Q: We learned that Rizal is your province, isn't it?
A: Yes, Rizal is one of my province. Actually, my father is from Caloocan, Rizal (now Caloocan City). He was born and grown up there. I am also born in Caloocan, Rizal (now Caloocan City) and grown up there. I am very familiar in the province because as I said, I was born and grown up in the province.
Q: Your relatives and friends said that you had live in Manila. Why is it that some folks said that Caloocan City is also called Manila?
A: Well, some folks especially in the provinces said that Caloocan City is also part of Manila because Caloocan City is near to Manila. Caloocan City is also a rich city not only in the province but also in Greater Manila Area. Greater Manila Area consists of not only Manila but also the cities and towns of Rizal which are near to Manila.
Q: Could you please describe about Rizal Province if you are familiar in your province?
A: Well, Rizal Province is located at Region 4 known as Southern Tagalog Region. Obviously that people in Rizal Province speak Tagalog. Rizal Province is located at south of Bulacan, west of Quezon Province, north of Cavite, Laguna and Laguna de Bay, and east of Manila. Some of the cities and towns of Rizal Province surrounds Manila and these cities and towns are productive, rich, urbanized, and populated. Rizal Province was established in 1901 from the towns of old Province of Manila and towns of Morong Province. The province is named after our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, who was executed at Bagumbayan (now Luneta Park or Rizal Park). Dr. Jose P. Rizal wrote two famous novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. He wrote the two novels because of the cruelty of the Spaniards and Philippines was colonized by Spain for almost 400 years.
Q: We heard that Rizal is one of the rich province in Philippines, isn't it?
A: Yes, Rizal is also a rich province in Philippines since 1950's. Caloocan City has many companies and industries and most of these are operated by Filipino-Chinese groups. There are many tall buildings, main offices, and hotels in Quezon City, Makati City, Muntinlupa City, Mandaluyong City, San Juan, and even Pasig City, the provincial capital. Makati City is the richest city in the province and even in Philippines because most of the prominent or well-known businessmen such as Ayala, Soriano, Gallardo, Concepcion, Araneta, etc. are residing in the exclusive subdivisions like Forbes Park, Dasmariñas Village, Salcedo Village, Legaspi Village, Urdaneta Village, and Bel-Air Village. Makati City is the Business Capital of the Philippines because most of the local and foreign investors are doing their business in Makati City. The well-known companies and industries are located in Quezon City, Parañaque City, Las Piñas City, and Muntinlupa City. Marikina City is a well-known place for shoe making. Malabon City, Navotas, Taguig, Taytay, Angono, Binangonan, and Cardona are well-known place for making fish products. Pateros, Pililla, and Jala-jala are well-known place for making poultry products and duck raisings. Parañaque City and Las Piñas City are well-known place for making textiles, clothes, and even salts. The Sarao Motors, a well-known company for manufacturing of jeepneys, is located in Las Piñas City. There are many golf courses in Cainta, Antipolo City, and Taytay. There is a glass factory in Pasig City while cement factories are located in Binangonan and Tanay. There are many arts and paintings in Angono and Binangonan. Most of the artists are from Taytay, Angono, and Binangonan. The province is also productive in agriculture and livestocks in the second district.
Q: We heard that most of the exclusive subdivisions and villages are located in Rizal Province, isn't it?
A: Yes, there are many exclusive subdivisions and villages in Rizal Province. Forbes Park, Dasmariñas Village, Legaspi Village, Salcedo Village, Urdaneta Village, and Bel-Air Village in Makati City, Corinthian Gardens, Green Meadows, White Plains, Loyola Heights, and Xavierville Village in Quezon City, Marikina Heights and SSS Village in Marikina City, Greenhills Subdivision in San Juan, Rizal, B.F. Homes, Tahanan Village, Airport Village, and Better Living Subdivision in Parañaque City, Villamor Village in Pasay City, Camella Homes and B.F. Homes Resort Village in Las Piñas City, Ayala Alabang Village in Muntinlupa City, Valle Verde Subdivision, San Antonio Village, and Capitol Subdivision in Pasig City, Vista Verde and Brookside Hills in Cainta, Rizal, Beverly Hills Subdivision in Taytay, Rizal, Antipolo Heights, Cogeo Village, and Hinulugang Taktak Subdivision in Antipolo City. In the second district of the province, there are many subdivisions and villages in San Mateo, Montalban or Rodriguez, Angono, and Binangonan.
Q: What are the main roads in Rizal Province?
