Quezon City

Quezon City
Lungsodng Quezon
Highly-Urbanized City

(From top, left to right):Eastwood City, Quezon
Memorial Circle, Aerial view of Quezon City, EDSA
Shrine, Katipunan Avenue

Flag

Seal

Nickname(s): City of The Stars, QC, City of New
Horizons, New York City of the Asia-Pacific, Philippine
City of Asia

Map of Metro Manila showing the location of Quezon
City


Quezon City
Map of Metro Manila showing the location of Quezon
City
Coordinates: 1438N 1212ECoordinates:
1438N 1212E
Country Philippines
Region National Capital Region
Districts 1st to 6th districts of
Quezon City
Barangays 142
Incorporated (town) October 12, 1939
(as Diliman Estate)
Incorporated (city) October 12, 1939
(By virtue of
Commonwealth Act No.
502 as amended by
Commonwealth Act No.
659 and Republic ActNos.
333, 537, and 1575)
[1]

Government
Mayor Herbert M.
Bautista(Liberal)
Vice Mayor Ma. Josefina "Joy" G.
Belmonte-
Alimurung(Liberal)
Representatives City
Representatives[show]
SangguniangPanlungsod Councilors[show]
Area
Total 166.20 km
2
(64.17 sq mi)
Elevation 17.0 m (55.8 ft)
Population (2010)
[2]

Total 2,761,720
Density 16,617/km
2
(43,040/sq mi)
Time zone PST (UTC+8)
ZIP Code 1100 to 1128
[3]

Area code(s) 2
Website www.quezoncity.gov.ph

Quezon City (Filipino: Lungsodng Quezon, popularly known to Filipinos as QC) is
one of the cities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region of
the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, it is the most populous and
affluent city in the country, and also the largest city by area in Metro Manila.
Quezon City was named after Manuel L. Quezon, former President of the
Philippines, who founded the city and developed it to replace Manila as the
country's capital for 28 years from 1948 to 1976. Quezon City is not located in and
should not be confused with Quezon province, which was also named after the
president.
Having been the national capital, Quezon City is the site of many government
offices, including the BatasangPambansa Complex which is the seat of the House
of Representatives (the lower chamber in the Philippine Congress). The main
campuses of two noteworthy universities, theAteneo de Manila University and
the country's national university, the University of the Philippines Diliman, are
located in the city.
History[edit]


Commonwealth PresidentManuel L. Quezon.
Before Quezon City was created, it was composed of small individual towns.
These were San Francisco del Monte, Novaliches, and Balintawak. On August 23,
1896, the Katipunan led by Andres Bonifacio declared a revolution against Spain
in the house of Melchora Aquino in PugadLawin (now known as Bahay Toro,
Project 8). In the early 20th century, President Manuel L. Quezon dreamt of a city
that would become the future capital of the country to replace Manila. It is
believed that his earlier trip to Mexico influenced his vision.
In 1938, President Quezon created People's Homesite Corporation and purchased
15.29 km
2
(6 sq mi) from the vast Diliman estate of the Tuason family (This piece
of land became known as BarioObrero "Home of the Middle Workers" before a
name change to Quezon City). The National Assembly of the Philippine
Commonwealth passed Commonwealth Act 502 known as the Charter of Quezon
City originally proposed as Balintawak City, Assemblymen Narciso Ramos (father
of President Fidel V. Ramos) and Ramon Mitra, Sr. (father of Speaker Ramon
Mitra, Jr.) successfully lobbied the assembly to name the city after the incumbent
president. President Quezon allowed the bill to lapse into law without his
signature on October 12, 1939, thus establishing Quezon City.
After the war, Republic Act No. 333 which redefined the Caloocan-Quezon City
boundary was signed byElpidioQuirino on July 17, 1948 declaring Quezon City to
be the republic's capital, and specifying the city's area to be
156.60 km
2
(60 sq mi). Baesa, Talipapa, San Bartolome, Pasong Tamo,
NovalichesPoblacion, Banlat, Kabuyao, PugadLawin, Bagbag, Pasong Putik which
formerly belonged to Novaliches and had an area of about 8,100 hectares, were
taken from Caloocan and ceded to Quezon City. This caused the division of
Caloocan into two separate parts, the South section being the urbanized part, the
North section being sub-rural. On June 16, 1950, the Quezon City Charter was
revised by Republic Act No. 537, changing the city's boundaries to an area of
153.59 km
2
(59 sq mi).
Exactly six years after on June 16, 1956, more revisions to the city's land area
were made by Republic Act No. 1575, which defined its area as
151.06 km
2
(58 sq mi). The website of the Quezon City government states that its
present area is 161.12 km
2
(62 sq mi) On October 1, 1975, Quezon City was the
actual site of the "Thrilla in Manila" fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
On November 7, 1975 the promulgation of Presidential Decree No. 824 of
President Ferdinand Marcos established Metro Manila.
Quezon City became one of Metro Manila's 17 cities and municipalities. The next
year, Presidential Decree No. 940 transferred the capital back to Manila on June
24, 1976. On March 31, 1978, President Ferdinand Marcos ordered the transfer of
the remains of President Manuel L. Quezonfrom Manila North Cemetery to the
erected Quezon Memorial Monument within the Quezon Elliptical Road. Manuel
L. Quezon Monument and the City Hall. On February 22, 1986, the Quezon City
portion of the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue became the venue of the
bloodless People Power Revolution. On February 23, 1998, Republic Act. No. 8535
was signed by President Fidel V. Ramos.
The Act provided for the creation of the City of Novaliches comprising the 15
northernmost barangays of Quezon city. However, in the succeeding plebiscite on
October 23, 1999, an overwhelming majority of Quezon City residents rejected
the secession of Novaliches. Quezon City is the first local government in
the Philippines with a computerized real estate assessment and payment system.
The city government developed a database system that now contains around
400,000 property units with capability to record payments.
Master plans[edit]
In 1938, President Quezon made a decision to push for a new capital
city. Manila was getting crowded, and his military advisors (reportedly) told him
that Manila, being by the bay, was an easy target for bombardment by naval guns
in case of attack, a real possibility in the late 1930s.
Of course, military advisers did not anticipate bombing from the air. Nevertheless,
Quezon railroaded the idea of a totally new city at least 15 km (9 mi) away
from Manila Bay (beyond the reach of naval guns). He contacted William E.
Parsons, American architect and planner, who had been the consulting architect
for the islands early in the American colonial period. Parsons came over in the
summer of 1939 and helped select the Diliman (Tuason) estate as the site for the
new city. Unfortunately he passed away later that year. His partner Harry Frost
took over. Frost collaborated with Juan Arellano, engineer AD Williams and
landscape architect/planner Louis Croft to craft a grand master plan for the new
capital, Quezon City.
The plan was approved by the Philippine authorities in 1941. The core of the new
city was to be a 400 ha central green, about the size of New York's Central Park,
and defined by North, South (Timog), East and West Avenues. On one corner of
the proposed Diliman Quadrangle was delineated a 25-hectare elliptical site. This
was to contain a large capitol building to house the Philippine Legislature and
ancillary structures for the offices of representatives.
On either side of the giant ellipse were supposed to have been built the
new Malacaan Palace, on the North Avenue (present day Veterans Memorial
Hospital), and the Supreme Court Complex, on the East Avenue (present day East
Avenue Medical Center). The three branches of government would finally and
efficiently be located close to one another.
Geography[edit]


Aerial view of Quezon City with Welcome Rotonda in the foreground
The city lies on the Guadalupe plateau which is a relatively high plateau on the
northeast corner of the metropolis between the lowlands of Manilato the
southwest and the Marikina River valley to the east. The southern portion is
drained by the very narrow San Juan River and its tributaries toPasig River, while
running in the northern portions of the city is the equally narrow Tullahan River.
Quezon City is bordered by Manila to the southwest, by Caloocan and Valenzuela
City to the west and northwest. To the south lies San Juan andMandaluyong,
while Marikina and Pasig borders Quezon City to the southeast. To the north
across Marilao River lies San Jose del Monte in the province of Bulacan and to the
east lies Rodriguez and San Mateo, both in the province of Rizal.
The city can be divided into a number of areas. The southern portion of the city is
divided into a number of places including Diliman, Commonwealth, the Project
areas, Cubao, Kamias, Kamuning, New Manila, San Francisco del Monte, and
Santa Mesa Heights. The northern half of the city is often called Novaliches and
contains the areas of Fairview and Lagro. Most of these areas have no defined
boundaries and are primarily residential in nature.
Climate[edit]
Quezon City features a tropical monsoon climate, with warm weather and dry and
wet seasons.
[hide]Climate data for Quezon City
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high C (F)
29
(84)
31
(87)
32
(89)
34
(93)
34
(93)
31
(87)
30
(86)
30
(86)
30
(86)
30
(86)
30
(86)
29
(84)
30.8
(87.3)
Average low C (F)
18
(65)
19
(66)
21
(69)
22
(71)
23
(73)
23
(73)
23
(73)
23
(73)
23
(73)
22
(71)
21
(69)
20
(68)
21.5
(70.3)
Precipitation mm (inches)
18
(0.7)
8
(0.3)
5
(0.2)
23
(0.9)
150
(6)
360
(14)
503
(19.8)
516
(20.3)
373
(14.7)
224
(8.8)
163
(6.4)
69
(2.7)
2,412
(94.8)
Source: Weatherbase
[4]

Economy[edit]


