CHAPTER 5
SITE PROFILE
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
The Municipality of Rodriguez is generally very rough in topography, with eighty three percent (83%) of its total land area composed of upland areas, hills and mountain ranges. The remaining twenty seven percent (27%) lowlying terrain and rolling lands are found at the southwestern portion of the municipality, along with the northern portions of the Municipality of San Mateo. This gently rolling to rolling slopes comprises the Marikina River Valley, where water from higher elevations drain towards the Marikina River and its tributaries at the southwestern portion of the municipality. Elevations at these western lowlands range from 10 to 30 meter above sea level. The western portion of the flatlands gently rises towards the west, which is part of Quezon City.
The mountainous regions of the Municipality of Rodriguez are found at the central and eastern areas, with sleepy sloping ridges and mountain ranges, traversing north to south. The terrain in these mountain ranges has slopes ranging from 30-50 percent. Very steep hills and mountains have slopes greater than 50%. Rolling to hilly areas 18-30 percent in slope can also be found. These high elevations are drained by several major rivers, namely the Tanay River, Puray River and Montalban River.
POPULATION
Rodriguez ranks 6th in Rizal province in terms of population size. In 1990, the population has been growing by an average annual growth rate of 4.83% from 1980's population of 41,859, ranking it as the fourth fastest in Rizal. While this growth rate is quite high, trends have revealed that it is decreasing. Comparatively, this growth rate was slower than the provincial average annual growth rate of 5.81%, but it is faster than the regional average annual growth rate of 3.1%. This growth rate is also higher than those of the NCR (National Capital Region) and the Philippines as a whole.
The rapid growth in population in the municipality can be mainly attributed to the fast in-migration and high birth rate in the municipality. Rodriguez ranks 5th in Rizal in number of in-migrants. Most of them came from other provinces. This migration is slightly lower than that of the province. Numerous subdivisions and squatters have sprouted in the town in recent years. The proximity of the town to NCR is a critical factor that has influenced this population trend.
ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS
Rodriguez’s economy relative to the Philippine economic structure specializes in agriculture, fishery and forestry, manufacturing, and community, social and personal services. Rodriguez enjoy a location quotient of plus ONE in these sectors when compared to the economic structure of the Philippines.
The agricultural role of the municipality, while still an advantage, would eventually be on the decline as the pressure of urbanization reaches its peak in the municipality. For one, agricultural productivity is lower than the rest of Rizal. What the town should continue developing is its healthy livestock industry which are less-land intensive and enjoys the proximity of the NCR as a major market.
Services are already a substantial presence in the municipality. Infrastructure, except for telephone, is already available that is conducive for commercial development. With the rapid expansion of Rodriguez’s population facilities like an expanded public market, hospitals, supermarkets/shopping centers will have to be provided in the future.
There are large industries in the town, especially in barangay San Jose, and a host of other small enterprises. With the explosion in population growth, the town will have problems in providing employment and in raising income in which the existing industries (alone) cannot meet. The task is to create new job opportunities (e.g., industrial sites) or create opportunities in linking with its existing industries or in neighboring town of San Mateo, San Jose (Bulacan) and Antipolo. The construction of C-6 road will help hasten the creation of economic opportunities as access to the town will be considerably improved.
SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS
Housing
The rapid conversion of agricultural lands into housing subdivisions will put a strain on Rodriguez’s present facilities and might create spatial and environmental imbalance. Three percent of the total households have unacceptable housing materials and may need replacement. On the other hand, some 15% are made up of light materials which the owners may replace in the near future. Nine percent of the households have no toilets at all which reflects the extent of deep poverty and potential health hazards in the municipality. Despite most residents enjoying safe and clean water, there are still residents (10%) who rely on spring, lake, river, rain, for their drinking water. Telephone is still lacking in the municipality despite its nearness to NCR’s Quezon City.
