The Pasig River winds generally northwestward for some from
Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the Philippines, to
Manila Bay, in the southern part of the island of
Luzon. From the lake, the river runs between
Taguig and
Taytay, Rizal, before entering
Pasig. This portion of the Pasig River, to the confluence with the
Marikina River tributary, is known as the Napindan River or Napindan Channel. From there, the Pasig forms flows through
Pasig until its confluence with the
Taguig River. From here, it forms the border between
Mandaluyong to the north and
Makati to the south. The river then sharply turns northeast, where it becomes the border between Mandaluyong and
Manila before turning again westward, joining its other major tributary, the
San Juan River, and then following a sinuous path through the center of Manila before emptying into Manila Bay. The whole river and most portions of its tributaries lie entirely within
Metro Manila, the metropolitan region of the capital.
Isla de Convalecencia, the only island dividing the Pasig River, can be found in Manila and is where the
Hospicio de San Jose is located.
Tributaries and canals One major river that drains Laguna de Bay is the
Taguig River, which enters into Taguig before becoming the Pateros River; it is the border between the municipalities of
Pateros and Makati. The Pateros River then enters the
confluence where the Napindan Channel and
Marikina River meet. The
Marikina River is the larger of the two major tributaries of the Pasig River, and it flows southward from the mountains of
Rizal and cuts through the
Marikina Valley. The San Juan River drains the plateau on which
Quezon City stands; its major tributary is Diliman Creek. Within the city of Manila, various
esteros (canals) criss-cross through the city and connect with the
Tullahan River in the north and the
Parañaque River to the west.
Crossings A total of 20
bridges currently cross the Pasig. The first bridge from the source at
Laguna de Bay is the Napindan Bridge, followed by the Arsenio Jimenez Bridge to its west. Crossing the Napindan Channel in Pasig is the Bambang Bridge. It is followed by the Kaunlaran Bridge that connects barangays and Sumilang in Pasig. The next bridge downstream is the C.P. Garcia Bridge carrying
C-5 Road and connecting the cities of Makati and Pasig. It is followed by the
Sta. Monica–Lawton Bridge, the newest bridge opened in June 2021 that connects Lawton Avenue in Makati to Fairlane Street in Pineda, Pasig as part of the Bonifacio Global City–Ortigas Link Road project approved in 2015. The Guadalupe Bridge between Makati and Mandaluyong carries
Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, the major artery of Metro Manila, as well as the
MRT Line 3 from
Guadalupe station to
Boni station. The
Estrella–Pantaleon and
Makati–
Mandaluyong Bridges likewise connect the two cities downstream, with the latter forming the end of
Makati Avenue. The easternmost crossing in Manila is Lambingan Bridge in the district of
Santa Ana. It is then followed by the Tulay Pangarap Footbridge (Abante Bridge), the newest pedestrian bridge that connects the Punta area and Santa Ana proper. It is followed by the Abante Bridge (Tulay Pangarap Footbridge) in
Santa Ana,
Skyway Stage 3, and the Padre Zamora (Pandacan) Bridge connecting
Pandacan and
Santa Mesa districts, and carries the southern line of the
Philippine National Railways. The expressway bridge of Skyway Stage 3, serving as a connection road between the
North Luzon Expressway and the
South Luzon Expressway, is built near the mouth of the
San Juan River where most parts of it is built and another bridge parallel to Padre Zamora and PNR bridges will be built to merge with NLEX Connector in Santa Mesa; it will thus serve as a solution to heavy traffic along EDSA. The
Mabini Bridge (formerly Nagtahan Bridge) provides a crossing for Nagtahan Street, part of
C-2 Road.
Ayala Bridge carries Ayala Boulevard, and connects the
Isla de Convalecencia to both banks of the Pasig. Further downstream are the
Quezon Bridge from
Quiapo to
Ermita, the
Line 1 bridge from
Central Terminal station to
Carriedo station,
MacArthur Bridge from
Santa Cruz to Ermita, and the
Jones Bridge from
Binondo to Ermita. The last bridge near the mouth of the Pasig is the Roxas Bridge (also known as M. Lopez Bridge and formerly called Del Pan Bridge) from
San Nicolas to
Port Area and
Intramuros.
Landmarks The growth of Manila along the banks of the Pasig River has made it a focal point for development and historical events. The foremost landmark on the banks of the river is the walled district of
Intramuros, located near the mouth of the river on its southern bank. It was built by the Spanish colonial government in the 16th century. Further upstream is the
Hospicio de San Jose, an orphanage located on Pasig's sole island, the
Isla de Convalescencia. On the northern bank stands the
Quinta Market in Quiapo, Manila's central market, and
Malacañan Palace, the official residence of the
President of the Philippines. Also on the Pasig River's northern bank and within the Manila district of
Sta. Mesa is the main campus of the
Polytechnic University of the Philippines. In Makati, along the southern bank of Pasig, are
Circuit Makati (the former Santa Ana Race Track), the Poblacion sewage treatment plant and pumping station of
Manila Water, and the
Rockwell Center, a high-end office and commercial area. At the confluence of the Pasig and Marikina rivers is the Napindan Hydraulic Control Structure, which regulates the flow of water from the Napindan Channel.
Geographical landmarks operated by a Spanish company and was a type of vessel immortalized in
José Rizal's novels. It is shown here after its conversion into an American
gunboat. The modification of civilian vessels for war by fitting artillery pieces had previously been practiced by the Philippine and Spanish navies. The modern counterparts of the Pasig steamers are the
Pasig water buses. The third chapter of
Jose Rizal's novel
El filibusterismo mentions several stories surrounding certain geographical features along the Pasig River during the Spanish colonial era, such as the
Buwayang Bato, the
Malapad na Bato, and Doña Geromina's Cave. Doña Geromina's Cave, according to legend, was built by the
Archbishop of Manila as a sanctuary for his former lover. The cave is believed to be located in Barangay Pineda, Pasig under the Bagong Ilog Bridge, which carries
Circumferential Road 5 between Pasig and Taguig.
Malapad na Bato In what is now Barangay
West Rembo, Taguig, a cliff along the river is known as
Malapad-na-bato (), which was considered to be sacred to the early
Tagalog people as a home to
spirits. After the
Nuestra Señora de Gracia Church was completed in 1630, it eventually became a pilgrimage site for newly converted Christians, resulting in a decline in the importance of
Malapad-na-bató as a religious site. It was mentioned in
El Filibusterismo that the sacred character of the site disappeared as fears of the spirits living there had disappeared after the cliff was inhabited by
bandits.
Buwayang Bato The
Buwayang Bato () was a rock formation that allegedly resembled a large
crocodile. In
El Filibusterismo, the legend tells a story of a rich Chinese man who did not believe in Catholicism that boasted of not being afraid of crocodiles. One day, while trading on the river, the man was attacked by a large crocodile. It was said that after the Chinese man prayed to San Nicholas for mercy, the crocodile turned into stone. The rock formation is believed to have been located at the southeastern shore of Mandaluyong, in the namesake barangay of Buayang Bato. Other rock formations in the country that resemble crocodiles can be found near
Boracay, and
Santa Ana, Cagayan. == Geology ==