Caloocan City

Also known as: Caloocan, Lungsod ng Caloocan

By , Founder & CEO, Zentarai Labs · Updated June 14, 2026

Caloocan City is a highly urbanized city in Metro Manila (NCR), National Capital Region (NCR). Population 1.66M (PSA 2020 census), 188 barangays, land area 53.34 km².

Population (2020 PSA)1,661,584
Land area53.34 km²
Barangays188
LGU classHighly Urbanized City
Income classSpecial
Annual budget (2024)₱11.8B

Urban planning context

Caloocan is geographically split — North Caloocan (the upland portion bordering Bulacan and Quezon City) and South Caloocan (the original urban core flanking Manila Bay). The CLUP must reconcile rapid informal settlement growth in North Caloocan along the LRT-1 extension corridor with flood-vulnerable older neighborhoods in the south, including Dagat-Dagatan reclaimed area. The MRT-7 and LRT-1 north-extension projects pass through the city and will reshape land values around Sangandaan, Camarin, and Bagumbong — the CLUP must align with TOD (transit-oriented development) principles or risk locking in low-density patterns at premium-transit stations. Coastal subsidence in the southern barangays adds disaster risk; the West Valley Fault clips the eastern edge.

Key industries: Light manufacturing, Wholesale + retail, Transportation + warehousing, Construction

North Caloocan is undergoing rapid transformation driven by the MRT-7 rail project, which will connect the area to Bulacan and central Metro Manila, reshaping land values around stations at Sangandaan, Tala, and Camarin. Meanwhile, the Grotto de Lourdes — a replica of the French pilgrimage site built in the 1950s — remains one of the city's few heritage landmarks, sitting in contrast to the socialized housing developments that define much of North Caloocan's built environment. According to DILG assessments, Caloocan faces one of the most acute socialized housing challenges in NCR, with informal settlement density that complicates every zoning decision the planning office makes.

Caloocan's geographic split between its northern and southern halves creates a planning dynamic unlike any other NCR city — officials need tools that can handle two distinct urban fabrics under a single CLUP. The LGU directory includes neighboring cities like Quezon City and Manila for cross-jurisdictional benchmarking. Caloocan planning officials can explore the pilot program to see how transit-oriented development overlays integrate with Nova Gov's compliance tracking.

CLUP & SGLG status

CLUP compliance (RA 7160 Secs. 20 & 447/458, EO 72 s.1993, DHSUD CLUP guidelines under RA 11201): CLUP last approved 2017; revision underway aligned with the RA 7160 / EO 72 / DHSUD CLUP mandate
Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG, RA 11292): SGLG passer (2024, per DILG) — note: CY2025 assessment deferred (DILG MC 2025-032), criteria being reprogrammed.

More on the regulatory framework: CLUP compliance (RA 7160 / EO 72 / DHSUD) · SGLG explainer (RA 11292) · full glossary.

How Nova Gov fits Caloocan City

Caloocan's 188 barangays — second-most among NCR cities — make citizen-report routing especially burdensome. Nova Gov's automated SLA escalation across 188 barangays + 30+ city departments addresses the operational pain documented in the city's 2023 service-improvement audit. The TOD-aligned CLUP overlay tooling fits the LRT-1 + MRT-7 corridor planning need.

See two Caloocans on one screen

North and South Caloocan are different cities under one CLUP — upland MRT-7 settlement growth in one, flood-prone Manila Bay neighbourhoods in the other. In a 30-minute walkthrough we'll show transit-oriented-development overlays running across both halves and all 188 barangays in a single compliance view.

See the two-Caloocan demo →