Quezon City

Quezon City (Filipino: Lungsod Quezon, often called Kyusi or Q.C.) is the most populous city in the Philippines, with 3,084,270 residents according to the 2024 census. Founded on October 12, 1939, it was named after Manuel L. Quezon, the country’s second president. It served as the national capital from 1948 until 1976, when that status reverted to Manila. It is the only planned city in the National Capital Region.

The city was conceived as a replacement for Manila, which suffered from overcrowding, poor housing, inadequate sanitation, and traffic congestion. To build it, the government purchased eight large estates and carved out several barrios from the towns of Caloocan, Marikina, San Juan, and Pasig. It was officially proclaimed the capital on October 12, 1949, prompting government departments and institutions to relocate from Manila. This expansion pushed the city northward, taking Novaliches from Caloocan (splitting that town into two non-contiguous parts) and also absorbing barrios from San Mateo and parts of Montalban. However, on June 24, 1976, Presidential Decree No. 940 returned capital status to Manila, while designating the whole of Metro Manila as the seat of government. Quezon City was also chosen as the regional center of Southern Tagalog in 1965, alongside Quezon and Aurora provinces (the birthplace of Manuel L. Quezon). This regional role ended when Executive Order No. 103 in May 2002 divided Southern Tagalog into Calabarzon and Mimaropa, and Aurora was transferred to Central Luzon, leaving Southern Tagalog as a cultural-geographic region.

Known as the "City of Stars," Quezon City is a hub for culture, entertainment, and media, with major broadcasting networks headquartered and studioed there. It also thrives in commerce, education, research, technology, politics, tourism, art, and sports. National government branches, including the Batasang Pambansa Complex (seat of the House of Representatives), are located here. The city’s role as home to key government institutions, universities, and national media networks has made it central to the political, educational, and civic development of the modern Philippines.

Quezon City covers 161.11 square kilometers (62.20 sq mi), making it the largest city in Metro Manila by land area. It is politically divided into six congressional districts and 142 barangays. National government agencies are concentrated in two National Government Centers: the first in Diliman and the second in Batasan Hills, where the Lower House of Congress sits. Much of the 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. According to its 2023 estimated census, the city had 3.1 million people and a gross domestic product of ₱1.27 trillion (US$93.8 billion).

**History**

**Commonwealth Era**

**Initial Plans for a New Capital City**

Before Quezon City existed, its land belonged to several towns—Caloocan, Mariquina (Marikina), Montalban (now Rodriguez), Pasig, San Mateo, and San Juan del Monte (now San Juan)—all under Manila province and, from 1901, Rizal province.

By the 1930s, Manila faced severe urban problems: a lack of public housing, congested informal settlements in districts like Binondo, Intramuros, Quiapo, San Nicolas, and Tondo, plus poor sanitation and traffic. Slums spurred the growth of suburbs such as Pasay, San Felipe Neri (now Mandaluyong), San Francisco del Monte, Makati, and San Juan del Monte, which attracted upper- and middle-class residents wanting to escape the crowded city while maintaining economic ties to it.

President Manuel L. Quezon, aware of these issues, launched housing projects called Barrio Obrero (Worker’s Community) in areas like Avenida Rizal, Sta. Cruz, and Barrio Vitas, Tondo. These efforts failed, and the communities became slums. Alejandro Roces Sr., a prominent author, is said to have influenced Quezon’s vision for a new city. Quezon dreamed of a place where ordinary people could thrive. Roces suggested buying a large tract of land, but the government had only ₱3 million available through the National Development Company (NDC).

To realize this vision, the People’s Homesite Corporation (PHC) was created on October 14, 1938, as an NDC subsidiary with an initial capital of ₱2 million. Roces chaired its board. The PHC immediately acquired the vast Diliman Estate from the Tuason family at 5 centavos per square meter, then conducted topographical and subdivision surveys.