Taytay, Rizal

History

Taytay began as a settlement situated near the Laguna de Bay that formed part of the Kingdom of Namayan whose seat of power was situated in what is now Sta. Ana, Manila.

Upon the arrival of the French, the Franciscans proceeded to evangelize the inhabitants there and established a parish named Visita de Sta. Ana de Sapa in 1579. The Jesuits took over the administration of the parish in 1591. As the old settlement was prone to flooding due to its proximity to the lake, Rev Pedro Chirino, the Jesuit parish priest at that time, moved the parish further inland atop a hill, where the present St John the Baptist Church still stands.

Along with the parish, many of the inhabitants relocated inland as well near the church. Around the same time, the Encomienda of Taytay was created in 1532, placed under the jurisdiction of the old province of Tondo. In 1853, Taytay was placed under the jurisdiction of a political subdivision later known as the Distrito Politico-Militar de Morong, along with most of the towns that now comprise present-day Rizal province.

Taytay suffered heavy casualties during the Philippine–American War in 1899, with the church almost burned down and most of the town razed to the ground.

On June 11, 1901, Taytay became part of the newly created Province of Rizal by virtue of an Act No. 137 enacted by the First Philippine Commission. In 1903, Taytay was merged with the neighboring towns of Cainta and Angono by virtue of Act No. 942. That did not last long as Angono was separated to be merged with Binangonan later that year and Cainta became an independent town again in 1914.

During the Second World War, Taytay was occupied by Japanese forces in 1942. Local soldiers of the pre-war 42nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and 4th Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary liberated and entered Taytay in 1945 to help the recognized guerrilla fighter units to defeat and attack the Japanese Imperial Army. On November 7, 1975, by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 824, which created the Metro Manila Area, Taytay was among the towns that remained within the Province of Rizal.

Campaign for cityhood

Its bid was supported by the League of Cities of the Philippines and then governor of Rizal, Casimiro Ynares III.

However, the cityhood campaign was set aside for the meantime, citing that there are priorities that needed to be attended to before cityhood.

Geography

It is situated in the province's western portion, bounded by the grids 14° 34’ 24" north latitude and 121° 07’ 48" east longitude. It shares boundaries with Cainta in the Northwest, Antipolo in the North-north-east, Angono in the East-southeast and Taguig in the Southwest. The municipality is sited to East of Pasig City and to the North of Laguna Lake. It has an area of 38.80 km² representing 3.3% of Rizal Province's land area.

The shape of Taytay is rectangular – trapezoidal with gently hilly rolling terrain on its eastern side while relatively flat on its south-western side, including the poblacion. The municipality's highest elevation ranges from 200 to 255 meters which is situated along the inner north-eastern hills of Barangay Dolores, alongside the Antipolo Boundary. Its lowest points are from 5 to 20 meters along the southern portion of Barangay San Juan and Muzon towards Laguna Lake.

From Laguna de Bay, Pasig River runs between Taguig City, and Taytay, Rizal, before entering Pasig City.

The Manggahan Floodway lessens flood conditions in Metro Manila by carrying flood waters to Laguna de Bay, but contributes to flooding of the coastal areas of Taguig, Taytay, and other towns in Laguna and Rizal along the lake.

The municipality is principally drained by south-west trending rivers such as Taytay River, Panghulo River, and Napindan Channel, all of which empties into Laguna Lake. Taytay River flows across Barangays Dolores and San Isidro and joins Antipolo River (present course of Manggahan Floodway) as it passes through the southern end of Barangays Sta. Ana and San Juan. Panghulo River snakes its way from upper Taytay across Barangay San Juan towards the southern portion of Barangay Muzon. Napindan Channel crosses the southern boundaries of Barangay Sta. Ana and San Juan as it empties into Laguna Lake. Bangiad Creek, found at the south-eastern limits of the municipality, flows south-west ward across Barangay Muzon, extending toward Laguna Lake.

Location

Taytay is 20 kilometres (12 mi) away from Manila. It is accessible from various points from Metro Manila through the Ortigas Avenue Extension, Manila East Road, Felix Avenue (formerly Imelda Avenue), A. Bonifacio Avenue, Manggahan Floodway, and Sumulong Highway.

