Parañaque Day in the Philippines Date in the current year: February 13, 2024

Parañaque is a city in Metropoitan Manila (the National Capital Region of the Philippines). It is one of 16 highly urbanized cities in Metro Manila, alongside the City of Manila, Caloocan, Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Pasay, Pasig, Quezon City, San Juan, Taguig, and Valenzuela.

The name Parañaque is believed to be a hispanicized form of the Tagalog name Palanyang of unknown origin. According to legend, the name Palanyang derives from the word palayag, which means “point of navigation”. It was originally given to a majestic banyan tree growing at the mouth of the river that is now known as the Parañaque River. A popular folk etymology connects the name to the phrase “¡Para aquí!” (“Stop here!”) that was supposedly uttered by a Spanish soldier to a local coachman.

The settlement that would become Parañaque was founded around 1572, but its recorded history began on June 11, 1580, when Fray Diego de Espiñar of the Order of Saint Augustine became the town’s first minister, and the Order officially recognized Parañaque as an independent pueblo (settlement). The town was an important trade center due to its proximity to the sea.

During the British occupation of Manila in 1762–1764, the Parañaqueños remained loyal to the Spaniards. However, their loyalty began to wane during the Philippine Revolution of 1896–1898. Parañaque was of strategic importance for both the revolutionaries and the Spanish government: the revolutionaries saw it as their gateway to Manila, and for the Spanish, it was a gateway to the port of Cavite. Most townspeople supported the revolution, and some of them even became important revolutionary leaders.

During the American colonial period, Parañaque was incorporated into the newly established Rizal Province in 1901. In 1903, the nearby municipality of Las Piñas was temporarily merged with Parañaque, with the latter becoming the seat of the municipal government, but the two municipalities were separated in 1907.

During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, Parañaque was merged with Manila, Quezon City, Caloocan, Makati, Mandalyuong, Pasay, and San Juan to form the City of Greater Manila in 1942. The City of Greater Manila was dissolved in 1945, and Parañaque once again became an independent municipality in Rizal Province.

In 1975, President Ferdinand Marcos established Metropolitan Manila, and Parañaque was one of the municipalities included in the new metropolis. On February 13, 1998, Parañaque was converted from a municipality to a city; it was officially chartered and recognized as a highly urbanized city by a presidential decree.

Parañaque Day is a locally observed holiday, which means it is recognized as a holiday only in the city of Parañaque and is not celebrated in the rest of the country.