Quezon City Public Library - Quezonian Newsletter

The past of Quezon City is rich in historical value. It was the original cradle of the Philippine Revolution in 1896. Teodoro Agoncillo, historian, recorded in his book The Revolt of the Masses, that it was in Balintawak that Andres Bonifacio and the other Katipunan leaders first gathered after the society was discovered by the Spaniards. They gathered first on August 19 in Balintawak, stayed there for one night and one day. “In the afternoon of August 21,”, the rebels, numbering around 500, left Balintawak and proceeded to the neighboring hamlet of Kangkong where Apolonio Samson, a Katipunan man, gave them food and lodging”, writes Agoncillo. Here, the next morning, the revolutionists, exchanged views on the revolution but did not pass any resolution. It was in Pugadlawin, where they proceeded upon leaving Samson’s place in the afternoon of the 22nd, that the more than 1,000 members of the Katipunan met in the yard of Juan A. Ramos, son of Melchora Aquino, the famed “Mother” of the Katipuneros, in the morning of August 23rd. Considerable discussion arose whether the revolt against the Spanish government should be started on the 29th.
“Only one man protested against the plan of revolt, and it was Bonifacio’s brother in law, Teodoro Plata. But he was overruled… Bonifacio then announced the decision and, standing on an improvised platform, shouted: “Brothers, it was agreed to continue with the plan of revolt. “My brothers, do you swear to repudiate the government that oppresses us? And the rebels, shouting as one man, replied: “Yes, sir!” “That being the case, Bonifacio added, “Brings out your cedulas and tear them to pieces to symbolize our determination to take up arms!” There with the rustle of papers and in a minute the yard was littered with torn cedulas. Amidst this ceremony, the rebels, with tear-stained eyes, shouted: “Long live the Philippines! Long live Katipunan!” Among those present were Briccio Brigido Pantas, Francisco and Nicomedes Carreon, patricio Belen, Alejandro Santiago, Ramon Bernardo, Apolonio Samson, Enrique Pacheco, Guillermo Masangkay, Sinforoso San Pedro, Cipriano and Alfonso Pacheco.

THE CRY OF BALINTAWAK

     The true “Cry of Balintawak” occurred on August 23, 1896.      After the “Cry” some Katipuneros arrived from Manila, informing Bonifacio that the Spanish civil guards were hot on their trail. Bonifacio took immediate command of the situation; he ordered his men to get ready to deploy. The night was dark and there was much confusion. According to Agoncillo, some of the men “thoughtlessly grasped the pots of boiling rice, poured the half-cooked contents into their hats containing cut tobacco leaves, and ate the black mixture of rice and tobacco as they marched toward Pasong Tamo For these men were hungry, tired, sleepy and suffering from cold weather.”
     The Katipuneros arrived at the house of Tandang Sora (Melchora Aquino) on august 24. But on 10 a.m., August 25, the civil guards arrived at the scene while Bonifacio and his men were discussing strategy. Bursts of rifle-fire rent the air. Bonifacio and his men instinctively flung themselves on the ground. Shortly afterwards, Bonifacio ordered them to deploy and encircle the attacking Spaniards, numbering about 40. In the ensuing fight two revolutionists and one civil guard were slain.
     The authentic “Cry of Balintawak” took place, then, on August 23, 1896, when Bonifacio and his men tore their cedulas to symbolize their armed defiance of Spain. The first battle occurred on August 25, 1896, in Pasong Tamo.
     While in Balara, Bonifacio, with his generals, planned the assault in Manila. With him were Andres Soriano, Laureano Gonzales and Romualdo Vivencio. But he did not stay long in Balara; he and his men proceeded to Marikina, then to Hagdang Bato. On August 28, 1896, he issued a proclamation urging his countrymen to take up the nation’s cause. He set the date, august 29, 1896, Saturday, as the day of the general uprising.

FIRST CASUALTY OF THE KATIPUNAN

     One of the first two casualties of the Katipunan was Simplicio Acabo. In an interview made by Isabelo Crisostomo, one of the authors of Quezon City Book, and his writer-friend, one of the revolutionists who survived that fight, Hermogenes Constantino, revealed that Acabo was then only 18 years old. Acabo, according to Constantino (Philippines FREE PRESS, August 20, 1955, page 66), “was an aggressive young man who always wanted to be out in front.” The young victim was buried in a mud hole by Constantino and another man because according to them they had no time to dig a grave for him.
     Constantino also revealed that they were alerted with the arrival of the Guardia Civil’s by the lookout that was perched atop a large tamarind tree. Upon sight of the arriving Spaniards the lookout blew his tambuli or carabao horn.
     In 1954, Mayor Amoranto and officers of the “Katipunan ng mga Alagad ni bonifacio” laid the cornerstone of a monument for Acabo in Barrio Banlat, Tandang sora, where Acabo was presumably felled and buried. On the bronze plaque are these words
     To the memory of the unknown but never to be forgotten patriot who in 1896 in these plains planned with foresight the war of liberation, fought with dash and died heroically, that our country might be freed from oppression, be forever independent, and be respected by the whole world.

NATIVE OF QUEZON CITY

Bonifacio was a Manileno, it is true, and the Katipunan was born in Manila as an idea. But the Revolution itself first exploded in Quezon City. The first real cry of Filipinos for freedom occurred in Quezon City. The first heroine of the Revolution, Melchora Aquino, was a native of the city. All this is history.

CHAPTER 2

THE GENESIS OF QUEZON CITY

     The creation of Quezon City was born of the social justice philosophy of President Quezon. He wished for the laborers or employees not only a little more food in his stomach and a little more clothe on his back, but also a stronger roof over his head and a healthier environment. He envisioned a paradise for workingmen--- dwellings with all the comforts of sanitation and with playgrounds hear-by for children, to be constructed by the government and given in sale or lease to the laborers or employees at cost. One morning while Don Alejandro Roces Sr. was taking breakfast with him in Malacanang, their conversation happened on the subject of government housing project for laborers and employees—a barrio obrero. Don Alejandro told him that for the project there could no better site than the Diliman estate. Quezon saw that before long Manila would be bursting on its seams, and he agreed with his friend that the proper direction of expansion would be to the north and northeast of Manila toward the foot of the mountains of the Sierra Madre. Then and there he authorized don Alejandro Roces Sr. to negotiate for the purchase of a portion of the Diliman Estate of the Tuason.
     Early one day in July, 1939, when the sun came out after a long spell of cloud and rain Quezon strolled along the Diliman area with his friends, including Eulogio Rodriguez, Sr., then secretary of Agriculture and commerce, Alejandro Roces, Jose Paez, and Antonio G. Sison, who was then the dean of the College of Medicine and director of the School of Hygiene and Public Health of the University of the Philippines. Standing on a grassy promontory, not far from where Sampaloc Avenue is now, about 200 feet above sea level, he surveyed the northeastern sweep of Kamuning, and he was so awed and inspired by the incredibly breathtaking view that he exclaimed: “This is where I would like to build a real Filipino metropolis!”
     He pointed to a spot that is now Constitution Hill, south of the Novaliches watershed, overlooking what is now La Mesa Dam. He stared at three plateaus in the area, each one about 300 feet above sea level; all three commanded a spectacular panoramic view of the surrounding scenery. To the east were the San Mateo hills; to the west and northwest, Manila; and to the north, a verdant chain of hills pointing to Ipo where the waterworks still stand today.
     His imagination soared like that of one obsessed by a vision of immeasurable vitality. He spoke to Vicente Fragante, director of the Bureau of Public Works, of his plan to build the metropolis.

“I dream of a capital city that, politically shall be the seat of the national government; aesthetically the showplace of the nation – a place that thousands of people will come and visit as the epitome of culture and spirit of the country; socially, a dignified concentration of human life, aspirations and endeavors and achievements; and economically, as a productive, self-contained community.” — President Manuel L. Quezon In his address before the members of the National Assembly September 18, 1939.

