Quezon Memorial Circle

    Quezon Memorial Circle (QMC) or Circle as QC (Quezon City) residents endearingly call it, is a national park dedicated to the president of the Commonwealth Philippines and Father of the National Language Manuel L. Quezon.
    Among the parks I have laid my eyes on, it is the one closest to my heart because it used to be my playground. I attended tae bo, dance and poi classes offered in the Circle. I used to do my own version of running (combination of walking, hopping and skipping) in the outer circle of the thirty-six hectare elliptical park because it is only a couple of blocks from where I live. As years passed the Circle and I have grown apart, mostly due to my slothful ways. My thrice-a-week-5am trips to the Circle turned to 530am then to 6am, and eventually became a nuisance to my already disorderly life (hah!). As I distanced myself from its presence, it improved its appearance to attract other QC residents that are better and more loyal than me. As the Circle flexes its aesthetic muscles, I cannot help admiring it from a distance, on my way to and from work, especially when it lit itself up in a dizzying myriad of lights during the holiday season last year.

Quezon Memorial Shrine

    I have been meaning to drop by the Circle to say hello to a forsaken friend, and the Philippine Orchid Society’s Orchid Show presents itself as the perfect excuse to do so. The Circle does not disappoint as usual.

    The focal point of the park is the formidable 66-meter Quezon Memorial Shrine. The height of the shrine represents the age of Quezon when he died of tuberculosis in Saranac Lake, New York.

The sixty-six meter Quezon Memorial Circle as seen from different locations

    At the top part of the tower hang three angels in mourning. Each angel holds a sampaguita wreath (scientific name is Jasminum sambac), the unofficial national flower of the Philippines. They say that they represent the three main regions in the country—Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Three mourning angels that represent Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao

    The base of the Quezon Memorial Shrine holds the sarcophagus that contains the remains of Quezon. From what I can remember from my last visit to the shrine, to the left of the sarcophagus is a museum that displays Quezon memorabilia that include a car, a bed, medals and plaques of appreciation and clothes. I do not have a photo of the sarcophagus or of the museum because it is under renovation. According to the guard on duty, it will open in 2015.

The entrance of Quezon Memorial Shrine Museum

    The rectangular base of the shrine is adorned with reliefs that demonstrate not only key moments in the life of Quezon but also some of the most integral times in Philippine history.

The time of Tabon cave dwellers (rightmost) to the time of Galleons (leftmost)

Reliefs from left to right: José Rizal’s execution in Bagumbayan (see: Rizal Park), Andres Bonifacio—the founder of Katipunan, Apolinario Mabini (see: Saturday Afternoon with Ambeth and Apolinario) and Generals of the Philippine Revolution

Quezon in Sickbed (left) and Aurora Quezon and the Quezon Institute

Quezon Heritage House

    The restored vacation house of the Quezon family was transferred to the Circle last year. Unfortunately, it is closed when we visited the park. These photos are taken outside the gate or between the iron grills.

The sign of the Quezon Heritage House

The front view of the Quezon Heritage House

The side view of the Quezon Heritage House

Some of the details of the Quezon Heritage House

QC figure found at the back of the Quezon Heritage House (between the pool and the backdoor). The man in the photo is QC Mayor Herbert Bautista

Food

    One photo I have taken in my many visits to the Circle is that of the inside of the World Peace Bell. I think nobody is crazy enough to kneel down/crawl under the bell to snap a photo of it (unless one is a teenager and wants to immortalize his love for his girlfriend of one-week).

The World Peace Bell and the pedestrian art its hollow belly contains

    Aside from Quezon-related structures, the Circle boasts of majestic trees and colorful flowers.

Mother nature is very much present in QMC

    An entry about the Circle is not complete without photos of people doing strenuous activities. There are tons of people running, dancing, doing martial arts, biking and other activities that a health buff will love.

These exercise equipment are present in several parts of the park

One of the many activities practiced in the park

    Once all the physical activities have drained the energy of the parkgoers, they need not worry about food and beverages. There are plenty of choices available right inside the park.

This section of the park is close to the Quezon Heritage House. This is where we ate.

Two of the dishes we ordered for brunch at Kamameshi: Yaki Udon, P270.00 (US $6.20) and Kani Kamameshi, P300.00 (US $6.88)

Fresh coconut juice and meat, P25.00 (US $0.57)

MSG-laden snacks for children and for the child in all of us

More food stalls for the hungry parkgoers

Tiangge

    There are dozens of stalls inside the Circle that sell secondhand items and knock-offs.

Stalls occupy both sides of the road leading to the shrine

Prices of the merchandise start at P50.00 (US $1.15)

Shirts as low as P100.00 (US $2.30). Two of the teams that Juan Mata and his beautiful beard have played for: La Roja and The Blues. The star on the shirts symbolizes the 2010 World Cup win of Spain and 2012 Champions League victory of Chelsea FC.

Preowned items for sale. The dolls cost P800.00 (US $18.36).

    I spend three hours at the Circle, and I realize how much I have been missing out. It is a vibrant place that is perfect for weekend warriors, friends, couples and families even the ones with small children. The park is very spacious with ample number of picnic tables protected by canopies of green. Like Rizal Park, it is an inexpensive alternative for a trip to the mall. There is no entrance fee for those who arrive on foot while light vehicles pay a minimal amount: P2.00 (US $0.05) for taxi and the most expensive is P100.00 (US $2.30) for bus.
    To borrow Anton Ego’s words, I will be returning to the Circle soon, hungry for more.

Where: Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines

When: The QMC is open 24/7. The Quezon Heritage House is open for public viewing Tuesday to Sunday, from 9am to 4pm. The Quezon Memorial Shrine Museum is open Monday to Sunday, from 8am to 5pm.

