Place:Quezon City, Quezon, CALABARZON, Philippines

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source: Family History Library Catalog

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Quezon City, also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,960,048 people. It was founded on October 12, 1939, and was named for Manuel L. Quezon, the second president of the Philippines. The city was intended to be the national capital of the Philippines that would replace Manila, as the latter was suffering from overcrowding, lack of housing, poor sanitation, and traffic congestion. To create Quezon City, several barrios were carved out from the towns of Caloocan, Marikina, San Juan and Pasig, in addition to the eight vast estates the Philippine government purchased for this purpose. It was officially proclaimed as the national capital on October 12, 1949, and several government departments and institutions moved out of Manila and settled into the new capital city. This necessitated the expansion of the city northwards, carving out Novaliches from Caloocan which divided it into two non-contiguous parts. Several barrios were also taken from San Mateo and parts of Montalban. However, on June 24, 1976, Presidential Decree 940 was enacted, which reverted back to Manila the status of being the national capital while the whole of Metro Manila was designated as the seat of government.

Quezon City is known for its culture, entertainment industry and media, and is aptly called the "City of Stars". Major broadcasting networks have their headquarters and studios in the city. It is also known for its commerce, education, research, technology, politics, tourism, art and sports. Several national government branches including the Batasang Pambansa Complex, the seat of House of Representatives of the Philippines, calls the city home.

Quezon City is a planned city. It covers a total area of ,^[1] making it the largest city in Metro Manila in terms of land area. It is politically subdivided into Six Congressional Districts, which represents the city in the Lower House of the Congress of the Philippines. The city has 142 barangays under the City Government. National government departments and agencies are mostly situated at the National Government Center I (NGC I) in Diliman, and the National Government Center II (NGC II) in Batasan Hills, where the Lower House of the Philippine Congress is located. Most of the city's northern part lies at the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountain range, including the La Mesa Watershed Reservation, the largest watershed in Metro Manila and a designated protected area.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Initial plans for a new capital city

Before the creation of Quezon City, the land on where it will rise are part of several towns such as Caloocan, Marikina, Pasig and San Juan, all under Manila province until 1901 and Rizal province from 1901 to 1975.

In the 1930s, Manila's urban problems were apparent and problematic. It lacks public housing, where thousands of the city's residents live in congested informal settler communities, especially in the central districts of Binondo, Intramuros, Quiapo, San Nicolas and Tondo.^[2] There are also problems in sanitation and traffic congestion.^[2] The rise of slums in Manila gave rise to the development of its suburbs outside the city limits in the municipalities of Pasay, San Felipe Neri (renamed as Mandaluyong), San Francisco del Monte, San Pedro Macati, and San Juan del Monte.^[2] These towns became favorable to the upper and middle-class who wanted to escape the congested city but has economic links to it.^[2]

President Manuel L. Quezon, aware of the problem besetting Manila, initiated housing projects called Barrio Obrero (Worker's Community).^[2] These communities were established in various places in Manila such as Avenida Rizal, Sta. Cruz and Barrio Vitas, Tondo.^[2] However, the project failed miserably and these communities became slum areas.^[2]

Alejandro Roces, Sr., a prominent Filipino author, was said to be influential in Quezon's vision to establish a new city.^[2] Quezon dreamt of a city where the common people can live and thrive.^[2] Roces suggested that a sizeable tract of land be purchased for this purpose.^[2] However, the government had no available fund except for 3 million in the hands of the National Development Company (NDC).^[2]

In order to make Quezon's dream a reality and to mobilize funds for the land purchase, the People's Homesite Corporation (PHC) was created on October 14, 1938, as a subsidiary of NDC, with an initial capital of .^[2] Roces was the Chairman of the Board of PHC, and they immediately acquired the vast Diliman Estate of the Tuason family at a cost of 5 centavos per square meter.^[2] PHC conducted topographical and subdivision surveys, and then subdivided the lots and sold them to the target buyers at an affordable price.^[2] Its target users and beneficiaries are obviously Manila's working class, who are suffering from the shortage of affordable and decent housing in the capital.^[2] The service of the Metropolitan Waterworks system was extended to site.^[2] The Bureau of Public Works, then under Secretary Vicente Fragante, constructed the streets and highways within the property.^[2] Quezon also tapped Architect Juan M. Arellano to draft a design of the city.^[2]