     Quezon remembered that sometime in 1936, the department of public works and communications of the Commonwealth government, under Secretary Mariano Jesus Cuenco, recommended Tagaytay to be the seat of the national government. The Department felt that Manila as a capital was becoming so congested that pursuing the chores of administration was becoming to be difficult and unpleasant. Thus, they recommended the transfers of the capital from Manila to Tagaytay, which Quezon called “the city by the ridge.”
     But Quezon rejected the idea. In a press conference he gave on August 4, 1936, he said: “Tagaytay is a place for tourists and vacationists. And I am going to make it one. I will contact the different government entities concerned to construct the necessary facilities in order to make it a weekend spot for government officials, business, and the middle class.
     Early in the morning of September 27, 1939, President Quezon, accompanied by Yulo, some cabinet members a group of assemblymen, visited Diliman, after enjoying the scenery, they had breakfast in the still unfinished administration building of the University of the Philippines. There he stressed the “necessity of early approval of the charter of the proposed city in Diliman site.”
     The bill creating the new city was fathered by Assemblyman Ramon P. Mitra (Mountain Province, 2nd district). In his bill, the name of the city was Balintawak City.
     The day after Quezon took the assemblymen to Diliman, the National Assembly deliberated for the final time on the Balintawak City bill. For a while, there was a heated argument on the name of the new city. Narciso Ramos of 5th district of Pangasinan and Eugenio Peres, 2nd district of Pangasinan, filed an amendment changing the name Balintawak to Quezon. Someone called up Quezon in Malacanang to ask his opinion on it. He replied: “Why can’t you wait until I’m dad, before you name anything after me
     Just the same, the name Quezon was affixed to the bill. Shortly after one o’clock in the afternoon of September 28, 1939, the National Assembly approved Bill no. 1206, creating Quezon Ctiy, replacing the original measure which was for the establishment of Balintawak City. The change was affected through amendments introduced by the committee on chartered cities. Assemblyman Jose Ozamis of Misamis Occidental also filed an amendment which would give Quezon City officials the minimum compensation allowed by law.
     When bill no. 1206 was sent to Quezon for his approval, he quibbled again over the city’s name. But the members of the National Assembly prevailed upon him, and he relented. Thus, even Louis P. Croft, adviser to President Manuel A. Roxas on land planning, in his report to the Capital Site Committee in 1946, wondered “whether the National Assembly created the city solely to name it in honor of President Quezon or intended it as the same time to be the counterpart in the Philippines of Washington, D.C.”
     One time, early in October 1939, while going through the various government offices in Malacanang, Quezon met Maj. Gen. Douglas MacArthur in the Palace wing, where several American experts on various fields had their offices. MacArthur was then military adviser to Quezon and Field Marshall of the Philippine Army. He was also vice president and treasurer of the Manila Hotel Company. From time to time, Quezon would ask him matters that had nothing to do with the military, for he admired MacArthur’s keen, analytical mind, and he trusted his opinions. This time, Quezon excitedly informed him about the new city he was creating and asked his advice on various matters concerning its administration.
     Since Quezon had already thought of his taking over the mayorship, he asked MacArthur if he knew of anyone who could make a good chief of police. MacArthur turned around, scanned the tables in the office, and he fixed his gaze on a young American soldier, in white suit, poring over some papers at a corner table. “There,” MacArthur told Quezon, pointing to the man in the white suit. “That’s your man. He’ll make a good police chief, because he had some police training in the States.
     Quezon looked at the soldier who was one of MacArthur’s assistants, and then said, “He seems all right. I’ll follow your recommendation.” But when Quezon was appointing him, he was a lieutenant colonel, infantry, U.S. Army, the soldier said: “I’m very honored Sir. But I can’t accept the honor. I promised by wife we’d be going back home after my tour of duty here is over and my T.D. ends in two months, Sorry, Sir.”      Quezon could not do anything about it, of course. But that was how close Quezon City was in having as chief of police a future president of the United States: Dwilight D. Eisenhower.
     Shortly before noon of Thursday, October 12, 1939, Quezon signed the bill in the presence of cabinet officials, assemblymen, and all those whom he had appointed to the different posts in the new city.

FIRST QUEZON CITY OFFICIALS

     Immediately after the signing of the bill on October 12, 1939, Quezon administered the oath of office to the following: Vicente Fragante, Vice Mayor and at the same time City Engineer, and the first City Council composed of Dr. Eusebio Aguilar, City Councilor and City Health Officer, Jose Paez and Alejandro Roces, Sr.. Tomas Morato, a long time friend of Quezon, who was then mayor of Calauag, Tayabas (now Quezon), was appointed Chief of Police. Pio Pedrosa was city treasurer, Emilio Abello, city attorney, Jacob Rosenthal, assessor, Perfecto Palacio, municipal judge, Amado Amador; Judge of the Court of First Instance, Sabino de Leon was assistant chief of police.
     On October 13, 1939, The Tribune reported that Malacanang had announced the night before “The completion of the organization of Quezon City with the appointment of all city officials with the exception of assistant city attorney. The Charter of the city became commonwealth Act no. 502 when it was signed by the President at 11:40, morning of October 12, 1939. The Office of the Mayor was purposely left vacant as President Quezon himself decided to assume the functions corresponding to the Mayor, but Malacanan emphasized he will do so as President without formal appointment of a Mayor as that would place the President under the unique situation of being under the secretary of the interior.
     The appointments of the Quezon City Officials were sent on October 26, 1939 to the commission on appointments of the National Assembly for confirmation; they were acted upon immediately. In the afternoon of November 10, the commission confirmed various ad interim appointments and nominations made by Quezon, including the officials of Quezon City and mayors of several other cities.
     It was later on published on the November 11, 1939 issue of the Official Gazette, volume 37, No.135, which stated in the “CHANGES IN THE SERVICE BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES” the ad interim officials as follows:

  Alejandro Roces, Sr., ad interim, member city council, October 12, 1939, appointment
  Eusebio D. Aguilar, ad interim, member, City council, October 12, 1939, appointment
  Jose Paez, ad interim, member, city council, October 12, 1939, appointment
  Vicente Fragante, ad interim, Vice Mayor, October 12, 1939, appointment
  A.D. Williams, ad interim, city secretary, October 12, 1939, appointment
  Pio Pedrosa, ad interim, city treasurer, October 12, 1939, appointment
  Jacob Rosenthal, ad interim, city assessor, October 12, 1939, appointment
  Manuel Diaz, ad interim, city engineer, October 12, 1939,, appointment
  Perfecto Palacio, ad interim, justice of the peace, October 12, 1939, appointment
  Emilio Abello, ad interim, chielf of police, October 12, 1939, appointment
  Tomas B. Morato, ad interim, chief of police, October 12, 1939, appointment

But on the November 16, 1939 issue of the Official Gazette, volume 37, No. 137, Capt. Tomas B. Morato was appointed ad interim mayor of Quezon City by the President of the Philippines effective October 23, 1939, but his appointment paper as signed by President Quezon on November 10, 1939 showed the affectivity date from October 12, 1939. (A photocopy of the original appointment of Morato is filed in the City Library furnished by his son Tomas Morato Jr.).

FIRST QUEZON CITY ORDINANCE

     On October 27, 1939, the first City ordinance was approved by the first City Council, signed by the first acting City mayor, Vicente Fragante, who was then appointed Vice Mayor, and was attested by the first City Secretary, Alpeus D. Williams.
     Ordinance Numbered 1 is an ordinance “Dividing Quezon City into four districts represented by members of the City Council for the purpose of Administration.” The four districts were Diliman District, San Francisco Del Monte District, Mandaluyong District (which was amended thru ordinance no. 4 into Cubao District), and University District.
     Diliman District. To embrace Diliman Estate and the north of Calle Espana, Dario and Salapan rivers and the boundary of the City of Manila and represented by Councilor Alejandro Roces, Sr.
     San Francisco del Monte District. To embrace the area north of Calle España and west of Diliman Estate, including San Francisco del Monte and Sta. Mesa Estates, to be represented by Councilor Jose Paez.
     Mandaluyong District (Cubao District). To embrace those portions of the Magdalena and Mandaluyong Estates included in the City and represented by Vice-Mayor Fragante.
     University District. To those portions of the Balara Filter sites and those portions of the Mariquina and Piedad Estates included in the City and represented by Councilor Eusebio D. Aguilar.
     The first City ordinance was unanimously passed on October 27, 1939 signed by Vicente Fragrante, the vice mayor then, and acting City Mayor, as attested by Alpeus D. Williams, the first City Secretary.

LAND PURCHASE AND DONATION THRU PHHC

     On October 14, 1938, the People’s Homesite Corporation was organized and incorporated by the National Development Company. Don Alejandro Roces Sr. was appointed General Manager. Shortly thereafter, the Corporation purchased form the Tuazon a portion of the Diliman Estate with an area of 1,572 hectares at P0.05 per square meter—P500.00 per hectare or for P786,000.00. At the same time, the Tuazon donated to the government the present site of the University of the Philippines consisting of 493 hectares on the condition that the land would be used as the new site of the University of the Philippines. Quezon accompanied by his friend and physician Dr. Antonio Sison, surveying the area from a high point, envisioned a modern university, the best in the Orient, near Manila but undisturbed by the hustle and bustle of a port city. The sum of P17, 500,000.00 was authorized for the construction of buildings and purchase of equipment.
     To its credit, the People’s Homesite and Housing Corporation played a major role in the development of Quezon City. It was responsible for the development of various housing projects – Projects I (Roxas Homesite), 2, 3 and 4 (Quirino District, 6, 7 and 8 and the GSIS Village>.
     On July 31, 1975, PHHC was dissolved by virtue of P.D. 757 and the National Housing Authority was created.
     In 1939, the population was estimated at 57,880.

BOUNDARIES OF QUEZON CITY

Quezon City was carved from the towns of Caloocan, San Juan, Mariquina, Pasig, Montalban and San Mateo. Under Commonwealth Act No. 502, known as “An Act to create Quezon Ctiy” specified the boundaries of the new city: included in its 7,355 hectares – one third of which was owned by the government were the following places, the barrios of Galas, La Loma, Sta. mesa Heights, San Jose, Balintawak and Kaingin were taken from the town of Caloocan; the barrios of New Manila, Cubao, San Francisco del Monte, Kamuning and Roxas were taken from the town of San Juan; the barrios of Jesus de Ka Pena, lower Barranca, the U.P. site, Cruz Na Ligas, Balara and Varsity Hills were taken from the town of Mariquina; the barrios of Ugong Norte and Santolan Libis were taken from the town of Mandaluyong. Under Commonwealth Act No. 559, June 21, 1941, the area of Wack Wack Golf and Country club was reverted to Mandaluyong, and the barrios of Jesus de la Pena and lower Barranca were reverted to Mariquina. On the other hand, the area of Camp Crame was taken from the town of San Juan and added to Quezon City. Under Republic Act No. 333, July 17, 1948, the Barrios of Baesa, Talipapa, San Bartolome, Pasong Tamo, Novaliches, Banlat, Kabuyao, Pugad Lawin, Bagbag, Pasong Putik, and others, with an area 8,000 hectares were taken from Caloocan.
Eight big estates were acquired in forming of the new city. These were the Diliman Estate with 15,732,189 square meters; Santa Mesa Estate with 8,617,883 square meters, Mandaluyong Estate with 7,813,602 square meters, Magdalena Estate with 7,644,823 square meters, Piedad Estate with 7,438,369 square meters, Maysilo Estate with 2,667,269 square meters, and the San Francisco Del Monte Estate with 2,575,388 square meters.