High-rise buildings in the Eastwood Citydevelopment of Quezon City
The commercial center of the city is in Cubao where many shopping malls and the
Aurora Tower can be found. There is a farmers' plaza and farmers' market. Fiesta
Carnival was an enclosed amusement park cum carnival which is located in the
heart of the Cubao Commercial Center, it has since been replaced by a branch of
Shopwise, a local supermarket chain. You will also find the Smart Araneta
Coliseum, a venue for concerts as well as sports events.
Quezon City is home to the Philippines' major broadcasting networks. Television
companies such as TV5, ABS-CBN, ETC, GMA Network, INC TV,UNTV, Net 25, PTV,
and IBC all have their headquarters in Quezon City.
Tomas Morato and Timog Avenues are the heart of a restaurant and
entertainment row with a wide array of prices, cultures, and flavors while Banawe
Avenue is dubbed as the Autoparts Capital of the Philippines
[5]
and home to
clusters of authentic Chinese restaurants aside from Binondo. The tallest building
in the city is a 40 storey Eastwood Parkview located in Eastwood City.
Communications[edit]
Quezon City's communication system is powered by the PLDT, Globe
Telecom, BayanTel, and others. Cellular networking in the Philippines, particularly
the metropolitan areas, is increasing rapidly together with the low cost of calls
and text messaging. Such big companies that control the cellular networks in the
Philippines and Quezon City itself are Globe Telecom, Smart
Communications (PLDT) and Sun Cellular from Digitel.
Education[edit]


University of the Philippines Diliman
The city has several major educational institutions. Two of the most well-known
are the Ateneo de Manila University and the University of the Philippines Diliman.
Also in Quezon City are medical schools such as the Our Lady of Ftima
University, Far Eastern University Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation,Capitol
Medical Center Colleges, and the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay
Memorial Medical Center. The Technological Institute of the Philippines, one of
the top engineering schools in the Philippines, Polytechnic University of the
Philippines, Quezon City. The city government operates the Quezon City
Polytechnic University, which has campuses in Novaliches, Batasan Hills, and
Barangay Sto. Cristo. Business and management schools include Entrepreneurs
School of Asia located in Libis, Philippine School of Business
Administration(PSBA), Far Eastern University - Nicanor Reyes Educational
Foundation - Diliman ( FEU - FERN Diliman) and National College of Business and
Arts(NCBA). Popular women's colleges such as St. Theresa's College of Quezon
City, St. Pedro Poveda College, and Miriam College are also found in the city.
Sectarian schools such as the Catholic Siena College of Quezon City, St. Paul
University of Quezon City, St. Mary's College of Quezon City, St. Joseph's College
of Quezon City, Colegio de San Lorenzo, Angelicum College, Shepherd's Grace
School, the Episcopal Trinity University of Asia, and the Iglesiani Cristo
affiliated New Era University are also found in the city. Other schools
include Kalayaan College, the Central Colleges of the Philippines, Philippine
Rehabilitation Institute, the main branch of the AMA Computer University, and
numerous campuses of information technology schools such as Asia School of
Arts & Sciences (ASAS), Informatics International College, andSTI College.
Notable secondary public schools include Philippine Science High School Main
Campus, Quezon City Science High School, Commonwealth High School, Ernesto
Rondon High School, Don Alejandro Roces Sr. Science-Technology High School,
Batasan Hills National High School, and the University of the Philippines
Integrated School. Quezon City also holds the largest number of private
elementary and secondary schools in Metro Manila, such as St. James College of
Quezon City, Angelicum College, Claret School of Quezon City, Sacred Heart
Academy (with branches in Pasig, La Loma and Novaliches), Diliman Preparatory
School, School of the Holy Spirit, School of Saint Anthony, Quezon City, Jose Abad
Santos Memorial School, Mater CarmeliSchool,Grace Christian High School,
Quezon City Christian Academy, Lourdes School of Quezon City, Our Lady of
Ftima University, Falcon School (Quezon City), Marian School of Quezon City,
Divine Grace School, Holy Family School of Quezon City, Ste. Anne de Beaupre
School, St. Bridget School, Quezon City Academy. The diocesan schools are the
Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral School (Diocese of Cubao) and Good Shepherd
Cathedral School (Diocese of Novaliches). Many Catholic parishes also operate
parochial schools of their own as well.
Transportation[edit]


Platform area of Araneta Center-Cubao LRT Station
Railways[edit]
Currently, two elevated light rail systems and one heavy rail system run through
Quezon City: LRT 1 at EDSA (C-4) connecting North
Avenue andBaclaran (Manila) MRT 2 at Aurora Boulevard (R-6)
connecting Santolan (Pasig City) and C.M.Recto Avenue (Manila), and MRT 3
at EDSA (C-4)from Taft Avenue (R-2 in Pasay City) to North Avenue.
An elevated rail transit system (MRT-4) that was supposed to follow the general
alignment of Quezon and Commonwealth Avenues (R-7) was shelved. In its place,
a 22 kilometer rail system will be built. The MRT-7 project will commence at
North Avenue, connecting the MRT-3 at its northern terminus. It will then go
through Commonwealth Avenue, then through Regalado, Quirino Highway,
ending in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. The system has a proposed spur line to
connect itself to MRT-2 in Katipunan, passing through the University of the
Philippines Diliman and Katipunan Avenue.
A elevated Automated Guideway Transit system is currently under construction
in UP Diliman.
The following elevated railway stations in the city (Only 13 Stations):


Katipunan Avenue, a major road in Quezon City.


Commonwealth Avenue, a major thoroughfare in Quezon City.
MRT-3 (with 5 Stations):
North Avenue- (Connected to LRT-1 Yellow Line)
Quezon Avenue
Kamuning
Araneta Center-Cubao- (Connected to MRT-2 Purple Line)
Santolan
MRT-2 (with 5 Stations):
Gilmore
Betty Go-Belmonte
Araneta Center-Cubao- (Connected to MRT-3 Blue Line)
Anonas
Katipunan
LRT-1 (with 3 Stations)
Balintawak
Roosevelt
North Avenue- (Connected to MRT-3 Blue Line)
Public Transport[edit]
Public transportation within the city, like in most of the urban areas in the
Philippines, is facilitated mostly using inexpensive jeepneys and buses. Tricycles
give access to more secluded areas, while taxi cabs are available to navigate any
course.
This City has 3 Circumferential Roads. The following are:
C-3: Sgt. Emilio Rivera Avenue and Araneta Avenue
C-4: Epifanio de los Santos Avenue or EDSA
C-5: Mindanao Avenue, TandangSora Avenue, Congressional Avenue
Extension, Katipunan Avenue and Col. Bonny Serrano Avenue.
For the list of other Quezon City Major Roads, see Major roads in Metro Manila
Demographics[edit]
Population census of Quezon
Year Pop. % p.a.
1939 39,013
1948 107,977 +11.98%
1960 397,990 +11.48%
1970 754,452 +6.60%
1975 956,864 +4.87%
1980 1,165,865 +4.03%
1990 1,669,776 +3.66%
1995 1,989,419 +3.57%
2000 2,173,831 +1.79%
2007 2,679,450 +3.03%
2010 2,761,720 +1.01%
Religion[edit]


Iglesiani Cristo (Church of Christ) Central Temple
The majority of the population is Roman Catholic, and in 2002, Quezon City was
made an episcopal see for two new Catholic dioceses: Cubao and Novaliches, as
the very populous Archdiocese of Manila was carved up and five new dioceses
created. A number of religious orders have set up convents and seminaries in the
city. Various Protestant faiths have seen a significant increase in membership over
recent decades and are well represented in Quezon City. While the Islamic faith
has its largest concentrations in the south of the Philippines, there is a significant
population in Quezon City. The Salam compound in Barangay Culiat houses one of
the area's landmark mosques. The Iglesiani Cristo (Church of Christ) Central Office
is located in Quezon City. Also, the Members Church of God
International colloquially known as Ang Dating Daan.
The Philippine Independent Church or Aglipayan Church has three (3) parishes
located in the city, the Parish of the Crucified Lord in Apolonio Samson, Parish of
the Holy Cross in Escale, University of the Philippines Dilimanand the Parish of the
Resurrection in Balingasa. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints have Manila Philippines Temple and the Missionary Training Center located
at Temple Drive Greenmeadows Subdivision of the city. The Kingdom of Jesus
Christ, The Name Above Every Name of Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy is located at
Novaliches (Central Office), EDSA-Cubao, Muoz, and Fairview. The biggest
concentration of the Jesus Miracle Crusade of Evang. Wilde E. Almeda is also
located in the City. The Philippine Branch office of the Jehovah's Witnesses is
located on San Francisco del Monte Avenue. The seat of the Presiding Bishop, the
Cathedral of Sts. Mary and John of the Episcopal Church, the national offices of
the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, the National Council of Churches in
the Philippines as well as a number of Protestant seminaries are located in the
city. The headquarters of the UCKG HelpCenter (Universal Church of the Kingdom
of God) is located at the former Quezon Theater building. The headquarters
of Bread of Life Ministries International is a Christian megachurch located in its
own ministry center on Mother Ignacia Ave. in scout area. The Church So Blessed,
also a Christian church, is located in front of GMA Network on Commonwealth
Ave.
The Quezon Memorial Circle is a national park and shrine located in Quezon City,
former capital of the Philippines (19481976). The park is an ellipse bounded by
the Elliptical Road. Its main feature is a mausoleum containing the remains
of Manuel L. Quezon, the second President of the Philippines, and his wife, First
Lady Aurora Quezon. The monument would consist of three vertical pylons
(representing the three main geographic divisions of the country: Luzon,
the Visayas, and Mindanao), 66 meters (217 ft) tall (Quezon's age when he died),
surmounted by three mourning angels holding sampaguita (the national flower)
wreaths sculpted by the Italian sculptor Monti. The three pylons would in turn
circumscribe a drum-like two-story structure containing a gallery from which
visitors could look down at Quezon's catafalque, modeled after Napoleon
Bonaparte's in the Invalides. The gallery and the catafalque below are lit by an
oculus, in turn reminiscent of Grant's Tomb.
Government[edit]


