Rizal, officially the Province of Rizal, is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Its capital is the city of Antipolo. It is about 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) east of Manila. The province is named after José Rizal, one of the main national heroes of the Philippines. It is bordered by Metro Manila to the west, Bulacan to the north, Quezon to the east and Laguna to the southeast. The province also lies on the northern shores of Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the country. Rizal is a mountainous province perched on the western slopes of the southern portion of the Sierra Madre mountain range.
Laguna de Bay, also known as Laguna Lake and alternatively spelled "Laguna de Bae", is the largest lake in the Philippines. It is located southeast of Metro Manila, between the provinces of Laguna to the south and Rizal to the north. A freshwater lake, it has a surface area of 911–949 km2, with an average depth of about 2.8 meters and an elevation of about one meter above sea level. The lake is shaped like a crow's foot, with two peninsulas jutting out from the northern shore and filling the large volcanic Laguna Caldera. In the middle of the lake is the large island of Talim.
The Pasig River is a water body in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for 25.2 kilometers (15.7 mi), it bisects the Philippine capital of Manila and its surrounding urban area into northern and southern halves. Its major tributaries are the Marikina River and San Juan River. The total drainage basin of the Pasig River, including the basin of Laguna de Bay, covers 4,678 square kilometers (1,806 sq mi).
A sampan is a relatively flat-bottomed Chinese and Malay wooden boat. Some sampans include a small shelter on board and may be used as a permanent habitation on inland waters. The design closely resembles Western hard chine boats like the scow or punt. Sampans are generally used for transportation in coastal areas or rivers and are often used as traditional fishing boats. It is unusual for a sampan to sail far from land, as they do not have the means to survive rough weather.
Taguig, officially the City of Taguig, is a coastal city located in eastern shores of Metro Manila. It is the fifth-most populous city in the Philippines with a population of 1.2 million people. The city is one of the Philippines' cultural, financial, high-tech, entertainment and media centers with significant influence on commerce, health care, research, technology, education, politics, tourism, dining, art, fashion, and sports. Taguig is also an important center for the country's international diplomacy, hosting several embassies. The city also home to the headquarters of several major multinational corporations. Taguig has the fourth largest skyline in the Philippines, with 289 high-rises, 80 of which exceed 100 m (328 ft).
This Battle of Santa Cruz was fought in the early stages of the Philippine–American War during General Henry W. Lawton's Laguna de Bay campaign.
The Marikina River is a river in eastern Metro Manila, Philippines. It is the largest tributary of the Pasig River, with headwaters located in the Sierra Madre Mountains in Rodriguez, Rizal province.
In early Philippine history, the Tagalog settlement at Tondo, sometimes referred to as the Kingdom of Tondo, was a major trade hub located on the northern part of the Pasig River delta, on Luzon island. Together with Maynila, the polity (bayan) that was also situated on the southern part of the Pasig River delta, had established a shared monopoly on the trade of Chinese goods throughout the rest of the Philippine archipelago, making it an established force in trade throughout Southeast Asia and East Asia.
The Pasig River Ferry Service (PRFS) is a public water bus service based in Metro Manila, the Philippines. It is currently the only water-based transportation service in Metro Manila that cruises the length of the Pasig River and Marikina River, passing through the cities of Manila, Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Marikina, and Taguig.
In Philippine history, the Tagalog bayan of Maynila was one of the most cosmopolitan of the early historic settlements on the Philippine archipelago. Fortified with a wooden palisade which was appropriate for the predominant battle tactics of its time, it lay on the southern part of the Pasig River delta, where the district of Intramuros in Manila currently stands, and across the river from the separately-led Tondo polity.
The earliest recorded history of Manila, the capital of the Philippines, dates back to the year 900 AD as recorded in the Laguna Copperplate Inscription. By the thirteenth century, the city consisted of a fortified settlement and trading quarter near the mouth of the Pasig River, the river that bisects the city into north and south.
The Manggahan Floodway is an artificially constructed waterway in Metro Manila, Philippines. The floodway was built in 1986, with the cost of 1.1 billion pesos, in order to reduce flooding along the Pasig River during the rainy season, by diverting the peak water flows of the Marikina River to Laguna de Bay, which serves as a temporary reservoir. In case the water level on the lake is higher than the Marikina River, the floodway can also reverse the flow.
The transportation system in Metro Manila covers the road network, rail network, ferries, ports and airports located within the metropolitan Manila area. Road transportation in Metro Manila is diverse, composed of many types of private and public transport vehicles. These include taxis, buses, jeepneys, tricycles and pedicabs. In some areas, especially in Divisoria and large public markets, two-stroke motors are fitted in the pedicabs and are used for goods transport. Regardless of modernity, horse-drawn kalesas are still used in the streets of Binondo and Intramuros. Ridesharing services such as Grab also operate within in Metro Manila.
The geography of the City of Manila is characterized by its coastal position at the estuary of the Pasig River that flows to Manila Bay. The city is located on a naturally protected harbor, regarded as one of the finest harbors in Asia. The scarce availability of land is a contributing factor that makes Manila the densest populated city in the world.
The Pasig River is a river in the Philippines running through the heart of Manila. It flows from Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay for 26 kilometers (16 mi). Its average width is 50 meters (160 ft) and average depth around 4–6 meters (13–20 ft). The river runs through some of the most populated areas in the Philippines.
The Pasig River Expressway (PAREX) is a proposed elevated expressway in Metro Manila, Philippines that plans to skirt the banks of the Pasig River and connect the cities of Manila, Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasig, Taguig and the municipality of Taytay. The expressway is proposed to alleviate east-west traffic congestion in Metro Manila. It is visioned to be a joint venture between the Philippine National Construction Corporation and the San Miguel Corporation. The project broke ground on September 24, 2021, while construction of the expressway was yet to start pending the approval of its Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC). The project was deemed cancelled in 2024 due to public uproar against the project. However, Ramon Ang announced renewed interest with the project, though citing the need to adjust it towards public sentiments.
Guilalo, were large Tagalog outrigger ships from the Philippines. They were common vessels in Manila Bay in the 18th and 19th centuries. They were easily identifiable by their two large settee sails made with woven fiber. They were steered by a central rudder and can be rowed with round-bladed oars.
Salambáw, is a type of lift net used by indigenous fishermen in the Philippines. They are found throughout the Philippine islands but are most prevalent in large lakes like Laguna de Bay, and sheltered coastal areas like Manila Bay, Ragay Gulf, and Batan Bay. Variations of salambáw lift nets include the bintol, panak, tangkal, and the basnig. Salambáw rafts were also known as saraboa or salakab.
The Napindan Lighthouse was a lighthouse in Taguig, Rizal. It served as a meeting point for the Katipunan, a revolutionary group that led the Philippine Independence movement. It was destroyed during the Philippine–American War.
Luis Rafael Yangco y Ronquillo was a Filipino-Chinese businessman and philanthropist who is popularly known during the Spanish colonial era as the "King of Manila Bay and Pasig River" for his vast shipping empire and extensive commercial shipping activities. He is also one of the Filipino-Chinese businessmen suspected of providing logistical and financial aid to the Katipunan during the Philippine Revolution.
Casco (foreground) in Manila (c. 1900)
Drawing of a casco (c. 1906)
A casco in Manila Bay in full sail (c. 1906)
An 1855 woodcut with a casco (left) in a woodcut on the entrance to the Pasig River from Manila Bay
A casco with two punters (1873)
Vista del Puente de Manila, an 1847 painting by José Honorato Lozano showing a casco (center left) and several sampans and other river boats