TRANSFER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINE TO QUEZON CITY

At the formal inauguration of Dr. Bienvenido Gonzalez as the sixth and youngest president of U. P. on October 19, 1939, Quezon officially announced that the university was to be transferred to Diliman. Plans for the buildings in the new site were submitted to Parsons and Alpheus Williams, technical adviser on public works then.
Towards the end of the year, the construction and preparations for the U.P. buildings in Diliman had began in earnest. Contract for the construction of the first three units of the first groups of buildings was awarded to Pedro Siochi and Company. The first unit was to house the main offices of the College of Liberal Arts, the second the College of Law and Business Administration and the third the College of Pharmacy and School of Dentistry.

THE MASTER PLAN OF THE CITY

     The master plan of the City was prepared by Harry T. Frost, architectural adviser of the Commonwealth government, with the assistance of Alpeus .D. Williams, former director of the bureau of Public Works, and Juan M. Arellano who was one of the most outstanding architects of the country then. From what appears in the Frost plan, the Quadrangle in the heart of the City bounded by four avenues--- North, West, South and East--- was designed to be the site of the national government buildings.
     The formation of the quadrangle in the heart of the City resulted in the city having many rotundas--- seven in all: 1) at the intersection of Quezon Blvd. and E. de Los Santos at the center of the quadrangle; 2) at the junction of North and West avenues and E. de Los Santos; 3) of South and West of Quezon; 4) of South and East and E. Los Santos; 5) of Balintawak road and E. de los Santos; 6) of South and Sampaloc Avenue; and 7) of Espana and Quezon where stands the welcome arch of the City, marking the gateway between the two cities--- Manila and Quezon. At the junction of East and North and Quezon, there is, instead of a rotunda, an elliptical center where stands the Quezon Memorial --- a tall an imposing structure.
     Soon after the plan of the streets was finished, the vicinity of Sampaloc Avenue (now Don Tomas B. Morato Sr. Avenue) and Kamuning became a bustle of construction activity. Hundreds and hundreds of people --- road builders, stone cutters, and carpenters --- in separate groups , with picks and shovels, with road graders tracing the streets, scraping the earth, and trucks bringing gravel and sand and cement, swarmed the place to build a paradise fro workingmen. Some of the old residents of Kamuning still remember vividly a robust young man, of medium height, with wide brimmed hat, directing construction. Twenty years or so later (1959) that young man became the first elective vice-mayor of the city—Vicente Novales.
     As soon as the roads were laid and paved or even as the roads were being pressed by road rollers, hundreds and hundreds of carpenters began the construction of a small strong materials houses on lots of 180 square meters and medium sized ones along Kamuning and Sampaloc Roads (now Tomas Morato Sr. Avenue) on bigger lots. In order to hasten completion of th4e project, the construction of the streets and houses were farmed out to several contractors. One among the house building contractors was Ysidro Guevarra who was then appointed vice-mayor in 1954 by President Magsaysay.
     When construction of the houses was finished, each of the bureaus and offices of the government was given an allotment of 21 units to be raffled among the employees of each bureau or office. Three types of houses were built- types 1, 2 and 3. The houses were given to the employees without advance payment. The installment on Type 1 was P8.05 a month. For the convenience of the residents of Kamuning, President Quezon arranged that the Luzon Bus Line of the Manila Railroad Company run a service between Kamuning and Manila at a bus fare of P0.05 only.
     The pioneers formed a Residents’ Association with the Diliman Catholic League. Through their initiative, they were able to put up a three-room elementary school building, which housed only primary grade classes. A small market was built at the South Market Street (Now Don Alejandro Roces Avenue). This later became the site of an emergency Hall and later on it houses a school.
     About this time, also, under the amazing leadership of the Diliman Women’s Club, a Catholic parish church was built, with Rev. Father Burrtenbrouk as the first community parish priest. The very first mass ever held in this area was celebrated on Christmas ever of 1940. It was officiated by Reverent Koodring, a SVD priest from Christ the King Seminary, along España Extension.
     The Church was beautifully decorated with Kamuning branches and leaves. The pungent fragrance of the tiny white flowers permeated the makeshift chapel as the mass went o. Those who attended the mass were impressed by the heart stirring beauty of the Kamuning – decorated alter that, after the services, while the whole world was echoing with joyous harmonies of Christmas sounds and greetings, the residents of Barrio Obrero decided to petition the People’s Homesite Corporation to change the name of their area to Kamuning. This was just right, they said, for indeed, they were not obreros or laborers; most of them were actually government employees with white collar jobs.
     No one knows what action the Corporation took regarding the petition, but after that memorable Christmas Eve, nobody called the place Barrio Obrero anymore.

FIRST QUEZON CITY HALL BUILDING

The big wooden building at the northeast corner of E. de los Santos and Aurora Boulevard, belonging to Assemblyman Dr. Valentin Afable of Zambales who used it as a hospital, was rented by the City government and used it as the City Hall up to the end enemy occupation. The court of first Instance was housed in this building but the municipal court was housed in one of the moderate sized new house on 9th South Street in Sampaloc.
Possibly the very first civilian employee appointed by Quezon was Cornelio S. Domingo, who was a janitor was given the job of cleaning the new city hall, especially the room occupied by Quezon. He was sworn into office by Damian Jimenez, then secretary to the mayor, who later became city secretary and municipal judge; before he died, he was a judge of the Court of First Instance.

QUEZON CITY POPULATION AS OF APRIL 1940

By February 1940, the population of Quezon City had gone up to 39.013. Of these, 1976 were foreigners, of which 272 were Americans, 473 Chinese, 63 Germans, 43 Spaniards, 33 English, 12 Dutch, 7 French, and those of other countries in Europe and Asia. The Facts were released by City Health Officer Florencio Z. Cruz, then.

CHAPTER 3

THE MORATO ADMINISTRATION

October 12, 1939 – Effectivity of Appointment October 23, 1939- Assumed duties November 10, 1939 (approval of appointment) to July 19, 1942

     Don Tomas Bernabeau Morato was a full-bloodied Spaniard who was born in the picturesque seaport of Alicante, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, on July 4, 1887. His father was a ship captain who sailed from Spain to the Philippines and frequently stopped at the coastal town of Calauag, Tayabas. An only son, Tomas was brought to this place in 1898 by his father. Here he studied and met Quezon when he was only 13; the latter was then 22 years old. Tomas finished his engineering course and entered the lumber business where he amassed quite a fortune. By virtue of a proviso in the Treaty of Paris which granted Filipino Citizenship to all Spaniards who had decided to stay in this country, Morato became a Filipino citizen.
     His friendship with Quezon was a rare and unique one. They courted girls together, and helped each other during difficult times. When Quezon was elected president of the Philippine Commonwealth, he entered Malacanang for the first time with Morato and Nonong (Quezon’s son). And thereafter, Morato-or Tommy, as Quezon called him- was one of the very few people who could enter Malacanang at all times, even staying overnight as was often the case.
     It was Quezon who kept on egging Morato that he enters into politics. He ran for Mayor of Calauag and won easily. While he was in his second term as mayor, Quezon asked him to come to Manila to join him in building the new city. As always, he could not refuse Quezon.
     Mayor Morato, technically speaking was the first mayor of Quezon City because although Quezon signed his appointment paper on November 10, 1939, he made retroactive to October 12, 1939, the day Quezon City was officially created. The reason why Quezon made it retroactive is contained in the following news item head, “Officials of New City appointed,” which appeared in the Tribune, October 13, 1939.
     “The Office of the Mayor was purposely vacant as President Quezon himself decided to assume the functions corresponding to the Mayor, but Malacanang emphasized he will do so as President without the formal appointment of a mayor, as that would place the President under the unique situation of being under the Secretary of the Interior.”
     Quezon assumed the functions of Mayor of Quezon City for only 10 days. On October 23, 1939, he gave Morato an ad interim appointment as Mayor of Quezon City as he submitted his name to the Commission on Appointments for confirmation. This ad interim appointment of Morato is recorded in the Official Gazette vol. 37, No.137, November 16, 1939, under the “Changes in the Service by the President of the Philippines.” The notation reads as follows:
     “Capt. Tomas B. Morato, add interim, Mayor, October 23, 1939.
     It was under Morato’s term that the cornerstone for the Quezon City Hall was laid on November 15, 1940, fifth anniversary of the Philippine Commonwealth. Carunungan in his book depicts the zeal and energy with which Morato tackled the tremendous difficulties beset him in launching the growth and development of Quezon City. Despite very limited funds, he was able to construct a network of roads in accordance with the Frost Master Plan and despite an inadequate police force of only 48; he was able to contain criminality. On the belief that “Vice is the father of crime”, he caused the “eradication of vices, gambling, chance halls, cockpits, cabarets and other social evils in the new City”.
     The maintenance of satisfactory health conditions and public welfare among the residents by the expansion of the work of health institutions under the command of the city are given careful attention, the promotion of social justice program through conferences with the leaders of discontented elements and by providing them employments in the government projects in the new city is ameliorating social and economic conditions among the poor residents.
     The formation of a constructive program for maintenance of the city finances on sound basis and the encouragement of the development of local industries are among the projects which Mayor Morato urgently desires to accomplish during his administration to make Quezon City a model community.

THE FIRST MUSICAL PIECE COMPOSED FOR QUEZON CITY

The first musical piece composed for Quezon City was the “Quezon City March”, music composed by Amando Calleja and the lyrics by Jesus Balmori on April 6, 1940. The sponsors of this musical piece were the officials and members of the Cubao Women’s Club headed by Mrs. Tomas Morato.
The authors dedicated the musical piece to His Excellency President Manuel L. Quezon and Hon. Mayor Tomas B. Morato.

