Rizal and why it makes for a good home location

Sta. Lucia Residenze condominium presents itself as the best home option in Rizal.

The daily grind of big city living is often chaotic, enough to make us turn our gaze outward to the laid-back and postcard-perfect provinces that line the border of Metro Manila.

The impulse to move to calmer pastures, however, is often immediately tempered by questions of practicality and convenience. Is foregoing the congestion and soaring costs worth sacrificing my proximity to friends, family and workplace?

Rizal, the eastern province that is Metro Manila’s closest neighbor, makes a convincing case for being able to snag the best of both worlds.

Its premiere gateway, Cainta, is so close that its border with Pasig City has often been the subject of disputes.

Here are three reasons why a move to the Metro’s eastern outskirts isn’t just a quixotic daydream, but an idea that also makes good sense.

1 It’s more accessible than ever. Rizal province isn’t escaping what’s been touted as the impending “golden age of infrastructure,” with a new toll road, the Metro Manila Expressway, linking Rizal to the rest of the Metro and Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon). It’ll also act as a faster route to Edsa and C-5.

Rizal is convenient for commuters, too—just an FX ride away is SM Megamall, and that’s barely scratching the surface of its sprawling network of bus and jeepney routes that make it feel like any other metro city.

Its complete amenities and facilities are complemented by a location that is strategically close to commercial areas.

2 It’s big on culture. The seat of power may still be in the colonial city of Manila, but Rizal can more than hold its own when stacked up against the capital. National hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, used to frequent Rizal often with his mother, who was a devotee of the province’s patroness.

Tourism officer Bernard Laca Jr., who spoke to the Inquirer’s Maricar Cinco in July, said Rizal’s Angono town is well-known for producing scores of sculptors, painters, writers and musicians, including National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco. The legacy of generations of artists can be sampled in what is likely the East’s most famous tourist spot, Pinto Art Museum, in Antipolo, Rizal, a sprawling open-air museum that truly captures the imagination.

3 It’s the Philippines’ very own Eden, with some of the best nature spots in the country. Tinipak River and Mt. Daraitan are mainstays on any list of best places to trek near Metro Manila, and for good reason—the lush forest, ethereal rock formations and brilliant blue water transport you to a whole other world. But even in mundane moments, in Rizal’s most low-key spots, nature still dominates and awes, without you ever being too far away from the hub of the action.

Those convinced to make their move to the East as soon as possible should make their way to the Sta. Lucia Residenze—a condominium complex straddling Pasig, Marikina, Antipolo and Cainta—by far the best choice of residence in Rizal.

Its complete amenities and facilities are complemented by a location that is strategically close to commercial areas, like Sta. Lucia mall, that enhance that paradoxical feeling of luxurious city living among the peace and quiet of provincial life.

The nearby transport terminal—Bayani Fernando City Transport—accommodates buses that are traveling to Antique, Caticlan, Iloilo, Mindoro Occidental and Oriental, while access to LRT 2-Emerald Station is another huge plus.

Sta. Lucia Residenze is indeed big-city convenience and quality, with all the benefits of being on the serene outskirts of the Eastern Metro, rolled into one booming development.