December 30, 2008

Of hills and heroes

December 30 is Rizal Day in the Philippines. It commemorates the death of Dr. Jose P. Rizal by firing squad in 1896 which made him a martyr of the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonial rule. So today I offer you a photo not of Metro Manila but of the province named after him. Rizal province is to the east of Metro Manila and has one city and 13 municipalities. It is hilly, situated as it is on the slopes of the southern portion of the Sierra Madre mountain range, and the weather is cooler than Manila's. It can actually support pine trees! They're on the scrawny side, but still. Because of Metro Manila's congestion and high land costs, the nearest municipalities of Rizal are seeing a lot of development. This photo shows some of the new subdivisions in Taytay. Next to Cainta, it is the nearest municipality to Pasig City, which is part of Metro Manila. In fact, Pasig City itself used to be the capital of the province of Rizal until it was made a part of the metro in 1975.

housing subdivisions in Taytay, Rizal
Just a reminder to all you CDP bloggers out there: If you haven't voted for the February theme yet, please do so! The poll is in the February Theme Day Poll forum topic. Please help spread the word too!

13 comments:

  1. escapeDecember 30, 2008 at 8:44 PM

    it's really good that you posted something about our national hero. we went to intramuros last weekend to reminisce his last days at fort santiago.

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  2. UnknownDecember 30, 2008 at 10:23 PM

    Lovely view!
    The jeep on your previous post is so cool! :-)

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  3. GeorgeDecember 30, 2008 at 10:57 PM

    Thanks for all the interesting information about Dr. Rizal and Rizal Province. I love learning about other countries.

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  4. EkiDecember 31, 2008 at 2:08 AM

    Aaaahhhh .... Cainta, Rizal! I have a foster family there! Been to its city hall, and the hills where we can see the whole valley and Manila (?) beneath. A lovely place with nice memories.

    Thanks for sharing, Hilda.

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  5. Uma por DiaDecember 31, 2008 at 5:22 AM

    Thanks for the history lesson and the reminder :)

    Happy new year!

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  6. lunarossaDecember 31, 2008 at 5:59 AM

    It's very green and looks very elegant. Love the colours of the building. I've got to learn a bit about the history of the Phillipines. I know very little but it seems very fascinanting. All the best, Hilda, and Happy New Year!

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  7. abcDecember 31, 2008 at 6:50 AM

    Interesting information. Appreciate it.

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  8. FioDecember 31, 2008 at 7:05 AM

    Hilda, you're the real cultural ambassador of your country!

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  9. AnonymousDecember 31, 2008 at 7:06 AM

    It looks so lush and verdant - very different from Metro Manila!

    Check out my Glasgow blog tomorrow - you can pick up a prize :) Happy New Year to you and yours (I'm away for a few days so won't be able to wish you Happy New Year on the day).

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  10. OlivierDecember 31, 2008 at 1:35 PM

    c'est un magnifique paysage.

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  11. AnonymousJanuary 1, 2009 at 6:54 AM

    New year'S to you happiness, and quiet and the welfare will bring.

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  12. Deany BocoboJanuary 1, 2009 at 9:26 AM

    Please join the lively discussion on Jose Rizal ongoing at Filipino Voices, where we would love to hear yours!
    As the Catholic Taliban Sing Hallelujah

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  13. JoyJanuary 3, 2009 at 11:03 PM

    i love your blog! i heard dec. is the best time to visit the PI! your pics are great and i can't wait to read and see more! salamat :0)

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