CHAPTER 4

QUEZON CITY DURING THE WORLD WAR II

     The development of Quezon City was in full swing under the administration of Mayor Morato and Vice Mayor and City Engineer Pnciano A. Bernardo when the Philippines was brought into the maelstrom of the Second World War – December 8, 1941. A few days before the Japanese entered Manila, President Quezon declared Quezon City a part of Greater Manila. Quezon City remained as part of the Greater Manila until January 2, 1947, when its separate political existence was restored by Republic Act No. 45.
     That day, December 8, 1941, Quezon was at Baguio. He was informed that Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese. Events moved swiftly, before anyone could move, Clark field was attacked. Quezon motored down to Manila and, two days after the outbreak, he called for a meeting of the Council of State in his house that was then in Marikina, but became part of Quezon City. The Assembly passed momentous resolution expressing loyalty to the United States and proclaiming the re-election of Quezon and Osmena, as president and vice president respectively.
     Quezon left for Corregidor on December 24, leaving the responsibility of administering the Philippine government to Secretary Jorge Vargas. On January 1st, from the Malinta tunnel President Quezon issued an executive order designating Vargas as the Mayor of Greater Manila. This was a new political subdivision that comprised, aside from Manila proper, Quezon City, Caloocan, Pasay, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Makati and Paranaque. The mayors of the various towns and cities were designated assistant mayors.
     By that time, Mayor Tomas Morato was residing in his Quezon City home in New York Street, Cubao, behind where the church of the Iglesia ni Kristo is now located. Fearful of Japanese reprisal, he burned all of the 89 hand-written letters of Quezon to him. Nevertheless, on July 19, 1942, he was arrested by the Japanese Military Administration on charges of being a member of the underground resistance movement. He was taken to Fort Santiago, the torture prison of Manila, and there he languished with vice mayor Ponciano Bernardo, police chief Sabino De Leon and Constantino Gabriel, principal of the Mandaluyong Elementary School. Also with them were eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez, his son, Eulogio, Jr., and Hans Menzi.
     On December 24, 1942, Morato was released together with Bernardo, de Leon and Gabriel, through the help of Jose P. Laurel, as revealed by Mrs. Morato.
     Morato never forgot Laurel’s kindness; some years later, when Laurel was tried as a collaborator, Morato stood up to defend him.
     After his release, Morato left Quezon City. He went in hiding in Baguio and, during all the years of Japanese Occupation, he hardly went back to Greater Manila.
     During the enemy occupation, the Quezon City was divided into two Districts—Diliman and San Francisco Del Monte. For the district of Diliman, Dr. Florencio Z. Cruz, former Quezon city Health Officer was appointed Districts Chief; He assumed his office on July 7, 1942, and stayed until the Americans returned. Paterno Fortuna, who was then Assistant Secretary of the City Council, acted as secretary of Dr. Cruz.
     For the district of San Francisco, Gregorio Felipe was appointed the district chief. The district of Diliman comprised the barrios of Cubao, Galas, Murphy, New Manila, Santol, Sta. Mesa Heights, University site and Kamuning. The district of San Francisco del Monte comprised San Francisco Del Monte, Balintawak, and other surrounding barrios. In 1944, Gregorio Felipe who was a former member of the municipal council of San Juan was killed by the guerrillas.
     Throughout the four years of Japanese conquest, Quezon City had all but disappeared, swallowed by the new political entity of Greater Manila.

CHAPTER 5

QUEZON CITY AFTER THE WAR

On January 11, 1945, American bombers, mostly Navy planes, were over Quezon City, where most of the Japanese anti-craft batteries were situated. They bombed and strafed the Quezon Boulevard extension and the circumferential road that is now E. de los Santos Avenue. Even before that, at around 11:30 in the morning of Friday, December 29th, six American dive-bombers flew over the Diliman area on their way to Manila, and were fired upon by the same anti-aircraft batteries from the Camp Murphy barracks.
The following day, Quezon City became alive with army troops. The 1st Cavalry Division, the 37th division, and the other armies of the United States pitched their tents in the empty lots. The University of the Philippines’ buildings was vacated by the Japanese soldiers, so the Americans took over and started making improvements all over the campus.

     The 37th Division joined a special force from the 7th Cavalry Regiment to capture the Novaliches (now La Mesa Dam), which was one of the key installations in the Manila water system. On February 7th, the dam and the Balara Filters were seized intact by the intrepid 1st Cavalry soldiers, with the assistance of the employees at the Filters Reservation who were also guerillas. For days, they kept close watch of the movements of the Japanese soldiers who were stationed in Balara.
     On February 27, 1945, General Douglas MacArthur turned over the reins of civil government to the Filipinos. President Sergio Osmena received the responsibility of leading his people.
     He then organized his government by appointing the new officials of the Philippine commonwealth. Juan Nolasco was appointed mayor of the city of Greater Manila. In April, at about the time when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died, Tomas Confesor, the famed guerrilla leader of Iloilo, who was Osmena’s secretary of Interior, designated Oscar Castelo acting assistant mayor of Quezon City. In effect, he was an assistant to the Mayor of Manila, for Quezon City was still a part of Greater Manila. Castelo was former Assistant Manila fiscal before that appointment.
     Moreover, the Quezon City government was practically non-existent. Many of the employees of the city offices either evacuated to the provinces during the darkest times of the war, or they were gainfully employed in the Army Camps. Castelo used the residence of President Manuel L.
     In those trying times, the government of the Philippines was run by both Osmena and the United States Army Forces Western Pacific (AFWESPAC), which had been formed by General MacArthur on June 7, 1945, under the command of Lt. Gen. W.D. Styer.
     The entire country was too disorganized and too involved with survival for the people to think of paying taxes. For a time, the national government was using the $71 million turned over to it by the United States, covering excise taxes on Philippine exports to America. Of this, the national government gave P30, 014.58 to Quezon City, because the city’s coffers were practically empty.
     From July 1, 1945 to December 31, 1945, the total income of Quezon City amounted to only P171, 392.41, and the deficit for the same period, despite the subsidy, amounted to P10, 337.49. The expenses of the city did not include the outlay for peace and order, because this task was pursued by the United States Army, under the U.s. Provost Marshall.
     From February 8, 1945 to April of the same year, Quezon City was placed under the United States military control. The Quezon City administration was later transferred to Oscar Castelo, who held his position until September 30, 1946. He returned to his former job as assistant fiscal in Manila immediately after. On October 11, 1946, sabino de Leon, former chief of police of Quezon City, was appointed assistant mayor of Greater Manila for Quezon City. He held that position until the end of 1946. By this time, the city government offices had been moved to South 9th Street, near Sampaloc Avenue, in Kamuning.
     President Osmena had then practically dissolved the Greater Manila. The six Rizal towns – Paranaque, Pasay, Makati, Mandaluyong, Caloocan, and San Juan, had been returned to the province. Only Quezon City was left. The agitation for this move had begun as early as May 16, 1945, when two ex-mayors of Manila, who became senators, Amang Rodriguez and Ramon J. Fernandez, introduced Senate Bill No. 19 which would restore separate corporate powers of the cities and towns. The Bill, likewise, proposed to make Quezon City belong to the end representative district of Manila for election purposes.
     On June 14, Senate Bill no. 19 was approved on third reading and everyone was optimistic that President Osmena would support it. At the same time, a bill was also introduced by Congressman Cabarroguis providing for the merging of the City of Manila and Quezon City into one city to be called Rizal. Both bills did not prosper.
     Before the year was over, Quezon City was separated from manila, and Ponciano Bernardo was appointed by President Osmena to be its mayor. On January 1, 1947, Barnardo assumed the office in simple ceremonies at Malacanang, and Quezon City was again reborn.
     On December 17, 1945, President Osmena issued Proclamation No, 32, which proclaimed a nationwide campaign to raise funds for the erection of a national monument in honor of President Quezon, who died at Saranac Lake, in the United States. The proclamation designated January 2, 1946 as the starting date for the campaign; it set its goal to raise P250, 000.00. President Osmena also issued Executive Order No, 79 creating the Quezon Memorial Committee to take charge of the campaign to raise funds for the Quezon monument.
     The committees that Osmena appointed were leading government officials, businessmen and labor leaders. Among them were Senator Tomas Morato, Jr., Alfredo Montelibano, Jose Locsin and Pedro Hernaez. . This committee was to be the first of numerous other committees, which ran for a span of several decades.
     On April 23, 1946, the first national election was held. Roxas won the election. He became the first president of the second Philippine Republic which was inaugurated on July 4, 1946.
     Immediately after election, President Roxas announced his intention of restoring Quezon City as a regular chartered city. There were protests from various quarters, from the Department of Interior officials, the Manila Health authorities, and even the newspapers gave negative comments on this matter.
     Nevertheless, on October 11, 1946, President Roxas signed the bill authored by Congressman Santos Diaz, freeing Quezon City from Manila and transferring the police forces of that city and those of the six Rizal towns to that of Manila. The signing was attended by numerous government officials, including the two Rizal Congressmen, the provincial government officials and mayors of Rizal. Special guest at the simple but impressive ceremony was Mrs. Aurora Aragon vda. De Quezon.
     President Roxas remarked, after signing the bill that he would appoint the officials of Quezon City at once. But Capt. Sabino de Leon continued serving his term as acting assistant mayor until December 31, 1946. Meanwhile, Oscar Castelo was appointed judge-at-large of the court of first instance of Rizal, stationed in Quezon City and Caloocan.

