History of Rizal, Kalinga

Rizal Municipality was once barren valley of rolling land and hills, a haven of wild
beast and fowls, and even ranchers. Its creeks and ponds, teeming with fishes, was an oasis to
large cattle owned by ranchers from Enrile, Cagayan, Santa Maria, Isabela and few Kalinga
natives.

Geographically, the Municipality of Rizal is situated at a tr-boundary of three (3)

provinces of Cagayan, Kalinga and Isabela. It bounded in the north by Solana, and Tuao,
Cagayan; in the south by Santa Maria, Quezon, Isabela in the west and in the east by Enrile,
Cagayan.

Based on cadastral survey, Rizal has a total land area of 230.11 square meters or
23,011 hectares or about 1.149% of the total land area of the Province, about 80% or
18,408.80 hectares total land area is agricultural land and 20% is residential, commercial,
institutional, industrial and other uses. The municipality has 14 barangays and one interim
barangay. The municipality can be reached by land and traversed by the Enrile-Cagayan-
Calanan Road. Rizal is approximately 30 kilometers away from Tabuk and Tuguegarao City.

Rizal is endowed with natural springs which are the main sources of irrigation. It has
two distinct types of climate, the wet and the dry season. The type of soil ranges from sandy
to sandy loam and clay to clay loam suited for the production of all kinds of crops.

Rizal’s topography is flat to gently sloping on its south and western side. The
municipality is agricultural in nature. Among the eight (8) municipalities of Kalinga. Rizal is
the number two (2) producers of rice and corn. The municipality still offers thousands of
hectares for the expansion of rice, corn, cassava and sugarcane including agro-forestry
products. A total of more or less 14, 012.44 hectares are potential for agribusiness
development.

On June 19, 1965, President Diosdado Macapagal signed into law Republic Act No.
4336 creating the Municipality of Liwan, Kalinga-Apayao. The law marked the separation of
Liwan from its mother municipality, Tabuk.

In 1970, Congressman Felipe B. Almazan of the lone District of Kalinga-Apayao

sponsored a Bill in congress changing the name of Liwan to Rizal, to signify the date of
creation of the municipality which falls on the birth date of our National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.
The bill was approved into law as Republic Act No. 6183 and on August 14, 1971, the name
of the municipality became Rizal.