Session Hall of the BatasangPambansa Complex.
Like other cities in the Philippines, Quezon City is governed by a mayor and vice
mayor elected to three-year terms. The mayor is the executive head and leads the
city's departments in executing the city ordinances and improving public services.
The vice mayor heads the legislative council consisting of 24 members. These
councilors represent the six (6) legislative districts of the city. The council is in
charge of formulating and enacting city ordinances.
Quezon City, being a part of the Metro Manila region, has its mayor in the Metro
Manila Council headed by the Metropolitan Manila Development
Authority (MMDA). This council formulates development plans that seeks to solve
the problems and improve the conditions in the metropolis.
Quezon City is made up of 142 barangays (the smallest local government units)
which handle governance in a much smaller area. These barangays are grouped
into the aforementioned legislative districts. Each district, in turn is represented in
the House of Representatives of the Philippines.
See also: Barangays of Quezon City
Mayors[edit]
Main article: List of mayors of Quezon City
President Manuel L. Quezon acted as mayor from October 12 to November 4,
1939, pending the resignation from another position of his intended appointee,
Tomas B. Morato. Since a president can, under Philippine law, hold multiple
portfolios inferior to the position of president, Quezon took the position of mayor
in a concurrent capacity. However, it is erroneous to view him as the first mayor,
as a president holding a concurrent position is not listed in the roster of
incumbents for those offices.
Sub-divisions/Districts[edit]


Political map of Quezon City
Quezon City is divided into six districts, in turn subdivided in a total of 142
barangays. Each district is represented by six City Councilors, six
representatives/congressmen, one from each district are elected as members of
the National Legislature. The number of barangays per district is: District I, 37;
District II, 5; District III, 37; District IV, 38; District V, 14; and District VI, 11;
Although District II has the least number of barangays, it is the biggest in land
area, including the Novaliches Reservoir.
The La Mesa Ecopark in Novaliches is the last forest of its size in the metropolis,
the La Mesa Dam is an earth dam whose reservoir can hold up to 50.5 million
cubic meters and occupying an area of 27 square kilometres (10 sq mi), it is also
part of the Angat-Ipo-La Mesa water system which supplies most of the water
supply of Metro Manila.
Diliman[edit]


TriNoma, a shopping mall in the Diliman District


SM City North EDSA, the largest shopping mall in the Philippines and 3rd largest in
the world
Diliman, located at the center of southern Quezon City, is where many
government offices, including City Hall, are located. Diliman is home to several
educational institutions such as the University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon
City Polytechnic University at Sto. Cristo, Claret School of Quezon City, Diliman
Preparatory School, FEUFERN College, School of the Holy Spirit, Philippine
Science High School Main Campus, Quezon City Science High School, the regional
science high school in NCR, St. Mary's College of Quezon City, Quezon City High
School, Don Alejandro Roces Science and Technology High School among others.
At the center of Diliman lies the Quezon Memorial Circle, where the
late President Manuel L. Quezon is interred. Around the monument is the two-
kilometer Quezon Memorial Circle, also known as the Elliptical Road (R-7/C-5).
The Quezon City Hall, one of the tallest city halls in the country, is located along
the Circle. Surrounding the city hall are spacious parks and open areas. The head
offices of some national government are located in Diliman:
Board of Pardons and Parole (BPP)
Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)
Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT)
Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB)
Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI)
Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB)
Land Registration Authority (LRA)
Land Transportation Franchishing and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)
Land Transportation Office (LTO)
National Computer Center (NCC)
National Electrification Administration (NEA)
National Housing Authority (NHA)
National Irrigation Administration (NIA)
National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR)
National Printing Office (NPO)
National Statistics Office (NSO)
National Telecommunications Commission (NTC)
Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC)
Office of the Ombudsman
Parole and Probation Administration - DOJ (PPA-DOJ)
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration (PAGASA)
Court of Tax Appeals
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)
Philippine Information Agency (PIA)
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS)
Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI)
Public Attorney's Office (PAO)
Social Security System (SSS)
The Departments of Agriculture (DA), Agrarian Reform (DAR), Interior and
Local Government (DILG), Environment and Natural Resources (DENR),
and Social Welfare and Development(DSWD).
Near the Circle are many important health centers and institutions. Along East
Avenue stand the Philippine Heart Center, the East Avenue Medical Center
(EAMC), the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, and the Philippine Mental
Health Association. Connecting with East Avenue is Victoriano Luna Avenue
where the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Medical Center is located. Along
North Avenue is the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) and the
Philippine Health Association. The Philippine Children's Medical Center and Lung
Center of the Philippinesare located along Quezon Avenue (R-7).
The headquarters of PTV, IBC, PBS, ABS-CBN Broadcast Center, and GMA Network
Center are also located in Diliman. The online publication covering Diliman, the
Diliman Diary, is also based there.
[6]

Most of the rest of the area is residential. Some villages in this portion of Diliman
are Teachers Village, U.P. Village, and Sikatuna Village. Those closer to the
University of the Philippines campus such as Teachers Village and U.P. Village
remain mostly residential although there are two major secondary schools in the
area namely Claret School of Quezon City and Holy Family School of Quezon City,
and many have converted spare rooms into boarding facilities for out-of-town
students attending schools in the area: U.P., Ateneo, and Miriam College. The
eastern edge of the Diliman area is roughly bound by Katipunan Avenue which
passes in front of Ateneo and Miriam and runs behind the U.P Diliman campus.
Commonwealth Ave.[edit]
North of Dilimanlies the Commonwealth area, so named because of
Commonwealth Avenue (R-7) (formerly called Don Mariano Marcos Avenue)
which runs through its center. Barangays in this area include Batasan Hills,
Barangay Commonwealth, Holy Spirit and Old Balara. This is primarily a residential
area home to many subdivisions (residential associations), among these are Don
Antonio Royale, Don Antonio Heights, BF Homes QC, Ferndale Homes, Vista Real,
Filinvest 1 and 2, New Capitol Estates and others.The government center in
Quezon City was originally planned to be at what is now the present location of
the Quezon Memorial Circle,
[7]
but it was then moved further north to where
Batasan hills is now. Resultantly, there are important government establishments
nearby such as the Commission on Audit of the Philippines, the Sandiganbayan, a
special court with a rank equivalent to the Court of Appeals and
the BatasangPambansa Complex, which houses the lower house of the Philippine
Congress. Schools within the Commonwealth area include the School of the Holy
Spirit, Our Lady of Mercy School, The Seed Montessori, Mary the Queen College,
Capitol Hills Christian School, and the Asian Institute of Computer Studies.
Most Populous Barangays Rank Barangay Population 1 Commonwealth172,834 2
Batasan Hills148,624 3 Payatas117,001 4 Holy Spirit106,038 5 Pasong
Tamo82,340
TandangSora[edit]
For the hero of the Philippines nicknamed TandangSora, see Melchora Aquino.


SigawsaPugadLawin Monument.
This is located between Commonwealth to the east, North Ave to the south, San
Francisco del Monte (Frisco) Avenue to the west, and Fairview-Sauyo to the north.
It takes its name from the "Grand Old Lady of the Revolution", Melchora
Aquino or TandangSora, whose remains lie at the TandangSora National
Shrine on Banlat Road, Barangay TandangSora.
The area is primarily residential with Projects 6 and 8 located here, as are other
subdivisions, like Town & Country Gardenville, San Pedro Subdivisions,National
Power Corporation or NPC Village, National Irrigation Administration or NIA
Village, Reymar Subdivision, Philand Subdivision, Villa Corrina, San Miguel Village,
Gloria Subdivisions, Jem Subdivisions, Corazonville subdivision, and many more. A
large portion of TandangSora district is Barangay Bahay Toro, where a historic site
of the Philippine Revolution known as PugadLawin is located. There are some
industrial facilities especially near the Mindanao Avenue area. Culiat, a Muslim
compound, is also to be found here, as are the central offices of the Iglesiani
Cristo, New Era University and the studios and transmitter of Net 25 INC TV
49, RadyoAgila, Pinas FM and DZEM of the Eagle Broadcasting
Corporation and Christian Era Broadcasting Service . The transmitter of GMA
Network and Barangay LS 97.1 is located near Culiat. Many educational centers
are also within the area. Also in the area are Congressional Avenue, Visayas
Avenue, and Mindanao Avenue (forming part of C-5).
Loyola Heights[edit]
Loyola Heights, to the southeast of Diliman is Marikina City's gateway to Quezon
City. The Aurora Boulevard (R-6) and Katipunan Avenue (C-5) provide easy access,
but often experience traffic jams during rush hours. Also located in Loyola Heights
is the Katipunan Station of the Manila LRT Purple Line (MRT-2), which runs in an
east-west direction, providing rapid access to the cities ofManila, Quezon
City, Marikina and Pasig, and San Juan. Passengers can transfer to the Manila LRT
Yellow Line at Recto station in Manila, or to the Manila Metro Rail Transit
System (Blue Line) at Araneta Center-Cubao station.
The main campus of the Ateneo de Manila University and Miriam College are
located in Loyola Heights.
Loyola Heights also has numerous commercial study centers such as The Loyola
Heights-XaviervilleKumon Center, Newton Study Center, LHSC, and others which
offer after-school tutorial services.
Loyola Heights is an upper middle-class and rich residential area that caters to
students of the Ateneo de Manila University, University of the Philippines Diliman,
and Miriam College, members of the schools' faculty and staff, and their families.
La Vista Subdivision, north of Miriam College, is an upscale gated
community where some of the country's top politicians own residences, including
former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, as well as many of the country's
moneyed elite. Accessed through La Vista is Loyola Grand Villas, another upscale
gated community. Across Katipunan, the main thoroughfare of the area, are
Varsity Hills and Xavierville, both upper class and upper middle-class subdivisions.
Near these areas, and right beside La Vista, are somesquatters' settlements,
making the Loyola Heights area a place of mixed socio-economic classes.
Cubao[edit]


