Barangay Olympia, Makati City

INTRODUCTION

Barangay Olympia belongs to Makati City's first district, and is a member of the Northwest Cluster or Cluster 3 of Makati. The barangay is a residential area with a population of 21,270 recorded by the 2010 census, which is 4% of the total population of Makati City. On the other hand, the barangay’s land area is only 0.4565 square kilometers or 1.70% of the total land area of Makati. There are 47 residents per 1,000 square meters.

 

The Barangay came from 3 former Sitios: Proper, Obrero and Sampalukan and was later called HINYERO after a German Engineer who lived in the area, but it was changed to OLYMPIA after the tile and brick factory on the bank of Pasig River adjacent to the Lazzai Building.

 

The barangay also hosts the part of Makati Circuit, formerly known as the Philippine Racing Club (PRC) together with Brgy. Carmona.

 

 

HISTORY

This barrio was previously named HINYERO after a German engineer who lived here. The barrio was later called OLYMPIA after the tile and brick factory on the bank of Pasig River adjacent to the Lazzai Building. A resolution was passed in 1925 officially naming the barrio Olympia.

 

During the incumbency of Barangay Captain Vicente Martelino, the incorporation of Sitio Proper, Sitio Obrero and Sitio Sampalukan took effect. Many years ago, Sitio Sampalukan was part of 1,650 hectares hacienda that was merely a zacatales and very poor rice land.

 

SITIO OBRERO was named after hundredth of factory workers (locally called OBREROS) whose families settled just near the industrial site of tiles and brick factories and a big factory of laundry soap in a Lizzar Building owned by a German engineer.

 

SITIO PROPER, whose site was at the upper portion, has a Trambia Railway Station which serves as a means of transportation, to and from Manila. It was then called “PROPER” because of its strategic center of trade and commerce. On its site were also a back to back public cemetery and an English cemetery.

 

Spouses Enrique Zobel de Ayala and Consuelo Roxas, whose marriage in 1901 signaled a significant bearing on Makati's development in the years ahead, owned it. After the end of World War I, Ayala y Compania started dividing a portion of hacienda into low budgeted subdivisions. One of them was Olympia Subdivision, which included Sitio Sampalukan.

 

The name Sampalukan was influenced by the legendary story of two Sampaloc trees that sprouted in the area. As narrated by Mr. Paulino J. Vizcarra also known as Tata Kaling, in his childhood he saw in his vivid memories the trees that robustly and elegantly grew near the corner of today's JP Rizal and Pasong Tamo Streets. Among gatherings one of Tata Kaling's favorite recollection, is the miraculous medicinal effects of the leaves, twigs and fruits of the said Sampaloc trees in healing various illnesses of sick barrio folks. The trees during their lifetime had been the source of panacea to several people in their community. So when they were cut-off to give way for the construction of JP Rizal Street many people mourned their loss. But the same people wanted to remember the tremendous usefulness and abundance the trees brought them. In their honor, they punctuated their gratitude to them by naming their community as Sampalukan which name is being retained up to now.