Rodriguez, Rizal


', officially the ', formerly known as Montalban, is a of the Philippines| in the province of,. According to the, it has a population of people making it as the most populous municipality in the country.
It is the northernmost town in the province and comes after San Mateo, Rizal, and Quezon City coming from Metro Manila. The town is located on the slopes of the Sierra Madre mountain range and it is the largest town in Rizal province with an area of 312.70 km². It is also the location of the Montalban Gorge that is associated with the Legend of Bernardo Carpio. The gorge forms part of a protected area known as the Pamitinan Protected Landscape.
The municipality borders San Mateo, Rizal and Antipolo, Rizal on the south, Norzagaray, Bulacan and San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan on the north, Quezon City on the west and General Nakar, Quezon on the east. It is one of the richest municipalities in the Philippines, ranking third in 2016 with an income of ₱ 691 million.

Etymology

The town had received its former name of Montalban from a derivation of the Spanish word Monte from the numerous hills found within and surrounding the town. A common name for the municipality up to the present, it was its official name from its founding in 1909 until 1982 when the Batasang Pambansa officially renamed it to Rodriguez under Batas Pambansa Blg.275 in honor of Eulogio Rodriguez, Sr., a native of the municipality who served as Senate President.

History

Based on the 1954 journal History and Cultural Life of Montalban and its Barrios, what would then be the town of Montalban was formerly the barrio Balite which was under the jurisdiction of the town of San Mateo during the Spanish period. The town was then founded by Fr. Eustaquio of Pasig in 1871. On another account, San Mateo, with its large size, was partitioned on April 27, 1871 when Captain General Rafael Izquierdo issued a decree separating the barrios of Balite, Burgos, Marang and Calipahan from San Mateo and formed them into the new municipality of Montalban.
According to the Executive Summary included in the Annual Audit Reports of Rodriguez, Rizal, the municipality of Montalban was founded on June 30, 1871 under the "Acta de Erreccion" or Deed of Foundation. The municipality was then incorporated to the newly created Province of Rizal on June 11, 1901 by virtue of Philippine Commission Act No. 137. Montalban was then consolidated with San Mateo by virtue of Philippine Commission Act No. 942 on October 12, 1903. San Mateo served as the seat of government in line with the economic centralization. Montalban then became an independent municipality again by virtue of Executive Order No. 20 series of 1908 on February 29, 1908.
In 1982, the town was officially renamed to Rodriguez under Batas Pambansa Blg.275 in honor of the former Senate President and town native Eulogio Rodriguez, Sr.

Proposed Cityhood

As early as 2018, the town's Sangguniang Bayan approved Resolution No. 60, Series of 2018 requesting the Senate of the Philippines thru its president, Vicente Sotto III and the House of Representatives through its speaker, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to co-sponsor a bill for Rodriguez's conversion into a city.

Proposed Restoration of the Town Name to Montalban

On July 3, 2019, Rizal 2nd District Representative Juan Fidel Nograles has sponsored a bill to restore the town's name to the former name of Montalban. This is a response to the numerous requests from the town's native residents to return the town's name to the former after it was changed in 1982.

Geography

Rodriguez is a town of mountains. From its north to south, a series of sloping ridges, hills and mountains ranges adorn the town. In fact, around 27% or the town is occupied by mountains and slopes. The town's highest peak is Mount Irid, 1,469 meters above sea level.
The province of Rizal covers 1,175.8 square kilometers. Rodriguez makes up 26.6% of the entire province of Rizal, housing 11 barangays. Rodriguez's economic activities include agriculture and commerce such as the Avilon Zoo.

Elevation and slope

The Municipality of Rodriguez is generally very rough in topography, with 83% of its total land area composed of upland areas, hills and mountain ranges. The remaining 17% low-lying terrain and rolling lands are found at the south-western portion of the municipality, along with the northern portions of the Municipality of San Mateo.
The rolling slopes comprise the Marikina River Valley, where water from higher elevations drain towards the Marikina River and its tributaries at the south-western portion of the municipality. Elevations at these western lowlands range from 10 to 30 meter above sea level. The western portion of the flatlands gently rises towards the west, which is part of Quezon City.
The mountainous regions of the Municipality of Rodriguez are found at the central and eastern areas, with sleepy sloping ridges and mountain ranges, traversing north to south. The terrain in these mountain ranges has slopes ranging from 30–50%. Very steep hills and mountains have slopes greater than 50%. Rolling to hilly areas 18–30% in slope can also be found. These high elevations are drained by the Tanay, Puray, and Rodriguez Rivers.

Barangays

Rodriguez is politically subdivided into 11 barangays with the barangays of San Isidro and San Jose being two of the most populated barangays in the municipality and in the Philippines.
BarangayPopulation
Balite9,983
Burgos44,100
Geronimo5,554
Macabud9,707
Manggahan13,913
Mascap4,699
Puray3,921
Rosario7,244
San Isidro117,277
San Jose124,868
San Rafael27,956
Rodriguez369,222

Climate

Demographics

In the, the population of Rodriguez, Rizal, was people, with a density of.

Transportation

The main transportation used in the municipality were jeepneys, tricycles, UVs, and buses. There are jeepneys that ply through the towns of San Mateo, Marikina and Cubao via Marcos Highway in Quezon City, some ply the route that leads to Philcoa in Quezon City via Batasan Road in San Mateo, others connect Rodriguez to Litex Road in Quezon City. The Marikina Auto Line Transport Corporation buses is the only one that regularly travels to farther places like Makati and Parañaque. UV's ply the routes to Cubao in Quezon City and Santa Lucia Grand Mall in Cainta.
Formerly there was railway service under the Philippine National Railways that traverses the San Mateo - Marikina - Pasig area and had its terminus at Barangay Balitè behind the Santo Rosario Parish Church but it had been long dismantled and the railway line converted into roadway that now consists of the road aptly named Daang Bakal.
It is known that 'patok' jeepneys originated from this town way back during the 80's. These jeepneys are known for their notoriety on the road. Despite this, they are popular among the passengers hence the name patók which means 'popular'. They still ply this town up to this day, most plying the Montalban-Cubao route via Marcos Highway. These jeepneys have already spread throughout the Rizal province as well as in Marikina City since then.

Municipal mayors

NoEntered officeExited officeName
119091916Eulogio Rodriguez
219161919Eusebio Manuel
319191928Gregorio Bautista
419281932Jose Rodriguez
519321936Roman Reyes
619361940Jacinto Bautista
719401942Francisco Rodriguez
819421944Federico San Juan
919441945Felix Salen
1019451945Gavino Cruz
1119451946Francisco Rodriguez
1219461947Catalino Bautista
1319471947Macario Bautista
1419471959Benigno Liamzon
1519601960Guillermo Cruz Sr.
1619601984Teodoro Rodriguez
1719841987Pablo Adriano
1819881993Angelito Manuel
1919931995Ernesto Villanueva
2019951998Pedro Cuerpo
2119982001Rafaelito San Diego
2220012010Pedro Cuerpo
2320102019Cecilio Hernandez
242019IncumbentDennis Hernandez

Hospitals

There are numerous elementary and high schools, both public and private, offering primary, secondary and tertiary education in the town of Rodriguez. There are also colleges and institutions that offer graduate and undergraduate programs in town.

Tourism