MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte has signed into law five local bills including a measure that makes Antipolo City the capital of Rizal province.
Republic Act (RA) 11475 moved the capital and seat of Rizal from Pasig City in Metro Manila to Antipolo City.
The President signed the measure into law on June 19.
Although Pasig had ceased to become part of Rizal for more than four decades, it remained to be the capital of the province, according to Antipolo City Rep. Roberto Puno, principal author of the bill.
Pasig was one of the municipalities included in Rizal when it was formed by the first Philippine Commission led by the late US president William Howard Taft in 1901.
The city however, has been under the territorial and political jurisdiction of Metro Manila since 1975, Puno said.
The declaration of Antipolo as the province’s seat of government will generate more economic activities, according to Sen. Francis Tolentino, who sponsor the bill.
Other measures signed into law are RA 11471creating Barangay H-2 in Dasmariñas, Cavite; RA 11472, which increased the bed capacity of the Caraga Regional Hospital in Surigao City; RA 11473, which upgraded the Talisay District Hospital in Talisay City, Cebu, and RA 11474 or the upgrading the Maria L. Eleazar District Hospital in Tagkawayan, Quezon province.