10 Things You May or May Not Know About Rizal. (part 2)

(Second of a two part series…for items # 1-4 click on this link)

5) Alay Lakad and the Sumakah Festival.

As a child, my siblings and I would join our parents in the Lions Club’s (Our Lady of Buenviaje Chapter) libreng painom where we hand out free drinking water to the many devotees who walk all the way up to the Antipolo Cathedral.  May 1 signals the month-long festivities for the City of Antipolo.  Pilgrims of all ages, some coming from as far as Quiapo Church start walking on the eve of May 1, to pay homage to the Blessed Virgin.  From past midnight to around 3 in the morning, the Lions’ Club would set up their water station outside the gates of Fairmount Hills.  We would happily give out drinking water to the thirsty devotees, grateful for a few minutes of rest and cheerful exchange of conversation.

The Sumakah Festival started in 2002, during the time of Mayor Angelito Gatlabayan.  Sumakah stands for Antipolo’s major products, Suman, Mangga, Kasuy and the Hamaka.  I never tire of Antipolo’s suman, dipped in white (I prefer it over the brown) coco jam.  The Hamaka is the native duyan, a hammock that used to be the mode of transport when carriages and cars were still unheard of.

6) The Higantes Festival.

This used to freak me out when I was little.  Imagine colorful giant dolls walking and prancing around the street.  The Higantes is Angono’s colorful and grand fiesta in honor of San Clemente, the patron saint of Fishermen.  Every 23^rd of November, the image of San Clemente parades in the streets of Angono, accompanied by pahadores and higantes, all the way up to Laguna de Bay.

7) Churches from the 1600s.

Aside from the month of May, pilgrims go around Rizal during Holy Week for visita iglesia.  Starting from Antipolo Cathedral, catholics go from town-to-town, reciting the stations of the cross in centuries old churches around the province.  Morong has a beautiful baroque church that has 400 year old wooden carvings depicting the agony of Jesus Christ.  Tanay church has evolved from being the 1^st nipa and bamboo church built in 1608, to the antique concrete beauty that it is now.  Remnants of the old Boso-Boso church  makes up part of the edifice today – part reconstructed, part ruins.  Rizal is truly a spiritual experience not only during Lent but everytime you step in to God’s place of worship.

8) Mountain-filled Extreme Adventures.

At first there was Gotcha’s paintball, then airsoft games became popular in the cliffs and thick foliage of Rizal for close quarter combat.  Today, there are many choices of campsites that allow adventurers to commune with nature while zip lining through trees, kayaking through lakes and rolling down the hills inside zorb balls.  Mystical caves with stalagmites and stalactites that take the form of religious figures are sites to behold after a short trek.  All these, with the sound of birds and night crickets soothe the soul and make you feel closer to the One who made all these.

9) Ancient Cave Art.

Angono, Rizal’s art capital, is home to national artists and their museums with a wide array of art made by famous national and local artists.  It’s truly fitting that an Angono local, Carlos Botong Francisco, now a national artist, accidentally discovered a pre-historic art “exhibit” in the country, carved by ancient cavemen.  We’re talking about 127-man like engravings on a hilltop rock shelter in Binangonan.  These figures are considered to be the oldest known works of art dating back circa 3,000 b.c.

10) Jala-Jala.

“A paradise tucked away in the province of Rizal”, Jala-jala is a knife-shaped peninsula along Laguna de Bay.  This idyllic town is home to scenic lakes and shore-lined halaan shells.  Being at the tip of the province, Jala-jala is considered to be a virgin tourist spot that will be enjoyed by road trippers, nature lovers and photography enthusiasts.

Ang Trip ni Rizal invites you to discover with us the beauty and splendor of this Province called Rizal.

10 Things You May or May Not Know About Rizal.

Rizal, the province, that is.

Been a Rizaleno for more than 20 years now.  Formerly from Manila, I was in Grade 6 when we transferred to Antipolo, so we’d be closer to the all-girl school my sister and I go to.  Lived most of my adult life in the City of Antipolo and yet, it’s only this year, that I have come to discover and appreciate the province.  I’ve been to many places around the country, taking in the beautiful culture and history of each place.  Little have I known that I have long been in the midst of the “undiscovered” gem that is known as Rizal Province.

Before I take my three children to visit and tour other places, I’ll make sure they’ll know and appreciate Rizal Province first.  I’m happy to have had this “awakening”, and I write with love and pride in my heart, as I share with you many known and not so known facts about the Province of Rizal.

1) My birth certificate says I was born in Paranaque, Rizal.

I thought a clerk in the civil registry made a mistake when he typed my birth certificate.  In my 20s, a city hall clerk (while I was applying for a marriage license) scolded me for writing “Paranaque, Rizal” as my place of birth.  Wala sa Rizal ang Paranaque, iha.  I asked my mom and she told me that Paranaque used to be a part of Rizal.  So I searched.  Up until 1977, Las Pinas, Paranaque, Muntinlupa, Taguig, Pateros, Makati, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Malabon, Navotas, Pasig and Marikina, including the cities of Caloocan, Pasay and Quezon City, belonged to Rizal Province.  Presidential Decree 874 changed this political make up of the province and left it with the 14 towns it has now.  If not for President Ferdinand E. Marcos, todays urbanites would be considered probinsyanos.

