Taytay, officially the Municipality of Taytay (; ), is a municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines. According to the , it has a population of people. It is the 2nd most populous municipality in the country, after Rodriguez, Rizal. It is also known as the Garments and Woodcrafts Capital of the Philippines.
While economically, demographically and politically qualified, plans to convert it into a city was set aside, pending social and administrative reforms in the municipality.
According to the 2022 Commission on Audit (COA) Annual Financial Report, Taytay is the seventh richest municipality in the Philippines with a total asset of .Richest Philippine cities, municipalities, provinces in 2022: , 2023
In 2023, the National Competitiveness Council has named Taytay as the "2nd Most Competitive Municipality (1st & 2nd Class)".2023 Rankings of 1st to 2nd Class Municipalities: , 2023
Etymology Taytay is derived from , an archaic Tagalog word meaning "a small foot bridge made from bamboo or wooden poles".
History
Taytay was a settlement situated along the coastline of the eastern side of Laguna de Bay that formed part of the Kingdom of Namayan, also known as the Kingdom of "Sapa", which was ruled by Lakan Tagkan. The said territory is now known as the district of Santa Ana, Manila.
Upon the arrival of the Franciscan missionaries on July 2, 1578, in Manila, they proceeded to evangelize the inhabitants of Namayan and organized it into a pueblo and named it Visita Santa Ana de Sapa. It comprised the communities of Meycatmon, Calatongdongan, Dongos, Dibag, Pinacauasan, Yamagtogon, Meysapan (Pasay), Malate, Dilao (Paco), Pandacan, Quiapo, Sampaloc, San Miguel, San Juan del Monte, San Felipe Neri (Mandaluyong), San Pedro Macati, and Taytay. Thence, the district of Santa Ana de Sapa became the Franciscan's central mission station.
In 1579, Taytay was formally established as a town and Church in a symbiotic relation, i.e., it presupposes that one could not have existed without the other. A church was built out of light materials and called it "Visita de Santa Ana de Sapa". Taytay—now a larger village, a pueblo, a town—came into being, as a juridical entity as well as an actual territorial unit.
Saint John the Baptist has since been the patron of the town and the parish under the ministry of the Franciscans.
The ecclesial jurisdiction of Taytay, including the visita of Cainta, which was an annex of Taytay, were transferred to the newly arrived Jesuit missionaries in 1591. They served until 1768—for 177 years.
Fray Pedro Chirino, a distinguished historian, became the first Jesuit parish priest of Taytay. He celebrated his first Holy Mass as a missionary in the swampy resettlement area on March 25, 1591, the feast of the Annunciation.
Due to incessant flood, the town was relocated to a higher ground. The people followed suit after the church was rebuilt atop a hill. Taytay town was dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and christened "San Juan del Monte" [which means “Saint John of the Mountain”]. "San Juan" got the "del Monte" tag in reference to the hilly terrain of the new relocation site of the town.
Nevertheless, the townspeople continued to call their town Taytay, and Taytay it has remained to this day.
This is the same location where the present St John the Baptist Parish Church still stands.
Encomienda in Taytay Adelantado Miguel Lopez de Legazpi enforced the encomienda system into the Philippine Islands since his arrival in 1565. Taytay encomienda alone had 500 natives in 1582. There were about 400 households in Taytay, while only 100 households in Antipolo in 1591 [both encomiendas had already been granted to Juan Pacheco de Maldonado]; and in that same year, Taytay encomienda also listed 600 tributantes and inhabitants of 2,400 to 3,000.
The kinds of encomienda were those of the Royal Crown (encomienda de la real corona), and those of the private persons (encomienda de perticulares). In 1591, the encomienda of Taytay which was included in the vast district of Santa Ana de Sapa, belonged to the Royal Crown.
The lakeshore town of Taguig on the West was at the opposite side of Taytay on the East of Laguna de Bay. They were both encomiendas under the scope of Santa Ana de Sapa. They were separated by a narrow tip portion of Pasig town. Adjacent to Pasig was the area situated on the lakeshore of Barangay Santa Ana of Taytay. It was a tract of agricultural land considered as a "friar estate" which is still known today as "Lupang Arenda" which has now become a relocation and resettlement site.
“Arenda” is a lease of fixed assets or of prerogatives, such as land, or of special rights engaging in agriculture, mining, the collection of duties and taxes. “Arenda” rights are directly associated with the encomienda.
According to former Taytay Mayor Felix Sanvictores, who served from 1925 to 1931, "Lupang Arenda" was donated by Don Juan Valerio Gonzales and Don Cristobal Paramdam to the Municipio in 1740. Aside from their own farmlands, Taytay farmers were also benefiting from farming in the arenda as well as fishing in the wide rivers flowing down the lake and in the vast flooded farmlands near the lake during the rainy season.”
On February 23, 1853, a decree of the Superior Government created a new district composed of the towns of Taytay, Antipolo, Bosoboso, and Cainta from the Province of Tondo and the towns of Morong, Baras, Tanay, Pililla, Angono, Binangonan, Cardona, and Jalajala from the Province of La Laguna, with Morong as its capital town. It was later called Distrito Politico-Militar de Morong.
