Tuesday, March 03, 2009 [ manilatimes.net ]
ANTIPOLO City, Rizal: With the transfer of the provincial government to its new, bigger and better capitol in this component city, the search for a new capital for the province would hopefully be within reach.
In trying to secure an official seat of governance of its own, the provincial board has started working on a resolution that would compel Congress to name this component city as the official capital city of Rizal.
Gov. Jun Ynares 3rd, amenable to the idea of having Antipolo City as the new Rizal capital, described this component city as the most logical choice among localities vying for the prestigious tag.
Citing the criteria set under the Local Government Code, Antipolo City is geographically located at the center of the province and is accessible by land from all directions. It is also host to a number of vital government facilities and installations—that is on top of being a byword insofar as Catholic faith is concerned. Antipolo is home of the miraculous Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage.
Governor Ynares, likewise, cited a National Economic Developemnt Authority (NEDA) study endorsing Antipolo City as the best place for a new Rizal capitol.
Antipolo City emerged as the top choice of the provincial government over other municipalities vying to become the new Rizal capital.
Other towns, which earlier signified interest to host the new capitol and eventually be named as the new Rizal capital, include the towns of Binangonan, Morong and Tanay.
To date, Pasig remains the capital town of Rizal despite being stripped from the province along with 11 other revenue earning localities. In 1975, then-President Ferdinand Marcos issued Presidential Decree 824, which in turn created what is now known as the National Capital Region.
“With the new Rizal capitol already in place in Antipolo City, we don’t see any reason why Congress would not consider it to become our new capital city, as Pasig could no longer serve the function as seat of government for Rizal considering that it is no longer part and parcel of the province. After all, aside from being a very popular destination, Antipolo has also surpassed every single aspect required of a locality to be named as such,” Governor Ynares said in a statement.-James Konstantin Galvez
________________________________________________________________________
