This 2010 Christmas season, I thought it would be appropriate that The Urban Roamer’s Journal pay tribute to what was once one of the premier, if not THE premier, Christmas destinations in Metro Manila: the commercial business district of Cubao in Quezon City. On a personal note, I was fortunate enough to experience memorable Christmases past in Cubao in its past glory and be dismayed by its decline over the years, but at the same time hopeful for some future memorable Christmases to be witnessed in Cubao in the midst of its bid to recapture its old glory. Long before malls became the premier shopping destination, it was the department…
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The soul of Quezon City (part 3): the Quezon Memorial Circle
From its original purpose as the site of what supposed to be our National Capitol of a new capital city, the elliptical-shaped land was eventually converted to a park and a memorial to the capital city’s founder and Commonwealth President Manuel Quezon. Even so, the Quezon Memorial Circle that we have today is a far cry from what it was originally intended: it would be more of a grand memorial (with an auditorium, library, and a bit larger museum) dedicated to Quezon rather than the green landscape we now see.
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The soul of Quezon City (part 2): the Quezon Memorial Shrine Museum
While the administration of the Quezon Memorial Circle is handled by the Quezon City Government, the Quezon Memorial Shrine on the other hand is being administered by the National Historical Commission, not only because of the significance of the structure itself, but also because of the heritage it holds inside: a rich throve of memorabilia related to Manuel Quezon. At the foot of the shrine is a small museum dedicated to Quezon, one of the few examples of a dedicated presidential museum in the country. The best thing about this place is that it is open to the general public for free; rather, it encourages donations from the visiting public…
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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, the“father 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. For all the things, good or ill, that…