Education
Literacy rate would still need to be raised to make Rodriguez at par with the province. Classroom shortage is being experienced in both elementary and high school levels. This is quite alarming in view of the increase in enrollment in recent years in public schools. Among the schools suffering from insufficient classrooms and teachers are Burgos, Macabud, Amityville, San Rafael, Puray Primary, and San Isidro. School performance, while considered more than satisfactory, would need to be sustained through adequate facilities and teachers. The level of educational attainment of the population makes the municipality a potential source of skilled and semi-skilled workers.
Health Services
Higher mortality rate than the province which means present health care services must be enhanced. The inadequate public health services (facilities and personnel) in the face of high population growth have led many residents to refer to services outside the municipality. Provision for a hospital location in the town is necessary in the near future.
Protective Services
The main issue confronting the protective sector of the municipality is the inadequacy in personnel, especially of the police, and inadequate number of sub-stations. In view of the growing population of Rodriguez, the demand for protective services will also increase substantially. It is necessary for the town to identify future sites for police and fire sub-stations, especially in locations near population concentrations such as the residential subdivisions.
Social Welfare
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the municipality identified five depressed barangays which are mostly located in the upland areas. These barangays are Mascap, San Isidro, San Rafael, Macabud, Puray and Sitios AC, EE, Tabak and Wawa of Barangay San Rafael. To date, there are still indigenous people in the area particularly in Barangay Puray. Child labor problems were identified in the sitios mentioned in San Rafael. These children are working at quarrying industries.
The five barangays were classified as depressed areas because of lack of establishments and government services in the area particularly health centers as well as the low income of the families of only P700.00 monthly. The DSWD has only two projects at present -- food supplement and daycare.
These depressed barangays are a major issue in the development of Rodriguez as they are areas of concentrated poverty and squalor which can affect the rest of the town in the future. The challenge is to improve the accessibility of the area to the rest of Rodriguez and enable their residents to have opportunities for high income such as viable livelihood projects, etc.
Recreation
There are two parks in this municipality. One is located in Brgy. San Jose and its area are 40.404 square meters. The other one is the Town Plaza which has a total area of 2,060 square meters including the school located within the perimeter. Also, a total number of 15 basketball courts are available for use. Moreover, there is a cockpit locally known as the Montariza Cockpit.
The facilities in this sector would need to be expanded in as much as the population of the municipality is expanding fast, especially after the year 2000 when the population is expected to surpass the 100,000 level.
INFRASTRUCTURE CHARACTERISTICS
Transportation
Road Network. There are two major avenues that serve as access route of Rodriguez to Metro Manila and its periphery. From the west, through the Constitution Hills in Quezon City, the municipality can be reached via the Rodriguez-San Jose-Quezon City Road, which has a total length of 3.55 kilometers. The road on the Rodriguez side is gravel-paved such that only heavy trucks and jeeps can traverse it especially during rainy days. The road on the Quezon City side through Payatas is concreted. One can also get to the town by passing through Marikina via JP Rizal and San Mateo by way of the San Mateo-Rodriguez Road which stretches 14.28 kilometers.
Within the municipality itself, there are a total of 89.56 kilometers of roads interconnecting vital areas. More than 70 percent of this overall extent, however, are unpaved with 5percent of these made up of macadam, 26percent of gravel, and most of them (42 percent) are earth roads. The good paved roads are concentrated mostly on the densely populated southwest district of the town. These are either concrete or asphalt. The concrete pavements comprises 23.65percent of all the roads while the asphalt roads are only 4.15percent.
The road system can be categorized according to its administrative classification. In terms of road kilometerage, national roads represents almost 20percent of the total; Provincial only 0.18percent; municipal 3.73percent; and, comprising the majority, barangay roads at 76.18percent.
Bridges. There are six (6) bridges within Rodriguez. Each one is made of concrete. Except for the Mango Bridge in Burgos - Manggahan which needs replacement, all are in good condition.
The largest bridge is the E. Rodriguez in Barangay San Jose which is 120 meters long and 15 meters wide. Constructed in 1977, it is made of concrete and has a loading capacity of 30 tons.
Modes of Transportation. The means of transportation in the municipality is only by land with vital access to Metro Manila and the surrounding towns. The main thoroughfares are utilized by buses, utility vehicles, trucks, motorcycles, tricycles, and private vehicles in transporting goods and commuters.
