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BGC was once a US Army base

Before the towers and the malls, this land was Fort William McKinley, an American military post, and then Fort Bonifacio, the headquarters of the Philippine Army. Here is how it became Bonifacio Global City, and what you can still see of its past.

Checked 27 October 2026

At a glance

1901–02
US Army postFort William McKinley, during the Philippine–American War
1949
Handed overTo the Philippine government, three years after independence
1957
Fort BonifacioPhilippine Army headquarters, renamed for Andrés Bonifacio
1995
A new cityFort Bonifacio Development Corporation is formed
2021–22
Taguig CityThe Supreme Court settles the boundary with Makati

Fort William McKinley

The United States Army set up a post here in 1901, during the Philippine–American War, and the US government acquired the land in 1902. It was named Fort William McKinley, after the American president who had taken the Philippines from Spain.

For the next four decades it was one of the main American bases in the country. It was the home of the Philippine Division of the US Army, which included the Philippine Scouts: Filipino soldiers who served in the US Army under American officers.

Philippine Scouts with a 37 mm antitank gun on a field at Fort McKinley
Philippine Scouts train with a 37 mm antitank gun at Fort McKinley, about 1941.Photo: US Army Center of Military History · Public domain
Survey map of the Fort McKinley military reservation
The 1909 US survey map of the reservation. Its lines were central to the later Makati–Taguig case.Photo: US Government, 1909 · Public domain
Portrait of President William McKinley seated at a desk
President William McKinley, 1900. The fort carried his name until 1957.Photo: Clinedinst / Library of Congress · Public domain

Sources: Wikipedia: Fort Bonifacio · Pacific Wrecks: Fort McKinley

Fort Bonifacio

In 1949, three years after the Philippines became independent, the United States turned the fort over to the Philippine government. A 1957 proclamation made it a military reservation and the permanent headquarters of the Philippine Army, and it was renamed Fort Bonifacio, after Andrés Bonifacio, who led the 1896 revolution against Spain.

The Army is still a neighbor. Its headquarters sits right next to BGC, and the name lives on in the district, in Fort Bonifacio barangay, and in what many locals still call the area: "the Fort."

Portrait photograph of Andrés Bonifacio
The only surviving photograph of Andrés Bonifacio, 1896. The fort took his name in 1957.Photo: Chofre y Cia · Public domain
The Heroes Gate monument at Philippine Army headquarters
Heroes Gate at Philippine Army headquarters, BGC's neighbor.Photo: Judgefloro, 2014 · Public domain

Sources: Wikipedia: Fort Bonifacio · Wikipedia: Fort Bonifacio (barangay)

From base to city

In 1992, Republic Act 7227 created the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), whose job is to turn former military land into civilian use and help fund the armed forces. Under President Fidel Ramos, about 240 hectares of Fort Bonifacio were placed under the BCDA.

In 1995 the BCDA and a group led by Metro Pacific formed the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation (FBDC) to build a new city on about 150 hectares. The private group paid ₱30.4 billion for 55% of it, and the BCDA kept 45%. The plan was a city for 250,000 residents and 500,000 daily workers and visitors.

The 1997 Asian financial crisis slowed everything down. In 2003, Ayala Land and the Campos family's Evergreen Holdings bought Metro Pacific's controlling stake. Today the BCDA, Ayala Land and Evergreen together run FBDC, which still master-plans BGC.

That history explains a lot about BGC today. It was planned from scratch on open land with a single owner, which is why it has a grid of numbered streets, wide sidewalks, underground utilities and parks, unlike most of Metro Manila.

Sources: Wikipedia: Bonifacio Global City · Philstar: Ayala–Campos group

Makati or Taguig?

For decades, Makati and Taguig both claimed Fort Bonifacio. The Supreme Court decided the case for Taguig on 1 December 2021, and the ruling became final when Makati's appeal was denied on 28 September 2022. It covers BGC and the ten "EMBO" barangays nearby (among them Cembo, Comembo, Pembo, East Rembo and West Rembo), which Makati had run since the 1970s.

What it means for you: BGC is in Taguig City. Use Taguig for your address, business permits and local government offices, even if older documents or listings say Makati.

Sources: Philstar: it's final, Taguig has jurisdiction over BGC · Wikipedia: Makati–Taguig boundary dispute

History you can visit

Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. On the old Fort McKinley grounds, a short drive from High Street. It was dedicated on 8 December 1960 and holds more than 16,000 graves, the most of any cemetery for American service members killed in World War II. The curving walls at its center list the names of over 36,000 missing. It is open to the public; check the American Battle Monuments Commission's site for hours before you go.

Rows of white crosses at Manila American Cemetery with BGC towers in the distance
More than 16,000 graves at Manila American Cemetery, with BGC towers behind.Photo: ABMC/Aperture, 2018 · CC0
Stone walls engraved with names at the Manila American Cemetery memorial
The Tablets of the Missing list more than 36,000 names.Photo: Dan Lundberg, 2018 · CC BY-SA 2.0

Sources: American Battle Monuments Commission: Manila · Wikipedia: Manila American Cemetery