makati, Philippines

Brief History

The history of makati dates as far back as the time when Don Miguel Lopez de Legaspi first set foot on it and gave it its present name, as derived from the Tagalog phrase meaning "ebbing tide". Of course makati had been in existence even before that, but all we know about it is that it was then part of the territory ruled by a chieftain called Lakan Tagkan and his wife, Bouan, who were living in Namayan, now part of Sta. Ana, Manila.

In 1589, when a permanent seat in the city corporation was put up for sale at a public auction in accordance with the custom of the period, Captain Pedro de Brito, then aside to the Spanish Army of Staff and chief constable of the Audencia, purchased the property which included the territory now occupied by makati, for 1,400 pesos.

The House of Probation and its adjoining church were to be built on a hill called Buenavista, within the confines of a cattle ranch which the founders owned in a district called makati. the church was to be placed under the patronage of Saint Peter. (This condition probably accounts for the prefixing of San Pedro to the name "makati", which later on also came to be called "Sampiro").

Three centuries later in 1914, by Act No. 2390 of the Philippine Legislature, the name "San Pedro de makati" was changed to "makati" which has remained its official name today.