The fact that vehicles are mobile, a substantial number of them travel to, within and from Rodriguez. A large volume of the vehicles traverse the two national roads which link the municipality to the metropolis and neighboring towns. The Rodriguez-San Jose-Quezon City Road has an annual daily average traffic of 10,145 while the San Mateo-Rodriguez Road has 1,381.
To cater to the transportation needs of its population, the municipality is served by a number of public utility jeepneys (PUJs) plying major routes. A total of 541 units, which is about 60percent of all the PUJs ply the Cubao- Rodriguez route, providing vital mobility to and fro the metropolis. For those destined only to Marikina, there are 296 jeepneys serving commuters in between these towns. Another route is the Marcos Avenue - Montalban via Litex, which is served by 48 passenger jeeps.
An alternative way of getting to Metro Manila particularly Quezon City is through the Rodriguez-San Jose-Quezon City Road and Commonwealth Avenue. This Philcoa - Rodriguez route is catered to by 38 PUJs (Table 5.4).
A lot more people also avail of another important means of mass public transport. Aside from the PUJs, several public utility buses (PUBs) ply other crucial destinations. More than 70 percent of the 118 PUBs go to Ayala , Makati via EDSA. The other 31 units travel to Roxas Blvd. and back (Table 5.5).
As a means of moving within the municipality itself, there are several tricycles catering to the needs of the people. However, they only serve the areas which are densely populated, particularly the southwest barangays. Half of them operate within Barangay Rosario. Practically another half is in Burgos while the rest are in San Rafael and San Isidro. Although the two-year franchise of the operators gives them the right to ply only within the said barangays, tricycles can be contracted o go to other areas at a much higher fare. The regular fare, however, is 7.50 pesos.
Power Supply
The electric power requirements of Rodriguez is being supplied by the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO). The entire municipality is fortunately under its franchise area. Ever since 1985, the majority of the users have consistently been residential areas. The general trend is that almost 94 percent are composed of residential users, about 5 percent commercial while less than 1 percent each correspond to industrial and other users.
The “residential” and “commercial” customers, however, also exhibit an increasing trend in their consumption. But a much more dramatic growth came from the industries in recent years although they comprise only a small fraction in the total number of users. The “others” displayed a fluctuating consumption pattern.
Along with increasing total number of clients throughout the municipality, the total electric power usage has also been expanding. In fact, 1994 alone registered a 20.38 percent increment to the previous year (Table 5.8). Neddless to say the rise in MWH consumption also reflects an increase in the KWH demand within the town.
Communication
Postal Services. There is one postal office in the Municipal Hall being maintained by Philippine Postal Corporation under Postal Region IV. Currently, it is undermanned and also lacks vital facilities. For the entire municipality, there are only three (3) letter carriers delivering the mail everyday on their bicycles. There is also one postmaster who also functions as the stamp and/or metering machine teller as well as money order teller. Equipment are limited to a single metering machine and a weighing scale. Obviously, the local post office’s personnel, facilities and other logistics are very much insufficient to effectively handle the volume of mail, packages and other services they deal with everyday.
On the average, the post office handles 1,500 to 2,000 pieces of mail daily for local destination and about 500 to 1,000 letters to be sent to national or international destinations. Furthermore, this volume of mail doubles during peak seasons, particularly during November - February and June - July.
Despite these shortcomings, the postal office offers various products and services which includes Domestic Mail Services (Ordinary Mail, Special Delivery, Priority Mail, Registered Mail, Express Mail, and Domestic Parcel), International Mail Service (Ordinary or Surface Mail, Air Mail, Registered Mail, International Express Mail), and Money Order Service.
Telecommunication. The Bureau of Telecommunications maintains an office within the Municipal Hall. It offers telegram as well as telegraphic transfer services. However, it is gravely undermanned and poorly equipped. Presently, there is only one personnel who performs all the functions as the operator-in-charge, cash disbursement officer, and telegraphic transfer-in-charge. The same person also handles the deliveries for the entire municipality.
