 3 August 1896.

Navotas and Malabon
Navotas is on the coast farther to the Northwest. The city occupies a narrow strip of land along the eastern shores of Manila Bay; it is the Fishing Capital of the Greater Manila, and home of local specialty, patis, a kind of fish sauce. The city of Malabon was an important literary center of revolutionary Filipinos during the Spanish period. Today it has become a coastal city situated at the northern part of Metro Manila. Along with the city of Navotas, the city of Malabon is also an important commercial fishing port and known for its production of bagoong (fish paste) and for fish-preparation plants. Malabon zoo is the main attraction of the city. It is a well kept and unique conservatory of both endemic and exotic animals.

San Juan
San Juan is situated between Quezon City and Makati. Here began the revolutionary movements of 1896 (battle of Pinaglabanan, 30 August 1896) and the American-Philippine war (4 February 1899). Among the interesting places in San Juan are the Pinaglaban Shrine, which marks the first battle of the Katipunan and the Greenhills Shopping Center, one of the famous bargain places, particularly for electronics.

Marikina
A city to the East of Greater Manila noted for the manufacture of shoes. Some of the interesting place to see here are; The Kapitan Moy Residence, a 200 year-old residence once occupied by Don Laureano Guevara, who founded the shoe industry in 1887; and Shoe Museum, showcasing the shoes of celebrities, including a collection belonging to former First Lady Imelda R. Marcos, shoes of former Presidents of the country and their ladies.

Mandaluyong
The city of Mandaluyong bordered on the west by the Manila City, to the north by San Juan City, to the east by Quezon and Pasig City and Makati City on the south. It is one of the leading business and industrial centers of the country today. A popular landmark of Mandaluyong is the EDSA Shrine, located along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue or EDSA; the shrine serves as a monument to the Virgin Mary, the protector of those who participated in the People Power Revolution of 1986. Some other interesting sites in the city are the Tatlong Bayani Monument, a tribute to the three heroes of the Philippine Revolution of 1896: Laureano Gonzales, Vicente Leyva, both from Mandaluyong and Andres Bonifacio, founder of the Katipunan; William James Shaw Monument, he is the founder and first president of the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club; Liberation Marker (Liwasang Katubusan), a memorial to the silent heroes of Mandaluyong who fought to attain liberation from Japanese occupation during World War II.

Located also in Ortigas Center is the Shangri-La Plaza, comprising the EDSA Shangri-La Manila, St. Francis Towers and Shangri-La Plaza, adjacent to SM Megamall, one of the biggest shopping malls in the country.

Pasig City
The city of Pasig is located along the eastern border of Metro Manila. Along its western border is the eastern half of the Ortigas Center, one of the top business districts in the metropolis, characterized with is big skyscrapers, tall buildings, condominiums, and shopping malls. Some of the attractions of the city are the antique houses, buildings, churches and museums. The Immaculate Concepcion Church was founded 1574, rebuilt in the 18th century. Close by, is a girls school established by Augustinians in 1740. Bahay ng Tisa is one of the oldest houses in the country built in 1850.

Taguig
Taguig is situated at the northwestern shore of Laguna de Bay at the upper mouth of the Pasig River. It is also known as Napindan Channel, through which Laguna drains its flood. From a flourishing fishing community along the shores of Laguna de Bay, Taguig is now an important residential and industrial city of Manila. A great number of interesting places can be found in the city of Taguig, a few to mention are: Dambana ng Kawayan, a century old church with altar, wall sidings, ceiling and benches that are made of pure, native bamboo; Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Anne, built by Augustinian Friars in 1587, it is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines; Simborio (catacomb), lying at the center of Sta. Ana Catholic Cemetery, this structure was built during Spanish era, and has a diameter of 12 meters; the Parola, built in the 17th century, this secret rendezvous point of the Katipunan is located at the mouth of Napindan Channel where the Pasig River crosses with Laguna de Bay; and Fort Bonifacio Global City, a 440 Global City provides facilities for distribution of water and recycled wastewater within the city. It is a quiet residential paradise with areas destined for international educational tourism. It has community parks, botanical gardens, showcasing the country's flora and fauna. There are also classy shopping centers and restaurant galore for world class shopping.

Pateros
Boarded by the Pasig City to the north, Makati City to the west and Taguig City to the south, Pateros is the only municipality in Metro Manila. This small town is famous for its duck-raising industry and balut-making.