Quezon City

Quezon City P (Filipino: Lungsod Quezon) is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that comprise Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L. Quezon, the former president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines who founded the city and developed it to replace Manila as the country's capital.

Quezon City is not located in and should not be confused with Quezon province, which was also named after the president.

Being the former capital, many government offices are located in the city, including the Batasang Pambansa, the seat of the House of Representatives, which is the lower chamber in the Philippine Congress. The main campuses of leading Philippine universities such as the Ateneo de Manila University and the University of the Philippines (U.P.) are also located here.

Quezon City is the richest local government unit in the country in terms of current assets, cash in banks, share of internal revenue allotment (IRA), gross income, and gross net income. It remains the only Philippine city without any debt to banks as it operates on a surplus fund of over 2 billion pesos.

The city features many spacious parks, tree-lined boulevards, and lots of commercial areas, popular with shoppers all over the metropolis. Most of the city is composed of residential areas and there is very little industry in the large city.

Quezon City is also the major entertainment capital of the Philippines, as many Filipino tV Shows, music, movies, pornography, etc. are produced here. The major TV networks in the Philippines have their main stations in Quezon City.

The city

Quezon City is the biggest city in Metro Manila. At approximately 160 square kilometers, it covers almost one-fourth of the area of Metro Manila. The city lies on a relatively high plateau on the northeast corner of the metropolis between the lowlands of Manila to 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 to Pasig 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 City and Valenzuela City to the west and northwest. To the south lies San Juan and Mandaluyong City while Marikina City and Pasig City borders Quezon City to the southeast. To the north across Marilao River lies San Jose del Monte City 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, where most of the interesting places are, is divided into a number of places including Diliman, Commonwealth, the Project areas, Cubao, Kamias-Kamuning, New Manila, San Francisco del Monte and Sta. 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.

Quezon City also has a vibrant nightlife. Tomas Morato Avenue is known as restaurant row where one can find a variety of restaurants from fine dining to fast food. Bars and cafes also line up Tomas Morato. West Avenue also has its own version of restaurant row, but the difference is that West Avenue restaurants come in clusters, while Tomas Morato has restaurants in nearly the entire stretch.

And for the more adventurous, Quezon Avenue, Timog (South) Avenue and West Avenue are lined up with nightclubs and other drinking joints. Some are seedy while others are wholesome.

Quezon City is also home to the major television broadcasting networks. Philippines' giant television networks, ABS-CBN and GMA Network, as well as NBN, ABC, RPN, and IBC are all located in Quezon City.

In 1984, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built the scenic Manila Philippines Temple here because of the large number of members in the region. The Iglesia ni Cristo installed in Quezon City their headquarters on Commonwealth Avenue, New Era barangay: center of operations as well as a large temple and the New Era University.

Sub-divisions of the city

Diliman

Diliman, located at the center of southern Quezon City, is where many government offices are located, including the City Hall. Diliman is also home to the main campus of the University of the Philippines. Far Eastern University's Institute of Technology (now FEU-FERN College) 15-hectare campus is located at the central portion of Diliman.

At Diliman's center lies the Quezon Memorial where Pres. Manuel L. Quezon is interred. The monument, encased in marble, is the highest structure in that part of the city. Running around the monument is the 2-kilometer Quezon Memorial Circle, also known as the Elliptical Road (R-7). The circle links Commonwealth (R-7), Visayas, Kalayaan, East, North, and Quezon Avenues (R-7). The last three avenues provide access to Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) (C-4), the main highway in Metro Manila.

The Quezon City Hall, one of the highest city halls in the country is located along the Circle. Surrounding the city hall are spacious parks and open areas. Some of the national government angencies whose head office is located in Diliman are the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Social Security Systems (SSS), the National Power Corporation, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs), the National Computer Center (NCC), the Departments of Agriculture (DA), Agrarian Reform (DAR), and the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Surrounding the Circle are many important health centers and institutions. Along East Avenue stands the Philippine Heart Center, the East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC), the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, and the Philippine Mental Health Association. Along North Avenue is the Veteran's Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) and the Philippine Health Association. The Philippine Children's Medical Center and Lung Center of the Philippines is located along Quezon Avenue (R-7).

The University of the Philippines, Diliman (UPD) lies at the northwestern portion of Diliman occupying 4.92 km² of rolling land. See the University of the Philippines, Diliman (Campus section). Other schools are also located in the Diliman area.

Most of the rest of the area is devoted to residential purposes. Some villages in this portion of Diliman contain boarding houses where faculty and students of UPD stay.

