Place:Marikina City, Rizal, CALABARZON, Philippines

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Marikina, officially known as the City of Marikina, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 456,059 people.

It is located along the eastern border of Metro Manila, Marikina is the main gateway of Metro Manila to Rizal and Quezon provinces through Marikina–Infanta Highway. It is bordered on the west by Quezon City, to the south by Pasig and Cainta, to the north by San Mateo, and to the east by Antipolo, the capital of Rizal province.

It is founded by the Jesuits on the fertile Marikina Valley in 1630, Marikina was the provincial capital of the Province of Manila under the First Philippine Republic from 1898 to 1899 during the Philippine Revolution. Following the onset of American occupation it was then organized as a municipality of Rizal Province, prior to the formation of Metro Manila in 1975. A formerly rural settlement, Marikina is now primarily residential and industrial and has become increasingly commercial in recent years. The City of Marikina is considered one of the wealthiest local government units in the Philippines.

Marikina is known as the "Shoe Capital of the Philippines" for its famous shoe industry. It is the biggest manufacturer of shoes in the Philippines, producing almost 70% of shoes made in the country. Located in the city are the Philippine International Footwear Center and the Shoe Museum, housing the infamous shoe collection of former First Lady Imelda Marcos, wife of the late Filipino President, dictator, and kleptocrat Ferdinand Marcos.

The city is under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antipolo. It contains the Our Lady of the Abandoned Church, the oldest in the Marikina Valley built in 1572.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Early history

The first settlers were descendants of Lakan Dula and the area is part of Kingdom of Tondo, followed by Augustinians were the first to arrive at the valley in the 1500s, at the spot known as Chorillo in Barangka. In 1572, Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish was established. Next came the Jesuits in 1630, in a place now called Jesús de la Peña (Jesus of the Rocks). Here, the Jesuits established a mission and built a chapel still known today as Jesús de la Pena Chapel. Fray Pedro de Arce, apostolic ruler of the Archbishop of Manila at that time, approved transfer of ecclesiastical control and supervision to the Jesuits, and settled the place as a town.

In 1665, an intensity 8 earthquake struck the valley and nearby Manila, and it is related to the activity now known as Marikina Valley Fault System. Only a Jesuit church experienced great damage and resulting in 19 deaths in the said earthquake.

In 1787, the town was called "Mariquina" after Felix Berenguer de Marquina, who was the governor-general at that time, and the town was declared a pueblo under the Spanish colonial government.

Marikina was once the Hacienda Sauza-Berenguer de Marquina (1809–1870), the land and home was formerly owned by Don Santiago Sauza y Delos Rios (1777–1880) and his wife Dona Ysabel Berenguer de Marquina y Sumulong (1790–1900). Moreover, Doña Ysabel Berenguer de Marquina y Sumulong (November 19, 1790, Cagsawa, Daraga, Albay, Philippines – January 30, 1900, Banwa, Batan, Aklan, Philippines) was the only daughter of Doña Demetria Sumulong y Lindo and of Señor Felix Berenguer de Marquina y FitzGerald, the former Governor-General of the Philippines. By the 19th century, Hacienda Mariquina was eventually owned and administered by the Tuason family and had become the largest in the Philippines. The hacienda was declared a mayorazgo by the Spanish colonial government. Don Juan Gregorio became the first Alcalde Capitan of Mariquina in 1822.

During the Philippine Revolution in 1896, Andrés Bonifacio arrived in Mariquina before he and his Katipuneros proceeded to the caves of Montalban. Mariquina became the capital of the Province of Manila in 1898, when the Philippine Revolution broke out, a period when Philippine Independence was declared by Emilio Aguinaldo, the first Philippine president. Don Vicente Gomez became the first Alcalde Presidente of Mariquina in 1900.

20th century

On June 11, 1901, shortly after the United States took possession of the Philippines, its name officially became "Marikina". The province of Rizal was created by virtue of Act No. 137 by the First Philippine Commission which was acting as the unicameral legislative body in the island of Luzon. Marikina, along with many other towns around Manila, was incorporated into the new province.

