Rizal Province, Philippines

Rizal is a province of the Philippines located in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 20 kilometers east of Manila. The province was named after the country's national hero, José Rizal. Rizal's capital is Antipolo City, although the provincial capitol is located in Pasig City in Metro Manila, which was the previous capital.

Rizal is bordered by Metro Manila to the west, the province of Bulacan to the north, Quezon to the east and Laguna province to the south. 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 City boasts of a wonderful view of Metro Manila and it is where Hinulugang Taktak, a waterfall popular with tourists, can be found.


People and culture

Tagalog is the main language that is spoken in this province, being part of the region where Tagalog is predominantly spoken.

Majority of the population practice Roman Catholicism and many towns in Rizal have centuries-old Spanish churches. A notable church is the Antipolo Cathedral in Antipolo City.

History

The love province of Rizal was originally composed of 26 towns. The territory began with the organization of the Tondo province and Laguna province during the Spanish administration. Some of the towns like Pasig, Parañaque, Taytay and Cainta were already thriving. Tagalog settlements which carried on trade with the Chinese and Arab traders long before the Spanish conquest.

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, Longalo (Dongalo), Tagui and Pasig were under the jurisdiction of the Augustinians in the Province of Tondo.

In 1853, a new political subdivision 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 Jalajala from the Province of La Laguna, with the capital at Morong. This district was later changed to Distrito Politico-Militar de Morong after four years.

In 1860, 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 Province of Morong had for its capital the town of Antipolo for the period 1898-1899, and the town of Tanay for 1899-1900.

On February 6, 1901, 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 Provinces of Manila and Morong, with 221 delegates in attendance. The first Philippine Commission, headed by President 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 Morong Province, was not self-sufficient to operate as a separate province.

Although the delegates from Morong, Don Hilarion Raymundo and Don Jose Tupas, objected to the proposal, Delegate Don Juan Sumulong of Antipolo strongly advocated the move. After much acrimonious debate and upon the suggestion of Dr. 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 an 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 27 municipalities, 15 from the old province of Manila (Caloocan, Las Piñas, Malabon, Makati, Parañaque, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Navotas, Muntinlupa, Taguig, Pateros, Pasig, Marikina, San Mateo, and Montalban (now Rodriguez)); and 12 from the Politico-Militar District of Morong, (Angono, Baras, Binangonan, Cainta, Antipolo, Cardona, Jalajala, Morong, Pilillia, Tanay, Taytay and Teresa). The seat of the provincial government is Pasig.

On November 7, 1975, by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 824, the 12 towns of Las Piñas, Parañaque, Muntinlupa, Taguig, Pateros, Makati, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Malabon, Navotas, Pasig and Marikina were incorporated into the newly formed Metro Manila Region thereby leaving the remaining 14 towns to the Province of Rizal.

*** For more Photo of Rizal Province, please visit Regie Fernando Gallery

Pasig City, Philippines

The City of Pasig (Filipino: Lungsod ng Pasig) is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila in the Philippines. It used to be the capital of the province of Rizal before Metro Manila was formed. Located along the eastern border of Metro Manila, Pasig City is bordered on the west by Quezon City and Mandaluyong City; to the north by Marikina City; to the south by Makati City, Pateros, and Taguig City; and to the east by the municipality of Cainta in the province of Rizal.

Pasig City is a primarily residential-industrial town but it is increasingly becoming a commercial area. Along its western border is the eastern (and arguably more significant) half of the Ortigas Center, one of the top business districts in the metropolis (the western half is in Mandaluyong City). Found here are numerous high-rise office buildings, residential condominiums, and schools. The University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P), one of the most expensive universities in the country, is located here, as well as the head office of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. Northwest of Ortigas Center is the Meralco Compound, home of the head offices of Meralco (Manila Electric Company), which is the largest electrical distribution company in the Philippines. The headquarters of the Philippine Stock Exchange, which is also home to one of its trading floors, is located here. Due to this, the barangay of San Antonio has one of the largest incomes for a local government unit in the country, larger than most small towns.

