The Changing of Marikina City's Colors

I was walking along Marikina Sports Park last week when I notice the changes happening in the city.

We have been under Mayor Marides Fernando for so long that I got used to the pink colors(my favorite by the way) that it took me a while for notice the changes.

PLMAR turns Seven!

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Marikina or PLMar for short is celebrating its 7^th year founding anniversary this week. Mayor Marides C. Fernando envisioned an affordable and quality tertiary education for the city residents of Marikina and PLMar was born. PLMar is the first city university of Marikina City and was established by the Marikina City Council on 2003 via city ordinance no.015.

I had the privilege of teaching at PLMar for two years and I loved the time I spent there but due to some health reasons I had to slow down in teaching. PLMar offer varied courses like Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Criminology, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Business Administration, Tourism and Mass Communication plus Associate courses in Hotel and Restaurant Management, Science and Healthcare and Diploma in Caregiving.

On February 24, 2010, the university will celebrate its Founding Anniversary at Teatro Marikina. There will be a Job Fair, Debate contests and Awarding ceremonies of different contests.

The launching of PLMar’s electronic newspaper PLMar Link is one of the highlights of the celebration. So visit now and get to know all about PLMar.

Joan here, Reporting In

I see myself as an adopted daughter of Marikina City, I may not be born there but my heart has been captured by the city and its people. I am married to a wonderful Marikeño, and lived in Marikina in 2001, although I don’t live there now permanently I still keep a house there where we visit regularly. I also had the opportunity to teach at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Markina a year ago. As you can see we consider Marikina as a permanent home, our refuge, wherein we can go anywhere and live in any other city but our Markina home will always be there waiting for us.

I have seen the progress of Marikina since the 1980’s till this day and feels proud of what it has become. You see I have been going to Markina since I was young; we have relatives living there so we would often come for a visit. It was really weird that I met my husband in college when we should have met before since they were my tita’s next door neighbors where I would often visit as a child.

What do I love about Marikina City?

The friendly people – when you stroll around the city you meet people smiling back at you. It makes me feel welcome and lifts up my spirits. When I was working at PLMar people would smile(even if you don’t know them) when you enter the campus or meet them at corridors I really felt welcome. Till this day whenever I go to Marikina I still feel their welcoming smiles be it at the Palengke or in the Malls.

The clean environment – I love walking and Markina gives you that, a sidewalk where you can just walk in or walk to where you want to go around the metro, and places where you can be with your family and just have a picnic in the Park or sa Ilog.

Not a replacement

I am not here to replace Jay but will be contributing articles and information about Marikina City. So join me as I share my experiences and love of the City named Marikina!

Industrial Valley, Marikina's Gate

Some people think that Industrial Valley is part of Quezon City, when in fact, it's part of Marikina City.   Some think so because it's the only barangay of Marikina City on the other side of Marcos Highway.  Industrial Valley is also right beside Barangay Escopa, which is the zigzag and hilly area connected to C5/Katipunan in Quezon City.

Despite of its name, Industrial Valley is really residential in nature.  Several homes reside in this hilly and heavily tree-populated barangay with its main artery being Major Dizon road.   This is a straight road where Nativity of Our Lady Parish, the Barangay Hall, Public Safety Center (Fire Department, Police Station, and Ambulance) and park are all located.  The end of the road connects to Marcos Highway and just before entering the highway stretch is the Light Rail Transit (LRT) going to its final destination, Santolan Terminal.  

At the riverside sits Dutch Marikina, a series of homes whose colorful facades were patterned after Dutch architechture.  Motorists pass by Industrial Valley as a shortcut from C5 to Marcos Highway and Marikina Riverbanks.