How: From any MRT station, ride a train bound to Quezon Avenue. From the train station, go to Eton Centris where an area is allocated for jeepneys (the most common mode of transportation in the Philippines). Ride a jeepney bound to UP, Philcoa, Fairview or Commonwealth. The trip will take around ten minutes. Alight the vehicle near Quezon City Hall. Use the Belmonte Underpass (if the reconstruction/rehabilitation is over by time of visit) to get to the QMC or wait for the guard to signal the pedestrians to cross from the side of city hall to the Circle.

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Rizal Park

    I pass Rizal Park every Saturday on my way to Instituto Cervantes Manila, but I have not set foot on the park for ages. Two Sundays ago, I accompanied Ares and Albert to the National Museum (yes, I revisited the museums and there have been a lot of changes in just three weeks), and we decided to visit Rizal Park to stand near the Kilometer Zero of the Philippines.    

    We entered the gate along Taft Avenue and were welcomed by the relief map of the Philippines. It is an impressive piece of work, although I am not sure about the proportions of the landforms. The relief map in the middle of a man-made lake shows how varied the Philippine terrain is. 

Relief map of the Philippines

    Not far from the relief map is the Philippine Centennial Time Capsule buried underneath the monument called Binhi ng Kalayaan (Seed of Freedom). The time capsule that will be opened in 2098 contains important documents and memorabilia related to the 1898 Philippine Independence.

Binhi ng Kalayaan

    At the northernmost part of the relief mapstands the towering figure of Lapu-Lapu, the first Filipino hero. I am sure that the Lapu-Lapu monument or The Statue of the Sentinel of Freedom is not green, but I forgot to change the camera setting so Lapu-Lapu looked like the photo below. The figure is on top of a platform with steps made for people as tall as the statue. Taking a photo of Lapu-Lapu was a struggle because the building-in-progress called Torre de Manila was doing its best to ruin all the shots.

Lapu-Lapu, the hero of the Battle of Mactan

The Lapu-Lapu monument as seen from the fourth floor of The Museum of the Filipino People

    Busts of Filipino heroes surround the center of the park.

The busts of Datu Amai Pakpak and Marcelo H. del Pilar

    The statue of La Madre Filipina is found in the southeastern part of the park. It shows Filipina motherhood at its finest.

One of the three statues of La Madre Filipina

The center of attraction, the monument of José Rizal is found in the center of the park. It is not only a monument to remind the Filipinos of the greatness of this Renaissance man but it is also the resting place of Rizal’s remains.

The Rizal Monument

The front and back views of the Rizal Monument

    The plaque on the front of the monument contains the following:

To the Memory of

JOSÉ RIZAL

Patriot and Martyr

Executed in Bagumbayan Field December Thirtieth 1896

This monument is dedicated by the People of the Philippine Islands

   
    The plaque on the back part of the monument contains the following:

Este Monumento está Dedicado

Al Héroe y Mártir
JOSÉ RIZAL
Que Murió Fusilado por Defender las Libertades de su Patria el Día 30 de Diciembre de
1896, en este sitio Campo de Bagumbayan.
Ha sido erigido por suscripción pública, según la ley no. 243
Another plaque on the lower part of the monument states:

 

Under these stones lie in eternal repose

the mortal remains of

Dr. José Protacio Rizal

    We were lucky to have visited Rizal Park at the time that we did because we were able to witness the changing of the guard. Thank you, security guard of Rizal Monument for telling me to stay for a couple of minutes to watch the short but meaningful ceremony.

Theguards of Rizal Monument

 Changing of the Guard – Rizal Monument 

Behind the Rizal Monument is the Independence Flagpole. At 32 meters, it is the highest flagpole in the country.

The Independence Flagpole

    Aside from the monuments of historical and symbolic figures, Rizal Park boasts of pocket gardens. There is a Japanese garden, a Chinese garden and The Orchidarium. We entered the Japanese Garden thinking that it offers something interesting. For P10.00 (US $0.23), one can use the comfort room within its premises, relax under the shade of trees, have a photo shoot or use the stage to practice martial arts and dance.

The Orchidarium displays the different species of orchids and butterflies found in the Philippines. Ticket costs P50.00 (US $1.14). The security guard is friendly and gamely posed for photos.

Chinese Garden

Japanese Garden

   The most interesting part of the Japanese Garden was outside the garden itself, it was a cat relaxing on top of the Japanese Garden signage. It was too cute for words so I decided to take several photos of the feline.

 

 

 

 

The cat that stole my heart with its attitude

    Beside the Orchidarium are the Soul Waves, Filipino-Korean Soldier Monument and the Three Wise Monkeys.

Soul Waves is a stainless steel monument that represents the souls of the humanity united in their cause for freedom. The waves symbolize the shores of Philippines and Korea that are protected by their people from all forms of oppression.

Filipino-Korean Soldier Monument is a tribute to Filipino soldiers who fought with the Korean soldiers during the Korean War

Mizaru, Kikazaru and Iwazaruare telling us to be good

   
    While we were walking around the park, we encountered this train thrice.

Learn to count from 1 to 10 with Choo-Choo Train

    Rizal Park is a tribute to José Rizal’s life and legacy. There is a diorama of José Rizal’s Martyrdom (which was closed when we dropped by) to illustrate how he embodied the Filipino spirit until the last second of his life. Let us pay our respects to him by visiting Rizal Park.

Rizal Park is next to The Museum of Filipino People. It is a well-maintained park that has all the essential things one will look for in a park—comfort rooms, tables and benches, food kiosks, great view and most importantly it is free! The guards are friendly and helpful.

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