The only municipality in Metro Manila with the smallest land area as well as in resident population and the only first rated urban municipality. Even though that is the case, its popularity has become a mighty word to all walks of life in the Philippines and in the world for its famous industry of duck raising and the world renowned egg “Balut“. Balut …the exotic Philippine food that is hyped to be a potent aphrodisiac is from the Municipality of Pateros. Balut is a duck egg incubated for 17 to nineteen days. The egg is boiled and eaten with salt. Apart from being an aphrodisiac, balut is touted to be an excellent source of energy. Duck raising, balut and salted egg making are considered to be the prime source of livelihood of the people in Pateros. Duck raising was a thriving business in Pateros as the place is rich in kuhol, tulya, and susu which are the food sources of itik (Mallard ducks). This famous industry that has been handed down from generation to generation is considered to be a tourist attraction of the Municipality of Pateros. Pateros used to be an agricultural community. Presently however, fishing, manufacturing, quarrying, construction are the sources of income of the people. Additionally, it can be discerned that the Pateros economy is service based given that quite a big percentage of the population are employed. Pateros is also considered as the biggest manufacturer of alfombra slippers in the country.

In 1700, Pateros used to be a barrio of Pasig. Back then Pateros was known as barrio Aguho due to the numerous Aguho or shade trees the profusely grow along the banks of Pateros River. Embarcadero which means port was also a name given to Pateros during those times as this barrio with a small land area served as the hub of trade and commerce for Pasig and the neighboring municipalities. Moreover, Embarcadero served as a port of call for foreign traders like the Chinese, Malays, Indians and Swedish. Because of the brisk trade, Pateros is considered to be the most progressive barrio of Pasig. The Chinese traders eventually became settlers and they were the ones who introduced the balut industry and the manufacture of alfombra slippers to the people. It was during this period that the name of Barrio Agoho or Embarcadero was changed to Pateros as the name came from the word “pato” which means duck and “sapatero” which means shoemaker.

Balut making is considered to be the biggest tourist attraction of Pateros. This is the reason why this municipality is called the Balut Capital of the Philippines. Here are some facts to get things straightened out for this native delicacy.

• Only duck eggs can be made into Balut. More specifically, it is the egg laid by the local duck variety called the “pato”, sometimes more commonly referred to as “itik”. They should not be confused with the common white-colored duck, which we call “bibe”. The eggs laid by itiks can be distinguished by its hard shell. In the olden days, these ducks were raised in the Pateros River, where abundant shellfish were conducive for ducks to produce these hard-shelled eggs. But now the river is dead and the ducks are gone, thus Pateros imports the eggs it uses to produce balut from Laguna. Some towns have tried to imitate balut by using chicken eggs. Believe me, you will not like what you will see when you crack open those bogus baluts. So make sure the shell is hard enough before buying that balut.

• Fresh duck eggs are called “sariwa”, which literally means fresh. This can be boiled like ordinary chicken eggs and eaten with salt, or made into delicious omelets. The “sariwa” is also the base for another famous Pateros product – the red egg. The fresh duck eggs are immersed into a salty concoction for some time, then boiled and colored red to distinguish it from its more famous cousin. The best “maalat” or “itlog na pula”, as the red eggs are called by locals, are those that have yolks oozing with natural oil. Definitely yummy, especially with fresh tomatoes and rice, or as filling for hot pan-de-sal.

• Those that are selected to become balut are put into large drums made from bamboo strips filled with dried rice husks and kept in warehouses called “kamalig”. This is the native and completely organic version of an incubator used to keep the eggs warm. The counting of the days need to be precise, or else you may end up with embryos that are either too small or too large. Monitoring is done through “pagsisilaw” or putting the eggs against a small hole carved out of a wooden box with a high-wattage bulb inside working pretty much like an x-ray machine. The ideal incubation days would be between 16 to 17 days for a perfect “balut sa puti”.

• When an egg fails to fertilize during this period, it becomes another incarnation of the balut, the “penoy”. Remember, your friendly balut vendor always shout “balut! penoy! balut!” as immortalized in that catchy folk song. The Penoy is a Balut that failed to fertilize, and is boiled like an ordinary egg and can become either a “higupin”, meaning it is creamy and can be sucked from the shell – literally, or like an ordinary hard boiled egg but with the yolk and the white already mixed together – imagine scrambled egg but still inside the shell. There is also the “heko-heko”, which is a bit blackish and had a slight pungent smell. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

• As in any pregnancy – which is what balut is all about anyway, things can go wrong along the way. The fertilized egg can “die” before it reaches the ideal maturity date – a miscarriage if you may call it. The embryo stops developing and start to rot inside the shell. Ordinarily, these rotten eggs will be thrown away, or put into better use by being thrown towards the direction of rotten politicians. But in Pateros, there is a special name for this – the “abnoy”. It is a delicacy that requires an acquired taste. It is not for everyone, especially if you do not relish eating a rotten egg. But like the durian, its connoisseurs swear that it might smell rotten like hell, but it sure does taste like heaven. Just be careful in case you want to be adventurous with what you put in your mouth.

The Manggahan Shrine that separates Pasig City from the town of Pateros is the place where Marcos Lozada and Macario Almeda, two of the heroes that defend the town were killed. Every 29th of August, a program that commemorates the heroes is held in the Manggahan Shrine. The Dulong Bayan Monument, the same as the Manggahan Shrine, is a historical site that depicts the Filipinos bravery and resistance to Spanish colonizers. Guillermo Manalo and Eusebio Hermosa are only two of the brave Filipinos who defend the town. Another point of interest is the San Roque church that was built in 1815. Although the church interior is furnished with chandeliers and new pews, the exterior and the main church is a legacy of the past to the people of Pateros.