Have you heard of dishes called "Everlasting" or "Waknatoy?" For Marikina residents, these are staples and part and parcel of most meals, every family celebration, and are highlighted in city heritage tours:
Waknatoy (Filipino Pork Stew with Sweet Pickles)
This dish is a tomato-based pork stew, studded with pork shunks, Vienna sausage, red bell peppers, and chorizo. The sweet pickles differentiate it from other pork stews-it lends a sweet-tangy flavor that other stews such as menudo do not have.
According to Marikeno residents, the name Waknatoy came from Chinese settlers who found dishes such as menudo too ubiquitous and say, "Wak na 'toy!" or "Wag na 'to".
Everlasting (Marikina-style Meatloaf)
This meatloaf, similar to the classic embutido, is made with pork, hard-boiled eggs, red bell pepper strips, and chorizo and is usually shaped using a llanera (oval baking pan). Served during special occasions, they say the dish was named as such because it's always present in during family get-togethers and special occasions and that it can be stored for a long period of time.
Pork Hamonado (Pork Stewed in Pineapples)
Marikina's pork hamonado leans on the sweet side because the pork is marinated in pineapple juice. It is considered a local favorite and is often part of a spread when highlighting Marikina cuisine in heritage tours.
Marikina is the biggest manufacturer of quality shoes in the country. It produced 80% of the shoe production of the Philippines. All locally produced shoes are made in Marikina, from slippers to shoes. The city also produces shoes which is made of rubber, wood (bakya), and plastic. Additionally, it has a large number of internet shops, parlors, eateries, bakeries, made-to-order products such as food processing and delicacies, and franchising as their common income.
The first recorded foreigners who arrived in the city were the Augustinians, a Catholic religious order, in the year 1570. They arrived in the spot now known as Chorillo, in Barangka. The Jesuits came next and established as mission and marikina-riverbuilt a chapel in a place now called Jesus dela Peña. In that place, the first mass was held in 1680. On April 16, 1630, Fray Pedro de Arce, apostolic ruler of the Archbishop of Manila, approved the transfer of ecclesiastical contraol and supervision to the Jesuit, and settled a place as a town. The town was later called as “Mariquina” in 1787, named after Felix Berenguer de Marquina who was the governor-general at that time. Later the town was declared a pueblo under the Spanish colonial government. That year, Don Benito Mendoza became the first Governadorcillo of Mariquina.
Year 1887, Mariquina emerged as a town of shoemakers through the efforts of Don Laureano “kapitan Moy” Guevarra. He was said as the Father of Shoe Industry in the Philippines. He was assisted in this effort by Tiburcio Eustaquio, Ambrocio Sta. Ines and Gervacio Carlos.
Mariquina became the capital of the Province of Manila (which then included Rizal) in 1898, when the Philippine Revolution broke out.
On June 11, 1901, just after the Americans took possession of the country, the name of the town “Mariquina” was changed into Marikina. After creation of many provinces and towns, Juan Chanyungso became the first Mayor in the year 1938.
However, in the year 1942, the Japanese Imperial forces occupied Marikina. And in 1945, the place was liberated by the combined U.S. and Philippine Commonwealth ground troops who attacked the Japanese Imperial Army by artillery from Quezon City. There were lots of destruction during this siege with a number of civilian casualties of 400.
The work ethic of the people led them to continue their shoe making industry after World War II. Through this, they were prepared for the arrival of heavy industries and was finally named as the “Shoe Capital of the Philippines”.
Marikina city has many festivals that are being celebrated throughout the year. These include:
They also have landmarks and attractions that are being recognized now not only in the country but also abroad:
Marikina, a lush valley bounded by mountain ranges and sliced by a river, is one of the 14 cities and three municipalities comprising the Metro Manila area. It is approximately 21 kilometers away from Manila, and lies within 14.6507°N, latitude and 121.1029°E longitude.
The total land area of Marikina is approximately 2,150 hectares. This represents about 3.42% of the total land area of Metro Manila. At present, the city is composed of 16 barangays.
According to the 2015 Census, the age group with the highest population in Marikina is 15 to 19, with 44,465 individuals. Conversely, the age group with the lowest population is 80 and over, with 3,431 individuals.
Combining age groups together, those aged 14 and below, consisting of the the young dependent population which include infants/babies, children and young adolescents/teenagers, make up an aggregate of 27.33% (123,176). Those aged 15 up to 64, roughly, the economically active population and actual or potential members of the work force, constitute a total of 67.76% (305,428). Finally, old dependent population consisting of the senior citizens, those aged 65 and over, total 4.91% (22,137) in all.
The computed Age Dependency Ratios mean that among the population of Marikina, there are 40 youth dependents to every 100 of the working age population; there are 7 aged/senior citizens to every 100 of the working population; and overall, there are 48 dependents (young and old-age) to every 100 of the working population.
The median age of 27 indicates that half of the entire population of Marikina are aged less than 27 and the other half are over the age of 27.