Commonwealth and Balara

North of Diliman lies the Commonwealth area, so-named because of Commonwealth Avenue (R-7) (also named Don Mariano Marcos Avenue)(R-7) which runs through its center. This is a primarily middle-class residential area home to many subdivisions (residential associations) such as Don Jose Heights and Dona Carmen Subdivision. Commonwealth Avenue could possibly be the widest road in the Philippines, where in some parts can stretch to as much as 12 lanes across.

At the heart of Commonwealth is the Batasang Pambansa (literally, National Lawmaking Center), which is where the country's House of Representatives holds its sessions. Many congressmen stay in houses in the surrounding subdivisions.

South of Commonwealth and east of Diliman is Balara. The area of Balara along Tandang Sora Avenue is relatively poor, while the outlying areas contain some of the richest subdivisions in the city. Capitol Hills Subdivision, Ayala Heights, and Ayala Hillside Estates are where many rich individuals live. Adjacent to Ayala Heights and Ayala Hillside Estates is the Capitol Hills Golf and Country Club, a popular golf course.

Tandang Sora

This is located between Commonwealth to the east, North Ave to the south, Frisco to the west and Fairview-Sauyo to the north. It got its name from the Grand Old Lady of the Revolution, Melchora Aquino or Tandang Sora, whose remains lie on her own backyard now known as Himlayang Pilipino. The area is primarily residential with Projects 6 and 8 located here, as are other subdivisions. A large portion of Tandang Sora district is Barangay Bahay Toro, where a historic site of the Philippine Revolution known as Pugad Lawin is located. There are some industrial facilities especially near the Mindanao Avenue area. Culiat, a known Muslim compound is also to be found here.

AMA Computer University's central campus lies in the western portion of Project 8. Most of its students are studying information technology-related degrees.

Loyola Heights

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.

The main campus of the Ateneo de Manila University is located in Loyola Heights. Beside the Ateneo is Miriam College.

Loyola Heights is an upper middle-class and rich residential area that caters to students of the Ateneo de Manila, U.P., and Miriam College, members of the schools' faculty and staff, and their families. La Vista Subdivision, north of the Ateneo, is a rich gated community where some of the top politicians in the country, including Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo live, as well as some of the country's old rich stay. Accessed through La Vista is Loyola Grand Villas, another gated community. Across Katipunan, the main thoroughfare of the area, are Varsity Hills and Xavierville, both upper middle-class subdivisions. Near these areas, and right beside La Vista, are some squatters' settlements, making the Loyola Heights area a place of mixed socio-economic classes.

Cubao

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 contains a number of shopping malls catering to the middle-class Filipinos, such as the Ali Mall (named after the boxing legend Mohammad Ali), The Farmers Plaza, and the modern Gateway Mall. Department stores and retail centers can also be found here, such as Plaza Fair, Rustan's, Shopwise Supercenter, and Makro. At the center is Araneta Coliseum, often called the Big Dome. Many musical concerts, religious crusades, wrestling, cock-fighting and basketball games are held in this 50,000-capacity coliseum.

North from Araneta Center along EDSA (C-4) are numerous bus terminals. This is the area where many residents in Metro Manila go to in order to take bus rides to almost any point in Luzon as well as in the Visayas especially in Samar, Leyte, and Iloilo. It is also an intersection point for two of city's commuter trains (The EDSA MRT which travels from North to South, and the LRT-2 which runs from East to West).

Libis

Located at the southeastern corner of Quezon City, Libis is one of the newly developed commercial areas in Quezon City. The Eastwood City Business Center was put up in the area. Several office and residential skyscrapers stand in Eastwood. Many local IT and consumer electronic firms are now located in Eastwood. 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, Libis is fast becoming one of the hippest areas for night entertainment, similar to the Malate and Ermita districts of Manila.

West of Libis are many high-end gated communities like Greenmeadows, White Plains, Corinthian Hills, and Corinthian Gardens. Further west are Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame. Camp Aguinaldo is the headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines while Camp Crame is the headquarters of the Philippine National Police.

Located in Greenmeadows is the Manila Philippines Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons or LDS). The Manila Philippines Temple was dedicated on September 25, 1984 as the 29th operating temple, to serve the half-a-million plus Filipino Mormons.

Timog area

Surrounding Timog Avenue (South Avenue, Carlos P.Garcia Avenue ) and Tomas Morato Avenue is a popular entertainment area. Located along these two avenues are many fine-dining restaurants and bars. Discotheques, 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,Carlos P.Garcia , and EDSA) are located the head offices of ABS-CBN and GMA Network, the top TV media companies in the country. Most Filipino entertainment is produced here, and it is also the home of many Filipino celebrities.