Eight vast estates were acquired in order to create Quezon City: Diliman Estate , Santa Mesa Estate , Mandaluyong Estate , Magdalena Estate , Piedad Estate , Maysilo Estate and the San Francisco Del Monte Estate .^[2] Quezon's goal to create a place for the working class coincided with the planned transfer of the University of the Philippines campus in Manila to a more suitable location, which became the precedents for the creation of Quezon City.^[2]

As early as 1928, the University of the Philippines (UP) had planned to expand by adding more academic units and constructing new buildings.^[2] The university experienced increase in enrollment and its planned expansion was hampered by its small campus in Manila. The revised Burnham Plan of Manila envisioned the new campus to be located just outside Manila's city limits at 'the heights behind Manila'.^[2] The UP Board of Regents informed Quezon of their desire to relocate the campus and he was supportive of the idea.^[2] Furthermore, he wanted the facilities in the Manila campus to be used for government purposes.^[2] In 1939, Quezon urged the National Assembly to enact UP's relocation and on June 8, 1939, Commonwealth Act 442 was passed, enacting the transfer of UP outside of Manila. A portion of Mariquina Estate, which was adjacent to Magdalena Estate, was chosen as the new site with an approximate area of 600 hectares.^[2] Additional land from the Diliman Estate was also added as part of the new university campus.^[2]

Creation of Quezon City

With the development of the People's Homesite Corporation housing in the Diliman Estate and the creation of the new UP Campus, the creation of Quezon City was justified.^[2] On October 12, 1939, Commonwealth Act No. 502, also known as the Charter of Quezon City, was passed by the National Assembly, which created Quezon City. Surprisingly, Quezon allowed the bill to lapse into law because he did not sign it.^[2] The city was originally to be known as Balintawak City according to the first bill filed by Ramon P. Mitra Sr., but Assemblymen Narciso Ramos and Eugenio Perez, both from Pangasinan, amended and successfully lobbied the assembly to name the city after the President in honor of his role in the creation of this new city.^[2] The creation of Quezon City halted the full implementation of the Burnham of Plan of Manila and funds were diverted for the establishment of the new capital.

Several barangays from different towns were carved out to correspond to the estates that PHC bought for the creation of Quezon City.^[2] The new city has an area of , and the barrios and sitios that were taken for its creation were the following: Bagubantay (Bago Bantay), Balingasa, Balintauac (Balintawak), Kaingin, Kangkong, Loma (La Loma), Malamig, Matalahib, Masambong, San Isidro, San Jose, Santol and Tatalon, were taken from Caloocan; Cubao, Diliman, Kamuning, New Manila, and San Francisco del Monte were taken from San Juan; Balara, Barranca (Barangka), Jesus de la Peña, Krus na Ligas, Tañong and the site of the new UP Campus were taken from Marikina; and, the barrios and sitios of Libis, and Ogong (Ugong Norte) from Pasig.^[2] Commonwealth Act No. 659, enacted on June 21, 1941, changed the cities boundaries. Under this law, the area of Wack Wack Golf and Country Club were to be reverted back to Mandaluyong, and the barrios of lower Barranca and Jesus de la Peña were reverted back to Marikina. However, Camp Crame was taken out of San Juan and was given to Quezon City.^[2][3]

On 1939, in the year the city was established, it had a population of 39,103 people. The city in its early days was predominantly rural, but Quezon asked American Architect William Parsons to craft a master plan for the newly-created city.^[2] Parsons was the one who advise Quezon to locate the National Government Center in Diliman instead of Wallace Field (now Rizal Park), due to the possibility of naval bombardment from Manila Bay.^[2] Unfortunately, he died in December 1939 and his partner Harry T. Frost took over and become the lead planner.^[2] Frost arrived on the Philippines on May 1, 1940, and became the architectural adviser of the Philippine Commonwealth government.^[2] Together with Juan M. Arellano, Alpheus D. Williams, and Welton Becket, they created the Master Plan for Quezon City which was approved by the Philippine government in 1941.^[2] The Frost Plan featured wide avenues, large open spaces and roundabouts at major intersections.^[2] The plan for major thoroughfares made by Louis Croft for the Greater Manila Area served as the backbone for the Plan of Quezon City.^[2] The center of the city was a 400-hectare quadrangle formed by four avenues — North, West, South and East — which was designed to be the location of the National Government of the Philippines. At the northeast corner of the Quadrangle was a large roundabout, a 25-hectare elliptical site, were the proposed Capitol Building is envisioned to rise.^[2]