QUEZON CITY : SELECTED AS THE SITE FOR THE CAPITAL CITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

     On July 25, 1946, President Roxas appointed a committee that would select the site for the capital city of the Philippines. The committee was headed by Senator Melecio Arranz, by virtue of administrative order No. 5. The Committee was charged to select the most suitable site on which to build the capital city of the Philippines and the capitol building or buildings.
     Spirited public hearings were held by the committee for the purpose of gauging public opinion. Sixteen sites were nominated; they were Bataan, Quezon City, North Novaliches, North Montalban, San Mateo, Antipolo, Nagcarlan-Lilio, Santo Tomas, Tanauan, Canluban, Tagaytay, Baguio, Iloilo, San Pablo, Los Banos, Sibul and McKinley. The principal considerations involved the following factors, general sanitation, public works development, strategic considerations, scenic beauty, and administrative coordination,.
     After extensive researches, discussions, studies, and public hearings, the results were tabulated by the committee. The highest composite rating of 71.5% went to Ipo-Novaliches area; Baguio, second with 69.4%; and Quezon City – Novaliches, third with 68.3%.
     Since the areas of Ipo-Novaliches-Quezon City are connected to each other, the committee thought it would be very ideal if it could combine these places it make the capital city of the Philippines. The average of the composite ratings of Ipo-Novaliches and Quezon City-Novaliches is 69.9%, which neither alters its position as neither the first choice nor that of Baguio as the second choice.
     The conclusion of the Arranz Committee stated that “After a thorough study, investigation and deliberation, the committee concludes that the area covered by Quezon City extending northward along the Marikina River to the upper limits of Novaliches reservoir watershed, thence West to the boundary line again of Quezon City, comprising an approximate total area of 16,200 hectares, more or less, one fourth of which is owned by the government, is the best under the circumstances to be made as the Capital City of the Republic.”. This conclusion, although there were many grumblings after it was made, were easily scotched by the reasons given by Arranz and his group regarding the advantages of Quezon City.
     First of the reason was its proximity to Manila, the best port of entry from foreign countries and the commercial and financial center of the country. It will be within the 30-kilometer limit from the Rizal monument of Manila, as specified by Commonwealth Act of 457; second, its accessibility from all the important areas in the Philippines either by land, air or sea; third, its already available conveniences from the standpoint of a municipal entity; third, Its geologic qualities, which provide a satisfactory foundation for buildings and other structures, at the same time allowing the construction of underground structures; forth, Its large area of government-owned land right in its central zone which will permit a substantial economy in the development of public improvements as well as more freedom and liberal assignments for streets, parks, and playground structures; fifth, Its historical background; consideration of public expenditures already made; administrative commitments and evident public support.
     On April 7, 1947, the recommendations were sent by the Committee on Capital City site.

CHAPTER 6

THE MAYOR PONCIANO BERNARDO ADMINISTRATION

     On December 24, 1946, all the papers reported the appointment of a new mayor for Quezon City, together with his Vice Mayor Matias Defensor and councilors as follows: Leon Malubay, Gregorio Roxas and Hipolito Lopez. They took their oath of office on the 1st day of January 1947. Ponciano Bernardo was an engineer by profession. He was a native of Nueva Ecija, having been born in Santa Rosa on December 2, 1905. He studied at Cabanatuan Elementary School, then to San Isidro, Nueva Ecija for his secondary education, graduating with honors in 1923. He was among the first scholars in engineering in the University of the Philippines, where he graduated as civil engineer in 1927. He placed third in the board examinations for civil engineers that he took the same year he graduated from U.P. Immediately thereafter, he became an engineer’s assistant in the Bureau of Public Works branch in Cabanatuan, after which, in 1929, he was appointed assistant provincial engineer of Tayabas Province, a position he held from 1929 to 1935. In 19336, he was transferred to Baguio as assistant engineer; then he became district engineer in Antique in 1939. A year later, in 1940, President Quezon appointed him vice mayor and city engineer of Quezon City.
     Mayor Bernardo worked like a man obsessed to fulfill the dreams of his friend, Manuel Luis Molina Quezon. He diligently worked without let-up, making frequent on-the-spot inspections, and seeing to it that all the public works projects were being pursued with quality and dispatch.
     Since he knew that peace and order played a very vital role in the city’s progress, Mayor Bernardo put his office adjacent to that of the police department. Under his administration, all the city officials were, also, always on their toes, imbued by the same irresistible dream. Other than the vice mayor, Matias defensor, and the City Councilors, the Quezon City Officials included: Crisanto Alba, Chief of Police; Prudencio Encomienda, judge of the municipal court; and Dr. Petronio Monsod, City Health Officer.
     On January 29, 1947, Quezon City Council, desperately aware of the immensity of the reconstruction job ahead, passed a resolution, sponsored by Councilor Gregorio Roxas, requesting subsidy of P200, 000 from the plans for roads, bridges, and other public works projects. At the same time, the council asked President Roxas to authorize the release of the city’s pre-war deposits in the Philippine National Bank.
     During those times, the offices of the city government, including that of Mayor Bernardo, were still housed in the Manila Police Department precinct number 5, which was in Kamuning. By the middle of February, Mayor Bernardo announced that the new city hall would be constructed at a cost of P80, 000.00; this would be at the market site in Cubao. When the precinct no. 5 building had become so crowded, the city council decided to move the government offices to the South market building along what is now Alejandro Roces, Sr. avenue.
     The City then was divided into five districts, namely: North, South, Tatalon, Santol and Sociego. On February 16, the 30 district councilors, representing these five districts took their5 oath before Secretary of interior Jose Zulueta. The oath taking was witnessed by more than 10,000 people, and was held at the residence of vice Mayor Matias Defensor in Galas.
     On March 1, 1947, weather in Quezon City turned hotter, thus the Quezon City Councilors approved a resolution requesting P20,000.00 from the national government to purchase a fire engine, since the city had absolutely no equipment to use in case of a fire. At the same time, the council asked for P10, 000.00 to buy a jeep for the city police.
     On March 31, 1947, the Manila City Police department officially withdrew from Quezon City. 53 policemen had been appointed under the city police chief Crisanto Alba, with Captain Nicolasito Luz as deputy chief of police. Seven police stations had been set up in various places in the city. The withdrawal had been planned some weeks before, but, as Secretary Jose Padilla told the press, Mayor Bernardo pleaded with Col. Lamberto Javaler, Manila Chief of police, to delay it, because the city could not hire more policemen “due to lack of funds.”
     In July 1947, the pre- war market building along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue was demolished. Foundation stones for the New City Hall were planted. In February 1948, the building was finished at the total cost of P156, 772.48, much higher from its original appropriation.
     Another project of Mayor Bernardo was the creation of a park that would have a skating rink, an artificial lagoon, a zoo, and other features that would give the residents of Quezon City. .He had done it in Burnham Park, when he was working in Baguio as city engineer. An appropriation of P19, 000 was given to the building of this park which was carved out of hill; and which now bears Mayor Bernardo’s name. The design for it was work of an 18-year old but capable U.S.T. architecture student who attracted Mayor Bernardo’s attention in the city engineer’s office. The young man’s name was Luciano Aquino; he would be working in Quezon City through all the ensuing years and he was soon to be the city architect. The park was inaugurated on February 19, 1948 with high ranking government officials attending.
     In June 1947, the Galas market was constructed at a cost of P25, 000.00, and the Quezon City High School was built with only two classes-for the young people of the city who, previously, had to go all the way to Manila to get their secondary education.
     On January 1, 1948, New Year’s Day, Councilor Gregorio Roxas became Vice Mayor, succeeding Matias Defensor. Ramon Vicencio, of Galas, took his place in the City Council.

QUEZON CITY FINALLY CHOSEN AS THE CAPITAL CITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

     The move to select the capital site was urgent. The provisions of the United States War Damage Act, which allotted about P21 million for the purpose of putting up the capital city, stipulated that “unless the site is chosen by 1950, the appropriation will be reverted to the United States.” Thus, on June 22, 1948, President Quirino called a caucus in Malacañang to decide, once and for all, the site for the capital city.
     There were controversies, discussions and impassioned exchanges of arguments, but on the morning of July 17, 1948, congress finally approved Republic Act No. 333 – amending Commonwealth Act No. 502, known as the Charter of Quezon City- which declared that Quezon City would be the “Capital of the Philippines and the permanent seat of the national government.” President Quirino lost no time in signing it into law.
     It took almost a year to prepare the master plan for the new Capital City. The arguments were lengthy and often bitter. Various sectors had their own ideas; some of them, though, had ulterior motives. In their final report, the members of the commission indicated that “planning the new Capital City they took into initial account the role that the city is destined to play; politically, as the seat of the national government; aesthetically, as the show of the nation, a place that thousand s of people will come to visit as an epitome of the culture and spirit of the country; socially, as a dignified concentration of human life, aspirations, endeavor and achievement; and economically, as a productive self-contained community.

On April 8, 1949, President Quirino signed the voluminous master plan which contained detailed instructions and specifications.

     Republic Act No. 333 further stipulated the appropriation of funds for the acquisition of private estates within the boundary limits of the city, and authorized the issuance of bonds of the national Government, not only for the construction of streets, bridges, waterworks, sewerage and other municipal improvements in the capital city.
     But Mayor Bernardo, would not live to see all these plans materialize. He was one of those massacred on the day of April 28, 1949, together with Dona Aurora Aragon Quezon, her daughter Maria aurora and son-in-law Philip Buencamino III. Mayor Bernardo accompanied Dona Aurora Quezon on a trip to Baler. Mrs. Quezon was going to inaugurate a hospital and unveil a marker in honor of the late father of Quezon City, Manuel L. Quezon.
     Flags on government buildings in Quezon City flew at half- mast on April 29, 1949, in deference to the death of Mayor Bernardo. The government Officials and employees of the city trooped to the Bernardo residence at No. 4 Mataba Road, Cubao to express their condolences to the mayor’s survivors: his wife Josefina Martinez, of Quezon province; and their eight children namely, Carolina, 18; Josefina, 17; Ponciano, Jr, 15; Emmanuel, 14; Juliet, 12; Reynaldo, 10; Marichu, 8; and Cherry, 6. Mayor Bernardo was forty- four years old.

