The economy of Rizal province is another thriving one in the country. Formally the Province of Rizal, it is a province in the Philippines, located in the Luzon province of Calabarzon. Antipolo is the capital city. It is located around 16 kilometers (9.9 miles) east of Manila. The province’s name was after José Rizal, the country’s national hero. And the following are the province’s boundaries: on the west by Metro Manila, on the north by Bulacan, on the east by Quezon, and on the southeast by Laguna. Additionally, the province is located on the northern banks of Laguna de Bay, the country’s biggest lake. Rizal is a mountainous province located on the western slopes of the Sierra Madre mountain range’s southern part.
This province is in the Greater Manila Area. At present, Rizal has 13 municipalities and 1 city.
Rizal Province History
During the Spanish era, the region that is now Rizal Province was part of Tondo Province and eventually became part of La Laguna Province. Morong, Pililla, Tanay, Baras, Binangonan, Jalajala, Angono, Antipolo, Boso-Boso, Cainta, and Taytay were split from Tondo in 1853 and formed the Distrito Politico-Militar de los Montes de San Mateo, which was renamed Distrito de Morong four years later.
On June 11, 1901, the First Philippine Commission established the province of Rizal by virtue of Act No. 137, with Pasig as the initial capital. It included municipalities that were previously part of Tondo and Morong provinces.
President Ferdinand Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 824 on November 7, 1975, designating Metro Manila as a special administrative area. This new area was formed by twelve former towns of Rizal province, including Pasig, leaving the province with only 14 towns. Pasig remained Rizal Province’s capital until 2009 when it was formally relocated to Antipolo City.
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Antipolo City, Rizal’s Capital City
Pasig used to be the capital of the province until 1975 when it was annexed by the newly formed National Capital Region. In 2009, the province completed its provincial capitol in Antipolo, making it the administrative hub. President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11475, designating Antipolo as Rizal’s capital, on June 19, 2020.
Antipolo serves as the provincial hub for commerce and exchange, tourism, government, and economic development.
Antipolo has been categorized as a First Class City in the Department of Finance’s 2008 local government revenue categorization. In 2007, the city reported a total income of 993.1 million, a 5.6 percent increase over the previous fiscal year; this figure increased to 1.56 billion in 2010. Due to its closeness to Metro Manila, the real estate sector has continued to develop, and by 2007, income from real property taxes had increased by 32.1 percent from 2006 to 146.2 million, while the city also has around 456 residential subdivisions.
Rizal Economy
During its 8th Regional Competitiveness (RC) Summit in December 2020, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recognized Rizal as the Most Competitive Province in the country for the fifth time.
Cities and municipalities are ranked according to the total of their ratings on the Four Pillars: Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure, and Resilience. Provincial rankings are based on a population and income weighted average of the overall scores of a province’s cities and municipalities.
Meanwhile, Cainta, Rizal won first place for first and second-class municipalities under the Economic Dynamism criterion.
Prior to the 1990s, Rizal province’s major source of revenue was the vast piggery farms held by Manila-based families. Due to its closeness to Metro Manila, the Philippines’ economic capital, the province has become one of the most progressive in recent years. Antipolo, Taytay, and Cainta serve as the province’s economic hubs, while Angono, Rodriguez, Morong, San Mateo, Tanay, Binangonan, and Teresa have made significant strides in urbanizing regions under their authority.
While agriculture continues to be a significant part of the economy in several communities, there are other industries that support the economy of Rizal Province.
1. Tourism Industry – Rizal Toursist Spots
The Department of Tourism (DOT) expects tourist attractions in Rizal province to contribute to the revival of tourism in the new normal. According to the DOT, Rizal is the leading contributor to 2020 overnight tourism arrivals, accounting for 395,364 guests or 36% of the region’s total tourism arrivals. Meanwhile, the province has a record of 7,200,453 tourists, or 60% of the region’s total same-day tourism arrivals in 2020.
