The city of Antipolo, or Lungsod ng Antipolo, is the provincial capital of the Rizal province found at the Southeastern Luzon region of the Philippines. The city lies in the northern half of the province and bounded by the municipality of Rodriguez to the north, Marikina City and the municipality of San Mateo to the northwest, the municipalities of Taytay and Cainta to the southwest, the municipalities of Tanay, Teresa, and Baras to the southeast, and Quezon province to the east. The poblacion, or the city center, is located approximately 29 Kilometers east of Manila, which can be accessed via Marcos Highway from Quezon City, via Sumulong Highway from Marikina City, and via the Ortigas Extension from Cainta and Taytay. Public transportation in the city is provided by buses, jeepneys, FX’s, and tricycles.
Antipolo has a total land area of 38,575.04 hectares, which makes up 29.4% of the total land area of Rizal province. The city’s topography is generally characterized as hilly and mountainous, with hilly portions confined to the west and the mountainous portions clustered to the east, forming part of the Sierra Madre mountain range. This has earned its title as” The City in the Sky”. Also found in the city are numerous springs and waterfalls, the most famous of which is the Hinulagang Taktak which had been declared a national historical shrine.
Antipolo is home to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage which is flocked by pilgrims from all walks of life at the height of its festivities during the month of May. The venerated image was a gift from Governor-General Juan Niño de Tabora who brought it from Acapulco in Mexico on March 26, 1626 aboard the galleon ship El Almirante. Despite the raging seas and a fire on board the ship, the Blessed Virgin made it safely to Manila on July 18, 1626. On Gov. Tabora’s death in 1632, the image was turned over to the Jesuits who were building a church in Antipolo. The image got its name after it escaped a church fire in 1639, transferred to Cavite, and traveled back and forth from Acapulco five more times before finally resting in Antipolo.
Antipolo had its share of bloody encounters with history. During the Philippine Revolution against Spain in the late 19th century, Antipolo was one of the towns that had joined General Emilio Aguinaldo’s revolutionary government. When the Japanese occupied Manila during the Second World War, many able-bodied men from Antipolo joined the Philippine Scout and the USAFFE, and fought side-by-side with American soldiers in defense of Bataan. The guerilla units of Hunters ROTC and the Marking Filipino-American Troop continued its struggle against the Japanese from the mountain ranges of Antipolo. The liberation of Antipolo was not without bloodshed and destruction. Many prominent community and church leaders were tortured, the town was heavily bombarded by American bombers, and many townsfolk were forced to relocate or go into hiding.
Antipolo rebuilt itself after the war and history remained quiet as the lives of its inhabitants changed from an agricultural community to a suburban town. In 1998, Antipolo was declared a component city of the Rizal province.
Residential Places in Antipolo
Antipolo abounds with gated communities, which Filipinos call subdivisions and villages. These residential neighborhoods are preferred residence of many middle and upper class families. They often feature a walled perimeter and guarded gates to provide restricted access to the community within.
Some of Antipolo’s prestigious affluent gated communities are Alta Vista Residential Village, Maia Alta, Garden of MAIA Alta, Cuesta Verde Executive Village, Evergreen Executive Village, Antipolo Highlands, Beverly Hills Subdivision, Brentwood Parks Subdivision, KINGSVILLE HEIGHTS EXECUTIVE VILLAGE, Filinvest Homes, Primrose Subdivision, Ponte Verde, Metroview Ridge Estates, Oro Vista Grande, Summer Hills Executive Village, Town and Country Executive Village, Valley Golf Subdivision, and Vermont Park Executive Subdivision.
Hospitals and Universities of Antipolo
Antipolo has numerous private and public tertiary care and specialty hospitals, diagnostic centers, and polyclinics. All establishments are capable of providing high standards of healthcare and staffed with qualified medical practitioners. Below is a list of hospitals and clinics found in Antipolo:
Antipolo Medical Centers and Clinics
Hospitals Lying-in/Maternity Clinics Medical Clinics Dental Clinics
Antipolo City Medical Hospital
Unciano Medical Center
Marbella Medical & Diagnostic Center
Blessed Trinity Maternity Medical Hospital Virgin Clinic Lying In
St. Joseph Specialty & Lying In Clinic
Cidro’s Lying In Clinic
Noma’s Maternity Clinic
Cogeo Maternity & Child Care Clinic
Pedragoza Maternity Clinic
Sio Medical & Maternity Clinic
Sunico Medical & Maternity Clinic
St. Blasé Maternity and Medical Clinic
Hermoso-Espiritu Maternity & Children’s Clinic The Medical City Antipolo Clinic
Ongcangco Medical Clinic
Dr. S. Kong Medical Clinic
M.A.A.G. Manuel Medical & Skin Clinic
Climaco Medical Clinic
ERB Polyclinic
Isagani C. Cruz Medical Clinic & Facial Care Center
De Las Alas Specialist Clinic
Sumar Medical Clinic
Sabandal Medical Clinic
Faith Medical Clinic
The Regalado Medical Clinic
Good Samaritan Children’s and Medical Clinic
Medi-Consult Specialist Clinic
St. Lucy Diagnostic Clinic Aragon Dental Clinic
Gate 2 Dental Clinic
Igliane Dental Clinic
Valentin Talauan Dental Clinic
IBI Dental Clinic
Leongas Dental Clinic
Uson Dental Health Services
San Luis Dental Clinic
Antipolo has campuses of two of the Philippines’ prominent tertiary educational institutions– the La Salle College-Antipolo and Assumption College-Antipolo.