To make the city accessible, Quezon ordered Luzon Bus Lines to ply from Kamuning towards Tutuban in Divisoria, Manila to provide transport for the city's residents. However, the fare was not affordable to minimum wage earners. Because of the city's unaffordable housing prices and lack of transportation for low income earners, the goal of creating mass housing for the working class was not met. Instead, those who opt to live in Quezon City were middle-class households such as in Kamuning, whose residents petitioned to rename it from Barrio Obrero (Worker's Community) to Kamuning (a type of tree that grows abundantly in the area) because its residents were not Obreros (Workers).^[2]

Japanese occupation and World War II

The Philippine Exposition in 1941 was held on the newly established Quezon City, but participants were limited to locals because of the increasing turbulence at the beginning of the Second World War.^[2] Eventually, parts of Manila were bombed by the Japanese Imperial Forces in December 1941, bringing the war to the Philippines. On January 1, 1942, President Quezon issued an executive order as an emergency measure to form the City of Greater Manila, with Jorge Vargas as its designated mayor. It merged the cities of Manila and Quezon City with the towns of Caloocan, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasay, and Parañaque. The mayors of these towns and cities served as the vice mayor of their respective localities and were under Jorge Vargas. The City of Greater Manila was the basis for the formation of Metro Manila in 1975.

After Imperial Japanese forces conquered the Philippines during the Pacific War, the City of Greater Manila was reorganized in 1942 into twelve districts, two of which were formed by dividing Quezon City: Balintawak which consisted of San Francisco del Monte, Galas, and La Loma; and Diliman which was composed of Diliman proper, Cubao, and the University District. In 1945, combined Filipino and American troops under the United States Army, Philippine Commonwealth Army, and Philippine Constabulary, with help from recognized guerrilla units, liberated and recaptured Quezon City in a few months, expelling Imperial Japanese forces. Heavy fighting occurred in Novaliches, which at that time was within Caloocan, and New Manila which had been fortified. Smaller actions were fought at Barrio Talipapa and the University District.

Post-war years (1945–1972)

On July 17, 1948, President Elpidio Quirino signed Republic Act No. 333 into law, making Quezon City the capital of the Philippines. The Act created the Capital City Planning Commission, which was tasked to develop and implement a masterplan for the city.^[1] As the capital, the city was expanded northwards, and the barrios of Baesa, Bagbag, Banlat, Kabuyao, Novaliches Proper (Bayan/Poblacion), Pasong Putik, Pasong Tamo, Pugad Lawin, San Bartolome, and Talipapa in Novaliches were taken from Caloocan. This territorial changes caused the division of Caloocan into two non-contiguous parts.^[1] Quezon City was formally inaugurated as the capital on October 12, 1949. President Quirino laid the cornerstone on the proposed Capitol Building at Constitution Hills.^[1]

On June 16, 1950, the Quezon City Charter was revised by Republic Act No. 537, changing the city's boundaries to an area of . Exactly six years after on June 16, 1956, more revisions to the city's territory were made by Republic Act No. 1575, which defined its area as . However, according to the 1995 GIS graphical plot, the city's total area is , making it the largest Local Government Unit in Metro Manila in terms of land area.^[1]

The martial law era (1972–1986)

During the administration of Ferdinand Marcos, the region of Metro Manila was created as an integrated unit with the enactment of Presidential Decree No. 824 on November 7, 1975. The region encompassed four cities and thirteen adjoining towns, as a separate regional unit of government. A year later, on June 24, 1976, Manila was reinstated by President Marcos as the capital of the Philippines for its historical significance as the seat of government since the Spanish Period. Presidential Decree No. 940 states that Manila has always been to the Filipino people and in the eyes of the world, the premier city of the Philippines being the center of trade, commerce, education and culture. Concurrent with the reinstatement of Manila as the capital, Ferdinand Marcos designated his wife, Imelda Marcos, as the first governor of Metro Manila, who started the construction of massive government edifices with architectural significance as she re-branded Manila as the "City of Man".

