Paranaque City is one of the highly urbanized cities in the National Capital Region. It has a total population of 585,971 in 2008, with a growth rate of 3.7% higher than the national growth rate of 2.6%. It has a land area of 46.57 sq. Km., the third largest in the NCR. It has two Congressional Districts, with 8 barangays each. It is a relatively flat land with 6 barangays situated along the coastline. It contains the biggest subdivision in the whole country and now one of the most competitive urban cities in the Philippines.
Hundreds of years ago, of the mouth of what is now the Parañaque River, there stood an imposing balite tree, with dark foliage and trunks gnarled by age. When viewed from afar from Manila Bay, it seemed like a boat sailing slowly and majestically, earning the Tagalog term “Palanyag”. This is actually a corruption of the term Palanyag which means point of migration. Before, may be the inhabitant of our town wanted to sound like the Spaniards. So, what they did to the world “paranale” was to add a vowel and the term “Parañaque” came about. The town was founded in 1572. It lay very proximate to the sea. Parañaquenos traded with the Chinese, Indonesians, Indians and Malays. Peoples’ sources of livelihood were salt making, planting rice, shoe making and weaving.
Today, Parañaque at the entry of the third millennium finds itself now a city with an income of more than a billion pesos a year. It is the first Metro City that welcomes visitors flying to the Philippines by way of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). From the City’s center. The Domestic Airport is only 12 minutes away, so is the Grand Air Terminal for Inter-island flight.
Agriculture built this City but commerce and industry propped-up the economy. Offices and factories replaced old Parañaque fields of grains, saltbeds and fishponds. Today, the City has licensed and contract manufacturer of well-known food products, motorcycles, car, trucks, home appliances, medicines, electronics components, semi-conductors and a host of others. And with its becoming a city, Parañaque has finally achieved its stature from a coastal town to a leading metropolis in the country. This history of Palanyag to Parañaque has finally reached a glorious spiritual, political and progressive city of duly-bound citizentry, service oriented and labor-friendly business community, trust conscious institution, civic minded organization and caring local government, helping each other, working together with the guidance and grace of GOD contributing to the nation’s growth and progress.
Palanyag, the original name of Parañaque, now one of the highly urbanized cities in Metro Manila and known for the famous Baclaran church. Parañaque is the largest area in the whole province of Rizal lies some 9.5 kms. South of Rizal Grandstand bounded on the northern end by Makati City and Pasay City in the northwest, Taguig in the eastern side, Muntinlupa in the southeast, Las Pinas on the southwest, and Manila Bay in the west. The City of Parañaque occupies an aggregate land area of 46.57 sq.km., the third largest in the National Capital Region (NCR). It is subdivided into sixteen (16) barangays with two (2) districts. District I composed of Barangay Baclaran, Tambo, Don Galo, Sto. Nino, La Huerta, San Dionisio, Vitalez and San Isidro while the second district II consists of Barangay BF Homes, San Antonio, Don Bosco, Sun Valley, Marcelo Green, Merville, Moonwalk, and San Martin De Porres.
The City is relatively flat and situated along the coastline areas of six barangays namely: Baclaran, Tambo, Don Galo, Sto. Nino, La Huerta and San Dionisio. The other barangays such as Moonwalk, Vitalez, San Isidro, BF Homes, Don Bosco, Marcelo Green, Merville, Sun Valley, San Antonio and San Martin De Porres have an elevation ranging from 10 to 35 above mean water level. The soil in Parañaque is classified under Guadalupe soil. It is a volcanic eject that produces a loam to clay texture that can hold more water. The soil contains more clay than silt. With regards to commercial area, Barangay Baclaran remains the central business district while the corridors of Ninoy Aquino and Dr. A. Santos Avenue are the sites of the fast-growing business and commercial activities. Likewise, it is emerging as the banking and financial rows. Business and commercial establishments have also sprouted and continue to proliferate inside Barangay BF Homes, along Dona Soledad Avenue in Better Living subdivision and within Multinational in Barangay Moonwalk.
Industries are concentrated along South Superhighway from the eastern side of Barangay Merville, Sun Valley, north and eastern portion of Marcelo Green and eastern side of San Martin De Porres. Residential area constitutes the largest portion of Parañaque and evenly distributed from Barangay Tambo and all throughout the other barangays of the City. Furthermore, the remaining largest portion of Parañaque which consists of marine ponds are located along Ninoy Aquino Avenue and from Barangay Don Galo to Barangay San Dionisio and scattered small portion of open spaces within the subdivision of Barangay Merville, Don Bosco, Marcelo Green, San Dionisio, San Isidro and BF Homes.