29/06/2013
ANTIPOLO CITY: More than just a pilgrimage site
Source: Manila Bulletin
Author: Christopher Datol
Date: 2001-03-26
Philippines
ANTIPOLO CITY: More than just a pilgrimage site
Source: Manila Bulletin
Author: Christopher Datol
Date: 2001-03-26
Manileños always look forward to those summer
trips to Antipolo.
To the parents and
elders it’s a religious
tradition — a pledge to
visit the Virgin of
Antipolo who has
blessed her people year
after year.
To the kids, it’s a
picnic — where the
change in scenery is a
welcome respite from
school activities.
To the lovers, it’s a
romantic setting — where on weekend nights they can go
up the rolling hills quite leisurely. From their cars, they
can gaze at the metropolitan city lights below, and
exchange pleasantries with the stars — and each other.
Antipolo has been like a favorite tambayan since the last
century for most Filipinos, specially Manileños who
consider it a neighboring town.
This century, it welcomes guests as a fast-growing city
— quite a far-cry from a rural municipality of Rizal
province.
Town turned city
Antipolo became the capital of Morong Province under
the revolutionary Republic of the Philippines, and was
incorporated into Rizal province under the American
regime. In 1918 it became a separate municipality.
The municipality of Antipolo was officially transformed
into a component city (a city under the Province of Rizal)
under Republic Act no. 8505 signed by former President
Fidel V. Ramos on February 13, 1998.
The city’s rolling hills and 16 barangays occupy 32,898
hectares of land. It is bounded by the towns of San
Mateo, Montalban, Tanay, Teresa, Angono, Taytay,
Cainta and Marikina. Its 16 barangays are San Roque,
San Jose, Dela Paz, San Isidro, Cupang, Mayamot,
Mambugan, Calawis, Dalig, Beverly Hills, Sta. Cruz, San
Luis, Inarawan, San Juan, Bagong Nayon and Munting
Dilao.
Agriculture used to be the main livelihood in Antipolo.
Today, urban development has led entrepreneurs and
businessmen to spice up the economic mobility of the
town.
Other townsfolk are still engaged in woodworking
carpentry, dressmaking, automotive and related works,
even passenger-vehicle operating. Aside from the
resident laborers and professionals, there are those who
labor and engage in their professions in Metro Manila.
With a population of more than 345,000 the average
income of the city of Antipolo is P69 million — the
average of last three years based on 1991 constant
prices.
Conveniently located on an elevated terrain, Antipolo has
also opened its doors to housing subdivisions.
Water resources abound in the city. It has numerous
water resources among Rizal towns. The known springs
are: Sukol in Bgy. San Jose, Bubukal in Pantay, Inuman in
Dela Paz, Malalim in Dela Paz, and Del Bano in San Isidro.
More are being discovered as the trend of bottled mineral
or spring water as a health beverage continues to grow
in popularity.
Bgy. Dela Paz is blessed with Antipolo’s formerly famed
Hinulugan Taktak and the lesser known Nagpuso water
falls.
But from all of these, Antipolo’s most revered treasure
remains enshrined in a church, the Our Lady of Peace and
Good Voyage whom thousands visit every year.
Maytime Festival
During the Maytime Festival, most of the local folk
engage in selling Antipolo delicacies such as kasuy
(cashew nuts), suman, latik (coconut jam), calamay, and
mangoes.
All the roads leading to the Antipolo Shrine get congested
during the festivity season, so townspeople have also
forayed in the business of providing parking space.
Parking fees range from P15 to P25 per vehicle. Although
the sidestreet parking is prohibited by law, it is during
this month that such traffic violators abound and are not
apprehended.
Today’s festivities however, give no contest to the glitter
of yesteryear’s.
In the earlier days, a visit to Antipolo was marked by
much merrymaking. Trips were done on foot, so with the
long distance, ladies were carried on hammocks borne on
the shoulders of sturdy young men. The traveling party
would bring its own food and music and the trip would be
as much occasion for merrymaking as the festivities in
Antipolo itself.
The yearly invasion of tourists paved the way for a
number of resorts to sprout all over the city. With
Hinulugan Taktak out of the limelight, the new resorts
provide facilities for swimming, horseback-riding and
bowling, as well as excellent picnic spots.
Pasalubong Center
Devouts who have failed
to visit Antipolo for some
years may note apparent
changes in the church
vicinity.
After hearing Mass,
people were used to
going down P. Burgos
Street from the church
to buy their pasalubong
of native delicacies.
Today, they don’t have
to go far, because right
beside the church is a small complex called Pasalubong
Center.
The center contains around 20 stalls, selling delicacies,
native products, religious articles, and the like.
It opened in 1999, a project of Antipolo City Mayor
Angelito Gatlabayan.
Popular among the tourists are sweets like tamarind,
brittlenut, turones de mani, suman sa ibos, broas, apas,
uraro, peanut brittle, and native favorites like putoseko
and kalamay.