Being the former capital of Rizal, the provincial capitol is still located in Pasig City. Located along Shaw Boulevard, Barangay Kapitolyo.

Rizal High School, one of the biggest high schools in the world in terms of student population, is located in Pasig.

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig, state university located in Kapasigan, Pasig City, offers degree courses for poor but bright and deserving pasigueños


History

Pasig was founded in July 1573 with the inauguration of the mission-parish of Pasig. It received its first bell with the Our Lady of the Visitation as the patron saint of Pasig. But in 1587, Our Lady of Immaculate Conception replaced Our Lady of the Visitation as the patron saint of Pasig.

On June 11, 1901 the province of Rizal was created through Act No. 137 of Philippine Commission. Pasig was incorporated into the province of Rizal, and was designated as the capital of the new province.

In 1975, Pasig was carved out of Rizal province and became part of Metro Manila when the Metro Manila Commission (pre-cursor of Metro Manila Authority and later Metropolitan Manila Development Authority) was created by Pres. Marcos through Presidential Decree 824.

In July 1994, Pasig was converted into a highly urbanized city through Republic Act 7829. And in December 1994, President Fidel Ramos signed it into law, which was ratified through a plebiscite on January 21, 1995.

Cuisine of the Philippines

Philippine cuisine has evolved over several centuries from its Malay world roots, influenced by Arabian cuisine, Indian cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Japanese cuisine, Spanish and American cooking.

Filipinos traditionally eat three main meals a day - almusál (breakfast), tanghalían (lunch), and hapúnan (dinner) plus an afternoon snack called meriénda (another variant is minandál).

Dishes range from a simple meal of fried fish and rice to rich paellas and cocidos. Popular dishes include lechón (whole roasted pig), longanisa (native sausage), tapa (beef jerky), torta (omelette), adobo (chicken and/or pork braised in garlic, soy sauce, and vinegar or cooked until dry for the Visayan variety), kaldereta (goat in tomato stew), mechado (beef or pork cooked in tomato sauce), pochero (beef in bananas and tomato sauce), afritada (chicken cooked in tomato sauce and vegetables), kare-kare (oxtail and vegetables cooked in peanut sauce), crispy pata (deep-fried pig's foot), hamonado (pork sweetened in pineapple sauce), sinigang (pork, fish, or shrimp in tamarind stew), pancit (stir-fried noodles), lumpia (fresh or fried spring rolls) and chopsuey.

History and influences

Malays during the pre-Hispanic era in the Philippines prepared food by boiling, steaming, or roasting. This ranged from the usual livestock such as carabao (water buffaloes), baka(cows), chickens and pigs to seafood from different kinds of fish, shrimps, prawns, crustaceans and shellfish. There are a few places in the country where the broad range in their diet extended to monitor lizards, dogs and locusts. Malays have been cultivating rice, an Asian staple since 3200 B.C.[1]. Pre-Hispanic trade with China, Japan, India, the Middle-East and the rest of Southeast Asia introduced a number of staples into Filipino cuisine most notably toyo (soy sauce) and patis (fish sauce), as well as the method of stir-frying and making savory soup bases.

The arrival of Spanish settlers brought with them chili peppers, tomato sauces, corn and method of sauteeing with garlic and onions called guisado finding their way into Philippine cuisine. They also braised food with vinegar and spices to preserve the food due to no refrigeration. They had a variety of sources in their diet. Local adaptations of Spanish dishes then became common such as paella into its Pilipino version of arroz valenciana, Chorizo into its local version of Longganisa, escabeche and adobo [this is connected to the Spanish dish adobado] remain popular to this day.

During the nineteenth century, Chinese food became a staple of the panciterias or noodle shops around the country, although they were marketed with Spanish names. "Comida China" (Chinese food) includes arroz caldo (rice and chicken gruel) and morisqueta tostada (an obsolete term for sinangag or fried rice) and "chopsuey".

