Rizal, officially the Municipality of Rizal (), is a 5th class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 18,332 people. The municipality, named after the country's national hero José Rizal, is one of the youngest municipalities in Laguna. This town is the birthplace of the milky mixed vegetable dish called "amenudong gulay".. The people from this town have an old tradition of celebrating Christmas on January 6. There was also a legend of Michael the Archangel apparitions at the town's biggest natural spring "Bukal ni San Miguel" during the Spanish era, making St. Michael the town's patron saint. Rizal is the town where the World War II hero Brig. Gen. Marcos V. Agustin (a.k.a. Marcos Marking), Commander of the Marking's Guerillas is known to be buried and is also the hometown of Filipina actress-politician Angelica Jones. History The kaingineros were among the first reported settlers in this part of Laguna around the 17th century. Around mid-1800, this area was called barrio "Pauli" and was part of the town of Nagcarlan. Residents from this place used to say that the barrio "Pauli" got its name from the way that its brook flows at the edge of the settlement, whose stream flows back and forth. “Pauli,” must have come from the Tagalog word “Pauli-uli,” which means coming back and forth. Ever since, local villagers earn their living by farming. The soil in this barrio is rich and is abundant of water for there were numerous natural springs around the settlement, making the settlers enjoy bountiful harvests of coconuts, root crops, vegetables, and rice. Locales also thrive by fishing from the Mayton and Mayit brooks and Lawa ng Kalibato (Calibato Lake), which the village share with the town of Sampalok, which is now San Pablo City. When the Spanish rule ended and the Philippines became a commonwealth state of the United States, Pauli became independent from the town of Nagcarlan and became a new township. The American Federal Government appointed Pedro Urrea the Municipal President. Nevertheless, Pauli's township lasted only for a brief two years. Its inability to support its administrative expenses caused Pauli to affiliate once more with its mother town. However, between 1912 and 1915, residents led by Fortunato Urrea Arban, Agustin Vista, and Felix Isles, former municipal councilors campaigned to regain their municipal status. The petition included the inclusion of