THE VIEW FROM RIZAL

This week is Rizal Province’s “Independence Week.”

Today, June 12, the province joins the rest of the nation in marking our 126th Independence Day. Yesterday, June 11, Rizaleños celebrated the 123rd anniversary of the founding of Rizal Province, an event which is also referred to as the province’s own “Independence Day.”

Rizaleños had always taken pride in the story behind their Province’s “Independence Day.” That story reminds us all that “independence” is a choice; that it is also a responsibility; and that one has to prove that he or she deserves the “independence.”

We will briefly re-tell that story in today’s column.

Before June 11, 1901, there was no Rizal province. The towns and cities which would eventually become part of the province once belonged to two erstwhile provinces: the province of Manila and the historic province of Morong.

Then, in February of 1901, the then-American supervised government decided to re-draw the geopolitical subdivisions of the country and create a more civilian type of government. Based on historical narrations, more than 200 delegates to the Philippine Commission gathered to discuss and debate that subject matter.

One of the most heated debates was sparked by a proposal to merge the province of Morong with the province of Manila. The argument was Morong was not strong enough nor fit to be an independent entity. There were those who agreed with that position; there were others who opposed the proposal.

We surmise that it would have been easy to capitulate to the pressure to unite Morong with Manila. Manila was then already the center of government and commerce. It would have been convenient for the people of Morong province to agree to live in the shadows of the bigger, richer neighbor.

However, the representatives of Morong and the other believers in independence, made a firm stand and fought for an independent province. On June 11, 1901, the Philippine Commission approved the creation of an independent province which was named after the man who inspired Philippine Independence – Dr. Jose Rizal.

Independence did not prove easy for the new province. It proved, however, that it is capable of carrying the burden of independence.

It will be recalled that what started as a province with 29 municipalities was eventually dismembered following the creation of Metro Manila in the late 1970s.

With the province’s richest municipalities and cities taken away to become part of a National Capital Region, cynics predicted that Rizal may end up as nothing more than a backward neighbor of the bustling metropolis.

The pessimists were proven wrong. The province, which survived with 13 municipalities and one component city, has performed way beyond expectation.

Instead of allowing itself to be reduced to an independent but backward province, Rizal transformed itself into one of the richest, most competitive local government unit in the country today.
Based on the latest report of the Commission on Audit (COA), Rizal is the second richest province in the country today in terms of net assets and equity.

Rizal has also consistently landed in the Hall of Fame as the country’s most competitive provinces.

The Hall of Fame distinction comes with having kept the number one spot for an unprecedented and unmatched record of eight consecutive years. The honor is given to the province that has surpassed all others in the following criteria: economic dynamism, government efficiency, infrastructure and resiliency.

Following the footsteps of their Mother Province, five of Rizal’s “left-over municipalities” perennially dominate the Top 10 list of the country’s most competitive first-class municipalities. These are Binangonan, Cainta, Taytay, Angono, and San Mateo. Meanwhile, its lone component city, Antipolo, has topped the list in its category and has remained at a perennial spot in the top three.
Dr. Rizal emphasized the need for the Filipino to prove that he is worthy of independence.

Perhaps, he meant to ask us what we intended to do with our independence. He probably meant to ask whether or not we saw independence both as privilege and responsibility. The province named after him has answered the national hero’s questions well.

It has taken good care of its independence.

Next week, we shall discuss the province’s role in another bid for independence: Energy independence. ([email protected])