CHAPTER 7

THE NICANOR ROXAS ADMINISTRATION

     On May 4, 1949, Assistant Executive Secretary Nicanor Roxas was sworn into office as acting Mayor of Quezon City by Speaker Eugenio Perez. The ceremony was held in Speaker Perez’s office in the Congress building, and it was witnessed by a small crowd of government officials and politicians, including Congressman Lorenzo Sumulong, and Congressman Ignacio Santos Diaz, both from the province of Rizal.
     Roxas was the third child of Segundo Roxas and Nemecia Atanacio. He was born on January 10, 1899, in San Roque, marikina, Rizal. He taught in the public schools of Rizal immediately after graduating from high school. At the same time, he studied law at the University of Santo Tomas, obtaining his law degree in 1922 and his masters of laws in 1926.
     Part of his ideology was the program for the amelioration of the impoverished masses and the launching of the Barangay Organization which was to help in the drive for peace. This organization would rely on the cooperative spirit of the people to fight dissidence. According to the mayor, he would endeavor to “synchronize local activities of Quezon city with existing national policies.”
     After the oath taking ceremonies, the acting mayor motored to the Quezon City hall along Highway 54, now EDSA, and met with a group of high government officials and friends. He appealed to them for cooperation in “efforts aimed at putting to raise the living standards in the city.” Then he proceeded to the North Cemetery where he laid floral offerings on the tombs of the late President Quezon, Mrs. Aurora Quezon, and Mayor Ponciano Bernardo.
     Towards the end of May, Congress approved a bill authored by Congressman Lorenzo Sumulong which reduced the area of Quezon City by 301 hectares. The new area was 15,359 hectares instead of the former 15,660 hectares, as provided for in the National Capital Site Act approved only the year before. Sumulong, the Rizal lawmaker, worked for this reduction upon the complaint of his constituents that Quezon City took lands from Montalban, San Mateo and Marikina which were not suited for urban residential purposes. These lands included vegetable farms, rice fields and communal areas east of the Marikina River, Sumulong stressed that “without these lands, San Mateo, which was losing 105 hectares of rice lands, and Montalban, losing 120 hectares of communal lands, would suffer such deprivation that they would not be able to meet the expenses of their governments.
     On September 9, 1949, President Quirino appointed Councilor Francisco Batacan as Vice Mayor of the city. Luis Sianghio, took over his place in the city council.
     The appointment of Mayor Roxas as Acting Mayor of Quezon City proved beneficial to the young metropolis since he was not only assistant executive secretary to President Quirino, but also concurrently undersecretary of the department of Interior. He was able to bring closer to the center of national power, the Malacanang Palace- all the city’s needs and aspirations.
     One of the most significant events that happened during Mayor Roxas term was the inauguration of Quezon City as the National Capital of the Philippines on October 22, 1949. The ground was broken at the site of the national government center in the national capitol building at Constitution Hill.
     The welcome arch at the Rotonda marking the boundary between Manila and Quezon City was also built. It was also in the same year that the construction of the Roxas Homesite, originally called Project One, was started.

FIRST QUEZON CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY

The first Quezon City Public Library was opened to the public on October 25, 1948 under the leadership of Atty. Felicidad Peralta. The affair coincided with the inauguration of the Philippine National Red Cross, Quezon City Chapter. Mrs. Aurora Quezon administered the oath to the members of the Quezon City Red Cross Board of Directors and also cut the ribbon to the library. One of the guests of honor to the opening of the library was Director Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez, who gave his message. The establishment of the Quezon City Public Library was also made possible through the allocation of books and other reading materials of the National Library and form citizens and other institutions.
Mayor Roxas was acting mayor of Quezon City until the evening of January 4, 1950, exactly eight months after his appointment. After that he concentrated on palace work until he was appointed consul general of the Philippines in San Francisco, California, in 1954, which he held until 1959, encompassing the administrations of both Ramon Magsaysay and Carlos P. Garcia. From 1959 to 1961, he was Philippine Ambassador to the Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg), where his exemplary performance earned him the Royal decoration by the kingdoms of Belgium and the Netherlands. On May 31, 1966, President Ferdinand Marcos appointed him ambassador plenipotentiary and extraordinary, a position he held until he died on March 12, 1971.

CHAPTER 8

THE IGNACIO SANTOS-DIAZ ADMINISTRATION

     On January 4, 1950, Ignacio Santos Diaz was appointed as the new mayor of Quezon City by President Quirino. This was one of the more popular decisions of the President, considering the as early as July 17, 1946, he was congressman from the first district of Rizal, and he sponsored House Bill No. 159, in the first session of the Second Congress, which sought to separate Quezon City from the City of Greater Manila. The bill was subsequently approved.
     He pushed for a bill seeking to make Quezon City the “capital of the country.” As chairman of the congressional committee on landed estates, Diaz carefully studied the plans of the Capital City Planning Commission, to ensure that they served the interests of the projected metropolis.
     Ignacio Santos Diaz was born on October 4, 1906. He was the fifth of ten children of Roberto Santos Diaz and Roberta de la Cruz of Marikina, Rizal. He graduated from the Philippine Law School in 1929 and served as justice of the peace in Binangonan, Rizal from 1931 to 1935.
     He went into private practice during World War II and later ran for a congressional seat in the first district of Rizal in 1945.
     During his term, Diaz worked to have the Quezon City Charter revised, to accommodate the new development thrusts of the city. The result was Republic Act 537 which, among others, increased Quezon City’s original area tenfold to 15,359 hectares and drastically changed the composition of the city council. The number of the councilors was increased from three to eight; the mayor was chairman of the council and the vice mayor an ex-officio member. The eight councilors were to be appointed by the President, with the consent of the Commission on Appointments; they were to hold office at the pleasure of the President.
     The eight appointed councilors were: Ramon Vicencio, Claro Pinga, Luis R. Sianghio, Jose P. Cruz, Adolfo Eufemio, Delfin Garcia, Jesus V. Merritt, and Ponciano Reyes.
     The V. Luna General Hospital was inaugurated during Mayor Diaz’s term. Named after Col. Victoriano Luna, the first army surgeon, the hospital attends to the medical needs of the soldiers and their dependents.
     Also during his time, the new Quezon City Hall annex, which was the brainchild of the late Mayor Bernardo, was practically finished. Started the year before, on April 4, 1949, the building was finished on January 23, 1950, at a cost of P175, 087.88. It was constructed by the Guerrero Construction company, Inc., from the structural designs made by Apolonio Adriano and Pantaleon Tabora, both civil engineers from the same office.
     The Quezon City hall annex became popularly known as the Social Hall. Later, it was called Dona aurora Hall and the park beside it was named after Mayor Ponciano Bernardo. All these were inaugurated on March 25, 1950, with the nation’s highest officials-including President Quirino, Vice President Fernando Lopez, cabinet members and other political and social leaders in attendance. The Philippines Herald, dated March 16, 1950, called it “the biggest social event in Quezon City in recent years.”
     Construction boom was then going on in the city. Quirino Housing Project 2 was finished in 1952 and was followed by the construction of Project 3.
     The local government, however, under Mayor Diaz’s leadership, never slackened in its rapid strides to put up more buildings to house its ever expanding activities. The Main Quezon City Hall became too small for all various government administrative activities. Left and right wings were constructed, in addition to the Annex Building, and a fire department building too, directly adjacent to it. Several public markets and school houses were built all over the city.
     Mayor Diaz, put up more police outposts, bought more vehicles for the police force, and constructed a total of 29 government buildings. Among these were: two wings of the City hall; a separate police headquarters; markets in Galas. Cubao, Kamuning, the Kamuning slaughterhouse, the La Loma Fire Station, Health Centers in Kamuning, San Francisco and Balara, started the construction of the ten-room La Loma High School building in July 1952 and finished it before the end of the year at a cost of P76, 000.00. There were other school buildings in Cubao and San Jose which were built along with a four-room addition to the Quezon City High School building and the Quezon City High School Shop and Home Economics Building.

QUEZON CITY SCHOOLS

     On July 25, 1950, President Quirino appointed Pablo S. Reyes the first Quezon City Superintendent of Schools, a position which he held until 1962. Isidro Figuracion was assigned city supervisor. Before the war, the public schools were under the administration of Benito Pangilinan, division superintendent of Rizal Province. During the Japanese occupation, the schools were under Dr. Cecilio Putong, city superintendent of schools of Manila. Immediately after liberation, the schools were supervised by Servillano Dunglao, city supervisor.
     The record of the Quezon City schools in 1950 was commendable. That year, the Bureau of Public Schools, in cooperation with the National Economic Council and the ICA, conducted a survey of General Education all over the country. Quezon City ranked first in standards among six cities in the results. In the national examinations for Grade IV, Quezon City was among the ten topnotchers in overall score.
     More and more private schools were moving to Quezon City. St. Theresa’s College and St. Mary’s college had already moved to where they are now. By 1951, Ateneo de Manila had started to build its gymnasium, as well as high school and college units. The construction of the Carillon Tower in the University of the Philippines was begun by the Up Alumni Association, from initial appropriations advanced from University funds.

QUEZON CITY HOSPITALS

V. Luna General Hospital

The V. Luna General Hospital was inaugurated in December 1950 for the sick and wounded armed forces personnel began to function. It was named after Col. Victoriano Luna, the first army surgeon general. He was killed in March 1942, when the Japanese bombed the makeshift Philippine Army general Hospital in Mariveles, Bataan, which was moved from Camp Murphy on December 24, 1951, and which was really the predecessor of this hospital.
The hospital went from place to place until the Armed Forces acquired the lot at Kamias Road. Finally, the big, new hospital building was finished at a cost of P800, 000, 00 and, with ten Quonset huts worth P30, 000.00. It served the armed forces valiantly during the early fifties when the Huk campaign was at its most violent.

Quezon Institute

Another hospital that served the needs of the Quezon City residents with courage and determination was the Quezon Institute. It was originally called Santol Sanitarium when it opened its doors on January 2, 1919, on the very six hectare plateau that it still occupies and which is about six kilometers from the Rizal Monument at the Luneta. Before World War II, it was already famous as the finest T.B. sanitarium in the Far East. It was and still is the pride of the Philippine tuberculosis society.

