Quezon Memorial Circle

Originally conceived as the site for the National Capitol in Quezon City, the Quezon Memorial circle was intended to house the Congress of the Philippines. This location was part of a broader plan for a National Government Center (NGC) encompassing Elliptical Road and the Quezon City Quadrangle, which includes the North, South, East, and West Triangles. The NGC aimed to consolidate the three branches of the Philippine government—legislative, executive, and judicial—into a single area. However, while the cornerstone was laid on November 15, 1940, construction halted due to the outbreak of World War II in the Philippines, leaving only the foundations completed. In December 1945, following the end of World War II, President Sergio Osmeña issued Executive No. 79 to form the Quezon Memorial Committee. This committee was tasked with raising public funds to build a memorial in honor of his predecessor, President Manuel L. Quezon. Former Quezon City Mayor Tomas Morato played a crucial role in selecting the memorial's site. Although President Elpidio Quirino later proposed relocating the monument, Morato strongly opposed this idea. His opposition led him to resign as the congressman representing the 2nd district of Quezon Province in 1949 over disputes with Quirino's plan. In 1951, a national contest for the Quezon Memorial Project was held, with Filipino architect Federico Ilustre emerging as the winner. His design included not only the monument but also plans for a presidential library, a museum, and a theater. The undeveloped grounds of Quezon Memorial Circle saw significant events, including a public mass celebrated by Pope Paul VI in 1970. Following the People Power Revolution in 1986, the Quezon City Parks Development Foundation (QCPDF) was established under Mayor Brigido Simon Jr. Through a tripartite agreement involving the Quezon City government, the National Historical Institute (now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines), and the National Parks Development Administration (NPDA), the NPDA gained jurisdiction over the park's 27 hectares (67 acres). However, the Quezon Memorial Shrine remained under the National Historical Institute's control. The NPDA subsequently transferred park management to the QCPDF, which was authorized to generate revenue for its upkeep. On July 1, 2008, after managing the park since September 27, 1988, the QCPDF handed over management responsibilities to the Quezon City government. On January 23, 2003, Romulo Kintanar, a former commander of the New People's Army, was assassinated at a restaurant inside the circle. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the park adapted to meet critical needs by providing makeshift dormitories for health workers from nearby hospitals and serving as a testing site. ==Park lay-out==

Quezon Memorial Shrine The Quezon Memorial Shrine is an art deco-themed monument designed by Federico Ilustre and was built during the 1950s – serving as the centerpiece of the Quezon Memorial Circle. The shrine and his wife Aurora located at Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City At the top of the pylons are three mourning angels holding sampaguita (the national flower) wreaths The winged figures atop the three pylons represented Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. and later a processing site for applicants seeking government aid. The Presidential Car Museum, housing the presidential cars of former Philippine presidents, was inaugurated on August 19, 2018. On May 30, 2025, the Bahay Modernismo, a museum on Philippine history and culture during the 1950s and 1960s, was opened inside the complex. It is housed in a structure that integrates the structural and architectural parts of the demolished residence of the Aquino family in 25 Times Street, Quezon City. Recreation spaces Quezon City Circle also hosts the Circle of Fun, a small amusement park which has various rides such as the "Fun Drop" a drop tower ride and the "Sea Dragon", a pirate ship type of amusement ride. A separate attraction, the Pedal N Paddle offers go-kart rides, boat rides in a small pond, fish spa, a 4D theater and Skybike, where patrons ride modified bicycles attached on an elevated rail. A children's playground and a rental bicycles are also available which can be used on a bicycle track within the park. Dining outlets and a flea market are also situated within park grounds. Previously the park had a disco area near the Quezon Memorial Shrine but it has been closed down. Public facilities for events such as the Seminar Hall, Century Hall, People’s Hall, and a stage, as well as covered courts were introduced by the city government which took over administration of the park in 2008. A dancing fountain was also renovated by the city government which is illuminated with colors at night. The fountain was removed in 2025 as part of the park's redevelopment. Gardens, monuments, and markers at Quezon Memorial Circle The elliptical park features smaller gardens and named green spaces within its grounds such as the Hardin ng Mga Bulaklak () and the Tropical Garden. The Quezon Memorial Circle also host a demo urban farm which in 2015 is occupying a . The urban farm inside the park is one of the several sites under the "Joy of Urban Farming" project of Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte which was launched in 2010. In 2011, the Cactus and Succulent Garden designed by Serapion Metilla was opened to the public. Among the other areas of the park is the World Peace Bell. The bell installed not before 1994, was a donation of the World Peace Bell Association, a Japanese organization promoting awareness on the world peace movement. The Philippines was the first Southeast Asian nation to receive a bell from the association. The first bell was made from coins donated by the then 65 member countries of the United Nations, weighs , has a height of , and a diameter of . It was designed by the Quezon City Planning Office. A Peace Monument was also erected inside the grounds of the park by the Rotary Club. It marked Quezon City as a Rotary Peace City as part of the "Community Peace Cities/Towns" concept conceived by the Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga, Australia. Quezon City is the fifth Rotary Peace Community in the Philippines and 25th in the world. The peace monument was inaugurated on December 7, 1999. The monument was removed due to the construction of the Quezon Memorial Circle Station of MRT-7. The Philippine–Israel Friendship Park is hosted within the larger Quezon Memorial Circle beside the Quezon Heritage House. The park had its groundbreaking in December 2017 and was inaugurated in August 2018. Transportation The Quezon Memorial Circle is totally engulfed by the Elliptical Road. A pedestrian underpass was opened in October 2007 which connects the lot occupied by the Quezon City Hall and the park. A second underpass connects the park to the Philcoa area near the Commonwealth Avenue The park will also host an eponymous station of the Manila Metro Rail Transit System Line 7 (MRT-7), which is under construction. ==Vendors and stalls==

As of 2017, the Quezon Memorial Circle hosts five restaurants and 13 food stalls. There are also 19 kiosks, 39 plant stalls, as well as 21 stalls from Agri-Aqua Network International. 7 other establishments also has presence in the park including the TEC bike rental, Pedal n Paddle Inc., and Philippine Mango Seedling. Following a planned redevelopment of the park by Mayor Joy Belmonte some stall vendors and restaurants surrounding the park's children's playground vacated the park after their permit expired on June 30, 2019. Within the same year, Belmonte launched the Fresh Market, a weekly farmer-to-consumer program, that would allow farmers from nearby provinces to sell produce to residents within the park. ==Visitors==

, January 1, 2023. In 2012, it was reported that an average of 8,000 people visit the Quezon Memorial Circle daily. The average figures during the weekends were reportedly higher during the weekends amounting to 12,000 people. In December 2011, more than a million visited the park. ==Gallery==

File:Quezon Memorial Circle elevated promenade connecting to the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center.jpg|Elevated promenade connecting to the outside of the Ninoy Aquino Parks & Wildlife Center File:Quezon Memorial Circle Edible Landscaping.jpg|Edible Landscaping garden File:Quezon Memorial Circle Botika sa Paso.jpg|Botika sa Paso (medicinal plant garden) File:Quezon Memorial Circle - Quezon Memorial Shrine.jpg|Quezon Memorial Shrine at dusk File:Quezon Memorial Circle Manuel Quezon House.jpg|Quezon Heritage House File:Quezon Memorial Circle Balay Modernismo.jpg|Balay Modernismo File:Quezon Memorial Circle Presidential Car Museum.jpg|Presidential Car Museum ==See also==