BGC’s Full Name Is Bonifacio Global City
The district covers 308 hectares in total — roughly nine times the size of Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay district (about 34 hectares). Stepping into this area, you may find yourself questioning whether you are really in the Philippines at all. The streets are neat and clean, the atmosphere strongly modern, and foreign faces pass you at nearly every corner. Compared with Makati, the traditional business district, BGC’s planning is noticeably clearer and more complete. According to information available online, BGC has been developed since 2003 by the government together with the Ayala Land group. Utility lines throughout the district run underground, the streetscape has been entirely replanned, and even Manila’s ubiquitous jeepneys are barred from entering. BGC has since grown into one of Manila’s most important districts.
Carefully Planned Streets
Walking along the roadside, you will notice that the road and street design feels almost like being on an American street. Despite being a business district, the greenery is abundant. Filipino friends have told us they particularly enjoy spending leisure time in this area, largely because of how modern and safe it feels — which is also why the British, South Korean and Singaporean embassies, among others, are based here. Beyond embassies, many multinational companies use BGC as their base; Facebook, and even the American retail giant Walmart’s first Southeast Asian store, both chose to set up here.
High Street: The Core of the BGC District
The entire BGC district is laid out in a circular pattern, with High Street at its center — a stretch of about 1.5 kilometers made up of a community park along with international-brand shops and restaurants, forming the district’s core, from which everything else radiates outward.
Zoning splits the district roughly in two: the northwest side is made up of Grade A office towers and five-star hotels forming the commercial area, while the southeast side is mainly high-end residential. The concentration of foreign residents has driven demand for international schools, including nine top international schools such as the British School Manila and the Japanese School. The area also has numerous shopping centers, including Ayala Malls Circuit (completed in 2022), High Street, Bonifacio High Street Central Square, Serendra, Market! Market!, The Fort Strip, One Parkade, Two Parkade, BGC Stopover Food Park, and Burgos Circle. Boutiques, cafes, restaurants, banks, pharmacies and specialty shops are all concentrated in this area.
Even with average temperatures around 30 degrees in the Philippines, winter-themed window displays are common in BGC’s shopfronts — a reflection of the diversity of its customer base.
%Araba, a coffee shop opened by coffee enthusiast Kenneth Shoji together with 2014 world latte art champion Junichi Yamaguchi and architect Masaki Kato, is worth a visit for its smooth milk foam.
The BGC night market, Mercato Centrale, welcomes more than 50,000 visitors a week, with over 150 vendors and more than 300 kinds of food to choose from. Despite the large crowds, the area stays very clean, and there is a wide range of local food to sample.
Also in the area is an American military memorial cemetery.
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