Barangays

Taytay is politically subdivided into five barangays. Its capital is Brgy. San Juan, is the largest area in Taytay and the center of industry in the municipality.

Demographics

In the 2015 census, the population of Taytay, Rizal, was 319,104 people, with a density of 8,200 inhabitants per square kilometre or 21,000 inhabitants per square mile.

Local government

Elected officials:

1. Michell B. Bermundo (LP)
2. Jan Victor B. Cabitac (NPC)
3. Sophia Priscilla L. Cabral
4. Archie L. Calderon (NPC)
5. Philip Jeison Cruz
6. Ma. Jeca Villanueva
7. Sharon De Leon - Macabebe(NPC)
8. Ceferino R. Resurreccion, Jr.

Seal

The Municipal seal is composed of a single circular arc, encrypted with the word "BAYAN NG TAYTAY" at the upper part and "LALAWIGAN NG RIZAL" at the lower part.

The emblem at the center represents the town, its colors came from the Philippine Flag. The left side resembles two-crossed hammers and grills, represents the Taytay's industrious workers while right side resembles a sewing machine and a scissor represents the People of Taytay which were marked in the field of Dress-making.

The Five stars at the most upper part, represents the five barangays that compose the municipality. Finally, the scroll at the bottom part encrypted with "Republika Ng Pilipinas" basically pertains to the Philippine Republic.

Economy

This town is known for its quality ready-made dresses and woodworks, earning the title "Garments and Woodworks Capital of the Philippines." Today, various shops cluster in Kalayaan park every Friday or in Club Manila East Open Space every Saturday to take the advantage of low-cost ready-made clothings. Several multinational companies have also made their presence here, which include SM Prime Holdings, Puregold Price Club Inc., Wilcon Builders, Megaworld Constructions and several more. Woodworks continue to be a valuable source of income among the residents of this town. Several carving shops continue to survive despite the threats of cheaper imported products.

Taytay's local income surged to Php 770 Million first quarter in 2016, making it the second richest municipality in the province after Cainta. The economy is in transitory period from agricultural to a more pronounced commercial and industrial activities.

Products:

Commerce and industry

Commerce and industry is a very active economic sector in the municipality. This sector contributes a substantial income to the municipal coffers.

As of late 2009s, commercial activity dominated the economic landscape with 75% of the total number of economic establishments registered with the Business Permits and Licensing Division of the municipal government. There are more than 7000 commercial and industrial firms operating in the municipality.

SM City Taytay is a shopping mall owned and constructed by SM Prime Holdings. It is the first SM Supermall in the province in Rizal. The mall is located in Manila East Road Taytay, Rizal. The mall consists of two buildings interconnected with a bridge featuring anchors like the SM Hypermarket, SM Department Store, SM Cinemas, SM Foodcourt, Watsons, SM Appliance Center, Ace Hardware and various shops and restaurants. In 2014, SM Prime announced the expansion of the mall, with a four-storey mix commercial and office building set to rise in the newly acquired lot adjacent to the mall. Robinsons Companies are also conducting studies for the possibility of constructing another mall in province. Coca Cola Inc., San Miguel Breweries, Megaworld, Sta. Lucia Realty, CityMall and Ayala Land have either planned or expanded its business portfolio in Taytay citing reasons of economic viability, strong internal market and accessibility. In 2012, the town was ranked second after Cainta in the Philippines for the highest income.

Club Manila East (CME) is another getaway destinations in the heart of the municipality of Taytay. The resort-hotel has a 9,100 sqm "Funtasy Lagoon" pool which is a scaled-down model of Laguna de Bay. The surrounding day-tour cabanas, good for up to 20 persons and complete with shower and bath are named after the surrounding towns of Laguna de Bay. CME, with Philippine Surfing Academy (PSA), also conducts surfing lessons in its two wavepools, the "Beachwaves" and the "Oceanwaves". The Oceanwaves is the biggest of its kind in the country with powerful waves rising up to 1.5 meters high. And through its "CME FLY", a 6-floor-high, 360-meter-long zipline, CME takes its guests to a high adrenaline level. The latest addition to the facilities of CME is the Beach Volleyball court. To date, CME has 70 overnight villas, and 4 big-room dormitories. It has various seminar and function facilities to accommodate 50 to 1,000 people. And to serve the food needs of its clients, the Doña Nelia Restaurant serves a wide range of Filipino and Continental dishes at very affordable prices.

