Vitalez

Not to be confused with Vitales.

Vitalez, officially Barangay Vitalez, is an urban^[2] barangay located in the first district of Parañaque, Philippines. Located near Ninoy Aquino International Airport, it is the smallest barangay in the city. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,100. The barangay was created on April 3, 1978.

Vitalez
Barangay
Manila Airport Hotel
Seal
Map of Vitalez and the location of the barangay hall
Vitalez Vitalez's location within Metro Manila Show map of Metro Manila Vitalez Vitalez's location within Luzon Show map of Luzon Vitalez Vitalez's location within the Philippines Show map of Philippines
Coordinates: 14°30′29.68″N 121°0′21.42″E
Country	Philippines
Region	Metro Manila
City	Parañaque
District	District 1
Created	April 3, 1978
Government [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Barangay
• Barangay Captain	Alexander Alvarez
• Barangay Councilor	Daniel Abad Lambert Feliciano Misa Ralston Ado Canlas Divina Fajarillo Allan Gonzales Rommel Dauigoy
• Sangguniang Kabataan Chairperson	Jonika Angel Quilpio
Area
• Total	21.52 ha (53.18 acres)
Population  (2020)[2]
• Total	5,100
Time zone	UTC+08:00
ZIP Code	1700

Etymology

According to an October 2020 infographic by Marvin Lopez, shared by the Parañaque City Public Library, Vitalez was named after the Vitalez Compound, which the barangay encompasses.^[3] In the case Office of the City Mayor of Parañaque City, et al. v. Mario D. Ebio, et al. (G.R. No. 178411), it was claimed that a 406-square-meter (0.0406 ha) parcel of land in the compound was originally owned by Jose Vitalez.^[3][4]

History

The land where Vitalez is situated today was once part of Nichols Field, a United States military airfield located south of Manila. In 1957, the then-barrio of Tambo in Parañaque acquired that land, while majority of the airfield was transferred to Pasay,^[5] and became a sitio called Buli.^[6] Vitalez was created as an independent barangay on April 3, 1978, after then-President Ferdinand Marcos signed Presidential Decree No. 1327, detaching the Airlane Village, Baltao, Gat Mendoza, Jetlane Village, and Vitalez subdivisions from Tambo.^[7]

Geography

Vitalez is the smallest barangay in Parañaque,^[8] with its land area totaling 21.52 hectares (215,200 m²).^[9]: 23 The barangay is bordered to the west, north, and east by Barangays 196, 197, and 198 in Pasay, separated by Cut-Cut Creek, and to the south by Barangay Santo Niño in Parañaque.^[5]

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Population	±%
1980	3,293	—
1985*	—	—
1990	3,543	—
1995	3,424	−3.4%
2000	3,166	−7.5%
2007**	3,886	+22.7%
2010	4,518	+16.3%
2015	5,634	+24.7%
2020	5,100	−9.5%
* No census was held in 1985 due to a political and economic crisis ** Census was delayed from the original 2005 due to the reenacted budget that lasted until 2006 Source: National Census and Statistics Office (1980[10] and 1990[11] census), National Statistics Office (1995,[12] 2000,[13] 2007,[14] and 2010[15] census), and Philippine Statistics Authority (2015 and 2020 census)[2]

As of the 2020 Philippine census, there were 5,100 residents living in Vitalez.^[2]

Government

Since the 2023 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, the incumbent barangay captain (Filipino: kapitan ng barangay) of Vitalez is Alexander Alvarez.^[16] He is assisted by current elected barangay councilors (Filipino: barangay kagawad) Daniel Abad, Lambert Feliciano, Misa Ralston, Ado Canlas, Divina Fajarillo, Allan Gonzales, and Rommel Dauigoy.^[1] Jonika Angel Quilpio is the current chairperson of the Sangguniang Kabataan.^[1]

Education

One public elementary school can be found in Vitalez: Rogelio G. Gatchalian Elementary School. The school began operations in June 2002 as Vitalez Elementary School and was renamed in August 2003 in honor of the late namesake barangay captain.^[17] As of 2017^[update], the barangay has one day care center with one day care worker serving 92 children.^[9]: 218

Landmarks

The Manila Airport Hotel is situated at Airlane Village in Vitalez, within the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 complex.^[18] Cargohaus, a service provider of bonded warehouse and logistics, has a building inside the barangay.^[19] It houses offices for businesses such as the logistics companies Air21 and U-Freight.^[20]

Transportation

As of 2018^[update], Vitalez has a total road network of 3.3 kilometers.^{[9]: 214–215} Pedicabs are the most prevalent transportation used to ply around the barangay.^[21]