"The CITY of Lovers ;p" Top 5 Page for this destination Pasay City by nixca316

Pasay City Travel Guide: 175 reviews and 1,080 photos

From the Wikipedia - Pasay City
From the Wikipedia
The city's history according to me (& Wikipedia)

Pasay City was the smallest of the four cities (City of Manila, Quezon City, Caloocan City and Pasay City) of Metro Manila way back when. It was also called the National Capital region's "Sin City".

Why? It was filled with girly bars, gay bars and all kinds of other establishments that promote vices like xxxRated cineplexes, cheap motels and other fly by night "offices".

From Wikipedia:
There are many conjectures as to the origin of the name Pasay.

In one version, the name, came from the wail of a brokenhearted swain. Jose and Paz were in love with each other and were intent on a life together. But in those days their love was forbidden. Jose's father was one of many tenants of the hacienda of the father of Paz. Jose was ordered to stay away from Paz. Couldn't take the misery and misfortune, Paz died.

At her funeral the elite came to mourn and pray. Jose stood at a distance, and when everybody left, dug a tunnel into the earth to be with her. Once joined, he let out a sharp and anguished cry "Paz-ay!" In sorrow and regret, the parents of Paz named their hacienda Paz-ay. In time the whole town came to be called Pasay.

Historians have another explanation to the origin of name of the city. It is said that the Pasay was then thick with pasaw, a plant with an exotic aroma. It was said that a Spanish botanist, Antonio Pineda, frequented a place called Basal in the vicinity of San Rafael to gather pasaw.

Pasay may also have come from the name of an ethnic group called Pasai in Malaysia.

The most credible version is that Pasay was named after a princess of the Namayan Kingdom, Dayang-dayang Pasay. The Namayan kingdom is the confederation of barangays which began to peak in 1175. It stretches from Manila Bay to Laguna de Bay. Dayang-dayang Pasay inherited the lands now comprising the territories of Culi-culi, Pasay and Baclaran. The royal capital of the kingdom was built in Sapa, known today as Santa Ana.

The natives brought their products to the capital of Namayan. Trading flourished during the twelfth to the fourteenth centuries. Merchants from the China, Moluccas, Java, Borneo, Sumatra, India, Siam, and Cambodia came to trade with the natives.

Pasay's name may also have originated from the Spanish Paso hay meaning there is a pass. This referred to the paths cleared among the grass leading to the southern portions from Manila.

Pasay became a city on June 21, 1947 and was renamed Rizal City, after Jose Rizal, the country's national hero. In 1949, it was renamed back to Pasay.


What else? Oh, The Cultural Center of the Philippines, The Folk Arts Theater, The Philippine World Trade Center, The Senate, The GSIS and other government places can also be found here.

The Mall of Asia
Believe me, that's a giant Christmas tree! - Pasay City

Believe me, that's a giant Christmas tree!

On May 21, 2006, SM Mall of Asia was opened in Bay City (Reclamation area). It is the largest mall in the Philippines and 6th largest in the world! Even if it's barely a year old, it has been visited by multitudes of pilgrims ;p.

The mall (four buildings as one) comprises of the following: IMAX interactive theaters, Director's Club, SM Premiere Cinemas, lThe Center Stage Cinemas, ots and lots of boutiques, a HyperMarket, a Department Store, an olympic sized skating rink, dolphin shows (seasonal), bookstores, activity center(s), lots of parking lots, a good mix of food establishments for people of all walks of life, clinics etcetera, etcetera.

Besides the four interconnected buildings, there is still another building "in the making" near the Shrine of Jesus the Way, the Truth and the Life, that'll make it accessible for church goers to have lunch, watch a movie, or any other sort of thing they wanna do.

We've been here several times and we haven't tried everything yet.

(just wait for the tips and travelogues...) =D

(From Wikipedia again---just parts of it)

The SM Mall of Asia is the largest shopping mall in the Philippines and the 6th largest shopping mall in the world. In terms of gross floor size, it is next to the Golden Resources Mall and the South Dongguan Mall, both in China, and Central World and Seacon Square, both in Thailand and Runwal Arcade in Mumbai, India . It opened on May 21, 2006.

It is owned and operated by SM Prime Holdings, under the management of Henry Sy, a Chinese-Filipino business tycoon — regarded as one of the wealthiest men in Asia. (Forbes 2006 ranks him as the 14th richest person in southeast Asia, and "Henry Sy and family" as 74th richest person in the "Asia and Australia" region)

The Mall of Asia was constructed within the reclamation area, west of Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City, aptly nicknamed "Bay City". It is built on 19.5 hectares of reclaimed land and has a gross floor area of 386,224 square meters. The mall is located at the southmost tip of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue. A roundabout was constructed in the front of the mall with a huge bronze globe similar to Universal Studios. An esplanade was constructed at the back of the mall where it served as the observation center for the First World Pyro Olympics in December 2005.

The mall is very different from the other SM malls, as it does not follow the usual SM mall format. It is the second SM mall to cater to the upper and upper-middle class, the first being The Podium and the 7th high-end mall in Manila, after Ayala Center Makati, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Alabang Town Center, and Power Plant Mall. It has many foreign luxury stores, such as Zara, Marks and Spencer, Tag Heuer, Charriol, Calvin Klein and some other foreign brands. It also has high-end restaurants.

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport
Picture taken by a German tourist - Pasay City

Picture taken by a German tourist

Another thing about Pasay City is that it is the home of domestic and international airports, one of which is the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (formerly known as Manila International Airport...the name was changed to Ninoy Aquino International Airport when Corazon C. Aquino was president, but if you ask me, I just didn't like the idea at first, but coming to think of it, the airport is NOT REALLY in Manila, but in Metro Manila). There are many pension houses, hostels and other sleeping areas nearby.

Pros and Cons
  • Pros:Domestic and International Airports, Cultural Center, Theaters, Great Bargains and so much more
  • Cons:Traffic jam; a lot of places are still underdeveloped; sin city remnants
  • In a nutshell:For the arts, the artists, the epicures, the mechanics and everyone else
  • Intro Updated Jul 1, 2007
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Reviews (16)

Wagyu and other Japanese Delights - Pasay City Wagyu and other Japanese Delights Restaurants (8)

There are places I frequent and there are places I promise to get back to after trying other restaurants in the area... more travel advice

Buy stuff at the market first then dine there - Pasay City Buy stuff at the market first then dine... Restaurants (8)

The food here is delicious and the servers are nice, but before you go and eat here, please buy food at the market... more travel advice

- Pasay City One of the best buffets in Metro Manila Restaurants (8)

I love the feeling I have inside whenever I enter this place. Everyone seems to be having fun. Different personalities,... more travel advice

World Class Musicals etc. - Pasay City Resorts World Manila Things to Do (6)

I love this place! It has almost every kind of entertainment, well, maybe not giant Ferris Wheels and the like, there... more travel advice

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