Manuel L. Quezon shrine declared ‘sacred ground’

Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. declared as a sacred ground the shrine of the late President Manuel L. Quezon at the 26-hectare Quezon City Memorial Circle.

The shrine, which features a monument that consists of three vertical pylons representing Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, also serves as the tomb of the late president and his wife Aurora. A museum containing the memorabilia of Quezon is also located inside the shrine.

“The shrine will be a sacred ground within the circle,” said Belmonte.

He also created a committee, which will conduct inventory and study the physical and financial strength of the facility.

Belmonte made the declaration a week after the city government reassumed control over the Quezon Circle, which had been managed by the Quezon City Park Foundation Inc.

Former Mayor Brigido Simon Jr. transferred the management of the Quezon Memorial Circle to the foundation for 20 years, through a memorandum of agreement signed on September 27, 1988.

Belmonte has started the redevelopment of the circle with the construction of the P29-million pedestrian underpass in October 2007 that linked the city hall to the circle.

“The circle itself is going through a new development that shall revive its image as central park of the metropolis and give it due importance as the most important shrine in the city,” he said.

The mayor cited the historic significance of the Quezon Circle in the city planning where major throughfares like the North, East, Kalayaan, and Commonwealth Avenues, which resemble the rays of the sun and point to various destinations in the city.

During Monday’s flag raising ceremony, Belmonte vowed to continue the program initiated by former Vice Mayor Charito Planas through the Quezon City Park Foundation Inc.

As additional feature to the historical landmark the city government will construct another underpass fronting the Philippine Coconut Authority to make the access to the park more convenient for the people.

“The existing pedestrian overpass will be transferred to other areas in the city,” Belmonte said.