The Smart Araneta Coliseum, one of the biggest indoor domes in the world
Cubao, south of Diliman is an important commercial area. At its heart is
the Araneta Center along EDSA (C-4) and Aurora Boulevard (R-6). It is a 35-hectare
commercial estate owned and developed by the Araneta family. Department
stores and retail centers can also be found here, such as Gateway Mall, Plaza Fair,
Rustan's, Shopwise Supercenter, SM Cubao, Ali Mall, and Farmer's Plaza. At the
center is Smart Araneta Coliseum, often called the Big Dome. Many musical
concerts, ice shows, circus shows, religious crusades, wrestling, cockfighting, and
basketball games are held in this 20,000-capacity coliseum. In the outskirts of
Araneta Center is the Cubao Expo, an artists' colony and site of weekend flea
markets. It is also a home to call centers like APAC, Telus, and Stellar.
Cubao is also the home of the Cubao Cathedral the seat of the Roman Catholic
Diocese of Cubao. SM Hypermarket is located just outside the Araneta Center,
along EDSA. Nightclubs also abound within the Cubao area, catering to a full range
of tastes. There are residential areas ranging from the middle class to the upper
class. Araneta Center is also home to the Consulate of the Republic of Colombia.
North from Araneta Center along EDSA (C-4) are numerous bus terminals, a place
where one can take a bus ride to almost any point in Luzon, Visayas or Mindanao.
It is also an intersection point for two of city's commuter train lines (the MRT-3
and the MRT-2).
[citation needed]

Bagumbayan[edit]


Philippine National Police
Located at the southeastern corner of Quezon City, Bagumbayan is one of the
newly developed commercial areas in Quezon City. The Eastwood CityBusiness
Center is situated here. It consists of several office and residential skyscrapers,
including many local IT and consumer electronic firms. Numerous bars and
restaurants have been put up since 2000 along E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue (C-5).
Many of which are open-air restaurants and coffee shops reminiscent of Paris
boulevards, but with a modern architecture. With this, Bagumbayan is fast
becoming one of the hippest areas for night entertainment, similar to
the Malate and Ermita districts of Manila.
West of Bagumbayanare many high-end gated communities like the Acropolis,
Blue Ridge, Greenmeadows, White Plains, Corinthian Hills, and Corinthian
Gardens. Further west are Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame. Camp Aguinaldo is
the general headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines while Camp
Crame is the headquarters of the Philippine National Police. Bagumbayan also
covers a smallest portion of Ortigas Avenue at the corner of EDSA (at the side of
Corinthian Gardens) where Robinsons Galleria, EDSA Shrine, and Cyberpod
Corinthian are located.
Timog/Scout area (also part of Diliman)[edit]
Surrounding Timog Avenue (South Avenue) and Tomas Morato Avenue is a
popular entertainment area. Located along these two avenues are many fine-
dining restaurants and bars. Discothques, karaoke joints and comedy bars
provide patrons with all-night long recreation. It is home to many gay bars such as
Chicos, Adonis, and Gigolo, which are popular for their lively night time
entertainment.
In the South Triangle (the area bounded by Quezon Avenue (R-7), Timog Avenue
(South Avenue) and EDSA) are located the head offices of ABS-CBN and GMA
Network. Most Filipino entertainment shows are produced here, and it is also
home to many Filipino celebrities.
The studios and transmitter of ETC are located along Panay Avenue, in Barangay
South Triangle.
See also: Scouting memorials
Several of the streets in the surrounding area were named in honor of the 22 Boy
Scouts who died in a plane crash en route to joining the 11th World Scout
Jamboree. A memorial stands in the center of a rotunda at the intersection of
Timog and Tomas Morato Avenues, which accounts for the Timog area being
called as the Scout Area. Near the scouting memorial is the location of the former
Ozone disco, site of the worst fire in Philippine history.
Novaliches[edit]


Institute of Medicine
The Northern district is composed of Novaliches, and is primarily residential. The
La Mesa Dam Watershed occupies the eastern portion. The La Mesa Dam supplies
much of northern Metro Manila's water supply. Adjacent to the watershed is
the La Mesa Watershed and Eco-Park, where one can stroll and unwind at Metro
Manila's only forest space. Also located in the park are convention centers, picnic
areas, swimming pools, an orchidarium, and a large lagoon for boating activities.
It was also the site of the rowing and dragon boat events for the 2005 Southeast
Asian Games. Rowing is regularly done here. Also located here are four big
malls: SM City Fairview, Robinsons Place Novaliches, SM City Novaliches, and
Novaliches Plaza Mall.
Novaliches town proper is the site of STI College Novaliches, just near SM City
Novaliches, Maligaya Elementary School and Maligaya High School in Maligaya
Park Subdivision, just near SM Fairview, the Metro Manila College (MMC),
formerly known as Novaliches Academy (NA), Quezon City Polytechnic
University at San Bartolome (The University's Main Campus), and Sto. Nio de
Novaliches School. Barangay Fairview is home to the Far Eastern University
Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation, National College of Business and Arts, School
of Saint Anthony in Lagro, Mater Carmeli School in Sacred Heart Village, Good
Shepherd Cathedral School in Fairview, Divine Grace School in Maligaya Park
Subdivision, just near SM Fairview, and Novaliches Cathedral (Cathedral Shrine
and Parish of the Good Shepherd), the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of
Novaliches.
The name Novaliches probably came from the name of a village outside Valencia,
Spain.
[citation needed]
In the 19th century, the district was known as Hacienda Tala to
settlers who cultivated the land and considered it a star ("tala") from heaven. The
haciendero, Marquez de Novaliches, was given the title due to his services in
the Carlist Wars of the 19th century.
[citation needed]
Novaliches was once a separate
town was part of Rizal province before being ceded to Quezon City in the 1940s.
During World War II, the La Mesa Dam and Balara Filters were prime targets for
Japanese, Filipino and American attacks, being the water sources for most of the
northern part of Manila and Rizal.
[citation needed]



The La Mesa Watershed and Eco-Park.
This district is among the largest in the city, having shared boundaries with the
two sections of Caloocan City, Valenzuela City, San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan
and Montalban, Rizal. The oldest part of the city is in the town center, aptly
named Novaliches Bayan. But because of population growth the density of people
gradually widened reaching up the edge of the La Mesa Reservoir (Lagro and
Fairview). The population growth started when the National Housing Authority
started housing projects in the outskirts of Novaliches and along TandangSora;
Fairview and Lagro, on opposite sides of the La Mesa Watershed, were developed
as housing projects by the Government Service Insurance System.
[citation needed]

The studios and transmitter of TV5 are located along Quirino Highway, in
Barangay San Bartolome.
In 1999, a plebiscite was held among the voters of Quezon City to determine the
cityhood of Novaliches. The proposed creation of "Novaliches City" would have
resulted in the secession of 15 barangays from Quezon City. At the plebiscite's
end, votes that were against the separation heavily outnumbered those that were
in favor.
New Manila[edit]
New Manila is located on west central portion of the city. This is a largely
residential district that was named after Quezon City's neighbor to the southwest,
Manila. The area was first settled after the second World War by some of the
more affluent families who wished to escape the stress of living in Manila. As a
result, many of the houses here stand on lots measuring 500 square meters and
above.
The main thoroughfares are Aurora Boulevard, Gilmore Avenue, and Eulogio
Rodriguez Sr. Avenue. Aurora Boulevard begins at the Quezon City Manila
border and reaches New Manila upon crossing EDSA. Gilmore crosses Ortigas
Avenue, giving it access to Mandaluyong, Pasig, and San Juan cities. Eulogio
Rodriguez Sr. Avenue diverges from Aurora Boulevard a few meters from EDSA.
Aurora Boulevard is the site of Broadway Centrum, where the first GMA
Network entertainment shows were shot, now given by GMA to TAPE Inc. for Eat
Bulaga! and other shows produced by TAPE Inc. ; at present, Broadway Centrum
was also given to TV5 for its TV shows P.O.5, Star Factor, and Face to Face. St.
Paul University of Quezon City stands at the corner of Aurora Boulevard and
Gilmore Avenue, across a row of shops specializing in computer equipment, and
an office of SYKES Asia. Kalayaan College, meanwhile, stands at the corner of
Aurora Boulevard and Mangga Road. Trinity University of Asia, St. Joseph's
College of Quezon City, the Christ the King Mission Seminary, and St. Luke's
Medical Center are all located along Eulogio Rodriguez Avenue, as are the Quezon
Institute and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. Informatics Sta. Mesa, an
international computer school that offers higher education programs and short
courses is also located along Aurora Blvd near Araneta Avenue.
Also located near New Manila is Quezon City's "Funeral Home Row", Araneta
Avenue. This is attributed to the unusually high concentration of funeral homes in

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improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced
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the area. Curiously, also located along Araneta Avenue is a columbary as well,
where urns of cremated remains can be stored. Balete Drive, between Aurora
Boulevard and Eulogio Rodriguez Sr. Avenue, is also the setting for many urban
legends. The cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cubao is located in
Lantana Street, near Eulogio Rodriguez Sr. Avenue. The offices and studios of
the MOWELFUND is located a few blocks from the cathedral.
Santa Mesa Heights[edit]


Philippine Orthopedic Center
Santa Mesa Heights is said to be where many middle-class and upper-middle-class
families reside. Most of the areas in Santa Mesa Heights are residential. It is also
home to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes and The National Shrine of
Our Lady of La Naval (Sto. Domingo Church).Angelicum College, Lourdes School of
Quezon City, and St. Theresa's College of Quezon City are three prestigious
private Catholic schools to be found here. Philippine Rehabilitation Institute
and Capitol Medical Center Colleges are also located here. This is also a location
of Philippine Orthopedic Center located along Banawe Avenue corner Maria Clara
Street. The main thoroughfares of this area are Banawe, D. Tuazon, Mayon, N.S.
Amoranto (formerly called Retiro), Del Monte, Sgt. Rivera, and A. Bonifacio
Avenue.
San Francisco del Monte[edit]
It was founded on February 17, 1590 by San Pedro Bautista. It was meant to be a
place for retreat for residents in Intramuros in Manila. The former name of nearby
Amoranto Avenue, Retiro or retreat in Spanish, was said to refer to the place as a
retreat on top a hill. In reality, however, the name is part of the "Rizalian streets
starting from Sampaloc.
[8]
The San Pedro Bautista Church was the first building in
the area.
It was an independent town during the Spanish era that had an area of 250 acres
(1.0 km
2
) of land filled with wildlife and trees. It was later absorbed by Quezon
City when it was created. Today, it is a heavily populated district. Although it
contains many residential areas, there are many industrial facilities here, mostly
found along Judge Juan Luna street. The two main intersections of this area are
Roosevelt Ave. and Del Monte Ave. Also located here are the Siena College of
Quezon City and the PMI Colleges, Quezon City.
When it was first founded, it was around 2.5 square kilometres (1.0 sq mi) in area.
It reached out to what is currently Project 7 and 8 and all the way out to Timog
Ave area. Currently, it is composed of Barangay San Antonio, Paraiso, Paltok,
Masambong, Damayan, and Del Monte. San Francisco del Monte is also referred
to as S.F.D.M..
Galas-Santol[edit]


