Location: Antipolo 🌎

Antipolo, officially the City of Antipolo (Filipino: Lungsod ng Antipolo), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 887,399 people.  It is the most populous city in the Calabarzon region, and the seventh most-populous city in the Philippines.Antipolo was converted from a municipality into a component city of Rizal Province on April 4, 1998, under Republic Act No. 8508. A new provincial capitol building was inaugurated in the city in March 2009 to replace the old capitol in Pasig, which has long been outside the jurisdiction of Rizal Province, since Pasig was included in Metro Manila in 1975. With the transfer of the provincial government to Antipolo, it is highly favored to be officially designated as the new capital of the province. On March 14, 2011, Antipolo was declared according to Proclamation No. 124 s. 2011 a highly-urbanized city by then President Benigno S. Aquino; however, the proclamation has yet to be ratified in a plebiscite. Pending a plebiscite, Antipolo is the most populated city in the Philippines under a component city status. On June 19, 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11475, designating Antipolo City as the official capital of Rizal Province. It took effect on July 7, 2020. The city is popular for being a pilgrimage site. It prides itself as the “Pilgrimage Capital of the Philippines”. The Marian image of the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage or the Virgin of Antipolo, which was brought in from Mexico in 1626, and enshrined in the Antipolo Cathedral has a continuous following among Filipino Catholics since the Spanish colonial era. A popular custom of pilgrimages to the Virgin of Antipolo is the trek going to its shrine on the eves of Good Friday and May 1, from various locations in Rizal Province and Metro Manila. The most notable of these pilgrimages would begin the trek from the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (Quiapo Church), in Quiapo, Manila following the procession of the image. There is also an existing custom to have new cars blessed at the church in the belief that this will ensure the safety of the car and its passengers, and also preferred by outgoing OFWs to ensure their success in abroad.Its higher elevation than that of Metro Manila affords it a scenic view of the metropolis, especially at night. Its locally grown mangoes and cashews are popular among tourists, as well as suman – a local delicacy made out of glutinous rice. The Hinulugang Taktak National Park, which was once a popular summer get-away is being restored to become again one of the city’s primary attractions because it was devastated by a typhoon.