The Antipolo City local government and Bugku District in Gwangju City, South Korea, recently inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on strengthening their economic cooperation that will redound to their mutual benefit.
The signing was attended by Antipolo City Mayor Jun Ynares, Bukgu District Mayor Mun In, and other officials from the local governments which included Director Moon Taehwan, Accompanying Secretary Hong Soonae, Head of Team Joo Chang Seop, Manager Sim Yu Min, Journalist An Jae Yeong, Executive Vice-Chairman Kim Dong-Keun, Office Leader Park Jung-Sun, Team Leader Alex Kim, and JC Chair Aaron Kim.
Antipolo City officials who were also present during the ceremony were Joel Aguada, City Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) Officer and Public Information Office (PIO) Head Enrilito Bernardo, CPDO Coordinator Rowena Zapanta, and City Legal Officer Cedric Capiral.
"Bukgu District and Antipolo City also share some sort of similarities. Both are favorite destinations of pilgrims. Both are nestled in the arm of the mountains. Both love J-Hope of BTS. And most importantly, both want to create a place of happiness where people can live well through progressive change," Ynares said.
In October last year, Antipolo City was proclaimed by the Department of Tourism (DOT) Region IV-A as the Top 1 Tourist Destination in the whole province of Rizal in the 1st Gawad Sikat Rizal which coincides with the 10th Tourism Fair and National Tourism Week celebration held at Robinsons Antipolo.
The DOT said that 75 percent of the overall tourist arrivals in the province visit the city.
Being rich in history, most especially in terms of religious sites and artifacts, the city prides itself as the "Pilgrimage Capital of the Philippines."
The Marian image of the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage or the Virgin of Antipolo which was brought in from Mexico in 1626 and enshrined in the Antipolo Cathedral, has a solid and growing following among Catholics since the Spanish colonial era.
A popular custom of pilgrimages to the Virgin of Antipolo is the trek going to its shrine on the eves of Good Friday and May 1 from various locations in Rizal and Metro Manila.
The most notable of these pilgrimages would be the trek from the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (Quiapo Church), in Quiapo, Manila following the procession of the image.
There is also an existing custom to have new vehicles blessed at the church in the belief that this will ensure the safety of the car and its passengers. The shrine is also visited by outgoing Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to ensure their success abroad.
The city’s higher elevation affords it a scenic view of Metro Manila especially at night.
Aside from being the top tourist destination in Rizal, Antipolo City was also recognized as the 3rd Most Competitive Component City in the country in the 10th Cities and Municipalities Competitive Summit spearheaded by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
"Tagumpay at karangalan na naman ito ng bawat Antipolenyo at ng bawat kawani sa Antipolo City Government dahil ito ang bunga ng ating sikap at husay pagdating sa Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure, Resiliency, Innovation at serbisyong may malasakit (This award brings to the fore the success and recognition of every Antipolenyo and employee of the city government because this is the result of our hard work in terms of Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure, Resiliency, Innovation, and public service with care)," Ynares said.
The summit uses the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) which is an annual ranking of Philippine cities and municipalities developed by the National Competitiveness Council through the Regional Competitiveness Committees (RCCs) with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).