Most of the streets in the surrounding area were named in honor of the 20 boy scouts who died in a plane crash en route to joining the 11th World Jamboree. A memorial stands in the center of a rotunda at the intersection of Timog and Tomas Morato avenues. Because of this, Timog area is also often called Scout Area. In fact, one of the barangays (small local government unit) in the area is called Laging Handa (always ready), the motto of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.

Novaliches

The northern district is called Novaliches and is primarily residential. Its eastern portion is covered by the La Mesa Dam Watershed. The La Mesa Dam supplies much of northern Metro Manila's water supply. Adjacent to the watershed is the La Mesa Eco-Park, where you can stroll and unwind to 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 SEA (South East Asian) Games. Rowing is regularly done here.

Premier malls have been built recently in this area such as SM City Fairview, Robinsons Place Novaliches, Fairview Center Mall, colleges like FEU (Far Eastern University)-NRMF, AMA Computer College Fairview Campus, STI Computer Institute, NCBA (National College of Business and Arts), Montessori College; high schools like St. Theresa's School of Novaliches, Sacred Heart Academy, and many others.

The name Novaliches probably came from the surname of a Spanish governor general, Marquis de Novaliches. The town was once part of Rizal province before being ceded to Quezon City in the 1940's. 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).

Sta. Mesa Heights

Sta. Mesa Heights is said to be where many middle class and upper middle class families reside. Most of the areas in Sta. Mesa Heights are residential use. It is home to two prestigious institutions of learning, St. Theresa's College and Lourdes School.

San Francisco Del Monte

It was once an independent town during the Spanish era, but was later absorbed when Quezon City was created and expanded. Today it is a heavily populated district. Although it contains many residential areas such as Barangay San Antonio, there are many industrial facilities here, mostly found along Judge Juan Luna street.

It was founded by a Spanish Friar by the name of St. Pedro Bautista, OFM on February 17, 1590. It was meant to be a place for retreat from the Intramuros in Manila. That is where the street name Retiro Now N.S Amoranto S.R. Avenue came from - the street that leads retreatants to a place of solitude nestled atop a hill. The church located in San Francisco del Monte was the first building of the area. The church is named after its benevolent Spanish friar and founder St. Pedro Bautista.

When it was first founded, it was around 2.5 km² in area. It reached what is currently Project 7 and 8 and all the way out to Timog Ave area. Currently the town is comprised of Brgy. Paraiso, Paltok, Mariblu, Damayan and Del Monte.

Galas-Santol

The Galas-Santol District of Quezon City is located in its southwest border with the City of Manila. The primary dividing line within the people of various financial capabilities is Araneta Avenue (C-3). West of the avenue lies the residential corner of many of the poorest in the city. Shanties predominate the area here, stretching from Araneta Avenue to Galas, while east of the avenue features the palatial mansions of some of the richest. SM City Santa Mesa lies at the end of the avenue.

The Project areas

The Project areas include Project 1 (presently Amoranto, Roces), Project 2,Project 3, Project 4, Project 5 (presently Kamias), Project 6, Project 7, and Project 8. These areas are among the first residential subdivisions in the city developed by former Philippine Presidents Quezon, Quirino and Marcos.

Commerce and economy

The commercial center in Quezon city is found in Cubao were you can find different shopping malls and the Aurora Tower. There is a farmers plaza and farmers market. The oldest carnival in Metro Manila, the Fiesta carnival, is held here. You will also find the Araneta Coliseum, and a cinema.

Transportation

Currently, two elevated light rail systems run through Quezon City. MRT 2 - at Aurora Blvd (R-6)connecting Santolan (Pasig City) and Claro M. Recto Avenue (Manila) . MRT 3 - at EDSA (C-4) from Taft Avenue (R-2 in Pasay City) until North Avenue.

An elevated rail transit system will be built in the next few years. It will begin near Claro M. Recto Avenue (C-1) in Manila turning to Espana Boulevard (R-7) and entering Quezon City by cutting through the entire stretch of Quezon Avenue (R-7) and Commonwealth Avenue (R-7) and turns again at Regalado Highway (R-7), making its final stop at Almar Zabarte in Caloocan City.

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 rural or secluded areas, while Taxi cabs are used by the upper middle class to navigate any course.

Communications

Quezon City's communication system is powered by the Philippine Long Distance Telephone company, Globe telecoms, Bayan Telecommunications Corporation and others. Cellular network 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 Telecoms, Smart Communications (PLDT) and Sun Cellular from Digitel.

