Kyusi Burst Trip: At The Center of QC Circle

The Quezon City Circle is the most iconic image of Quezon City. It is a 22 hectare public park located in the city’s government center that is bordered by Elliptical Road. Known to locals as “Circle”, the park is easily identified by the towering mausoleum that serves as the final resting place of Manuel L. Quezon and his wife. The national park is undergoing improvements to attract more tourists in the area and it is a favorite destination of locals during weekends.

The Quezon Memorial is the most iconic image of Quezon City.

QC Circle has a number of attractions that I have previously blogged about but I still had two main park attractions that I haven’t had the chance to blog about even after I have visited it. The Quezon House and QC Circle Museum and Mausoleum were two spots that I had to visit on a separate occasions as it was not accessible during two other visits.
 
Walk with me and let us explore QC Circle.
 
The Quezon House
 
Originally located at 45 Gilmore Street in New Manila, the Quezon Heritage House was relocated and reconstructed within the premises of the Quezon City Circle. The two-storey house, acquired in 1927, served as the Quezon family’s rest house and the late President’s home when he was sick. The house now serves as a museum where you can catch a glimpse of the President Quezon’s personal and family life through family heirlooms, donated by the family. It is now considered as one of the city’s cultural and historical treasure.

The Quezon Heritage House was reconstructed within the QC Circle Compound.

As soon as we stepped onto the house balcony of the second floor where we started our tour, our guide mentioned the tile flooring of the balcony was an original from the house and these tiles are unique to the house. He said that the makers of the tiles manufacture these tiles with a specific design for only one house.

The floor tiles of the balcony is unique to the house.

The second floor houses the separate rooms of President Manuel and Dona Aurora. If you are wondering why the couple have separate rooms, it is because Quezon was already suffering from tuberculosis which is a contagious disease. So to ensure the safety of Dona Aurora, they both sleep in separate rooms that is connected by a common restroom. Adjacent to the late president’s room is a room where his nurse stay.

The room of Dona Aurora.

The room of President Quezon.

On display inside these rooms are memorabilias of President Manuel and Dona Aurora. Ternos, shoes, and even their traveling luggages are prominently displayed in these rooms.

Some of the personal belongings of the former President are prominently displayed in their rooms. The comfort room links the rooms of President Manuel and Dona Aurora.

The dining area is also located on the second floor where the recipe of the late President’s favorite dish is also on display.

The dining room of the Quezon Heritage House.

The spiral staircase from the second floor to the first floor brings a lot of memories to the youngest of the Quezon brood. She fondly remembers sliding down the staircase when she was a little girl.

The spiral staircase that leads to the first floor of the house.

The first floor houses a hall where Red Cross meetings were held under the auspices of Dona Aurora. On the very same room, the Philippine National Red Cross was formed as an independent organization. The house-turned-museum has the original notebook where Dona Aurora took into the proper accounting of the donations that they received.

The room where regular Red Cross meetings were held under Dona Aurora.

The notebook that outline the donations received by the Red Cross and how it was spent.

The first floor also has one room that served as the rooms of the children and grandchildren of the Quezon couple. The room also has personal stuff of the President Quezon and Dona Aurora.

Personal stuff that was owned by the family were donated to the city government for safekeeping.

Most of the personal stuff were donated by the Quezon family who appreciates the recognition of the legacy of President Quezon. Hence, a lot of these items are viewing purposes only to ensure the safekeep of these historical pieces.
 
Quezon Memorial Shrine
 
A short walk from the Quezon Heritage House is the iconic Quezon Memorial Shrine. The shrine, measuring 66 meters, is the centrepiece of the 36-hectare park. It was designed by Federico Ilustre and followed an art deco theme.

The Quezon Memorial was built to honor the father of Quezon City.

The shrine also house a museum that showcases memorabilias of President Quezon and a brief history of the Philippines complete with historical pieces. The interactive museum gives you a visual and audio experience on how the Philippines was from the pre-war Philippines to post-war rehabilitation.

The Presidential Table displayed at the shrine museum.

Witnesses of war. These are pouch bags used by soldiers during World War 2.

The shrine is also the final resting place of President Quezon’s remains. His remains stands directly under the center of the three columns. It is Quezon City’s way of honouring him for the development of Quezon City. In the same mausoleum is also the final resting place of his beloved wife, Dona Aurora.

The Quezon Memorial also serves as the final resting place of President Manuel Quezon and Dona Aurora Quezon.

I also read through that the shrine has a viewing deck that gives visitors an amazing view of Quezon City. I still need to check this one out though but I guess that would be cool.
 
Post Burst Trip Notes:
 
Quezon City Circle is more than just a leisure park. It is also a great place to have a better understanding on the late President Quezon – his personal life and his struggles. It was also nice to see how Quezon City honours and values the contribution and legacy of Quezon to the present day Quezon City.
 
Getting There: The Quezon Heritage House and the Quezon Memorial Shrine are all within the QC Circle Park. You can take a bus, jeep, or van bound for Fairview that will pass by the Quezon City Hall. You can use the pedestrian underpass in front of the city hall to get to QC Circle.