SM City Santa Mesa
The Galas-Santol District of Quezon City is located in its southeast border with the
City of Manila. Located in the Galas area is the elementary school named after
Manuel L. Quezon's wife, Aurora A. Quezon. Carlos L. Albert High School is named
after a former vice mayor of the city. SM City Sta. Mesa lies at the end of the
Aranetaavenue.
SM City Sta. Mesa, formerly known as SM Centerpoint, is an upscale shopping
mall located between the cities of Manila and Quezon City. It is the second of SM
Supermall and the seventh SM branch developed and operated by SM Prime
Holdings owned by Henry Sy, Sr.. It has a land area of 3 hectares and has a gross
floor area of an approximate 133,327 square meters[1]. The mall opened to the
public on September 28, 1990, and was the second SM Supermall to open after
the Largest SM Supermall in the Philippines, SM City North EDSA. It was named as
SM Centerpoint since it is located at the boundaries of three cities,
namely Manila, Quezon City and San Juan City. The mall featured several
amusement venues on its opening, namely the Quantum, Worlds of Fun and an
annex building. The jurisdiction of the mall went to Manila in May 2006 and was
renamed as SM City Sta. Mesa, and its official address was Santa Mesa, Manila,
but the mall's location was based geographically in Quezon City.
[citation needed]

The Project Areas[edit]
The Project areas include Project 1 (Bgy. Roxas or Roxas District), Projects 2 & 3
(composed of all Barangays named Quirino), Project 4, Project 5 (Bgy.E.
Rodriguez), Project 6, Project 7 (Barangays Bungad& Veterans Village), and
Project 8 (Barangays Bahay Toro, Baesa&Sangandaan). These areas are among the
first residential subdivisions in the city developed by former Philippine
Presidents Quezon, Quirino, and Marcos.


La Loma[edit]
La Loma is located on the southwest area of Quezon City. It is composed of 5
barangays along the vicinity of its main streets, N.S. Amoranto Avenue (Retiro)
and A. Bonifacio Avenue. The district is famed as the birthplace of many popular
Filipino culinary figures and establishments,
[9]
especially devoted to the lechon.
The nearby La Loma Cemetery is named after the district.
Milestones in History

The history of Quezon City weaves so interestingly with the nations own. Many
events that have shaped the history of the Philippines transpired within the Citys
territory.
August 23, 1896. Driven by passion to attain liberty, the Katipuneros responded
to the call of the Great Plebian, Andres Bonifacio, to take arms and struggle for
the countrys freedom from Spanish colonial rule. As a sign of breakage from the
chains of Spanish government, they undauntedly tore their cedula at the house
of Melchora Aquino, an event known today as the Cry of PugadLawin.
August 25, 1896. Most fighting in the course of the Freedom Trail began. From
Balara and KrusnaLigas to Santolan (area near Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame
today) sparked the bloody revolution, which eventually led to the declaration of
Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite on June 12, 1898.
December 10, 1898. With the signing of the Treaty of Paris, the Spanish ceded
power to the Americans. Filipinos still actively fought for independence. This gave
rise to the Philippine-American War of 1899, during which, General Licerio
Geronimo defeated General Henry Lawton (Battle of Paye) in an area near the
Marikina River known today as Barangay BagongSilangan, a part of Quezon City.
1938. President Manuel L. Quezon dreamt of a city that would become the
future capital of the country, replacing Manila, and home to middle workers. He
created People's Homesite Corporation and purchased 1, 529 hectares from the
vast Diliman estate of the Tuason family.
1939. The bill creating Quezon City was authored by Assemblyman Ramon P.
Mitra (Mountain Province, 2nd District), with the name of the city as Balintawak.
Assemblymen Narciso Ramos (Pangasinan, 5th District) and Eugenio Peres
(Pangasinan, 2nd District) filed an amendment changing the name Balintawak to
Quezon. The bill lapsed into law as Commonwealth Act 502, on October 12, 1939.
Quezon City was established, with the Commonwealth President acting as chief
executive. A number of barrios that used to belong to Rizal, Caloocan, San Juan,
Marikina, Pasig, and Mandaluyong were carved out and joined into the newly
created city, which became the biggest local government unit in Metro Manila.
November 10, 1939. Quezon appointed Tomas Morato as Mayor. Under his
supervision, the first network of roads was paved along Kamuning and Sampaloc
Road (now Tomas Morato Avenue). Housing projects dubbed as Barrio Obreros
and Barrio Obreros II, which means Workers Village, were also built as part of
the low-cost government housing program. To make transportation easy for the
new residents, President Quezon made arrangements with the Luzon Bus Line to
start a regular transport service between the housing project and downtown
Manila at a bus fare of P 0.05.
1940. Quezon Citys earliest developments were guided by at least two
masterplans, one was the Frost Plan in 1940 and the 1949 Master Plan of the City
Planning Commission whicho produced the documents in accordance with the
vision of President Quezon. President Quirino approved the implementation of
the 1949 plan. The Frost plan, which aimed to develop Quezon City as the
Washington DC of the country, reflects a big quadrangle in the heart of the City,
from which four avenues radiate toward the outskirts, with rotundas placed on
the four corners, the largest being the 26-hectare elliptical center, now known as
the Quezon Memorial Circle.
1942. When the Second World War broke out, the Japanese occupation
government dissolved Quezon City. It was divided into two districtsDiliman and
San Francisco del Montewhich were then placed under the new political entity
called the Greater Manila Area headed by Oscar Castelo as Acting Mayor and Dr.
Florencio Cruz as district chief. Right after the war, President Osmea appointed
former chief of police Sabino De Leon as Acting Mayor of the revived Quezon
City.
December 24, 1946. President Roxas appointed Engr. Ponciano Bernardo as
Acting Mayor. He was responsible for putting up the old Quezon City Hall in the
present compound of Ramon Magsaysay (Cubao) High School. Among his other
accomplishments include the Bernardo Park, the Quezon City Public Library and
the Quezon City High School, the first public high school in the locality. It was also
during Bernardos term that Quezon City became the national capital of the
Philippines, as approved by then President Quirino.
1948. After the war, Republic Act No. 333 was signed by ElpidioQuirino on July
17, 1948, declaring Quezon City to be the republic's capital, and specifying the
city's area to be 156.60 sq. km. Baesa, Talipapa, San Bartolome, Pasong Tamo,
NovalichesPoblacion, Banlat, Kabuyao, PugadLawin, Bagbag, Pasong Putik of the
old Novaliches municipality (then part of Caloocan) were ceded to Quezon City.
The rest of the old Novaliches municipality was left with Caloocan, thus becoming
North Caloocan. On June 16, 1950, the City Charter was revised by Republic Act
No. 537, changing the city's boundaries to an area of 153.59 sq. km. Exactly six
years after on June 16, 1956, more revisions to the city's land area were made by
Republic Act No. 1575.
October 22, 1949. Quezon City was inaugurated as the National Capital of the
Philippines and the capital buildings cornerstone was laid at the Constitutional
Hill. During the term of the eight-month Mayor NicanorRoxas, the
RoxasHomesite by the Philippine Homesite and Housing Corporation (PHHC, the
precursor of the National Housing Authority), consisting of 1,104 housing units on
an area of 40 hectares, began construction.
January 6, 1950. The expanse of Quezon City reached 15,359 hectares.
Succeeding Mayor Ignacio Santos Diaz, known as The Builder, constructed
some 29 buildings, significantly improving education and other basic social
services. During his administration, the expanse of Quezon City reached 15,359
hectares. The number of councilors was likewise increased to eight.
June 16, 1950. The Quezon City Charter was revised by Republic Act No. 537,
which extended its boundaries to its 15,359 hectares or five times bigger than
Manila. It lost its title as capital city of the Philippines to Manila by virtue of
Presidential Decree No. 940 on June 24, 1976.
February 4, 1954. Mayor Norberto Amoranto was initially appointed on this date
by the late President Magsaysay. He later on became the first elected Quezon
City Mayor and seating as such until March 31, 1976. He completed the present
14-storey Quezon City Hall at Diliman. Among his other accomplishments were
the codification, for the first time, of all city ordinances on taxes; and public
works construction such as school buildings, health centers, roads and bridges.
April 31, 1976. Breaking into the political arena then dominated by men, Mayor
Adelina Rodriguez was appointed into office on this date and was elected in
1980. Women assumed a more active role in politics when she founded the QC
Council for Women. Among her programs are the QC Kabuhayan Center,
completion of the QC Public Library Main Building and satellite libraries, and the
restoration of the Quezon Memorial Circle Museum.

February 1986. Protests, fueled by a resistance and opposition to years of
governance under a dictatorship heightened from February 2225, 1986.
Majority of the demonstrations took place at Epifanio de los Santos Avenue,
known more commonly by its acronym EDSA, in Quezon City, and involved over
two million Filipino civilians as well as several political, military, and religious
figures. This was known as the People Power Revolution of 1986.

April 20, 1986. Brigido Simon was designated as officer-in-charge of Quezon City
and on November 30, 1987 was elected as mayor, the youngest to hold office at
37. He was known for his youthful idealism and economic development
strategies. He propounded the 20-million Manresa Housing Redevelopment
Program and the Payatas Estate Housing Program for the landless in Quezon City.

