Rizal, officially the Province of Rizal (), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Its capital is the city of Antipolo. It is about east of Manila. The province is named after José Rizal, one of the main national heroes of the Philippines. It is bordered by Metro Manila to the west, Bulacan to the north, Quezon to the east and Laguna to the southeast. The province also lies on the northern shores of Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the country. Rizal is a mountainous province perched on the western slopes of the southern portion of the Sierra Madre mountain range.
Antipolo serves as the provincial capital since 2020, having been an administrative center since 2009 with the capitol located in the city. Previously, Pasig served as the capital, a designation it retained even after becoming part of the National Capital Region in 1975.
The province is a part of Greater Manila Area. It is the 5th largest province in the Philippines in terms of population.
History
Early history Tagalog settlement arrived sometime in the pre-Spanish period. The provincial territory began with the organization of the Tondo and Laguna provinces during the Spanish administration. Some of the towns like Pasig, Parañaque, Taytay and Cainta were already thriving.
Spanish colonial era From the reports of the Encomiendas in 1582–1583, the Encomiendas of Moron (Morong) was under the jurisdiction of La Laguna and, the Encomiendas of Passi (Pasig), Taitay (Taytay) and Tagui (Taguig) belonged to the Province of Tondo. It was recorded that in 1591, the Encomiendas of Moron and Taitay were under the jurisdiction of the Franciscan Order in the Province of La Laguna; and the Encomiendas of Nabotas (Navotas), Tambobo (Malabon), Tondo, Parañaque (then La Huerta, Parañaque), Longalo (Don Galo, Parañaque), Tagui and Pasig were under the jurisdiction of the Augustinians in the Province of Tondo.
In 1853, a new political subdivision named Distrito Politico-Militar de los Montes de San Mateo () was formed. This consisted of the towns of Antipolo, Bosoboso, Cainta and Taytay from the Province of Tondo, and the towns of Morong, Baras, Tanay, Pililla, Angono, Binangonan and Jala-jala from the Province of La Laguna, with Morong as the capital. This district was changed to Distrito Politico-Militar de Morong four years later.
By virtue of Circular No. 83, dated September 2, 1859, the Province of Tondo became the Province of Manila. All its towns were placed under the administration, fiscal supervision and control of the Governor of the new province.
The town of Mariquina (Marikina) became the capital of the Province of Manila during the tenure of the revolutionary government of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. The Politico-Military District of Morong had for its capital the town of Antipolo from 1898 to 1899 and the town of Tanay from 1899 to 1900.
American colonial era Foundation
On February 6, the First Philippine Commission sought to establish civil government in the country through a provincial organization act after the Filipino-Spanish and Filipino-American conflicts.
Therefore, on June 5, 1901, a historic meeting was held at the Pasig Catholic Church for the organization of a civil government in the Province of Manila and District of Morong, with 221 delegates in attendance. The first Philippine Commission, headed by William Howard Taft and composed of Commissioners Luke E. Wright, Henry C. Ide, Bernard Moses and Dean C. Worcester, discussed with the Assembly the issue of whether or not to write the Province of Manila with the District of Morong, was not self-sufficient to operate as a separate province.
Although the delegates from Morong, Hilarion Raymundo, and José Tupas, objected to the proposal, Juan Sumulong of Antipolo strongly advocated the move. After much acrimonious debate and upon the suggestion of Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera the body agreed on the creation of a new province independent of the Province of Manila. The new province was aptly named after José Rizal, the country's national hero.
On June 11, 1901, the province of Rizal was officially and legally created by virtue of Act No. 137 by the First Philippine Commission which during the time was acting as the unicameral legislative body in the island of Luzon.
The new province was composed of 32 municipalities, 19 from the old Province of Manila (i.e. Cainta, Caloocan, Las Piñas, Malibay, Mariquina (Marikina), Montalban (Rodriguez), Muntinlupa, Navotas, Novaliches, Parañaque, Pasig, Pateros, Pineda (Pasay), San Felipe Neri (Mandaluyong), San Juan del Monte (San Juan), San Mateo, San Pedro Macati (Makati), Taguig, Tambobong (Malabon)); and 13 from the Politico-Military District of Morong (i.e. Angono, Antipolo, Baras, Binangonan, Bosoboso, Cardona, Jalajala, Morong, Pililla, Quisao, Tanay, Taytay and Teresa). The City of Manila from the old Province of Manila was treated as a separate entity. The seat of the provincial government was Pasig; however, for seven months in 1904, San Felipe Neri served as the provincial seat.
The number of municipalities changed with the municipal boundaries through time, mostly occurring within the provincial boundary. On October 12, 1903, the former municipalities of Bosoboso, Malibay, Novaliches and Quisao were absorbed by Antipolo, Pasay, Caloocan and Pililla, respectively, by virtue of Act No. 942. On November 25, 1903, Muntinlupa was ceded to the Province of La Laguna and became part of the municipality of Biñan, but was later returned to Rizal on March 22, 1905, and became part of Taguig until December 17, 1917.
On October 12, 1939, Quezon City was established, which included parts of Caloocan, and later on, Novaliches and parts of Marikina, Pasig and San Juan.
Japanese occupation Marking's and the Hunter's ROTC Guerrillas operated in Rizal throughout the war.