On March 31, 1978, President Marcos ordered the transfer of the remains of President Quezon from Manila North Cemetery to the newly-completed Quezon Memorial Shrine. It now houses the mausoleum where President Quezon and his wife Aurora Aragon Quezon are interred. It also contains a museum dedicated to President Quezon and his life.

Quezon City became the venue of a lot of resistance activity against the Marcos dictatorship, as youth and student demonstrators repeatedly clashed with the police and military which were subservient to the Marcos regime. The Diliman Commune was the first of such uprising against the government, as the student, faculty members and residents of UP Diliman protested the three centavos increase in oil prices. It was followed by the First Quarter Storm, a period of civil unrest mostly organized by students. During the martial law era, a series of demonstrations, protests, and marches against the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos took place at various locations in the city.

Among the prominent cases of abuse suffered specifically by Quezon City residents were the cases of Primitivo Mijares and his son Boyet Mijares, who lived in Project 6 at the time of their deaths.

On 1986, the nonviolent People Power Revolution, led by Corazon Aquino and Cardinal Jaime Sin, occurred that ousted the Marcos from power. Thousands of people flocked EDSA between Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo in a series of popular demonstrations and civil resistance against the Marcos government that occurred between February 22–25, 1986.

All of the three major monuments commemorating the Martial Law era are located in Quezon City. The People Power Monument and the EDSA Shrine were built in the city to commemorate the event, with the latter being a symbol of the role that the Catholic Church played in the restoration of democracy in the Philippines. The Bantayog ng mga Bayani was constructed along Quezon Avenue to honor the heroes and martyrs that struggled under the 20-year the Marcos regime. The Wall of Remembrance at the Bantayog honors prominent figures during the martial law era.

Contemporary period (1986–present)

On February 23, 1998, Republic Act. No. 8535 was signed by President Fidel Ramos, which paved the way for the creation of the City of Novaliches by carving out the 15 northernmost barangays of Quezon City. The voting process only includes the affected barangays, but then-city mayor Ismael "Mel" Mathay Jr. lobbied to include the whole city. He also campaigned against the secession of Novaliches. In the succeeding plebiscite that was held on October 23, 1999, an overwhelming majority of Quezon City residents rejected the secession of Novaliches. Mathay was succeeded by Feliciano Belmonte Jr., who served as the city mayor from 2001 to 2010.

In the 2010 local elections, Herbert "Bistek" Bautista was elected as the city mayor. During his term, the Quezon City Pride Council was established. It was the first LGBT council in the Philippines. He also initiated numerous socialized housing projects called "Bistekville". Bautista was succeeded by Maria Josefina "Joy" Belmonte in 2019, who has served as the Vice Mayor under his term and the daughter of former Quezon City mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. She was then reelected as City Mayor in 2022, after which the Quezon City People's Council was established. Under the Participation, Accountability and Transparency Ordinance, the council will serve as an umbrella for about 2,232 civil society organizations accredited by the city government as a means for more civic participation and as for the council to be the “eyes, ears and voice” of the city residents in the city government.

Since March 15, 2020, Quezon City has been under community quarantine, which were introduced due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The strictest quarantine was from March 17, 2020 – May 31, 2020, in response to the ongoing pandemic in the city, which has infected more than 100,000 of the city's residents with more than 1,200 deaths.

No-contact apprehension policy

On July 1, 2022, the Quezon City government began fully implementing its No Contact Apprehension Policy on several major roads in the city. As a result, closed-circuit television cameras were installed on some intersections along Quirino Highway, E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue, Aurora Boulevard, West Avenue, East Avenue, Kamias Road, and P. Tuazon Boulevard. Motorists that violate traffic policies would be sent a notice of violation by mail. This notice of violation is expected to be delivered within 14 days for city residents while non-residents are expected to receive their notices beyond the regular 14 days. Any traffic violations registered in the system can be checked from a dedicated website and its fines can be paid online.

However, the policy has been criticized by motorists due to several intersections that have unclear directives on the proper way to navigate them correctly. In particular, several motorists complained on social media after they were ticketed for turning "in the wrong lane" at the intersection of E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue and Gilmore Avenue, where the rightmost lane is cut in half by Quezon City's bike lane network.

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