Today, Philippine cuisine continues to evolve as new techniques and styles of cooking finds their way into one of the most active melting pots of Asia.

Staples

As with most Asian countries, the staple food in the Philippines is rice. It is most often boiled and served during most main meals. Leftover rice is often fried with garlic and onions to make sinangag (fried rice), which is then served as breakfast staple together with fried eggs and tapa (Beef), tocino (sweetened cured meat), longanisa (local sausages) or bacon. Rice is often flavored by the diner with sauces or soup from the main dishes. In some regions, rice is mixed with salt, condensed milk, cocoa, or coffee. Rice flour is used in making sweets, cakes and other pastries. Other staples derived from crops include corn and bread.

Food is often served with dipping sauces. Fried food is often dipped in vinegar, soy sauce, juice squeezed from kalamansi (Philippine lime), or a combination of all. Fish sauce may be mixed with kalamansi as dipping sauce for most seafood.

Fish sauce, fish paste (bagoong), shrimp paste (alamang) and crushed ginger root (luya) are condiments that are also often added to dishes during the cooking process or when served.

Native fruits are often used in cooking as well. Coconuts, coconut milk, coconut meat, tomato, tomato sauce, and bananas are usually added into meals.

Abundant harvest of root crops occurs all year round. Potatoes, carrots, taro (gabi), cassava (kamoteng kahoy), purple yam (ube), and sweet potato/yam (kamote) are examples. Kamote and a certain type of plantain called saba can be chopped, dusted with brown sugar, fried and skewered, yielding kamote-cue and banana-cue which are popular caramelized snacks.

Staples derived from meat include chicken, pork, beef, and fish. Seafood is popular as a result of the bodies of water surrounding the archipelago. Popular catches include Tilapia, milkfish (bangus), grouper (lapu-lapu), shrimp (hipon), prawns (sugpo), mackerel (galunggong), swordfish, oysters (talaba), mussels (tahong), clams (tulya), large and small crabs (alimango and alimasag respectively), game fish, gindara, tuna, cod, blue marlin, and squid/cuttlefish (both called pusit). Equally popular catches include seaweeds, abalone and eel.

The most common way of serving fish is having it salted, deep fried, and eaten as a simple meal with rice and vegetables. It may also be cooked in sour broth, tomatoes, tamarind, and vegetables to make sinigang or simmered in vinegar and peppers to make paksiw or roasted over hot charcoal to make inihaw. Other preparations include escabeche (sweet and sour) or relleno (deboned and stuffed). Fish may also be preserved by processing it into tinapa (smoked), and daing (sun-dried).

Cooking methods

The Tagalog words for popular cooking methods are listed below:

* "Inadobo" - cooked in soy sauce, vinegar and garlic
* "Guisado" - sauteed with garlic, onions and tomatoes
* "Pinirito" - fried or deep fried
* "Inihaw" - grilled over charcoals
* "Nilaga" - boiled, sometimes with onions and black peppers
* "Kinilaw" or "Kilawin" - cubes of raw fish pickled in a marinade of vinegar and/or kalamansi juice, usually along with garlic, onions, ginger, tomato, and/or hot/sweet peppers
* "Sinigang" - boiled with a tamarind base
* "Pinangat" - boiled in salted water with tomatoes
* "Pinaksiw" - cooked in vinegar and ginger or just add "all-purpose" sauce
* "Ginataan" - cooked with coconut milk

Merienda

Merienda is a snack taken in the afternoons, similar to the concept of afternoon tea. Filipinos have a number of options to take with their traditional kape (coffee). Additionally, if the meal is taken close to dinner, it is called merienda cena, which may qualify as dinner itself.

