Rich history

The original Manila City Hall was destroyed in February 1945 and was rebuilt in 1946 during the American regime under the Philippine Rehabilitation Act of 1946.

In 1762, the city was captured and then occupied by Great Britain for two years during the Seven Years’ War. It remained the capital of the Philippines under the government of the provisional British governor, acting through the Archbishop of Manila and the Real Audiencia.

Spain ceded control of the of colonial rule to the United Stated in the Treaty of Paris in 1898 that ended the SpanishAmerican War.

During the American period, semblance of city planning using the architectural designs and master plans by Daniel Burnham was dramatized by structures in the city south of the Pasig River.

During World War II, much of Manila was destroyed but the city was rebuilt after the war. It was the second most destroyed city in the world after Warsaw, Poland, during | World War II.

On July 4, 1946, the Philippine Luneta (now Rizal Park) in Manila and reconstruction took place.

With Arsenio Lacson becoming the first elected mayor in 1952 ( all mayors were appointed prior to this), the City of Manila was revitalized and once again became the “Pearl of the Orient.”

After Lacson’s term in the 1950s, the city was led by Mayor Antonio Villegas during most of the 1960s and Mayor Ramon Bagatsing for almost the entire 1970s until the 1986 EDSA revolution, making him the longestserving mayor of Manila.

Mayors Lacson, Villegas and Bagatsing are most often collectively referred to as the “Big Three of Manila” for their long tenures as chief executive of City Hall (continuously for over three decades, from 1952 to 1986), but more important, for their contribution to the development and progress of the city.

During the Marcos era, the Manila Metropolitan Area ( now Metro Manila) was created as an independent entity in 1975, encompassing several cities and towns, being a separate localregional unit and the seat of government of the Philippines.

Still the capital of the Philippines today, Manila is the second largest city in the country classi to the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network.