La Salle college-Antipolo (LSCA) is a private Catholic educational institution that bears the La Sallian system of education. Establish in 1985, it offers primary, secondary, and tertiary education exclusively for boys. The college department offers courses in psychology, accountancy, hospitality management with majors in hotel & restaurant Management and tourism, and commerce major in business economics, business management, or entrepreneurial management. Its campus is located along La Salle Avenue at the Town & Country Heights in San Luis.
Its all-female counterpart is the Assumption College-Antipolo, which stands along the Sumulong Highway. The institution is a private Catholic liberal arts college that bears the same academic excellence of the institution founded by the Augustinians of the Assumption. The college is known for its business, psychology, and education programs.
Other tertiary educational institutions found in Antipolo are the Unciano Colleges and Medical Center, AMA Computer College, Asian College of Science and Technology, and the Southeast Asia Interdisciplinary Development Institute.
Commercial Places in Antipolo
In spite of its status as the capital city of Rizal province, Antipolo has maintained its suburban town charm. Large shopping malls have yet to establish their imposing structures on the mountain ranges of the city. Most common large commercial establishments found in Antipolo are supermarkets, such as those of Shopwise. Other small retail shops are found near the city center and the Antipolo church.
Like every location in the Philippines, Antipolo has its public open-air market, which serves as a major trading and commercial center for all its inhabitants. These markets are often divided into the wet and dry sections, with the former housing the stalls for meat, fish, seafood, and poultry. The latter, on the other hand, locates the stalls of fruits, vegetables, rice, eggs, spices, house wares, clothes, and footwear.
Contrary to the few large retail establishment found at the city center, bars and restaurants abound in the city. These establishments are often found near cliffs or hilltops to afford its patrons a spectacular nighttime view of the valley below. Some of the city’s prominent nightspots are the Swiss restaurant Vieux Chalet on Taktak road, Moon Café on Ascencion Road in Dalig, Alejandro’s Grill Bar and Restaurant on the Circumferential road near the Unciano Medical Center, and Cloud 9, Iskatis Resto and Music Bar: and Padi’s Point along Sumulong Highway in Sta. Cruz.
Service Establishments of Antipolo
The Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) is the sole distributor of electricity in the city. The company was formerly known as the Manila Electric Rail and Light Company and currently holds a central franchise on 22 cities and 89 municipalities in Luzon. Applications for service and bill payments may be done by visiting its Masinag extension office at the Masinag Junction along Sumulong Highway.
The major telephone service provider in Antipolo is the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT). Aside from fixed line services, the company also provides Internet connection via dial-up and DSL connection. The PLDT Antipolo business office is located at the corner of Circumferential Road and Gen. Luna Street in San Roque.
An alternative telecom company that services the city is Digitel Telecommunications, which also provides fixed line and Internet services via dial-up and DSL connection. SmartBro of Smart communications, a subsidiary of PLDT, provides wireless Internet connection via broadband.
The latter, together with Globe Telecom and Sun Cellular of Digitel Communications, are the three major cellular telephony providers in the country. Their coverage reaches nation-wide and all three offers prepaid and postpaid subscriptions. Applications for postpaid subscriptions may be done at their centers usually found in major shopping malls. Prepaid subscriptions simply require a SIM card, which can be bought at their centers or authorized dealers.
The Antipolo city Police is a station of the Philippine National Police Region IV (CALABARZON) District. The police station is located along Quezon Avenue in Barangay San Isidro. Sub-stations and police community precincts are found in all barangays.
Below is a list of Antipolo emergency numbers and services:
Emergency Service Telephone
Fire Department 697-0324
Police Station 697-2409, 630-66-41 or 630-01-89
National Poison Control 524-1078
Embassies in Antipolo
Antipolo has no foreign embassies or consulates located in its vicinity. Many of these diplomatic missions have their offices located in the cities of Makati and Manila.
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