July 1, 1992. Ismael Mathay assumed the position of mayor. He established the
Quezon City Polytechnic Institute, which then centered on vocational training of
the youth. Yakap Daycare Centers that initially took care of the Quezon City Hall
employees children, traces its roots to his administration. It was also under his
watch that Quezon City was declared Mother-Baby Friendly City.

July 1, 2001. Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. was elected mayor. He was reelected to his
third term in 2007, his administration becoming known for its effective fiscal
management, massive infrastructure development and innovative social, health
and education programs. During his term, Quezon City became the countrys
richest city for several consecutive years and began ranking among Asias best.

May 11, 2010. By a landslide win, Herbert Bautista became
the mayor of Quezon City. One of the youngest politicians in the country,
Bautista served as the vice-mayor of Ismael Mathay (one term) and Feliciano
Belmonte Jr. For his first term as mayor, he outlined an ambitious plan for his
key programs in the areas of social housing, environmental management, and
disaster risk reduction.

Distribution Hub

Quezon City is located at the heart of Metro Manila, towards its northeastern
portion. It is bordered by Manila to the southwest, by Caloocan City and
Valenzuela City to the west and northwest. Towards the south, lies San Juan and
Mandaluyong City, while Marikina City and Pasig City borders Quezon City to the
southeast. Towards the north, across Marilao River, lies San Jose del Monte City
in the province of Bulacan, and towards the east, lies Rodriguez and San Mateo,
both in the province of Rizal.
Quezon City is also its strategic convergence point for the metropolitan road and
transportation networks, making the City an ideal distribution hub. It is easily
accessible from the major highways, thoroughfares and mass transit systems of
Metro Manila. The city is traversed by several major metropolitan
thoroughfares, namely Circumference Road-3 or C-3 (Araneta Avenue), C-4 (most
of EDSA), C-5 (Katipunan - Luzon - Republic Avenue), R-6 (Aurora Blvd.), R-7
(Quezon Avenue - Commonwealth Avenue) and R-8 (Bonifacio Avenue - Quirino
Highway), which provide numerous linkages of the city to the rest of Metro
Manila.
More than 2 million vehicles a day ply EDSA, which is the main circumferential
road and highway of Metro Manila in the Philippines. This highway is named in
honor of Epifanio de los Santos, a noted Filipino historian. It is an important
commuting artery between the northern and southern parts of the metropolitan
area. EDSA is mostly a 10-lane divided highway (expressway) with interchanges
along its length that eliminate the need for traffic lights, though traffic lights exist
where there is insufficient space or funds for a complete interchange. Stretching
some 24 kilometers, it is one of the longest avenues in the Philippines, and its
longest expanse is in Quezon City.
Commonwealth Avenue, formerly called Don Mariano Marcos Avenue, is the
widest highway in the country, with a length of 12.4 kilometers and spanning 10
to 18 lanes. It starts from the Quezon Memorial Circle inside the Elliptical Road,
and passes through the areas of Philcoa, TandangSora, Balara, Batasan Hills, and
ends at Mindanao Avenue in the Fairview area.
An important recent development is the development of Segment 8.1 or the
NLEX Mindanao Avenue Link, a 2.7-kilometer expressway that provides motorists
with additional entry and exit ramps from Quezon City to the North Luzon
Expressway (NLEX). This new roadway dramatically speeds up the transport of
people and goods via the NLEX and thereby, help further connect the
developments of Quezon City to Central and Northern Luzon, enhancing the citys
position as an important gateway.
These thoroughfares are supplemented by main and secondary intra-city roads
for area-wide mobility and by numerous tertiary roads. Mass rail transportation
system nodes are most numerous in Quezon City, compared to other cities of
Metro Manila. The Metro Rail Transit (MRT), Line 3 of the metropolis' railway
system, runs along most of EDSA, and connects Quezon City to Manila. The Light
Rail Transit (LRT), Line 1, runs from the EDSA - North Avenue intersection in
Quezon City to the Monumento roundabout in Caloocan City. The Light Rail
Transit (LRT), Line 2 can be seen along the intersection EDSA and the rail line's
path, Aurora Boulevard in Quezon City, producing another convenient link to the
other metro cities.
The Manila Red Line or Mass Rapid Transit Line 7 (Red Line/MRT-7) will connect
Quezon City to Bulacan. When completed, the line will be 23 km long with 14
stations, and will run in a northeast direction, traversing Quezon City and a part
of Caloocan City in Metro Manila before ending at the City of San Jose del Monte
in Bulacan province. Passengers will be able to transfer to the Yellow Line and
Blue Line through the Metro Manila Integrated Rail Terminal that will link the
three lines at North Avenue in Quezon City.

Sites and Landmarks

Located at the boundary of Quezon City and Manila, the Mabuhay
Rotonda (originally called Welcome Rotonda) was built in 1948 by Architect
Luciano Aquino during the term of Mayor Ponciano Bernardo. Designed as the
gateway to Quezon City, its purpose is to greet visitors of the newly established
capital. This is where three of Metro Manilas busiest roads meet, namely:
Espana Boulevard in Manila, Quezon Avenue and E. Rodriguez Avenue in Quezon
City. It was renamed Mabuhay in 1995.
The Quezon City Hall is an imposing 14-storey edifice where the 1973 Philippine
Constitution was signed. It is the administrative center of city government
activities with the frontage punctuated by the refreshing view of a man-made
lagoon and a mini-park. In 2009, in line with the objective to rationalize the
physical organization of City services for the publics greater convenience, the
construction of the twin towers or two eight-storey Civic Center Buildings was
completed. In front of these is the extension of the City Hall Annex, which
provides a wider service area and a comfortable and spacious lounge for
taxpayers and business permit applicants.

Camp Crame is the national headquarters of the Philippine National Police,
located along EDSA near Santolan Avenue. The 33-hectare installation was
named in honor of Brigadier General Rafael Crame, the first general of the
Philippine Constabulary. Basic training of police officers is conducted here. Across
the street from Camp Crame is Camp Aguinaldo, the 178-hectare general
headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It is also home to the
Department of National Defense, National Capital Regional Command, and the
National Defense College of the Philippines, among other offices. It was
established in 1935 as Camp Murphy in honor of Frank Murphy, the last governor
general of the Philippines. In 1965, by virtue of Republic Act 4434, it was
renamed as Camp Aguinaldo after the first Philippine President, Emilio Aguinaldo.

The BangkoSentralngPilipinas was established on January 3, 1949, as the
countrys central monetary authority. In 1978, it inaugurated the BSP Security
Complex Plant in East Avenue, Diliman which houses a banknote printing plant, a
securities printing plant, a mint and a gold refinery. The banknote printing plant
and the mint take care of producing currency notes and coins, respectively. The
plant is also responsible for the production of checks, passports, official ballots,
government contracts, lottery tickets and other security documents.