Rizal province is a great destination to visit because of its distinct attractions and daring activities. The following is a list of the top Rizal tourist spots to visit:
Hinulugang Taktak
Antipolo Rizal’s 21-meter waterfalls were formerly a popular weekend getaway. However, due to insufficient waste management and a lack of adequate sewage, Hinulugang Taktak was closed for restoration in the early 2010s and reopened to the public in 2015. Now that the park has been refurbished, it has new sporting facilities for adventurous visitors, including a spider web platform, hanging bridges, and a wall-climbing facility. While those looking for a more relaxed holiday may rent cottages for P500 per day and swim in the P50 swimming pool. Hinulugang Taktak is unquestionably one of the greatest locations to visit in Antipolo and a must-see after visiting San Mateo Rizal tourist attractions.
Pinto Art Museum
Without the Pinto Art Museum, your Antipolo trip guide would be incomplete. This museum is well-known for its several exhibits that are connected by doorways—hence the name. Antipolo Rizal Philippines, located about an hour from the metropolis, is an excellent location for a weekend road trip near Manila. When you visit Pinto Art Museum, the colonial Spanish building with Mediterranean influences will make you feel as if you’re still in the Philippines. Not only is the museum renowned for its Instagram-worthy interiors, but also for the artworks acquired by the museum’s owner, Dr. Joven Cuanang, since 1986.
Petroglyphs of Angono-Binangonan
A national cultural treasure, this is one of Rizal province’s greatest historical attractions. The site has been declared by the National Museum of the Philippines as a National Cultural Treasure in 1973. The late National Artist Carlos V. Francisco reported the existence of a rock shelter to the National Museum in March 1965 while on a field trip with other boy scouts in the province of Rizal’s limits of Angono, Binangonan, and Antipolo.
The Second Gallery
Angono, dubbed as the ‘Art Capital of the Philippines,’ is due to the fact that it is the only town in the country, despite its tiny size and population, to have produced and been the home to not only one National Artist but two: Carlos ‘Botong’ Francisco for painting and Prof. Lucio San Pedro for music.
Angono houses the Second Gallery, owned and operated by visual artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco II. It aims to serve as a focal point for young and emerging artists in Angono by offering a place for their exhibitions. Additionally, the exhibit acts as a magnet for visitors to learn about National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco’s house and personal mementos.
It was the late ancestral home of Botong Francisco until his descendants chose to restore it and turn it into a museum. It is presently under the maintenance of his grandson, Carlos “Totong” Francisco II, who is also an artist who showed great pieces of abstract expressionism. The Carlos “Botong” Francisco Museum is located in Brgy. Doa Aurora Itaas, Angono, Rizal.
Masungi Georeserve
Masungi Georeserve is a favorite weekend destination in Rizal Province. A guide leads you through, around the eco park, and through the cliffs to breathtaking, tree-filled views that make you forget you’re only a few hours from the city. A three- to four-hour trip across bridges, steep peaks, and another terrain will be supervised by a park ranger who will teach you more about the location. Walking across the famed sapot or huge web of Masungi Georeserve surrounded by limestones is an exciting Tanay or Baras, Rizal tourist attraction. This Baras Rizal tourism attraction is sure to delight. So here is the renowned Rizal spider web.
Daranak Falls
Daranak Falls is undoubtedly one of the greatest locations to see in Rizal! This 46-foot-high waterfall is ideal for a short plunge. Lush forests, flowering natural flora, and tumbling rivers, and a natural pool surround Daranak Falls. Weekends are too busy to see this Tanay tourist attraction. This Rizal tourism attraction is a must-see.
ATV Adventures Rizal
Mountain bikers and motorbike riders flock to Rizal, which is famous as an adventurer’s paradise. You may bike through woods, beside river paths, or explore picturesque places with overlooking views in the Sierra Madre mountain range east of Manila. Tour company ATV Adventures Rizal offers ATV tours. It offers two types of trips on 150cc ATVs/Quad Bikes through the forest and along riverbeds. You can easily maneuver an ATV, even if you have never ridden a motorbike or driven a motor vehicle before.
Tinipak River
This natural beauty is only a few hours away from Manila. Tinipak River, once a hidden treasure, is today one of Rizal’s most famous tourist destinations. Its blue seas and white marble rock formations and rock wall make it one of Rizal’s most Instagrammable spots. Tinipak River and Cave is a tiny cavern with an underwater river. Don’t miss this Rizal tourism destination to witness natural beauty.
