Pasig Foundation Day in the Philippines Date in the current year: July 2, 2024

Pasig is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines (Metro Manila) and the former capital of the province of Rizal. Its name derives from a Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word that means “sandy bank of a river” or “a river that flows into the sea”, a reference to the city’s location on the bank of the Pasig River.

Very little is known about the history of Pasig during the pre-colonial times, but it is believed that the area was home to a thriving community co-ruled by Rajah Lontok and his wife, Dayang Kalangitan, as part of the Kingdom of Tondo and Namayan. Its early dwellers included indigenous tribes and ethnic Han Chinese who had immigrated from Southern China during the Ming dynasty.

The city’s recorded history began on July 2, 1573, when the Augustinian missionaries arrived in the area and established the settlement they called Ciudad-Municipal de Pasig. They built a church that was originally consecrated to the Visitation of Our Lady, but was changed to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in 1587. Today, it is known as the Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Pasig, or simply the Pasig Cathedral. During the British occupation of Manila in 1762–1764, the British turned Pasig into their military headquarters.

The Spanish colonial authorities maintained control over Pasig until the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution in 1896 (except for the aforementioned two-year British occupation). On August 29, 1896, more than 2,000 Katipuneros and working-class Pasigueños attacked the governor’s office and the adjacent civil guard garrison, successfully overthrowing the Spanish authorities.

Following the defeat of the Philippines in the Philippine-American War, Pasig came under American control. In 1901, the Philippine Commission created the province of Rizal, and Pasig was designated as the provincial capital. In 1975, Pasig was incorporated into the newly established Metro Manila; it remained the capital of Rizal province without being part of it.

In 1994, President Fidel V. Ramos converted Pasig from a municipality into a highly urbanized city; its cityhood was ratified through a referendum that was held on January 21, 1996. In 2009, the seat of the provincial government was moved from Pasig into a new capitol building in Antipolo. However, Pasig remained the official capital of Rizal until 2020, when President Rodrigo Duterte designated Antipolo as the new capital.

Pasig Foundation Day has been celebrated every July 2 since 2004 to commemorate the founding of Pasig in 1572. It is a special non-working holiday marked by a thanksgiving Mass in the Pasig Cathedral, official ceremonies, an agricultural fair, civic parades, exhibitions, concerts, dance competitions and other cultural events, sporting events, and many other festive activities for the residents and guests of Pasig.