24-Hour Metro Centers

The City hosts about 34 PEZA-registered Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) parks in Quezon City, prompting those in the industry to call it
the ICT capital of the country. Many business process outsourcing (BPO) giants
like IBM, eTelecare, Convergys, SITEL and Sykes Asia have either transferred or
located their base of operations in Quezon City, having been attracted by the
competitive real estate values, with rental and leasing rates that are 30-40%
lower than other cities. They are also attracted by the expansive land areas
available for development, especially in Cubao, Eastwood, EDSA, Quezon Avenue
and Commonwealth Avenue.
Another plus factor is manpower sourcing, considering that Quezon City is home
to over 40,000 ICT professionals. More graduates continue to swell the ranks
every year due to the presence of many tertiary-level schools in the City,
including learning institutes that specialize in call center training. The City
government, to proactively meet the demand for manpower, established the
Quezon City Call Center Competency Course that provides free training to the so-
called near-hires who were initially rejected employment in call centers, in
order to make them qualified for the job.
During a 2009 CyberCity Forum, major BPO players reported the ease with which
they started their business in Quezon City, citing the efficiency of the city
governments BPO-ICT Task Force. The latter was created to provide support to
existing and potential locators, including the Citys endorsement in their PEZA
registration application. Sykes Asia confirmed that its Quezon City sites were
outperforming all their other locations in the Philippines, while IBM Philippines
said that 80% of its employees are in its Quezon City sites.
Quezon City is fast becoming a leader in wireless connectivity, with at least 44
destinations offering wireless fidelity (wifi) service technology to anyone who
wants to use a laptop within their environs. Among the most expansive wifi
hotspots are found in the 35-hectare Araneta Center in Cubao and the 19-hectare
Eastwood Cyberpark. Even the community that hosts Quezon Citys dumpsite,
Payatas, is already a wifi zone.
Most coffee shops and restaurants offer free wifi connection as a come-on to
customers. The Internet cafes that boomed in the 90s continue to be a popular
destination, with 600 of them dotting many parts of the City, including residential
neighborhoods. There are about 450 computer retailers and distributors, and
more than 3,000 micro enterprises engaging in ICT-related businesses.
Additionally, Quezon City offers reliable communication infrastructure services
powered by the Philippine Long Distance Telephone company, Bayan
Telecommunications Corporation, Digitel and several other small players. The
number of cellular sites has increased over the years, with Bayantel and Digitel
among the major service providers. Broadband services are now available
through Bayantel, Primeworld and Radiomarine.
Telegraph and telex services are provided by PT&T while postal services are
extended primarily by the Central Post Office. The city maintains ten post offices
and nine private postal stations distributed citywide. Other services include mail
and parcel delivery, money order, domestic and international express mails and
PO Box leasing.
Eastwood City: A city within a city
Eastwood City, is a 17-hectare state-of-the-art, masterplanned, residential,
business, commercial and entertainment city development of Megaworld
Corporation in Bagumbayan, Quezon City. Its main feature is an urban economic
zone for information technology (IT)-driven companies. It is the first cyberpark
accredited by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority. Locators include
customer contact centers, electronic publishers, e-commerce systems managers,
other systems managers and integrators, multimedia service providers, internet
access and data transport service providers, and web developers. Companies
like IBM, Citibank, eTelecare, Trend Micro, Canon, TOEI Animation and others are
located at Eastwood. Those who live and work in this community enjoy advanced
high-bandwidth telecommunications system and fiber optic backbone.
This place features 12 luxury condominium residences. It is the first pet-friendly
shopping and recreational community in the country.
It is also the countrys first nationally accredited Tourism Entertainment
Complex. Among Eastwood Citys finest attractions are the grand selection of
restaurants offering sumptuous cuisines, temporary art galleries, al fresco dining,
and the malls very own Walk of Fame, ingrained with the names of the great
icons of Philippine entertainment, arts and culture. The night scene is very much
alive at the central plaza, where concerts, fashion shows and dance parties are
regularly held.
Sophisticated shoppers love the new Eastwood Mall, a welcome addition to the
huge Cybermall which is practically a stones throw away. The new mall has two
distinct sections, the main mall, which has upscale fashion boutiques, a sports
zone section with giant LCD screens, and a row of al fresco restaurants; and the
central park, an open space with environmental elements like a botanical garden
and a lagoon. Families and the barkada can now enjoy the ultimate luxury movie
viewing experience in select cinemas with fully reclining twin seats, and refillable
popcorn and drinks to be served by butlers to their own seats. The bazaars also
provide the perfect haven for those in the hunt for the trendiest fashion finds,
fascinating handicrafts and other novelties.
In the mood for a certain kind of cuisine? Notable restaurants in the complex
include the Italian restaurants Fazoli, Pasto, and Benissimo, the Mexican
restaurant Agave Mexican Cantina, the Chinese restaurant Shanghai Bistro, the
Filipino restaurants Via Mare and Mama Rosa, the Indian restaurant Prince of
Jaipur, the Japanese restaurants TakayamaKyo and Teriyaki Boy. Those who live
for the nightlife can barhop among prominent nightclubs in the Eastwood City
Walk including Club Dredd, Ebisu Grill, Fuzion Smoothie Caf, Ipanema, OJ's Grill
(Mystic), and The Basement. Coffee and tea lovers can go to Starbucks, Seattles
Best Coffee, Delifrance, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Figaro, among others.
Craving for serenity and relaxation? Even an hour of body pampering can
immediately rejuvenate the mind, body and spirit. Health aficionados will be
thrilled with the wide array of spas and salons offering luxurious body spas,
soothing massages and great makeovers, that make Eastwood City practically a
beauty and wellness district in its own right. Sports buffs will love to unwind in
Paengs Eastwood Bowl and Billiards Room, the most modern in the country
using the latest AMF bowling equipment. Adding to the festive atmosphere of the
facility are the glow-in-the-dark bowling balls and pins, and the glow-in-the-dark
tracking lanes.
People can also bring their favorite pets and enjoy a leisurely stroll along the
cobbled walks, as Eastwood City is first pet-friendly mall in the country duly
recognized by the Philippine Canine Club Inc.
These modern-day conveniences have lured more folks not only to visit but to
actually set up house at Eastwood City, including those working in the corporate
offices in the nearby Cyberpark. Among these are the very modern three-tower
Eastwood Lafayette which has a neo-classical design and the majestic Grand
Eastwood Palazzo with frescoes and balconies reminiscent of Europe. Four more
condominiums are slated to rise here in the near future: Le Grande Towers and
One Eastwood Avenue.
Araneta Center: QCs pioneer business district
The Araneta Center in Cubao is the citys first well-built commercial and
entertainment hub. It is also a crux of the citys mass transit systems.
It had its humble beginnings from the vision of businessman J. Amado Araneta,
who wanted to provide his countrymen an extraordinary recreational venue just
like those he saw in his travels abroad. In 1952, he purchased a 35-hectare land
from the Radio Company of America (RCA), where the latters transmitters were
located. The property was considered a dead spot, and many people thought that
Aranetas idea to put up a commercial complex in the middle of nowhere was
crazy. The first structures to be built were the Araneta house, also known as
BahaynaPuti, an office building, and the famous Araneta Coliseum.
Now, the Araneta Center is a 35-hectare property recently revitalized to include a
new commercial and residential community complementing the areas
centerpiece, the Big Dome or the coliseum. Within this area are large shopping
malls and supermarkets, theaters, restaurants, drug stores, specialty showrooms,
art galleries and offices.
The Araneta Center Cyber Park is an 8-hectare business area which consists of
modern four to six storey office buildings. Among its locators are: Accenture, a
major player in the business process outsourcing industry with over 100,000
employees worldwide; APAC Customer Services Inc., with a 2,000-seat call center
operation; and Advanced Contact Solutions, which located here its sixth contact
center facility in the country.
Another information technology park in this area is Gateway Tower, a 32-level
mixed-use building with five levels of commercial center, 22 levels of office areas,
two levels penthouse and a helipad at the roof deck. The total gross floor area is
approximately 75,056 sqm.
Free wireless fidelity (wifi) service is offered in areas around the 35-hectare
Araneta Center, making it possible for people to use their laptops, PDAs, or Dual-
mode phones to access the Internet. This area averages about a million
transients a day.
The iconic landmark of this area is the Araneta Coliseum, which sits on almost
four hectares of land. When it opened in 1960, it was considered the biggest
covered coliseum in the world, and to date, remains one of the biggest in the
region. The fight of Filipino ring icon Gabriel Flash Elorde was the coliseums
inaugural event. The coliseum is an architectural masterpiece because it does not
have columns that obstruct the view of the audience. Over the years, the Araneta
Coliseum has continued to provide the Filipino people with the best
entertainment at reasonable prices. One of the most memorable events that
took place in the coliseum was the Thrilla in Manila which was the World
Heavyweight Championship Fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
Ali Mall is the first enclosed shopping mall in the Philippines. It was constructed
after the historic Thrilla in Manila boxing bout in 1975. Legend has it that
Muhammad Ali himself suggested the construction of a mall because the country
at that time was lacking shopping malls. He was guest of honor at the malls
opening. With 62,000 square meters of land, Ali Mall remains a popular hangout
because of the assorted retail stores and dining establishments there. In 2009, an
expansion to Ali Mall was opened.
The Gateway Mall boasts of its Cineplex, which has ten cinemas that have La-Z
Boy seats for the Globe Platinum cinema and comfortable seats for the other
cinemas. It recently garnered the merit award in the 2006 International Design
and Development Awards sponsored by the International Council of Shopping
Centers.
Other structures in the Araneta Center are the Aurora Tower, the headquarters
of the Araneta Center Inc. It was also in Cubao that Jollibee, the giant Filipino
fastfood chain, had its beginnings as an ice cream parlor in 1975.
The Araneta Center Master Plan has unrolled further improvements and
expansion. The development concept mixes state-of-the-art retail,
entertainment, commercial, hotel and residential uses in a complementary,
transit oriented development pattern within lush garden city environment that
will attract a wide range of public and private activities.
Integrated into the whole development will be an information technology
backbone that will provide state-of-the-art communications, networks, utilities,
and other technology support facilities to support existing and nurture the
development of new, information technology oriented companies and
individuals.
Included in these plans is Novotel Manila Araneta Center, a deluxe business hotel
connected to Gateway Mall. Conveniently located in the center of the business
and entertainment districts of Quezon City, the hotel will showcase 417 rooms, a
1,000 capacity ballroom, a gym, a bar lounge. Plus all-day dining, spa, swimming
pools, and 3 levels of basement parking. The hotel will also offer multiple
function rooms with flexible spaces, easily transformed to meet every business
needs, with an emphasis on state-of-the-art technology, natural light and
contemporary design.
Located right in the periphery of Araneta Center is the Manhattan Garden City, a
transit-oriented development envisioned to have 20 condominium towers of
different styles and design grouped to complement each other. It is now on its
third phase, Manhattan Heights, which will add four new towers to the existing
six.
UP-Ayala Land TechnoHub: Campus-based technology park
The UPAyala Land TechnoHub is the countrys first full-scale, campus-based
science and technology park, which was developed jointly by the countrys
premier university, University of the Philippines, and property developer Ayala
Land. It occupies 20 hectares of the 37.5-hectare UP North Science and
Technology Park.
It offers a campus-style development for information technology companies,
inspired by the vision of Stanfords Silicon Valley, which seeks to nurture a
dynamic learning laboratory for academic and industry collaborative projects.
The Hub features ten buildings surrounding a park of landscaped spaces and a
man-made lagoon. Each building is designed for 24-hour business operations,
with floor plates of approximately 2,600 square meters, 100% back-up
generators, centralized chilled water system, two elevators, and multiple telecom
providers. They are also designed to be environmentally sustainable with
features such as a district cooling system, a water recycling system, a storm-
water management system.
The place has a Tech Portal, which houses start-up companies, incubators, an
information desk, conference and meeting rooms, and exhibit areas. The entire
development was listed as an approved IT Park by the Philippine Economic Zone
Authority in February 2009. This status makes export-oriented companies located
therein eligible for temporary tax holiday, permanent reduced rate of corporate
income tax, and other incentives.
IBM opened an Innovation Center at the park, its second in Southeast Asia after
the one located in Malaysia. Convergys also inaugurated its contact center at
TechnoHub in April 2009. British banking giant HSBC is a pioneer locator. Other
locators are Canadian insurance firm Manulife and Pointwest Technologies, a
software developing house with clients in the Fortune 500 companies. The
technopark now has the capacity to provide employment to some 35,000 people.
Aside from the IT-related companies, the TechnoHub complex has various
establishments including coffee shops, restaurants, a drug store, telecom
company, hair salon and bookstore, even Timezone. Notable restaurants here
are Gerrys Grill, Yellow Cab, FlapJacks, The Old Spaghetti House, Le Ching Tea
House, Mister Kebab, KFC, Razons and Kanin Club. A fish pond and a jogging
path, along with a sports center, are also interesting amenities in the area.
The development of UP North S&T Park is under a 25-year lease contract with the
University of the Philippines for use of its land, with the agreement that all
facilities constructed will be turned over to the university upon expiry of the
lease. The second phase of the project involves developing the area into a
biotechnology park, while the third phase entails building an education and
communication park.
The proliferation of technoparks in Quezon City like the UP-Ayala TechnoHub,
AranetaCyberpark and Eastwood Cyberpark, are encouraged by the City
governments policies that promote the strengthening of the countrys
proficiency in the field of science and technology, and encouraging foreign
investments that will boost the Citys productivity.
Complementary information technology facilities in the area are the UP South
Technopark along C.P. Garcia and Katipunan Avenues; followed by collaborations
on Katipunan Avenue south of the UP Diliman campus. In July 2009, Ayala and
UP Diliman opened a third collaboration, the DOST-PEZA Open Technology
Business Incubator, at Katipunan Avenue; the new incubator targets companies
focused on cloud computing and open-source software development.
Quezon City Central Business District: Emerging Center of Commercial Activity
An emerging metro center is the Quezon City Central Business District located in
the citys North and East Triangles and Veterans Memorial area. This is a 252-
hectare masterplanned development which a World Bank study has confirmed to
be the center of gravity of all commercial activities in the coming years.
Designed to be a vibrant and environment-friendly CBD that actively contributes
to national and metropolitan development and, at the same time, serves as a
model urban environment, the CBD will position itself as the priority location
within Quezon City for businesses in the citys main clusters, health and wellness
and information technology, with strong support facilities (financial services,
institutional and educational activities, commercial and retail, culture and
entertainment, hotel and residential facilities). It will eventually attract also the
main national or regional offices of large financial and commercial companies.
Based on the masterplan, businesses, residences and institutions will be
organized around five, thematic districts:
Triangle Exchange will host commercial and residential establishments fully
integrated with the transit facilities, providing the best regional links and
commuter access
Residences at Veterans will have a wide range of housing, from high-rise
condominiums to medium and lower-density dwellings. Residents will have
the advantage of having expansive parks nearby.
Downtown Hub will be a medium-density district with institutional services
and facilities (medical, training, science, etc.) integrated with commercial
and residential developments.
Emporium will focus on information and technology activities, e-
government, public and international offices with some commercial and
residential developments.
Commons will consist of parks with focus on cultural, recreational,
entertainment and similar amenities.
The CBD will have the prerequisites of a world-class CBD: walkable, vibrant night
and day, quiet neighborhoods with easy access to retail and urban services,
building designs that preserve human scale, public areas that have good aesthetic
design, lively commercial centers and transport-oriented developments.
As the countrys first transit-oriented mixed-use CBD, it offers expansive EDSA
frontages and links to at least three metro rail transport systems. This minimizes
travel to work, avoids congestion experienced in other CBDs, creates greater
opportunities for social contact, urban vitality and safer places, achieves better
energy efficiency and efficient use of spaces and buildings, and increases
efficiency of urban facilities.
The CBD will have unique modern and futuristic urban architecture, with an
underlying Filipino theme. Existing vantage points to the Quezon Memorial Circle
and the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife will be preserved. New ones will be
established.
Approximately 64% of the total land area will be allocated to mixed-use
residential, commercial, institutional and transit-oriented development; 22% will
be allocated to roads, and 14% to parks and open spaces.
The soul of Quezon City (part 1): the Quezon Memorial Shrine
Before August became known lately as the month of the Aquinos, (being the
month when Benigno Aquino Jr., and his wife Corazon, the former president died)
this month has been identified mainly as the month of the first president of the
US-sponsored Commonwealth government, thefather of the Philippine national
language, and the father of Quezon City Manuel Quezon whose birth and
death fall on the same month. (being born on the 1st and died on the 19th) As
such, it is but fitting that we dedicate this entry to this feisty character and his
contribution to the urban landscape we know today.