2) Rizal has lucky 13 + 1.

Rizal has 13 municipalities and 1 city.  The municipalities are Cainta, Taytay, Angono, Binangonan, Teresa, Morong, San Mateo, Rodriguez (formerly Montalban), Tanay, Baras, Cardona, Pililia and Jala-jala.  Antipolo is the 1^st and only city of the province, now considered as the economic and political hub of Rizal.  The Provinical Capitol or capitolyo set its new office in Antipolo in 2009, transferring from its old site in Pasig.

3)      Nuestra Senora dela Paz y Buenviaje lives here.

Spanish for Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, the Virgin of Antipolo’s miraculous patron is an object of pilgrimage from far and wide.  She got her name when she traversed the stormy seas and survived a fire aboard a Mexican Galleon in the 1600s.  Believed to have provided safe voyage for the El Almirante, Nuestra Senora dela Paz y Buenviaje is the patron saint of safe travels.  Car owners drive up to the Antipolo Cathedral to have their new cars blessed.  Seamen, pilots, foreign workers or anyone is who set to go on a journey pay pilgrimage to Our Lady for peace and safety.  Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage has called the Antipolo Cathedral its home since after the war.

 4) The Tipolo grove that is now Antipolo.

Antipolo is named after the Tipolo Tree, (artocarpus blancoi), said to have been abundant in the area (maybe up to the time that Jose Rizal hunted in the woods).  The Tipolo Tree is a common plant related to Jackfruit or langka.  Plenty as it was in the area where the Antipolo Cathedral now stands, it became significant in 1632 when Jesuits attempted to transfer Nuestra Senora to a church to be built for her in the nearby barrio of Sta. Cruz.  As if in protest of leaving town, the image of Our Lady kept appearing atop a Tipolo tree.  Thus, a pedestal was carved out of the wooden trunks of the Tipolo trees she miraculously appeared in.  Thus, the town where she resides in now named Antipolo.

(First of a two part series…items # 5-10 on the next post)

Explore with Ang Trip ni Rizal by Nica Mandigma

I am of the opinion that we Filipinos put too much importance on malls. Our family days are often spent inside a mall, with kids being “deposited” in play areas that charge by the hour. These kids will grow up never having been inside a historical museum or ever visiting Jose Rizal’s house.  They will never see the balcony where Emilio Aguinaldo first waved the Philippine flag nor will they frolic in the shores of the historic Corregidor. As someone who loves history, historical places included, this is very disappointing.

But I believe that it isn’t too late yet to cultivate a love for history among our kids.  There are many tour group nowadays that offer affordable packages for fun-filled, historical day trips. One such group is Ang Trip ni Rizal, a group of trippers that promises to introduce you to the famous and not-so-famous wonders of Rizal province.

What’s in Rizal?

Rizal, formerly of Morong province, offers a lot of visual feasts for the appreciative traveller. For art lovers, they can take the art tour and revel in the beautiful creations of local artists in their workshops or museums. They can also shop around and try their hand at pottery.

For the religious traveller, a trip to a 16^th century cathedral can become a venue for enlightenment. Or they might find it in the walls of an 8-ft deep cave. These walls are adorned with the oldest known rock art in the Philippines, dating back to 3,000 BC, which are said to resemble religious images.

Nature lovers, meanwhile, will bask in the splendour of Rizal’s breathtaking landforms and majestic waterfalls. They’d also find something to like about the province’s eco parks, butterfly farms, and bamboo plantations. The more adventurous ones can zip through the mountains, bike their way through the trails, or spend the night in adventure camps.

What about foodies? Is there something in Rizal for them? Most certainly! Each food stop in the tours offered by Ang Trip ni Rizal will take them to charming restaurants that serve gourmet and specialty meals. They can also buy “pasalubong” for their loved one. It’s not hard to find a vendor of kasuy, suman and mangga, foods that Rizal is known for.

Indeed, there is something for everyone in Rizal. So the next time you find yourself planning a day out with your family or friends, consider one of the organized tours arranged by Ang Trip ni Rizal. You won’t regret it.

Why should you join Ang Trip ni Rizal?

Two words. Organized tour. You don’t have to plan anything. Upon paying for your trip, all you have to do is show up at the meeting place and bring your exuberance with you. The organizers will take care of your transportation, entrance fees (if any), and food. Depending on your package, your accommodations will also be taken care off.

Don’t forget to bring extra shopping money though. Something is bound to catch your fancy while on tour. Don’t also leave your camera at home.

To find out more about Ang Trip ni Rizal’s tour packages and rates, check out this link: Ang Trip Ni Rizal Standard Rates.

Article taken from www.nicamandigma.com