Telephone Services. A total of 960 cable facilities have been installed, all of which are Subscriber’s Line Carrier Units made of fiber optic cable. Initially, there are 300 subscribers of which around 30 percent are composed of businesses and the rest residential. They are already equipped with digital telephones having Direct Distance Dialing (DDD) capabilities -- both International Direct Dialing (IDD) and National Direct Dialing (NDD). It must be noted, however, that the service area of PLDT is limited only to the densely populated areas particularly in the southwest portion of the town.
There are no pay phones yet in the municipality but PLDT plans to install some coin-operated pay phones in key areas. Moreover, in its current Zero-Backlog Program, PLDT aims to zero-out its pending applications for telephone facilities and it hopes to achieve this by 1996. There is also a plan to establish a separate central office for Rodriguez and San Mateo which will be based in the San Mateo Exchange. This is designed to handle calls more efficiently and expand their services in the two municipalities. Af the moment, telephone services are still under the Marikina Exchange.
Considering the proximity of Rodriguez to Metro Manila, it is also served by other private telecommunications companies. In order to circumvent the limitations of existing telecommunications facilities in the area, people who can afford acquire the services of major Paging Operators and/or Cellular Mobile Telephone System Operators.
In addition, Executive Order (EO) 109 (12 July 1993) calls for the obligatory provisioning of local exchange carrier (LEC) services by the operators of International Gateway Facilities (IGF), Cellular Mobile Telephone Services (CMTS) and other non-basic telecommunications services. These operators are mandated to install at least 300,000 local exchange lines within the next 5 years thereby ensuring universal access to basic telephone service. Pursuant to this EO, the National Telecommunications Commission devised a scheme which subdivided the country into (11) service areas which were assigned to IGF or CMTS operators. Capitol Wireless, Inc. was the assigned carrier in Region IV-A which includes Rodriguez, Rizal.
Solid Waste Management
The majority of the households in the municipality use burning as their method of waste disposal. Those availing of garbage trucks for pick-up comprised only 28 percent, while those who practice the next popular mode of dumping in individual pits make up 11 percent of the households.
Solid waste generated by the people of Rodriguez daily are collected by street sweepers or garbage collectors using two garbage trucks. Garbage is dumped in a 300 square meter lot located in Barangay San Jose and later burned. Only the lowland barangays have their solid wastes collected by these trucks daily. However, due to the fact that there are only two available garbage trucks doing the job, each of the affected barangays have their refuse gathered every other day.
Water Supply
Inadequate piped water supplied by MWSS, with most of its eleven (11) deepwell pumping stations serving only the southwestern section of the town. Susceptibility of the shallow well areas in the southwest section to harmful effects of fertilizers and agro‑chemicals as well as bacteriological pollution. Limited ground water supply in the eastern highland areas which are characterized as Deep Well Areas and Difficult Areas, with both having water-bearing formations generally located more than 20 meters below ground surface. The municipality has a potential maximum number of wells totalling 310 (160 shallow wells and 150 deep wells), with the town's wells also being observed to have the highest static water levels (SWL) in Rizal Province, i.e., ranging from 2.4 to 89.1 meters below ground surface.
LAND USE
Rodriguez is the northernmost town of Rizal Province, lying south of Bulacan, east of Metro Manila and north of San Mateo and Antipolo. It is relatively isolated, being accessible only through the undeveloped Quezon City Batasan Road and the Marikina-San Mateo main roads. Despite this relative inaccessibility, its proximity to the metropolis and to highly urbanized towns has somehow affected its land use and growth pattern through the years. As the largest municipality of the province in terms of area, its varied land resources endow it with a high potential for development. There is, therefore, a need to judiciously plan its land uses especially relative to an expanding contiguous metropolis.
Existing Land Use
The broad land use categories of the whole town are orchard, grassland, woodland/forest, built-up, quarry, and rice field/agriculture. Based on new aerial photographs taken in 1995, there are 372 hectares of orchards or 0.9 percent the total town area. These are mostly devoted to mangoes and are located near the ricefields in Bgys. Mascap and San Isidro. The grasslands which have widened through the years and intruded partly into the declared Marikina watershed to the east total 16,218 hectares or 43.3 percent of the municipal area. These are mostly cogonal and talahib lands with scattered/scrubby growth that are underutilized as grazing lands.
