Happy 380th Foundation Day Marikina !

Marikina City celebrates its 380th Foundation Day today, April 16, 2010.  In line with the city's celebration, a series of activities are set for the annual Ka-Angkan celebration, which is a family reunion of Marikeños nationwide and worldwide.  The opportunity is for the current youth to get acquainted with previous generations of relatives and ancestors.  There will be 42 clans participating this year.   Last year, the 40 clans consisted of over 9,000 members.


On  April 17,  a foot parade  will start at 4 p.m. at the Marikina Sports Park and march to the Riverbanks Amphitheater where there will be a concert and fireworks display. This celebration was initiated in 1998 by former Mayor Bayani Fernando.

Marikina City Celebrates Its 380th Foundation Day This April

Since the arrival of the Spanish friars in 1630, the valley was established as a pueblo meaning "little town".  A church was built and in 1687, it became a parish known as Mariquina.  In 1901 when the Americans came, its name officially became Marikina.

Much has happened to Marikina since then.  One of the most significant changes was on December 8, 1996 when Marikina, which used to be a munincipality of Rizal, was elevated to city status, being known henceforth as Marikina City.  The inauguration of the new status brought about rapid urbanization and commercial development wherein city government, businesses, shopping malls & tourism arose.  Marikina City became the 9th largest city in Metro Manila with a population of almost a half a million residents.

The city also enjoyed several awards such as the Best Local Government Unit in 1996, Most Outstanding City in the Philippines in 1998, Hall of Fame for the Cleanest & Greenest City in 1996 and the 3rd Most Competitive Metro City in the Philippines in 2002 among others.

This year, Marikina City is set to celebrate it's 380th Foundation Day on April 16, 2010.   Major events and activities city wide are expected for this special day of celebration.