A: Well, I know most of the main roads in the province like the following: EDSA (Epifanio delos Santos Avenue, North Expressway, South Super Hi-Way, Roxas Boulevard, McArthur Hi-Way, Rizal Avenue, C-3 Road, Samson Road, A. Mabini Street, M. Naval Street, Roosevelt Avenue, Congressional Road, Commonwealt Avenue, Quirino Hi-Way, Gen Luis Road, Kamias Road, East Avenue, Timog (South) Avenue, West Avenue, North Avenue, Visayas Avenue, Mindanao Avenue, Tomas Morato Street, Quezon Avenue, Aurora Boulevard, E. Rodiguez Avenue, Santolan Road, Ortigas Avenue, Katipunan Avenue, N. Domingo Street, Shaw Boulevard, Boni Avenue, Marcos Hi-Way, J.P. Rizal Street, A. Bonifacio Avenue, Bayan Bayanan Avenue, Sumulong Hi-Way, Imelda Avenue, Circumferencial Road, Provincial Road, National Hi-Way, Taft Avenue, Buendia Avenue, Ayala Avenue, Pasay Road, Pasong Tamo Road, Vito Cruz Street, Leveriza Street, Ninoy Aquino Avenue, Manila International Airport Avenue, Domestic Airport Road, Redeptorist Road, Quirino Avenue, FTI Road, Sucat Road, Alabang Zapote Road, and M.L. Quezon Avenue.
Q: Do you go to shopping malls and department stores in the province and where?
Q: We heard that you attend the MIT ChE-Chm Alumni Association Homecoming last November 16, 2002, isn't it?
A: Yes, I attend the MIT ChE-Chm Alumni Association Homecoming last November 16, 2002. I am just arrived from San Francisco, California at 6:00 am and I arranged my things at my cousin's house in Quezon City. I take the rest because of the jetlog and I get pressure. After my rest, I went to New World Hotel at Pasay Road, Makati City to Attend the MIT ChE-Chm Alumni Homecoming. Thanks to Mr. Jonathan Abaquin and the other members of MIT ChE-Chm Alumni Association who send me an e-mail regarding the Homecoming. I already planned to visit Philippines because I miss the Philippines for two years and I miss the MIT ChE-Chm Alumni Association Homecoming for two years since I migrate to United States on November 11, 2000. This year is my 10th year as an alumnus of Mapua Institute of Technology. I am glad that I met my former classmates, friends, and former professors at the Homecoming. I am happy in attending the MIT ChE-Chm Alumni Association Homecoming every year since my graduation in 1992. If I have a time to visit Philippines again, I will plan and schedule it on the month of November so that I can also attend the MIT ChE-Chm Alumni Association Homecoming.
Q: We heard that you arrived in Philippines on November 16, 2002. Since you are Balikbayan and have a priviledge to shop at Duty Free Philippines, did you go to Duty Free Philippines?
A: Yes, I went to Duty Free Philippines after I attend the MIT ChE-Chm Alumni Association. I have to go to Duty Free Philippines because I have only 2 days left from my arrival in order to have a change to shop at Duty Free Philippines. I went ot Duty Free Philippines with my niece Mrs. Jade Garcia Cruz, her husband Mr. Jerry Cruz, and their children on November 17, 2002. I bought different kinds of goods from United States such as chocolates, brandy, and doll for my god daughter. Well, the prices are almost the same as in United States and the prices are in US dollars although I am in Philippines.
Q: You mentioned earlier that you have a goddaughter, a daughter of your best friend, did you visit your god daughter?
A: Yes, of course, I cannot forget to visit my god daughter. I went to Concepcion, Marikina City on November 19, 2002. I visited my goddaughter, Daniella Gorospe Fabricante, a daughter of my best friend and former schoolmate, Engr. Noe B. Fabricante. Engr. Noe B. Fabricante is presently a professor of Mapua Institute of Technology at Mechanical Engineering Department. He has an own reviewing center for engineering, Steam Power Mechanical Engineering Review School, located at Room 301, Don Lorenzo Bldg., 889 P. Paredes Street, Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines. For those who want to enroll in the reviewing center, you can visit to the office at the said address or call at (632)734-1104. They are very happy when I visited them. My goddaughter is pretty and smart. My bestfriend have a third child and asked me to be a god father of their third child. I am glad that I will be a godfather of their third child. I went back to Concepcion, Marikina City on December 1, 2002 to attend a birthday party of Prince Dean Fabricante, the eldest son of my best friend, Engr. Noe B. Fabricante. In the party, I met his friends, guests, and relatives. They entertained me very well because that is my last visit and I will go back to San Francisco, California on December 8, 2002.
Q: Did you tour near to your cousin's place in Quezon City?
A: Yes, I did a tour with myself in Quezon City and thanks God that I have a time to tour. I went to New Manila, Quezon City on November 20, 2002 to visit my friend and schoolmate, Mrs. Zenaida Lee Ponce, at their residence. Thanks God that I met her and we had a tour to Manila on the following day. We had a tour once only because she is very busy in their business in Laguna. I gave thanks to her that she gave me a time to have a tour.