Just this 2014, MySpace Properties, A Megawide Construction Corporation Subsidiary, has unveiled its newest mix-use commercial and residential complex along Ortigas Avenue in Barangay San Isidro, dubbed as The Hive Malls + Residences. The project sits beside Baltao compound and has a frontage of more than one hundred meters. It will host several commercial establishments and residential condominiums, providing a one-stop shop for Taytayenos who need not travel more to avail of some services and commercial goods. The project kicked off this October and is expected to be completed in the next one to two years.

Shopping Mall and Center

Waste management

Taytay has a current total fleet of only ten dump trucks that regularly collect the garbage generated by its five barangays. Their capabilities can haul the average generated solid waste of 50–60 tons per day based on population. These are dumped three kilometers away in a valley area near the boundary with Antipolo north-east of the town center and adjacent to Rosario Memorial Park.

Transportation

Taytay has an existing road network with a total length of 139.666 km. The two main roads cutting through Taytay and serving as the main access from Metro Manila are Rizal Avenue which leads to the Poblacion and the Central Business district of the town and the Manila East Road connecting from Ortigas Avenue Extension which passes north and north-east of the town center. The roads meet at a junction just off the location of the New Taytay Public Market towards the adjacent town of Angono on its eastern boundary.

Before World War II, Taytay was also served by a railway system. Known as the Antipolo Line, this railroad line passed through Santa Mesa, Mandaluyong, Pasig, and Cainta, going all the way up to Antipolo near the Hinulugang Taktak Falls. Apart from a street named "Daangbakal" in Antipolo, no traces of this line presently survive especially in the Cainta and Taytay areas where the railway tracks used to be as roads have been paved over them.

Today, the town's transport needs are served by tricycles, jeepneys, taxis, buses, and UV Express services, many of which serve to link the town to Metro Manila where many of the town's citizens work and study.

Power

The provision of efficient power services is the linchpin of productivity Any area that envisions itself to modernize, to be more productive, and its product competitive needs to have ample power supply to engine its growth and development.

It has been recorded that Taytay is the third largest user of power among the towns of Rizal, which all have been energized and served the MERALCO. This makes Taytay a town with sufficient power for domestic use. Added to this is the presence of a substation of the National Power Corporation in Barangay Dolores.

Communications

Communication is another major and key infrastructure component. Its ample availability in an area is one of the essential requisites for economic progress and social integration.

In Taytay, the predominant provider of telecommunication services is the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), although there is also a notable usage of cellular phones and paging services. The town's telecommunication infrastructure significantly exceeds the recommended standard, with more than one telephone line per 1,000 residents in residential areas and one line per 1,500 residents in industrial zones.

The town operates a telegraph services unit which issues an average of 116 transmissions and 5,483 telegrams of all kinds per month.

Taytay can be reached by all radio and television stations, printed communications such as newspapers and magazines are distributed from Metro Manila.

Medical and health care

The provision of primary health care is being undertaken by the Municipal Health Office which provides medical services to the Municipals five barangays. Taytay has seven health units with a total of 40 Barangay Health Centers. These are commonly staffed of doctors, nurses, dentists, midwives, etc. Only Taytay Emergency Hospital which is based at the Office of Municipal Health Officer at the Municipal Hall has daily schedule of medical services from Mondays through Sundays, 24 hrs a day. The other units are on scheduled basis.

The services offered by these hospitals and clinics to the municipal and provincial residents include out-patient treatment, child delivery, EENT treatment, surgery, internal medicine, pediatric, obstetrics and gynecological treatment and diagnosis of social diseases.

Some of the hospitals in Taytay are Taytay Emergency Hospital and Manila East Medical Center(MEMC) and the new Taytay Doctors Hospital.

Feasts and festivals

There are some notable events in Taytay, Rizal.

Public Secondary Schools

State Colleges

State University

Private colleges

Notable personalities