The woodland or forested area comprises 18,887 hectares or 50.4 percent of the town's aerial extent. The forest lands used to be much more extensive (91.3 percent in 1980) but these have been reduced by shifting cultivation, logging and mining. The remaining forested area lies in the east within the Marikina watershed reservation which has been declared by EO No. 33 and Pres. Proc. No. 1637 as a critical watershed that cannot be subjected to commercial logging and other destructive activities.
The municipality has only 791 hectares of urban or built-up land or 2.1 percent of the town area. This relatively small urban area is located mainly in Bgys. Burgos, San Rafael, Manggahan, Rosario, Balite, Geronimo and San Jose, with a small portion in the southern part of Bgy. San Isidro. This portion is in the flat lands close to Metro Manila.
There are a number of sand and gravel quarry sites in the town totaling 72 hectares or 0.2 percent of the municipal extent. As shown in the map, the more significant quarrying activities are in Bgy. San Rafael, particularly beside the Montalban River and the Maly River.
The agricultural or ricefield area covers 1,148 hectares or only 3.1 percent of the town's total expanse. The ricelands are scattered in Bgys. San Isidro, San Jose, Mascap, Burgos and Macabud where flat lands are also found.
Urban Land Use
The more detailed existing urbanized areas of Rodriguez lie in the southwest corner, particularly in the barangays of Burgos, Manggahan, San Jose, Rosario, Geronimo and Balite. They are located in the flat lands that are also accessible to Metro Manila via Rodriguez Highway and Rizal Ave. and they roughly occupy 791 hectares or 2.1 percent of the total municipal area.
The most extensive urban land use is residential and these lie alongside Rodriguez Highway, Rizal Ave., M.H. del Pilar St., A. Bonifacio St., Daan Bakal St. and the north-south stretch of Tanguile, Forestry, Banaba, Sampaguita, Calantang and E. Manuel Sts. near San Mateo River in the west. The squatter residential or temporary housing areas are found mostly along the Montalban River in the west and north of the whole built-up area. They are found in Bgys. San Jose, Balite, Rosario, Geronimo and San Rafael.
Next to the residential use in extent is the industrial, which occurs either as agro-industrial or light and medium industry. The more extensive of the two is the agro-industrial use which are scattered in Bgy. San Isidro in the northwest, Bgy. Manggahan in the middle and Bgy. San Rafael in the northeast--all being generally located in the periphery of the residential areas. The light- and medium- scale industries are mostly located in Bgy. San Jose on the western banks of the San Mateo River.
The business/commercial areas are mainly strung in ribbon development along Rizal Ave., Rodriguez Highway and M.H. del Pilar St. where they service the densest grouping of residential areas. The Central Business District (CBD) lies around the intersection of Rizal Ave. and Rodriguez Highway.
The public and government land uses are scattered over the whole built-up area. Government and quasi-public institutional uses such as the municipal hall are located near or just a little above the CBD. Near the municipal hall are educational and cemetery land uses, with other smaller schools scattered in the different barangays. A large park/recreational area is found in Bgy. San Jose to the west in-between Calantang and Banaba Sts.
It must be mentioned that surrounding the urban land uses are agricultural and forest land uses, part of which are also located in the flat portions of the town. The most extensive use in the plain areas are the ricelands in the north and south. Croplands devoted to vegetables are scattered all over while the mango and banana plantations are not so extensive and they lie mostly in the more hilly northern and western peripheries. The whole built-up area is surrounded by a wide expanse of grassland with scattered patches of broadleaf forests, brushes and scrubby growth.
MICROSITE ANALYSIS
Geographical latitude
Topography and adjacent land forms
Groundwater and surface runoff characteristics
Soil texture and its load bearing capacity
Parcel shape and access
Neighboring development and proposed future development