Quezon City Health Department

     The Quezon City Health Department, likewise, announced that in fiscal year 1950 – 1951, the death rate for the city had decreased from 8.23 to 7.98 per thousand populations, while the birth rate had increased from 20.92 percent from the pervious five years to 31.80 percent in the present fiscal year.
     This was the direct result of the 100 percent increase in marriages – from 5.4 percent per thousand populations from the past five years to 10.72 percent of the current year. Perhaps, the most notable finding was the substantial decrease in infant mortality from 141.79 percent from the past five years to 91.98 percent per thousand births for this year.
     In spite of their meager appropriation, the City Health Department proudly reported at the end of the 1950 – 1951 fiscal years that the 15 health centers had given 58,389 consultations, 80,718 treatments, 566 minor operations, and 17,373 attendances to residents a patient.

Veterans Memorial Hospital

     On November 20, 1955, the VMH rising over a 55 – hectare lot in the rolling hills of Balongbato, Diliman, was inaugurated. The P18, 800,000.00 hospitals, according to VMH Inaugural Souvenir Book, published by the Department of national Defense, “is without peer in the entire Far East for its size, modernisms and medical capabilities.” It comprises 23 separate buildings with a floor space of about 11 hectares. The corridors, put end to end would reach seven miles.
     The hospital had 722 beds – capacity and was fully furnished with the most modern equipment then known to medical science. For instance, the VMH had a sewerage treatment plant which was the first of its kind in the whole Orient; it even had a complete orthopedic shop for the manufacture or artificial limbs, which was never seen before in the Philippines.
     Fully financed by the United States government, the VMH “now stands as an eloquent monument to America’s profound concern for and gratitude towards Filipino was veterans of Bataan, Corregidor, Leyte and other great battles, who have suffered and are now suffering infirmities and physicals disabilities in the defense of Freedom, Democracy and Human Dignity during the darkest chapter of this nation’s history.” Its history actually began with the enactment by the U.S. Congress of the bill authored by Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers, of Massachusetts; a devoted friend of Filipino was veterans. It became U.S. Public Law 865, 80th Congress, when then President Harry S. Truman signed it.
     The Rogers Act gave the President of the United States the authority “to provide aid to the Republic of the Philippines in the form of grants not to exceed S22, 500,000 for the construction and equipping of necessary hospital facilities for exclusive use of disabled Filipino World War II veterans.” It also provided that the U.S. government “reimburse the Republic of the Philippines for moneys expended for the interim hospitalizations of disabled veterans in contract hospitals in the islands while the proposed Veterans Memorial Hospital was not yet available for their use.” The US – PI Pact of June 7, 1949, signed by then President Elpidio Quirino and then American Ambassador to the Philippines Myron Cowen, at Malacañang, Manila, made possible the implementation of the Rogers Act, for it stipulated “the construction and equipping of hospitals for veterans and the provisions of medical care and treatment of veterans by the government of the Philippines and the furnishing of grants – in – aid thereof by the government of the United States America.” This specifically provided for the construction of the Veterans Memorial Hospital.
     The preliminary plans for the hospital were done by the Bureau of Public Works and sent to the USVA in Washington, D.C. for study and approval. Allied Technologies, inc. and Architect Pablo Panlilio were awarded the architectural job. After the work checked and re – checked by the DND Engineer Group, headed by Col. Nicolas R. Jimenez, in coordination with Col. John T. Thompson, USVA construction engineer, it was sent to then Secretary of national Defense Ramon Magsaysay for approval. The complete drawings which weighed 377 lbs. and had more than 2000 sheets were sent to Washington, D.C. on April 25, 1951 for final scrutiny by the construction division experts of the Central office of the Veterans Administration.
     Work on the hospital began finally on September 17, 1953; the cornerstone laying was performed by President Quirino, which as it turned out, was among his very last official acts. More than 1000 workers were employed in the construction, working around the clock for two years.
     As writer Fitz Areza Geraldo says in the VMH Inaugural Souvenir Book, “The Veteran Memorial Hospital is an answer to a long – crying need. It is America’s fulfillment of an obligation plighted to incapacitated Philippine Army Veterans and recognized guerillas of World War II for their proper medical attention and treatment…The VMH, indeed, is so complete it is almost beyond any man’s comprehension.”

QUEZON CITY POLICE FORCE

     The strength of the Quezon City Police force was increased from 125 in 1947 to 323 in 1950. Its territory was divided into four police precincts and the organization of Barangays units was intensified to help in the maintenance of peace and order. The members of these Barangays appealed to lot owners “to rid their vacant surroundings and lots of tall shrubs, grass and other potential hiding places of bad elements.” More electric lights had been installed to discourage criminal attacks in streets and highways. In January 1950, there were 226 street lights; by August 1951, there were 1,046 street lights.
     But then, in the middle months of 1953, the volcanic drama of national politics was moving swiftly towards a strange and blustering denouement. On February 25, 1953, the Liberal Party urged Quirno to run for re-election, and the President immediately accepted.
     Since Mayor Diaz was a Liberal, he supported Quirino in one of the most fiery election campaigns in Philippine History.As Carlos Romulo wrote in his book The Magsaysay Story, “That November 10, 1953, free elections were preserved,” “democracy in the Philippines was saved, and Ramon Magsaysay was elected President of the Philippine republic by the greatest majority in its political history.”
     As Carlos Romulo wrote in his book The Magsaysay Story, “That November 10, 1953, free elections were preserved,” “democracy in the Philippines was saved, and Ramon Magsaysay was elected President of the Philippine republic by the greatest majority in its political history.”
     As expected, Mayor Diaz turned in his resignation even before Magsaysay took his oath of office on December 30, 1953. He was followed by his councilors who were all appointed by President Quirino.
     Diaz had no regrets about his stepping down; he knew he did well during his administration. He knew, too, that there was still much to be done.
     Indeed, in those weeks, just before the national elections, Quezon City was jittery, because of the news that the Huks would be using the area for their jumping off for Manila in case of an upheaval. Chief of Police Crisanto Alba had issued a general alert to all police precincts. Checkpoints were established at all strategic points along entrances to the city with firm instructions to all guards to “screen everybody.” At Camp Murphy, Armed Forces officials reassured Quezon City residents of their safety from Huk violence even as the 19th Battalion Combat team was held in readiness to rush to any sector in the City in case the Huks would attack.
     As the election of November 10 came to pass, nothing happened in Quezon City. It was a quite, clean and orderly election.