Cloud 9 Antipolo
This spot offers a bird’s eye view of the city. It’s a favorite among young people, especially couples. Cloud 9 Antipolo is also ideal for a weekend vacation in Rizal. This Rizal tourism destination offers leisure activities with the entire city as a background. If you’re going to San Mateo Rizal, don’t miss Cloud 9.
Pililla Wind Farm
Windmills are not just exclusive in Bangui, Ilocos Norte but also in Rizal. Contrary to common perception, this wind farm is not a Tanay Rizal tourist attraction. It is in Pililla. You can already see the 27 wind turbines dotted throughout the slopes above Laguna Lake. Pililla Wind Farm provides clean electricity to nearby regions. Its stunning backdrop and fresh air are very appealing.
Mount Purro Nature Reserve
Mount Purro Nature Reserve is a family-run eco park located in the Sierra Madre Mountain Range’s foothills near Metro Manila. Traveling to this place is easy, yet it has a unique eco-friendly vibe. There’s a promotion of a Stewardship, Simplicity, and Sharing lifestyle. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of God, Nature, and Other People as real indicators of individual and collective progress. This project, in partnership with the MPNR Foundation, aims to restore the Upper Marikina Watershed and give back to the local populations, particularly the indigenous Dumagat people who live there.
Crescent Moon Café
If you want a taste of Rizal province, Crescent Moon Café offers unique products and services that aren’t available anywhere else. Their top picks a fried egg with salt and pepper Fresh curry leaves, for example, give their Salted Egg Chicken Tenders their unique taste. There’s an old tree in their yard where they obtain their curry leaves. It’s hard to come by anywhere else. On top of that, they produce their own galangal, a Southeast Asian plant that isn’t widespread in the country. Galangal or blue ginger spiced the peanut sauce dressing on their Gado-Gado Salad.
2. Malls and Commercial Centers in Rizal
Among the major mall and commercial establishment chains in the business districts of Metro Manila that are rapidly expanding in the Province of Rizal include Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall, SM Malls with sub-store chain SaveMore, Robinsons Malls, Cherry Foodarama, Shopwise, Puregold, Budget Lane, and other commercial centers.
3. Wearable Industry
The wearable industry leads the primary types of industries listed in Rizal. Textiles, clothing, and leather products are in this category. Taytay Rizal is home to one of the country’s most important garment manufacturing facilities. Every Monday, Thursday, and Sunday, a large number of people come to the Taytay Tiangge to shop.
4. Mining Industry
Rizal province is abundant in non-metallic mineral resources like rock aggregates, volcanic tuff, limestone, and marble, as well as guano/rock phosphate. These mineral resources are frequently the primary components of construction materials, which are useful to power other prospective businesses and economic activity in the province. Additionally, there is cement manufacturing using red clay and significant amounts of raw materials in Antipolo City, Tanay, and Baras in the form of limestone, dacite, diorite, siliceous sand, and shale-sandstone. Additionally, these materials may be transformed into terracotta, pottery, tiles, and bricks.
5. MSMEs in the Province of Rizal
Apart from garments, Rizal is home to thousands of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) engaged in handicrafts, woodworking, food processing (production of traditional indigenous foods and delicacies), toys, novelty items, and bamboo crafts, all of which contribute to the province’s higher income and employment generation.
6. House and Real Estate Development
Housing and other real estate development projects can make use of large tracts of land that are now available. Also, for the expanding network of the labor force, well-developed residential developments ranging from exclusive to low-cost housing estates are some of the offerings. Some of the notable housing developments in the province include Grand Heights Subdivision, Lumina, and Bria Homes.
Streamtech, Rizal’s Newest Wave in Internet
Streamtech isn’t satisfied with simply meeting the requirements of their clients. Instead, they are always on the lookout for new and better ways to do things. Until recently, access to high-speed fiber internet was only available to those living in large cities. Many more residents, particularly in Rizal, now have the same opportunity.
Streamtech’s goal is to make the same resources available to people living outside of major cities. Truly, with the services of Streamtech, households in Rizal can enjoy seamless online activities. These include video calling, gaming, and a lot of other activities. Learn more about Streamtech’s products and services by visiting and following them on social media.
Written by: Maine Dela Cruz
