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PROVINCIAL PROFILE OF RIZAL
FAST FACTS
Click Here to View The List Of Towns.
LOCATION
Rizal lies immediately east of Metro Manila. It is bounded on the north by Bulacan, on the east by Laguna and Quezon, and on the south by Laguan de Bay. It has no existing provincial capital but the seat of its government is in Pasig, which currently forms part of Metro Manila.
THE LAND
The terrain is mostly low and flat in the western part, and rolling hills and a few rugged ridges on the eastern part. At the foot of these elevations, which form part of the Sierra Madre mountain range, are the Marikina Valley and Teresa Valley. The Pasig and Marikina Rivers, both emptying into the Manila Bay, drain Laguna de Bay and the Marikina Valley, respectively, Montalban Dam is a chief source of water for the Grater Manila area. The mountainous portion of the province has evenly distributed rainfall throughout the year. The lakeshore are has two seasons: wet from June to October and dry the rest of the year.
A BRIEF HISTORY
After the fall of Manila in 1571, Captain Juan de Salcedo proceeded along the Pasig River and overran Cainta and Taytay, already thriving settlements. Soon, the Spaniards founded one town after another which eventually formed the military district of Morong. In 1898, Antipolo became the capital of Morong; in 1899, this was transferred to Tanay.
On June 11, 1901, the first Philippine Commission passed Act No. 310 which united parts of the old province of Manila and the district of Morong to form a new province named after Jose P. Rizal, the country's national hero - although he was from Laguna. Rizal Province originally consisted of 26 municipalities - 14 from Manila and 12 from Morong. In 1975, the newly-created Metro Manila incorporated 12 towns of Rizal, including Pasig, the capital .
THE PEOPLE
The inhabitants are mostly Tagalogs. Some Dumagats, a Negrito sub-group, live in the mountains. An Igorot village can be found in Cainta. Many residents of this town are descendants of Indian soldiers who mutinied after the brief British occupation in 1762-64 and settled there, they are called Sepoy.
COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Rizal has a highly-industrialized economy. As of 1990, there were 187 industries in then municipalities. Production of garments is the top industry, followed by trading and service-oriented businesses. Compared with other provinces in the region, agriculture in Rizal is less intense. The major crops are rice and fruit trees, specifically, mango, citrus, coffee, cacao, and cashew. Eight towns lie along the northern coast of Laguna de Bay and depend on the lake for their livelihood, including tilapia- and duck-raising. Around 51,000 hectares of the lake belong to Rizal.
Information gathered from:
League of
Provinces
by:Roberto C. Arellano
This page last revised:August 04, 1999.
