Revisiting Rizal –the province

When people hear the term “Province of Rizal,” chances are they do a hard think about where the Province of Rizal starts and where it ends. Most people think Tanay, Taytay, Teresa or Antipolo. Those are just parts of Rizal but this was not always the case.

Last Tuesday, I found myself on an unscheduled trip to the capitol of Rizal province, which is a sprawling government center in Antipolo – yes you got it right this time, Antipolo, Rizal.

We drove up the hills and zigzagged our way and I found myself declaring that soon, in a matter of a few years, Rizal province would be as urbanized, prosperous and modern as Batangas province. I don’t know why I said that, and depending on who is talking, I could be so right or could never have been so wrong.

My statement was not political but perhaps prophetic and expressing such great optimism about the economic future of the province. My friend Doc Lito chimed in that what would make a big difference is if there were bypass roads, MRTs, etc.

Many Filipinos have not visited or stayed extensively in Rizal province. We know of historical sights and tourist attractions but have no inkling of the length, width and breath of Rizal province and its natural resources.

Very few visitors venture beyond Antipolo City but all that seems to be changing, as places like Tanay has become popular among motorcycle adventurists and outdoor enthusiasts.

One thing that would help Rizal is an army of online bloggers, vloggers, etc. who continually feature hundreds of tourist destinations in the province.

During our meeting with former governor Nini Ynares, we got to talk about the history of Rizal province. If you are one of the millennials or city slickers who know only of the business centers and Metro Manila, here’s the quick lesson that “Gov. Nini” shared with our group about Rizal province.

Long before the Metro Manila Commission (MMC) in 1975 or the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in 1990 came into being, the province of Rizal included the following towns and cities:

Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasig (the former capital of Rizal), Marikina, San Juan, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Muntinlupa, Taguig, Pateros, Malabon, Navotas.

Antipolo (the present-day capital), Angono, Baras, Binangonan, Cainta, Cardona, Jala-jala, Morong, Pililla, Rodriguez (Montalban), San Mateo, Tanay, Taytay and Teresa.

The upper half of the list was effectively “sequestered” or “excised” from Rizal province during Martial law through Presidential Decree 824. The intention was to create a metropolis to promote the Philippines as a developing nation.

Others say that, the move was to create or copy New York City, eventually making Imelda Marcos governor of “Metro Manila.”

It was clear that the plan cherry picked and robbed Rizal province of the already developing or prosperous cities and towns and eventually driving the provincial center to the boondocks.

In case you didn’t know, the now popular Estancia Mall was where the Rizal provincial capital used to stand. That is also why our barangay is called Barrio Kapitolyo.

The area currently occupied by car buy&sell groups across the DepEd center used to be the Rizal provincial jail. What was once owned by Rizal province was turned over to Pasig City.

I know all of these because I attended high school at St. Martin Technical School that was originally intended to be called “The Reformatory School of the East” for dropouts and kickouts and we’re proud of it!

To this day, some confusion remains, such as with the Rizal Medical Center (RMC) which is on Pasig Blvd., Pasig City and is mistaken to be under the domain of Pasig City. The hospital’s lineage is with Rizal province and the DOH. In fact, RMC extends services, training and assistance to other LGUs.

RMC medical director Rica Lumague and former Gov. Nini work closely at serving major and serious medical requirements of all Rizal province residents, while Pasig City has its own hospitals and clinics.

Aside from the refresher course on the history of Rizal province, former Gov. Nini, who could be living the retired life, chooses to volunteer her time to help address medical concerns of the province, such as establishing medical centers and preparing for the future of Rizal.

I have watched Gov. Nini in action and her zeal and concern for the health of the people of Rizal is constantly evident. One of those concerns is the slow but increasing shift of people from the lower and middle class towards public hospitals.

This concern is because of the limited funds and resources of the province while lifestyle diseases have increased like kidney, heart and optical health problems.

Another daunting challenge is finding and keeping health professionals in so-called far-flung areas such as Tanay, Baras, etc. With all the land available to the provincial government, building hospitals and centers or satellite clinics is the least of their problems.

One solution now under serious consideration is the establishment of a medical school, dormitories, scholarships and financial assistance to qualified and deserving scholars.

Rizal province is consistently working out projects for cooperation with RMC, which include training of provincial health personnel, development of rotational visits of specialists and setting up clinics and similar facilities in semi-remote areas.

All this hard work and commitment to public health investment is just preparing the ground work for the bright economic future of Rizal province. God bless them!

*      *      *

E-mail: [email protected]