Q: We heard that you had a tour in Cubao, Quezon City, and Ayala Center, Makati City, isn't it?
A: Yes, I had a tour in Cubao, Quezon City and Ayala Center, Makati City on November 20, 2002. Since my cousin, Ms. Ester Garcia, is very busy in her beauty parlor, I had a tour with myself by taking public transportations like jeepneys, buses, and Mass Railway Transit (MRT). Advice for the foreigners who want to visit Philippines especially in Metropolitan Manila Area, you have to be very careful in your things because there are lots of pickpockets, bag slashers, snatchers, cellphone snatchers, holdapers, carnappers, and even kidnappers. Cubao, Quezon City is a well-known place for having a lot of these kind of bad people and syndicates for 40 years. There are many squatters near to that place. Squatters mean that these people are living in the street, under the bridges, or near to the dumping site of garbages. Thanks God that there is a person that will solve these kind of problems in Metropolitan Manila Area, especially in Cubao, Quezon City. Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando, a former Mayor of Marikina City, will solve these kind of problems by demolition of squatters, cleaning the dumpsites and canals, and even punishing these kind of bad people and syndicates in Metropolitan Manila Area. These will affect the tourism in Philippines therefore MMDA will solve these kind of problems immediately before it is too late. There is no problem in Makati City (Map of Makati City)because most of the people there are from the rich family. Most of the people going to Makati City are rich people. Many foreigners are staying in hotels in Makati City. Most of the department stores there are classified as the 1st class, therefore the items in the department stores are really expensive. Well, I saw Cubao, Quezon City, and Ayala Center, Makati City again two years after when I migrate to United States on November 11, 2000.
Q: We heard that you went to San Juan, Rizal and Antipolo City, isn't it?
A: Yes, I went to San Juan, Rizal and Antipolo City on November 20, 2002. My cousin, Ms. Ester Garcia, was one of the judges at Ginoong Antipolo (Mister Antipolo) 2002. She invited me to watch Ginoong Antipolo 2002. It was my first time to watch the male pageant. I am always watching the pageant for women particularly Binibining Pilipinas (Miss Philippines) and Miss Universe. We went first at Ricky Reyes' Office in San Juan, Rizal to pick-up my cousin's friends there. My cousin was supposed to introduce his best friend, Mr. Ricky Reyes, to me but he is out of town so I did not meet him in person. Mr. Ricky Reyes is a godfather of my niece, Ms. Jade Garcia-Cruz in wedding. Mr. Ricky Reyes is a well-known make-up artist and hairstylist in Philippines. He has a lot of branches of beauty parlor and beauty schools anywhere in Philippines. After we picked-up my cousin's friends, we went to Antipolo City to watch Ginoong Antipolo 2002. We met Mr. Teddy Gatlabayan, Mayor of Antipolo City and he was a Guest of Honor. Mr. Teddy Gatlabayan, is a brother-in-law of my uncle, Mr. Bobbie Vargas. We also met Ms. Patricia Javier, a movie actress in Philippines. She was a Special Guest and also a resident in Antipolo City. The pageant was successful and the winner will compete for Ginoong Pilipinas (Mister Philippines) next year.
Q: You mentioned earlier that your father is from Caloocan City, do you have relatives in Caloocan City and did you visit them?
A: Yes, I have relatives in Caloocan City especially in Sangandaan. I went to Caloocan City on November 26, 2002 by public transportation. My cousin, Ester Garcia, is so busy in her beauty parlor and she could not give me a ride going to Caloocan City. I visit my mother's best friend, Mrs. Corazon Gallardo Uy at their restaurant and residence. They entertained me very well and thanks God they have their own business. Many people including the employees of Caloocan City Hall, students and faculty of La Consolacion College, and employees of San Roque Church are eating to their restaurant. I went to Sangandaan, Caloocan City to look what happened to that place two years after I migrate to United States on November 11, 2000. I am very familiar in that place because previously, I live in Sangandaaan, Caloocan City since my birth on April 23, 1970 up to October 15, 1993. There are lot of changes in that place because there are more stores and new establishments, the traffic at the intersection of Gen. San Miguel St. and A. Mabini St. becomes heavier, and the place becomes crowded. I went to my relatives to visit my aunts, uncles, and cousins. They were very happy when I visit them. Before I leave, I asked them to attend my farewell party at my cousin's house in Quezon City before I depart on December 8, 2002. My tour to Caloocan City is very memorable because I saw again the place where I born, live, grow-up, and study during my elementary days. I saw also my relatives and my family friend two years after I migrate to United States.
