Antipolo, Rizal
THIS coming Tuesday, April 9, the Nation will mark Araw ng Kagitingan. For decades, we have been taught that this day is all about the true character of the Filipino – that he is brave and that he will take a stand for what he believes is right and what for him are non-negotiable. An example of the non-negotiable for which many of our grandparents sacrificed and died in Bataan were freedom and democracy.
Last, Thursday, April 4, Antipoleños celebrated their own victory of a non-negotiable. Twenty-one years ago on that day, Antipolo became a component city of the province of Rizal through a house bill authored by then Rizal Rep. Gilberto “Bibit” Duavit, Sr. It was a fulfillment of a non-negotiable dream among its residents: to build and have a community at par with the country’s best in terms of livability and progress.
Cityhood helped Antipolo grow faster. Thanks to the confidence of many of the country’s top business conglomerates, investments have come pouring in and the city has grown by leaps and bounds. It has today all the amenities of a first-class city while retaining much of its character and the countryside environment treasured by the many families who have made the city their permanent home.
The journey to where the city is today had not always been a smooth ride. The fulfillment of the Antipoleños’ aspiration faced some serious challenges along the way. These challenges helped Antipoleños further clarify the things that are important to them and which are clearly non-negotiable.
Some years ago, there was a conspiracy among a handful of political personalities in the city to torpedo that aspiration. The cabal plotted to obtain for the Antipolo the status of a “highly urbanized” city.
The plot was hatched without the knowledge of stakeholders. Under the cloak of secrecy, the cabal worked for
the drafting of a presidential proclamation that would have converted Antipolo into that status. The cabal later attempted to justify its move and to “sell” to Antipoleños the “advantages” of being declared a “highly urbanized” city.
They had two selling points: first, that the city will generate bigger revenues; second, the city will no longer be part of Rizal province. “Antipolo will be able to chart its own destiny,” the purveyors of the idea told Antipoleños.
The biggest “selling points” proved to be the fatal shots that eventually killed the idea. The cabal clearly did not understand the non-negotiable of the Antipoleños.
The residents of the city were quick to uncover the fact: the promised “bigger revenues” would actually come from higher business and property taxes that the cabal had planned to impose the plot had been implemented. The tax burden would come from the very people who were building the city with their hardearned money. It was clear that the very first beneficiaries of the conversion to a highly urbanized city would be the cabal itself.
The cabal had another fatal mistake. They failed to understand that Antipoleños had no aspiration to part ways with the province of Rizal. The history of the city and province are interwoven. Both had struggled through difficult times. Both had to weather serious challenges to become consistent placers on the list of the country’s most competitive and fastest-growing provinces and component cities.
The proponents of the idea have since then vanished from the public eye. We hope they have since learned their lesson -- the non-negotiable is sacred and cannot be bought with mere promises.
People and communities have three non-negotiables.
First, the Family. Second, the Future. Third, their Foundations.
Anything that has to do with the well-being, health, safety, and comfort of the family is beyond compromise. Antipolo today serves that non-negotiable. It has become a preferred home where families can bond and raise their children in an environment conducive to their development.
Anything that has to do with the Future is also beyond negotiation. These include the sustainability of a clean environment, the education of our children, and the health of our businesses and enterprises. Anything that puts these at risk clearly threatens the future. People will defend against such risks.
Our Foundations are the things in life that tell us who we are and which hold us together. Our Foundations include our history, our tradition, our culture. Antipoleños are proud of these foundations. They know that these are the things that make them unique and which their children must be able to inherit and be part of.
Family. The Future. Our Foundations.
Our forefathers defended these in Bataan . There, they displayed the exceptional courage and valor now applauded worldwide and etched in history as the brand of the Filipino soldier. We are proud of them.
We are proud, too, of the Antipoleños who took a gallant stand against the conspiracy to trample on their nonnegotiable.
We are proud, too, of the feat of the former officials of Antipolo City who championed its designation as a component city of Rizal province. They were led by former Mayor Angelito Gatlabayan who was also part of the “resistance movement” against the conspirators who dared deceive Antipoleños and tried to mislead them into surrendering a non-negotiable.
Antipolo is a component city at par with the best. It is also a city that will remain in the bosom of the province of Rizal. That is to them a non-negotiable. It will remain that way.