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.
As I was writing the next installment of my series on the Quezon Memorial Circle, I realized that it has been a year already that I have been writing about my chronicles in urban roaming. It was on August 15, 2009 that I first embarked on a journey that I never thought would go this … Read more
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 as a way to help keep the museum’s maintenance running.
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.
portrait of Manuel Quezon at the Malacañang 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.