In 1942, Quezon City and the towns of Caloocan, Makati, Mandaluyong, Parañaque, Pasay, and San Juan were merged with Manila to form the City of Greater Manila, by virtue of Executive Order No. 400 signed by President Manuel L. Quezon as an emergency measure. The city was dissolved by President Sergio Osmeña in 1945, thus restoring the pre-war status of the merged cities and towns.
Philippine independence
Through Presidential Decree No. 824, Rizal was partitioned on November 7, 1975 to form Metropolitan Manila. The municipalities of Las Piñas, Parañaque, Muntinlupa, Taguig, Pateros, Makati, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Malabon, Navotas, Pasig and Marikina, and the three cities of Caloocan, Pasay and Quezon City were excised to form the new region, while the other 14 towns remained in Rizal.
President Ferdinand Marcos had issued Proclamation No. 1283 in June 1974 that declared thousands of hectares of the province's watershed reservation as a townsite reservation, and by April 1977, he established the "Lungsod Silangan" townsite with Proclamation No. 1637 that expanded the area coverage to more than 20,000 hectares. Intended to capture the spillover of industrial growth in Metro Manila, the Lungsod Silangan area covered portions of the municipalities of Antipolo, San Mateo, and Montalban along the Marikina–Infanta Highway, and was part of Imelda Marcos' "humanist" program for Metro Manila to serve as "the nucleus from which all humanist progress and development shall radiate towards the rest of the metropolis and the country."
Contemporary On June 17, 2008, Governor Casimiro Ynares III announced the transfer of the provincial capitol from Pasig to Antipolo. The new capitol building, constructed by Ortigas & Co., owner thereof, was completed by December of that year. Built on a lot near the Ynares Center, it was inaugurated on March 4, 2009, bringing back the Capitol Building inside the provincial territory from which it was absent for 34 years (when Pasig was incorporated into Metro Manila).
On June 19, 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11475 into law, which officially transferred the provincial capital of Rizal from Pasig to Antipolo. The law was published on June 22, 2020, and took effect on July 7, 2020. The publication of the law coincided with the 159th birth anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal.
Geography Rizal covers a total area of occupying the northern-central section of the Calabarzon in Luzon. The province is bordered on the north by Bulacan, east by Quezon, southeast by Laguna, south by Laguna de Bay, and west by Metro Manila.
Located east of Manila, commuters take approximately an hour to reach the provincial seat which is in Antipolo. Generally hilly and mountainous in terrain, most of the province's southern towns lie in the shores of Laguna de Bay, the country's largest inland body of water.
Talim Island, the largest island situated within Laguna de Bay, is under the jurisdiction of the province and shared by the municipalities of Binangonan and Cardona.
Climate
Administrative divisions Rizal comprises 13 municipalities and 1 city.
City municipality District Population Area Density Coordinates km2 /km2 Angono 1st 113,283 102,407 10 Antipolo † 2 LD 776,386 677,741 16 Baras 2nd 69,300 32,609 10 Binangonan 1st 282,474 249,872 40 Cainta 1st 322,128 311,845 7 Cardona 2nd 49,034 47,414 18 Jalajala 2nd 32,254 30,074 11 Morong 2nd 58,118 52,194 8 Pililla 2nd 64,812 59,527 9 Rodriguez 4th 369,222 280,904 11 San Mateo 3rd 252,527 205,255 15 Tanay 2nd 117,830 98,879 20 Taytay 1st 319,104 288,956 5 Teresa 2nd 57,755 47,163 9 Total 3,330,143 2,884,227 2,484,840 1,182.65 189
Demographics
Population
The population of Rizal in the 2024 census was 3,416,541 people, with a density of .
Languages Due to its location being in the heart of the Katagalugan, almost all of the residents of Rizal mainly speak Tagalog. English and Filipino are used as second languages respectively; Filipino is a version of Tagalog which is spoken by residents of Rizal in code switching & when speaking to Tagalog speakers of other dialects. Being bordered by Metro Manila (whose majority of its cities were once part of Rizal), a large number of people from farther provinces have migrated to the province, resulting in minor but significant usage of the Bicolano, Cebuano, various Cordilleran languages, Cuyunon, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Kapampangan, Karay-a, Pangasinan and Waray, as well as various Lumad (indigenous languages in Mindanao) languages, Iranun, Maranao, Maguindanaon and Tausug languages.
Religion
Catholicism Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion with about 80 percent adherence.
Iglesia Ni Cristo Iglesia Ni Cristo is a religious minority in Rizal, it has numerous chapels scattered around its municipalities. Subdivided in 2 Ecclesiastical Districts, its members comprises the 5% of the province's population.
Others Various Christian groups exist such as Members Church of God International (MCGI), Oneness Apostolic or Pentecostal like UPC, ALJC and ACJC, Iglesia Filipina Independiente, Born-again Christians, Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide, Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptist, Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints, El Shaddai (movement) Methodists, Presbyterians, Seventh-day Adventist and other Evangelical Christians. Muslims, Anitists, animists, and atheists are also present in the province.
Economy
Before the 1990s, the primary source of economy in Rizal province were the huge piggery estates owned by Manila-based families. In recent years, the province became one of the most progressive provinces in the country, owing to its proximity to Metro Manila, the economic center of the Philippines. Antipolo, Taytay and Cainta serve as the economic centers of the province, while Angono, Rodriguez, Morong, San Mateo, Tanay, Binangonan and Teresa are taking successful steps to urbanize areas within their jurisdiction. Other areas of the province are having difficulty to start the urbanization process, mainly because of the lack of main roads to connect these to economic centers.