In 1906, the Manila Railroad Company completed a steam train line called "Marikina Line", also known as Rosario-Montalban branch, a branch of Philippine National Railway which is currently existing (converted into the road which is known today as Daang Bakal, including Shoe Avenue), Marikina Railway Depot (Marikina Elementary School in the present-day) and Marikina Railway Station, connecting Montalban and Rosario (known today as Tramo, in Pasig). Marikina Bridge, a vital economic link to Manila, was formally opened in 1934. During the construction of the train line, not far from Marikina Railway Depot, Marikina Airfield was completed and used for the civilian airfield. The runways were subsequently converted into the road known today as E. Rodriguez Avenue and E. Santos Streets, and the airfield stands today as Paliparan Subdivision. In 1936, the Marikina Line was abandoned.

In 1939, the barrios of Balara, Barranca (Barangka), Jesus de la Peña, Krus na Ligas, Tañong, and the site of the new UP Campus were separated from Marikina to form part of the newly established Quezon City. In 1941, the barrios of lower Barranca and Jesus de la Peña were returned to Marikina.

In 1942, during the World War II, Marikina was one of the municipalities of Rizal merged alongside Manila to form the City of Greater Manila as an emergency measure by President Manuel L. Quezon. In 1942, Japanese Imperial forces occupied Marikina. Marikina once again became an independent town when Greater Manila was dissolved by Japanese occupation forces in 1944 with the establishment of the Philippine Executive Commission to govern occupied regions in the country. The town was liberated in 1945 by combined United States and Philippine Commonwealth ground troops, who attacked the Japanese Imperial Army by artillery from Quezon City. Almost all of the large buildings, including the church bell tower, were destroyed. In reality, the Japanese had already left the town and retreated to the north. The town saw over 400 civilians casualties by the end of World War II. Local Filipino troops under the pre-war 4th and 42nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army entered Marikina and assisted U.S. forces in attacking Japanese troops during the liberation. The general headquarters of the Philippine Commonwealth Army was rebuilt and stationed in Marikina after the war.

In 1956, Marikina was given the title of "Shoe Capital of the Philippines", has re-emerged as a town of shoemakers after World War II. Honed by years of shoe manufacturing experience, the natives had developed a work ethic that prepared them for the arrival of heavy industries. With the industrial plants came waves of workers who chose to stay, rapidly increasing the population. In 1968, Kapitan Moy's house (now known as Sentrong Pangkultura ng Marikina) was declared a national shrine by the town council and the National Historical Commission. In 1969, Rodriguez Sports Complex, known today as Marikina Sports Center was completed.

On November 7, 1975, by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 824, four cities and thirteen towns of Rizal, including Marikina, were made part of Metropolitan Manila Area. On October 23, 1988, Typhoon Unsang brought heavy rains, causing record flooding in Marikina.

By 1992, Marikina had become an industrialized urban municipality under the leadership of Bayani Fernando. Marikina River was transformed into a waterway, with the Marikina River Park along the riverbanks.

Cityhood

On December 8, 1996, the municipality of Marikina became a city and transformed rapidly into a highly urbanized city. Marikina became a First Class City by virtue of Republic Act No. 8223, the day of the Feast of Immaculate Concepcion, signed by President Fidel V. Ramos.

21st century

In 2006, under Republic Act No. 9364 signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Marikina was divided into two congressional districts being served by two representatives in 2007. Barangays Fortune and Tumana were created and became independent in 2007.

On September 26–27, 2009, Marikina was widely devastated by a flash flood from the overflowing Marikina River, due to torrential rains caused by Tropical Storm Ondoy. The river reached the 23-meter mark, the worst flooding in two decades, and the city was declared under a state of calamity. National and international aides arrived immediately for relief, retrieval, and recovery operations. In August 2012, the nonstop eight-day intense monsoon rain caused the Luzon widespread flooding strengthened by Typhoon Gener, which affected the regions of Calabarzon and Metro Manila caused the Marikina River to overflow and destroyed the city.

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