By Leilani S. Junio
MANILA, Aug. 24 (PNA) — Quezon City Mayor Herbert M. Bautista has urged the city’s Tourism Department and the Division of City Schools to come up with a program designed to promote the city’s rich cultural, historical and artistic heritage in connection with the celebration of its Diamond Jubilee this year.
Bautista said the City Council has passed a resolution in line with the vision to educate the city’s young constituents or school children to be aware of the rich, well preserved history, culture and arts of the city so that they can be proud of the city’s past.
“The growth of a city cannot only be measured on account of its financial stability, with the high skyscrapers that fence the city’s territory and the standard of living that its constituents enjoy, but also by being aware of the rich, well-preserved historical treasures that characterize places in QC,” Bautista said.
Under Resolution No. SP-5997, S-2014, the Division of City Schools and the city’s Tourism Department have been directed to prepare programs on the teaching of the city’s rich history, culture and arts as part of the city’s 75th anniversary in October.
The same resolution also provides that the book entitled “The City With A Soul” written by Ma. Luisa T. Camagay shall serve as the main source of reference about the past and early traditions of QC.
Many events recorded in the country’s history have transpired in the city such as the historic “Cry of Pugad Lawin” in August 1896 and the non-violent “EDSA People Power Revolution” in February 1986.
Quezon City once became the country’s capital (from 1948 to 1976). It was founded on Oct. 12, 1939 after a law was passed naming it in honor of the then Philippine Commonwealth President Manuel Luis Quezon.
Originally, the proposed name was “Balintawak City” but it was not approved as there were lawmakers who lobbied to name it after President Quezon.
Based on historical records, QC was carved out of the then adjacent former towns (now cities) like Marikina, Pasig, San Juan, Mandaluyong, and Caloocan, including San Francisco del Monte, Balintawak and Novaliches.
After the war, Republic Act No. 333, which redefined the Caloocan–QC boundary, was signed by President Elpidio Quirino on July 17, 1948, declaring QC to be the Republic’s capital.
The said law specified the city’s area to be 156.60 square kilometers that led to the annexing of Baesa, Sangandaan, Talipapa, Bagbag, San Bartolome, Gulod, Pasong Tamo, Novaliches Poblacion, Banlat, Kabuyao, Pugad Lawin, Capri, Pasong Putik, Santa Monica, Binugsok (now Kaligayahan) and San Agustin, among others which formerly belonged to Novaliches and had an area of about 8,100 hectares, from Caloocan to QC.
This populous and big city which is more than four times the size of Manila, nearly six times the expanse of Makati City, and more than 14 times bigger than Mandaluyong is home to large TV and media networks, seat of many government offices, the La Mesa Dam Eco Park in Novaliches, and noteworthy universities such as the University of the Philippines-Diliman and Ateneo de Manila.
It is almost one-fourth the expanse of Metro Manila and has a total of six districts composed of 142 big barangays.(PNA)