Breads like pan de sal, ensaymada, (buttery sweet rolls with cheese), and empanada (ground chicken-filled bread rolls) are served. Also, rice cakes (kakanin) like kutsinta, sapin-sapin, palitaw, biko, suman, bibingka, and pitsi-pitsi are served. Other sweets such as hopia (pastries similar to mooncakes filled with sweet bean paste, sometimes flavored) and bibingka (sweet hot rice cakes with salted eggs and cheese on top) are also favorites. Savory dishes such as pancit canton (stir-fried noodles), palabok (rice noodles with a shrimp-based sauce), tokwa't baboy (fried tofu with boiled pork ears in a garlic-flavored soy sauce and vinegar sauce), puto (steamed rice flour cakes), and dinuguan (a spicy stew made with pork blood) can also be served during merienda.

In recent years, snack served in between breakfast and lunch has been common during special occasions such as day long symposiums and workshops. However, this does not qualify as traditional merienda as the term officially applies to afternoon snacks as traditionally practiced by Filipinos.

A typical meal

Filipino cuisine is distinguished by its bold combination of sweet, sour, salty and spicy taste, though most dishes are not typically spicy. While other Asian cuisines (e.g. Cantonese) may be known for a more subtle delivery and presentation of food, Filipino palates prefer a sudden influx of flavor. It can be said that it is more flamboyant, as Filipino cuisine is often delivered in a single presentation, giving the participant a simultaneous visual feast, an aromatic bouquet, and a gustatory appetizer.

Snacking is normal, and it is possible that a Filipino could have eaten five meals in a day. Dinner, while still the main meal, is usually eaten in smaller quantities compared to other countries. Usually, either breakfast or lunch is the heftiest of all meals.

Main dishes include sinigang (pork, fish, or shrimp in tamarind soup and vegetables), bulalo (beef soup – commonly with marrow still in the beef bone – with vegetables), kare-kare (oxtail and vegetables cooked in peanut sauce), crispy pata (deep fried hog hoofs with hock sometimes included), mechado (pork cooked in tomato sauce), pochero (beef or pork cooked in tomato sauce with bananas and vegetables), kaldereta (beef or goat cooked in tomato sauce), fried or grilled chicken/porkchops/fish/squid/cuttlefish. Dinner may be accompanied by stir-fried vegetables, atchara (shredded and pickled papaya), bagoong or alamang. Most popular desserts include leche flan, nata de coco (coconut jello) or gulaman (jello).

Some dishes will rely on vinegar for flavoring. Adobo is popular not solely for its splendid flavor, but also for its ability to remain fresh for days, and even improves its flavor with a day or two of storage. Tinapa is a smoke-cured fish while Tuyo, daing, and dangit are corned sun-dried fishes popular for its ability not to spoil for weeks even without refrigeration.

Food is eaten with a spoon and fork. Filipinos use their spoons to cut through meat instead of knives used in other western cultures. Another traditional way of eating is with the hands especially when meals consist mostly of dry dishes like inihaw or prito. The diner takes a bite at the dish and simultaneously stuff his mouth with rice pressed skillfully into a ball with his fingers. In some areas of the Philippines, diners are able to form balls of rice even if it is soaking in broth. This practice, known as kamayan, is rarely seen in urbanized areas. However, Filipinos tend to feel the spirit of kamayan when eating amidst nature during out of town trips, beach vacations, and town fiestas

Fiestas

A few Filipino women band together and tirelessly prepare more sophisticated dishes at festive occasions. Tables are often laden with expensive and labor-intensive treats requiring hours of preparation. Lechón, a whole roasted suckling pig, takes centerstage. Other sophisticated dishes prepared include hamonado (honey-cured beef, pork or chicken), relleno (stuffed chicken or milkfish), mechado, afritada, kaldereta, pochero, paella, arroz valenciana, morcon (variant of the Argentinian matambre), and pancit canton. The table may also be decorated with various sweets and pastries such as leche flan, ube, sapin-sapin, sorbetes (ice cream), and gulaman (jello).

Christmas Eve, known as Noche Buena, is the most important feast. During this evening, the star of the table is the Christmas ham and Edam cheese (Queso de Bola). Supermarkets are laden with these treats during the season and serve as popular giveaways by Filipino companies in addition to red wine, brandy, groceries or pastries.