portrait of Manuel Quezon at the Malacaang Museum by Fernando Amorsolo
For all the things, good or ill, that have been said about Manuel Luis Quezon,
(1878-1944) there can be no denying he was bold enough to envision some grand
things for the country, especially as it was preparing for its independence from
American rule. One of those visions that he had in mind was a national capitol
for a nation preparing for her debut, so to speak. A national capitol for the
Philippines just like Washington, D.C. for the United States and New Delhi for
India. So in October 12, 1939, the envisioned capitol city of the Philippines was
established, a city we now know today as Quezon City. At the heart of this new
city is the national capitol complex divided in 4 quadrants; the centerpiece being
the Capitol or Congress building in the middle of an elliptical road.

the plan for the National Capitol for the Philippines (courtesy of the Metropolitan
Museum of Manila)
World War II and the destruction it brought to the metropolis, not to mention the
death of the newborn capitol citys founder during that period, dashed the hopes
for those grand plans. The plan for a national capitol got scuttled in the process,
(by itself a story better told another day) leaving the barren elliptical field without
a landmark. Until the government decided to dedicate this field instead as a
memorial to the man whose vision made Quezon City possible, with a shrine
instead of the planned capitol to be its landmark.

the planned National Capitol after the war (courtesy of Multiply)
A contest was soon held for the design of the planned Quezon Memorial Shrine
that was to rise in the elliptical field. The prize was eventually given to the design
of Filipino architect Federico Ilustre, which incorporated contemporary design
with some classical and symbolic inspirations.
Although the planning of the memorial began way back after the war in 1945, it
would take more than 30 years before the vision of the Quezon memorial was
finally realized due to long-winding issues with funding and materials. (its
planners had to important Carrara marble from Italy) So in 1979, on the occasion
of the 101st birth anniversary of Manuel Quezon, his remains that lied before at
the North Cemetery in Manila were transferred to the memorial, encased in a
dark-colored sarcophagus. illuminated by the light shining through the circular
window at its top.


taken from the Internet
The monument is formed in the shape of a triangular prism (just like the
packaging of a Toblerone chocolate) formed by 3 pylons, inspired by the triangle
found in our Philippine flag and its symbolism for the countrys 3 island groups:
Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Even its height is symbolic as its 66 meter (217 ft.)
height represented the 66 years Quezon had lived in this earth.

On top of each pylon is a figure of a grieving angel holding a wreath made out of
sampaguita, the countrys national flower. These sculptures are actually works
made by that Italian sculptor who often gets featured in the Urban Roamers
Journals: Francesco Monti. If you notice the wings of these angels, they seem to
have some Art Deco-ish flavor, reminiscent of Montis works at the Metropolitan
Theater.

Surrounding the base of the shrine are various bas relief works depicting various
events in Philippine history, as well as those of Quezons life. For some reason,
they are not arranged in chronological order as they should be arranged.

Apart from Manuel Quezons tomb, the tomb of his wife Aurora (who died in an
ambush in 1949) also lies in the shrine since 2005. There is also a museum
dedicated to Manuel Quezon found in the shrine, one of the few example of
presidential museums here in the country.
City Beautiful Exhibit
Posted on June 20, 2010 | 8 Comments
Back when the Philippines was still a colony of the United States, Manila was a
city fantasized by travellers. It was a bustling city of elegance and grandeur, very
much ahead of its Asian neighbors. So to make Manila as the United States
trophy colony, it planned to turn it even more beautiful.

The Metropolitan Museum of Manila and the SM Supermalls present City
Beautiful: The Burnham Plan for Manilas Urban Development, an exhibit of
vintage photos and plans of Daniel Burnham for Manila.

Daniel Burnham
Daniel Burnham is a renowned urdan planner who also designed Washington D.C.
and Canberra, Australias capital. He was tasked to make a plan for Manila, then
eyed to be the most beautiful city in Asia. Much of Burnhams plan for Manila is
patterned over Washington D.C. where there is a massive placement of web-like
pattern of roadways. Luneta was also designed to look like Washinton D.C.s Mall,
although only a few government buildings were actually built.

Detailed Blueprint of the City of Manila. If you look at it, the Luneta is supposedly
surrounded by buildings and not parks.


The Luneta Hotel. It still stands today adjacent to the National Historical Institute.

Spain also had a blueprint for Manila but is only concentrated in Intramuros with
minor settlements around the walls.


The Manila Cathedral before its destruction. The belfry is different than what it is
today.

Quezon City (part of Metropolitan Manila and the Philippines most populous city)
also has its own blueprint where the National Capitol and the Executive Mansion
are supposedly located. Today, only the elliptical circle, roadways and the
University of the Philippines-Diliman are constructed according to the plan.

A plan of the Administrative Capital in Quezon City features the National Capital
at the location of todays Quezon Memorial Monument, an Executive Mansion at
North Avenue and an EDSA lined with parks. UP is also part of the plan.

A Plan of Quezon City proper is located a few miles from where it is now. The city
hall is actually located in todays Caloocan City. Interesting.

The University of the Philippines, designed by William Edward Parsons

A plan of the UP-Philippine General Hospital along Taft Avenue

The Normal Hall of the Philippine Normal University. This is very interesting. I can
see there`s a moat (or maybe a river) at the place where Colegio de Sta. Isabel
stands.

a miniature replica of the Post Office Building

Burnham also designed the city of Baguio.

The City Beautiful exhibit is now at its final destination in SM North EdsaThe Block
from June 10-30, 2010.
he Department of History would like to invite everyone to a lecture by Dr. Ian
Morley on the history of urban planning in the Philippines. The lecture will be held
on May 15, 3:00 to 4:30 pm, at Faura AVR. Dr Morley is assistant professor of
urban history at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is also book review
editor of Urban Morphology: Journal of the International Seminar on Urban Form
and an editorial board member of Planning Perspectives. Below is the abstract of
his lecture:

The importation of the American City Beautiful into the Asia-Pacific during the
early years of the twentieth century fundamentally redefined the environmental
form of the regions capital cities. Yet whilst it is acknowledged that American
urban designing endorsed spatial arrangements dissimilar to what had hitherto
existed in the Asia-Pacific, little is currently known about the impact modern city
planning had upon the local expansion of civilization and the construction of
nationhood. Consequently this paper seeks to investigate the form and meaning
of the Asia-Pacifics first generation of City Beautiful-influenced capital city plans,
schemes intended to enunciate both advancement and new national identities
within two colonial societies: Australia and the Philippines.