Education

Educational institutions

The city has several major educational institutions in the country. Two of the most well-known are the Ateneo de Manila University and the University of the Philippines-Diliman. It also houses some of the best medical schools of the Philippines including the Far Eastern University - Dr. Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation and the University of the East - Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center. Other institutions include AMA Computer University, Claret School, New Era University, exclusive school for girls such the School of the Holy Spirit, Miriam College, Stella Maris College and St. Theresa's College, the Diliman campus of the Philippine Science High School System, Quezon City Science High School, and the Saint Mary's College of Quezon City. And another educational instutution but just started college education last 2005: Saint Pedro Poveda College (formerly Poveda Learning Centre).

Government

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 a legislative council consisting of 10 members. The council is in charge of creating the city's policies.

Quezon City, being a part of the Metro Manila region, has its mayor in the Metro Manila Council headed by the Metro 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 divided into 142 barangays (the smallest local government units) which handle governance in a much smaller area. These barangays are grouped into four congressional districts where each district is represented by a congressman in the country's House of Representatives.

History

Before Quezon City was created, small towns existed in its area. These were San Francisco del Monte, Novaliches, and Balintawak. In August 23, 1896, the Katipunan led by Andres Bonifacio declared a revolution against Spain in the house of Melchora Aquino in Pugad Lawin (now known as Bahay Toro, Project 8).

In the early 1900s, President Manuel L. Quezon dreamt of a city that would become the future capital of the country, replacing Manila. In 1938, President Quezon created People's Homesite Corp. and purchased 15.29 km² from the vast Diliman Estate of the Tuason Family. 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 signed the bill into law on October 12, 1939, establishing Quezon City.

After the war, Republic Act No. 333 was signed by Elpidio Quirino on July 17, 1948 declaring Quezon City to be the republic's capital. On June 16, 1950, the City Charter was revised by Republic Act No. 537, extending the city's boundaries to its present area of 153.59 km². Baesa, Talipapa, San Bartolome, Pasong Tamo, Novaliches Poblacion, Banlat, Kabuyao, Pugad Lawin, Bagbag, Pasong Putik of the old Novaliches municipality cedes to Quezon City. The rest of the municipality cedes to Caloocan thus becoming North Caloocan.

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 Quezon from the Manila North Cemetery to the erected Quezon Memorial Monument within the Quezon Elliptical Road.

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 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.

Mayors

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 government practice, 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, lower, position is not listed in the roster of incumbents for those offices.

Mayor	Starting Date	Ending Date	Vice-Mayor
Tomas B. Morato	Nov 5, 1939	Dec 1942
Ponciano A. Bernardo	Jan 1, 1947	April 29, 1949
Nicanor A. Roxas	May 4, 1949	Jan 6, 1950
Ignacio Santos Diaz	Jan 6, 1950	Dec 30, 1953
Norberto S. Amoranto	Jan 1, 1954	Mar 31, 1976
Adelina S. Rodriguez	Apr 1, 1976	Apr 13, 1986
Brigido R. Simon, Jr.	Apr 20, 1986	June 30, 1992	Vicente Sotto III
Ismael A. Mathay, Jr.	June 30, 1992	June 30, 2001	Charito Planas (1992-95) Herbert Bautista (1995-98) Connie Angeles (1998-2001)
Feliciano R. Belmonte, Jr.	June 30, 2001	present	Herbert Bautista (2001-present)

Congressional District Representatives

First Congressional District : Vincent "Bingbong" Crisologo
Second Congressional District : Annie Rosa Susano
Third Congressional District : Matias Defensor
Fourth Congressional District : Nanette Castelo Dazas

Councilors

District I

Bernadette C. Herrera-Dy
Elizabeth A. Delarmente
Victor V. Ferrer, Jr.
Francisco A. Calalay, Jr.
Rommel R. Abesamis
Joseph P. Juico

District II/ Novaliches District

Winston T. Castelo
Aiko Melendez-Jickain
Cristian Dale Piñgol
Voltaire Godofredo L. Liban III
Ryan Medina
Allan T. Francisco
Christember Pulido
Nymfa Pulido

District III

Jorge B. Banal, Jr.
Franz S. Pumaren
Wencerom Benedict C. Lagumbay
Dante M. de Guzman
Julian M.L. Coseteng
Diorella Maria Sotto - De Leon

District IV

Marcos Arroyo
Antonio E. Inton, Jr.
Alma F. Montilla
Janet M. Malaya
Restituto Malangen

External links

The Quezon City official website

Cities in the Philippines

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