American occupation Taytay suffered heavy casualties during the Philippine–American War in 1899, with the church almost burned down and most of the town razed to the ground.
On June 11, 1901, Taytay became part of the newly created Province of Rizal by virtue of an Act No. 137 enacted by the First Philippine Commission. In 1903, Taytay was merged with the neighboring towns of Cainta and Angono by virtue of Act No. 942. That did not last long as Angono was separated to be merged with Binangonan later that year and Cainta became an independent town again in 1914.
During the Second World War, Taytay was occupied by Japanese forces in 1942. Local soldiers of the pre-war 42nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and 4th Constabulary Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary liberated and entered Taytay in 1945 to help the recognized guerrilla fighter units to defeat and attack the Japanese Imperial Army.
Philippine independence On November 7, 1975, by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 824, which created Metro Manila, Taytay was among the towns that remained within the province of Rizal.
Contemporary era The National Competitiveness Council named Taytay as the "2nd Most Competitive Municipality (1st & 2nd Class) since 2016 until 2017",The Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index 2016: , 2016The Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index 2017: , 2017 up from 10th place in 2014The Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index:,2014 and 3rd place in 2015.The Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index 2015: , 2015 In The Year 2018, The Municipality of Taytay jumped from "2nd Most Competitive Municipality" to "1st Most Competitive Municipality (1st & 2nd Class)
Geography
Taytay is situated in Rizal province's western portion, bounded by the grids 14° 34’ 24" north latitude and 121° 07’ 48" east longitude. Conurbanated with Metro Manila, it shares boundaries with Cainta in the Northwest, Antipolo in the North-north-east, Angono in the East-southeast and Taguig in the Southwest. The municipality is sited to East of Pasig and to the North of Laguna de Bay. It has an area of representing 3.3% of Rizal Province's land area.
The shape of Taytay is rectangular – trapezoidal with gently hilly rolling terrain on its eastern side while relatively flat on its south-western side, including the poblacion. The municipality's highest elevation ranges from which is situated along the inner north-eastern hills of Barangay Dolores, alongside the Antipolo Boundary. Its lowest points are from along the southern portion of Barangay San Juan and Muzon towards Laguna Lake.
From Laguna de Bay, the Pasig River runs between Taguig, and Taytay, Rizal, before entering Pasig.
The Manggahan Floodway lessens flood conditions in Metro Manila by carrying flood waters to Laguna de Bay, but contributes to flooding of the coastal areas of Taguig, Taytay, and other towns in Laguna and Rizal along the lake.
The municipality is principally drained by south-west trending rivers such as Taytay River, Panghulo River, and Napindan Channel, all of which empties into Laguna Lake. Taytay River flows across Barangays Dolores and San Isidro and joins Antipolo River (present course of Manggahan Floodway) as it passes through the southern end of Barangays Santa Ana and San Juan. Panghulo River snakes its way from upper Taytay across Barangay San Juan towards the southern portion of Barangay Muzon. Napindan Channel crosses the southern boundaries of Barangay Santa Ana and San Juan as it empties into Laguna Lake. Bangiad Creek, found at the south-eastern limits of the municipality, flows south-west ward across Barangay Muzon, extending toward Laguna Lake.
Location Taytay is away from Manila. It is accessible from various points from Metro Manila through the Ortigas Avenue Extension, Manila East Road, Taytay Diversion Road (segments of Radial Road 5 or R-5), Felix Avenue (formerly Imelda Avenue), Manggahan Floodway, and Sumulong Highway.
Barangays
Taytay is politically subdivided into five barangays, as indicated in the matrix below and the image herein. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
This political subdivision remains the same even though Taytay consistently ranks among the top municipalities throughout the country in terms of economic development and status and population density. Taytay conspicuously has the fewest barangays throughout the country. Today, there is a clamor from its citizens for the creation of more barangays for better coordination and management of its huge terrain and growing population.
San Juan is the largest and most populous barangay and is the center of the municipality and its local industries.
Barangay Population (2024) Barangay Captain Land Area (ha.) Dolores (Poblacion) Reinier Andrew "Inye" S. Pacleb Muzon Aniel "Bugloy" Cruz San Isidro Vivian Reyes-Yupangco San Juan Roseller "Rasel" Z. Valera Santa Ana Jean Lalaine "LengJoey" P. Calderon
Climate
Demographics
In the 2024 census, the population of Taytay was 397,111 people, with a density of .
Government
Local government
The municipality is governed by a municipal mayor designated as its local chief executive and by a municipal council as its legislative body in accordance with the Local Government Code. The mayor, vice mayor, and the councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being held every three years.
Elected officials List of government officials from June 30, 2025: Mayor: Allan Martine S. De Leon Vice Mayor: Jan Victor "JV" B. Cabitac Councilors: Joanne Marie "Joan" P. Calderon Rulf Marius "JV" G. Valera Ma. Elaine "Boknay" T. Leonardo Patrick John P. Alcantara Carizza "Cai" A. Cortez John Tobit E. Cruz Michell "Mitch" B. Bermundo Kristofer Charls "Kiko" S. Esguerra ABC President: Roseller "Rasel" Z. Valera SK President: Lucia Marie "Iya" D. Alcantara
List of local chief executives