Biking is one of the few allowable outdoor exercises during the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) in Manila. Since the lockdown was declared, we’ve been biking more around our neighborhood for errands and nearby destinations to get fresh air and exercise during the weekends. For new cyclists who bought bikes during the pandemic who are not yet familiar with the usual biking spots in the city, I’ll be sharing more details and photos about safe biking destinations in and around Manila.
Marikina, a 1st-class city in the eastern part of Metro Manila, is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the Philippines. It’s easy enough to get to for those who live in the Northern and Eastern cities of Manila. The city is bordered on the west by Quezon City, to the south by Pasig and Cainta and to the north by San Mateo and to the east by Antipolo, the capital of Rizal province.
The Marikina River Park is a system of parks, trails, open spaces and recreation facilities along an 11-kilometer (6.8 mi) stretch of the Marikina River. This area has long been a popular area for jogging, biking, fishing, and outdoor recreational activities, not just for Marikina residents but also for those from nearby cities in Metro Manila.
The river park offers a safe and uncrowded place to get some exercise, with dedicated pedestrian and bike-friendly pathways closed to motorized vehicles along both sides of the Marikina River. The urban riverside park covers an area of 220 hectares (540 acres) running through the villages of Santo Niño, Santa Elena, Jesus de la Peña, San Roque, Calumpang, Barangka, and the Industrial Valley Complex in the western part of the city.
The park, under development since 1993, is the city’s biggest recreational and sports area containing the Riverbanks Center, a mall and office complex. The park was developed as part of a rehabilitation program called Save the Marikina River Program by the Marikina City Government, which aimed to reduce flooding and improve the Marikina riverbanks for better water discharge after a 1992 flood left 25% of the city under floodwater.
The program involved building access roads to the banks to allow for the cleaning and clearing operations, clearing the banks of informal settlers and other encroachments, demanding local industries along the riverbanks to set up water treatment facilities in order improve the river’s water quality, planting various flora and building cultural, sports and other historical structures to draw residents back to the river.
As of July 2020, a portion on the SM Marikina Side isn’t completely finished yet, but it’s still passable by bike. Construction is currently ongoing in some areas to extend the bike paths.
The public space has an amphitheater, floating stages for cultural events, a Roman Garden, Chinese Pagoda, a gazebo, riverboats, and picnic grounds. Sports facilities include a baseball field, a basketball court, and a skating rink. There’s also a youth camp and a senior citizen’s lifestyle center in the area. The Animal Trail has statues of animals and small recreations of different landmarks from around the Philippines, while there are several other smaller pocket parks including a “Butiki Park” (lizard) and a Women’s Park that features a feminist statue “The Filipina Leader Soars High.”
What’s great about the Marikina River Park is that there’s really an effort to make it bike-friendly and pedestrian-friendly. You can find tree-shaded benches and rest stops along the riverbanks where people can just relax and enjoy the scenery, and several public bike parking areas. I just hope that picnickers and bikers who visit will help preserve the area and not leave their trash behind.
I think most bikers/joggers visit in the early mornings and late afternoons during weekends so it’s not too hot, but so far we haven’t had any problems. I’ve found it generally peaceful and uncrowded during 3 separate visits from June to July 2020. There are usually a few locals fishing or other cyclists, but people can still easily practice social distancing because of the wide area. We usually bike mid-morning or during weekdays, so that there are fewer people.
A few meters from the park is a 40-foot tall statue of Maria Quina. The white statue is said to be a tribute to a legendary beautiful and kind woman, whose fame had spread all over Marikina.
The statue commemorates the death and destruction wrought by the floods brought by the 2009 Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana), which swept through the city with 40-ft high flood of water and debris. The statue also works as a rough measurement to calculate floods. Once the water reaches her neck, residents are alerted to evacuate to higher land.
There are several floating bridges along the river where people can cross by foot or by bikes without having to go up to the main highway. The bridges are a bit old and run-down, but still serviceable. At times the water level is very shallow, but it doesn’t smell bad. Unfortunately, the river contains a lot of invasive janitor fish.
One of the newer additions to the area is the 16 Mosaic Art displays of nature scenes along the same side of the riverbanks as San Antonio de Padua church. The mosaic artwork is made from materials like glass tiles, bottle caps, stones, plastic bottles, foam bits, slippers, plastic clothespins & more. The artwork was made by different barangays from Marikina and put up just last Christmas 2019. I think it’s a great way to turn trash into art.
Usually, when we bike to Marikina, we make it a point to take a short detour to buy kakanin (native rice delicacies) and other specialty food products. You can find a variety of stalls selling kutsinta, sapin sapin, suman, fish crackers, bottled products, and everlasting, Marikina’s signature meatloaf along JP Rizal (the same road as the Marikina Footwear Museum). To avoid cars, I suggest you pass through Isabelo Mendoza street to get to the stalls and double back.
Before the pandemic, we usually combined biking trips to Marikina with food-tripping in the area for brunch or lunch. There are several stalls along the riverside area that cater to bikers and spots like Mama Chit’s next to John Wilkie’s Bike Shop along JP Rizal.
As of July 2020, some of the hidden garden restaurants have reopened for dine-in with proper health and safety protocols in place. Rustic Mornings and Greg & Sally Tree Garden Cafe both offer secluded alfresco garden set-ups for limited diners. Reservations are recommended, but they allow walk-ins in case tables are free.
There aren’t a lot of green and open spaces in cities, so I really want to express my appreciation for the hidden gems of Marikina.
