Rizal (Province)
Also known as: Art Capital of the Philippines · The Pilgrimage Capital (Antipolo) · Cradle of Philippine Art (Angono)
Definition
Rizal is a Philippine province in the Calabarzon region (Region IV-A), named after national hero Dr. Jose Rizal. Its capital is Antipolo, a highly urbanized city that is the destination of the annual Antipolo pilgrimage. Bordering Metro Manila (west), Bulacan (north), Quezon Province (east), and Laguna de Bay (south), it has 13 municipalities and one city. A fast-urbanizing fringe of Greater Manila, it is promoted as the “Art Capital of the Philippines” and hosts the Angono-Binangonan Petroglyphs, the country’s oldest known rock art.
Identities
| Source | Identifier |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | Rizal (province) |
| Wikidata | Q13874 |
| DBpedia | Rizal |
Also Known As
- Art Capital of the Philippines
- The Pilgrimage Capital (Antipolo)
- Cradle of Philippine Art (Angono)
Examples and Analogies
Rizal is an artistic and resort hinterland of the capital, similar to how the Hudson Valley functions for New York. Angono is the institutional heart of Philippine visual art.
Usage Scenarios
It is referenced in art and cultural tourism (Pinto Art Museum, Blanco Family Museum, Angono arts festivals), pilgrimage and religious tourism, residential and industrial development as part of Greater Manila, and upland ecotourism.
Strategies
Provincial strategy centers on creative-economy development anchored by Angono’s art scene, religious and nature tourism in Antipolo and Tanay, light-manufacturing estates, improved transit (LRT-2 extension, road widening), and protecting the Marikina Watershed.
Security and Safety Measures
The province coordinates with NCR’s eastern police districts for crime and traffic. Disaster management focuses on Marikina River flooding (linked to the Valley Fault System) and landslide risk in upland Tanay and Rodriguez.
Historical Context
Created in 1901 by Philippine Commission Act No. 137, originally encompassing much of present-day Metro Manila east of the Pasig (including Makati, Taguig, and Pasig, the first capital). The 1975 creation of the National Capital Region removed its urban western towns. Antipolo became capital in 2009.
Challenges and Controversies
Rapid land conversion and uphill informal settlements, deforestation and quarrying in the Marikina Watershed (implicated in worsening Metro Manila floods in 2009 and 2024), the seismic risk of the West Valley Fault, and quarrying-permit disputes recur.