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Rizal is located in the eastern portion of Metro Manila. It is bounded on the north by Bulacan, on the southwest by Cavite, on the east by Quezon Province and on the south by Laguna de Bay.
The province was named after the country’s national hero, Jose Rizal. It originally consisted of 26 municipalities - 14 from old Manila and 12 from Morong. In 1975, the newly created Metro Manila incorporated the 12 towns of Las Piñas, Parañaque, Muntinlupa, Taguig, Pateros, Makati, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Malabon, Navotas, Pasig and Marikina. The remaining 14 towns were left to Rizal.
Rizal Province has large tracts of unspoiled forests and offers breathtaking views of Metro Manila and Laguna de Bay from the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountain ranges. In the early 90's, the province became the focus of international attention, with the discovery of the Petroglyph artifacts in the mountainsides of Angono and Binangonan The Petroglyphs are a unique form of rock-art which are believed to be carved by hand and mortar during the Stone Age.
Antipolo City, the province’s capital and largest town, is also its religious and tourism center. Thousands of devotees flock in a month-long pilgrimage to the image of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage enshrined in the Antipolo Cathedral. The neighboring towns of Antipolo also have impressive churches like the St. Jerome Church in Morong, Boso-Boso Ruin Church and the Baras and Tanay Churches.
Rizal is also the hometown of many famous artists whose works are exhibited in numerous galleries in Angono and Binangonan such as the Rafael Pacheco Finger Painting Gallery, Nemiranda Arthouse and Artelier Gallerie, Vicente Manansala Historical Landmark, Tiamson and Blanco Art Galleries and the Angono Artist Village.
Like other provinces, Rizal has its own share of religious festivities. In Angono, the Carabao Festival is held in celebration of the Feast of San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of farmers. The townspeople pay a special tribute to the farmers’ best friend, the carabaos. This festivity features a procession of carabao-pulled carts decorated with flowers, a carabao race across rice fields, and a priest blessing the kneeling beasts.
You can get to Rizal by jeep or by bus. Jeepneys bound for the different towns in Rizal are available near Farmers Market in Cubao, Quezon City and EDSA Crossing in Mandaluyong. Regular buses to Antipolo are available in Divisoria while Angono-bound buses are available at the EDSA Shaw Bouleward Terminal in Mandaluyong.
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