City Profile: Manila, Philippines

Abstract

Manila is a primate city with national and international significance. Unlike any other city in the Philippines, Manila has the mandate of serving not just its local constituents, but also a clientele of national and even global scale. Recognizing that the localization of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at sub-national levels is a key element in meeting the targets by 2030, it is important to look at how cities have been confronting local challenges relating to the development goals. Focusing on SDGs 3, 4 and 11, this city profile shows that Manila has performed reasonably well against key national and regional benchmarks on health, education and urban sustainability. However, as the city continues to lag behind many of its regional counterparts, key reforms must be undertaken in the areas of local policymaking, targeting of resources, scale of public participation and engagement of national government agencies. Heading into the first four years of the SDGs, the aim of this profile is to recognize and contextualize Manila’s existing urban conditions, best practices and pressing challenges—which would all have a significant implication on how Manila stands to attain SDGs 3, 4 and 11.

River Influx Drives Heavy Metal Pollution in Manila Bay, Philippines: An Insight from Multivariate Analyses

“…Since the pre-Hispanic times, the bay served both as local and international ports opening the Philippines to the world and allowing trade (Jacinto et al, 2006). When the United States unveiled the 1905 Plan of Manila, the Manila Bay served as a centerpiece for the development of postwar Manila with neoclassical public buildings arranged to face the broad boulevards of the bay (Gamboa et al, 2019;Hines, 1972). Apart from its scenic beauty, the Manila Bay area is also the oldest traditional fishing ground in the Philippines.…”