CHAPTER 9

THE NORBERTO AMORANTO ADMINISTRATION

     President Ramon Magsaysay started to look for a new mayor for Quezon City after the resignation of Mayor Diaz… He sought the advice of his colleagues in the selection of appointees to various positions in his new administration. When he came to finding a new mayor for Quezon City, invariably, he sought the advice of one who knew the City well, Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez, President of the Nacionalista Party.
     The story goes that sometime before that time; Amang Rodriguez had a P1 million tax cases filed against him by Liberal Party President Elpidio Quirino. He asked an able tax lawyer to help him; his name was Norberto S. Amroanto. The case was quashed and Amang was jubilant. He offered Amoranto and his law partners a reward for the victory, but they refused him. Naturally, Amang was impressed by Amoranto’s integrity and ability.
     Since politics was the farthest from Amoranto’s mind in those days, he had dreamed, one way or another, that Amang would recommend him to a bureau of Internal Revenue position- as collector, for instance. But Amang recommended him to President Magsaysay to be the mayor of Quezon City.
     Norberto Salandanan Amoranto was born on June 4, 1908, in a little nipa house in Barrio San Jose, Binan, Laguna. His mother, Rufina Salandanan was a meat vendor in the public market, and his father, Lucio Amoranto, was a goldsmith who turned to farming when his eyesight began to grow dim. Norberto was the eight of nine sons and daughters.
     He studied at the Binan Elementary School, after which he took hiss secondary education at the Laguna Provincial High School, in Sta. Cruz, Laguna, graduated in 1928. At that time, he was a tall, thin young man of 120 lbs., and he was famous then as the bantamweight champion of the Laguna High School. He had a classmate then, a Sta. Cruz girl named Asisola Lim, who stole his heart away and married her in 1938.
     Amoranto went to Manila and took up Pre-Law at the University of Manila and later, at National University. He went to the Philippine Law School for his law proper, where he obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1932. He passed the bar the following year, after which he continued his studies at the University of Manila. It was here he received his Master of Laws Degree, major in taxation.
     While a student, he worked, first as a messenger in the defunct Executive Bureau, then as clerk in the Bureau of Supply. Upon getting his Ll.B. Degree, he worked at the Bureau of Internal Revenue, where he rose from Assistant Tax Examiner to Senior Tax Examiner in 19356. Immediately upon marrying Asisola, then a teacher at the Laguna High School, he bought a house and lot on Don Manuel Street, in La Loma, District, which at the same time, was a part of Caloocan.
     In 1951, Amoranto resigned from the Bureau of Internal Revenue and put up a law firm with Zoria and Pecino.
     By this time, Amang was so impressed by Amroanto’s ability and integrity that he had absolutely no hesitation in recommending him to Magsaysay when the matter of Quezon City mayorship cam about.
     This was the inauspicious beginning of the Amoranto era that would go on for twenty-four years, spanning the administration of Magsaysay, Garcia, Macapagal and Marcos, and playing the lead role in some of Quezon City’s most spectacular and significant political and social dramas.
     As soon as the appointment of Amoranto as acting vice mayor and concurrently acting mayor was published in the local press, a revolt against the leadership of Senate President Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez and his son, Congressman Eulogio Rodriguez, Jr., broke out in Quezon City. In the afternoon of January 13, a big crowd of Quezon City residents went to Malacañang in 18 buses carrying placards which denounced the Amoranto appointment. The demonstrators were led by Isidor Guevarra, Nacionalista Party president in Quezon City, Dr. Leon Malubay, former Quezon City councilor, and Leoncio Silva, a local businessman and NP leader. According to the Manila Chronicle report, “one of the leaders told the solon (Congressman Rodriguez) they were protesting Amoranto’s appointment, not as Nacionalistas under the Nacionalista Party as Mayor.”
     Nothing happened to Amoranto though. On January 16, 1954, the Daily Record reported the side of Amoranto. “The Quezon City executive branded the demonstrations protesting his appointment Wednesday at Malacañang as “politically inspire”. Earlier, it was discovered that most of the demonstrators were not appraised of the true nature of the rally…Several of those who had joined the rally by mistake had been flocking to the office of Amoranto since yesterday apologizing for having taken part in it at the same time reiterating their faith and confidence and pledge of support for the acting mayor…”
     Nevertheless, one of Amoranto’s very first act as mayor was the organization of the Mayor’s Complaint Committee on January 19, 1954, where complaints and denunciations of the residents erring employees and officials would be “acted upon with dispatch.” Patterned after the Presidential Complaint and Action Commission of President Magsaysay, this anti – graft group of Quezon City was directed by Amoranto “to give priority to complaints aired by the under – privileged and to spare no effort in bringing to light government irregularities regardless of the Party affiliation of those involved.”
     Amoranto, a fiscal expert, looked into the dismal financial condition of the city. He called Treasurer Conrado Hernandez to help him in pursuing “stringent economy measures in the disposition of people’s money in an effort to balance the city budget and to steer clear from previous administration’s unwise deficit spending policy.” He further asked the treasurer “to exert effort to undo the huge budget deficit incurred by the previous administration’s contractual obligations amounting to more than P85, 000.00 pertaining to wages of “election campaign gangs”.
     With such measures and other drastic steps in cleaning up the city government with undesirables, the first few weeks of Amoranto at the Quezon City Hall were utterly tumultuous. His purges of erring employees through his anti – graft committee, which went on in full blast from the very moment it was organized, created vociferous hue and cry from what the Manila Bulletin called “the victims.” They threatened to sue the acting mayor for damages, since, in their opinion he was “doing his job contrary to law. According to the lawyers if the employees who were eased out of their jobs recently…Amoranto’s appointment as acting mayor was illegal and in violation of the Constitution. These sources pointed out that Amoranto’s appointment by President Magsaysay violated the provision of the Constitution against any presidential appointee’s taking his oath of office prior to the confirmation of the appointment by the Commission on Appointments while Congress was in session.”
     The counsel for the ousted employees claimed that since Amoranto was appointed vice mayor only, the real successor to Diaz was Anastacio Agan, the city engineer, in accordance with the rule of succession as provided for in the charter of the city. But all these uproar became academic, even pointless, because on February 4, 1954, President Magsaysay formally appointed Amoranto Acting mayor of Quezon City. With him was appointed Isidro Guevara as acting vice mayor; he was the same man, who days before, had led a group to Malacañang demonstrating against Amoranto’s appointment. This appointment was extremely wise, for it smoothed many ruffled feathers and promoted unity and peace in the Nacionalista camp in Quezon City. Both Amoranto and Guevara took their oaths of office before Assistant Executive Secretary Enrique Quema, upon instructions from President Magsaysay who was then cruising aboard the presidential yacht in the Visayas. By this time, the vessel’s name had been changed from Apo to Pagasa, as a suggestion of Amang Rodriguez “to remove all associations it had with previous administration.” After all, Rodriguez said, Pagasa in Ilocano means “chief” while in tagalong it means “hope”
     Perhaps the happiest event in Quezon City during Amoranto’s first year mayor was the inauguration of the new Santo Domingo Church at Quezon Boulevard Extension on Sunday morning, October 1954. The Philippines Free Press waxing ecstatic over it said: finally, after thirteen years, a new Santo Domingo Church has risen in Quezon City. The sixth of its kind since 1587, when the first Dominican Church (of wood) was constructed on the South bank of the Pasig River; the present edifice – refuted to cost three million pesos – is, perhaps, the largest church in the Philippines today.” Its tower soars to about 14 feet to the skies.
     The imposing new church was blessed on the morning of October 10, 1954, with the Most holy Reverend Rufino J. Santos, Archbishop of Manila, officiating. The solemn event was attended by about 500,000 devotees, most of whom stayed in the church all day, to wait for the celebrated La Naval De Manila procession, during which the image of the lovingly revered Nuestra Señora de Santissimo Rosario was transferred from the Santissimio Rosario church in the University of Santo Tomas, to the splendid new church along Quezon Boulevard Extension in Quezon City. It had been kept with great fondness in UST after its former home; the Santo Domingo Church in Intramuros was bombed by the Japanese in December 1941.
     The Sunday Times Magazine, on October 17, 1654, described the massive new Dominican shrine: “The solid looking mass of concrete cut along Spanish colonial and modern lines of the new church is completely different from the gothic lines of the old Church…Where delicate filigree works crown the latter, simple straight lines mark the roof of the former. In place of the ornate Greco – Roman windows, designed by Don Felix Rojas in 1864, the new building has long windows placed by Architect Jose Zaragosa, with an eye for effective ventilation. Where bricks and wood graced the old, mosaic stones, glass and pre – cast ornaments are used to beautify the exterior of the new. Broader, taller and longer, the new speaks of a wider – spread religious devotion and a more intensive faith in the face of war and rumors of war."
     According to Father Augusto Antonio, OP one of the most dearly respected Dominicans who has been one of those directly involved in the La Naval celebrations through the years, says that only the best Filipino artists were commissioned to do the magnificent art pieces in the church. Galo Ocampo, noted painter, made the designs of the attractive stained glass windows, which were executed by Kraut Art – Glass Neon; Carlos V. Francisco, fondly called Botong, painted the eight panels under the cupola, which depicts the life of St. Dominic, founder of the Order of Preachers; while the paintings of the four evangelists, just above the Francisco murals, were done by Antonio Garcia Llamas. The crucifixion, done in wood at the altar was made by the celebrated Pampango sculptor, Nepomuceno. And the picture of St. Dominic behind the altar is, up to this day, the largest mosaic in the Philippines.
     Unknown to many, one of the most precious treasurers of the church, aside from the incalculably valuable image of the Nuestra Senora de “La Naval” and her jewels, is the rare bronze tabernacle with exquisite sculpture inside the outside, and decorated with semi – precious stones. It weighs more than a ton and was made in Spain. Archbishop Santos donated it to the Shrine.
     The La Naval celebration in this new church became Quezon City’s most popular feast; recently, the Quezon City’s most popular feast; recently, the Quezon City Council adopted a resolution making the Nuestra Senora del Santissimo Rosario (Our Lady of La Naval), the patroness of Quezon City.
     A few weeks after Amoranto and Isidro Guevarra were appointed mayor and vice mayor respectively, President Magsaysay announced the rest of the officials of Quezon City. By the end of 1954, the following were in the City Council: Felipe T. Cabrera, Reynaldo T. Ermita, Romulo G. Lucasan, Anacleto Madrilejos, martin Manahan, Nicanor A. Ramirez, Benjamin Paguia, and Gregorio Veluz. Of these, only Madrilejos, the staunch leader of Congressman Eulogio Rodriguez, Jr., was born in Quezon City.
     By March 12, 1654, Damian Jimenez was appointed secretary of the city council, replacing Teodor Gener; on July 1, 1954, Pedro Revilla, of Pasig, Rizal, took over as city fiscal, vice Jose Fernandez, who was the city fiscal since 1948, and who subsequently was appointed judge of the court of first instance of Bukidnon Province. Later, Minerva Inocencio – Piguing was appointed judge of the municipal court, Branch II, and Col. Vicente O. Novales succeeded Col. Crisanto Alba as chief of police.
     This same year, 1954, the San Francisco High School was inaugurated, and the Quirino Project 4, with 3,039 family units spread out on an area of 92 hectares was begun.
     More school buildings were built this year, including those at Bago – Bantay, at Margo Road, San Francisco del Monte at barrio San Jose, while improvements were made to the Quezon City High School building, and a home economics building was put up in Novaliches. The Malamig Health Center was built at a cost of P22, 000.00 and the left wing annex to the City hall – with an appropriation of P75, 000.00 – was begun.
     All in all, Amoranto’s first year in office was a very lively fruitful one; residents of the city who had their doubts about Amoranto’s ability to administer a city – one of them even had this line published in the Manila Chronicle (January 14, 1654): “Any of the aspirants from Quezon City will do, but not Amoranto” – were now quiet. Some of them even went to him, offering to help for the good of the city.
     Amoranto accepted their offer and placed them as members of his ever increasing advisory board.

AMORANTO AND THE IDEALISTS

Mayor Amoranto brought a new and refreshingly relaxed but business – like atmosphere into the city administration. He slowly tried to put his fiscal affairs in order, using all his known expertise in taxation. He studied the tax collection systems of the city, and found too many loopholes and, more than that, too little motivation for increased tax collection. Businesses in the city were beginning to prosper; but the income of the city hardly changed. During his first few years at the helm of the city government, he was more often with the city treasurer than with anybody else – except the chief of police. He encouraged more business concerns to move to Quezon City, by giving them attractive tax environment. While other cities like Manila and Makati were racing each other in increasing taxes, Amoranto tried to keep the status quo in taxes. What he tried to improve was tax collection using various enticing means to encourage and activate the taxpayers into paying their legal due. Thus, his policy became “increased collection, without increased taxation.”
It was quite a feat, but Mayor Amoranto succeeded magnificently. In a matter of months, the city coffers showed signs of filling up as it had never been before. This was going to be the Amoranto standard: accenture the positive in tax collection, and improve the city’s finances thereby. He vowed that the city would no longer have a deficit economy; and that the city would no longer be beholden to the national treasury for financial assistance in the running of the government. When Amoranto took over in 1954, the total income of the City was only P4, 300,000.00. This income was going to go up year after year. During the session of Congress in 1955, Quezon City, though strong representations of Senate President Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez and Finance Secretary Jaime Hernandez, was recommended not to be included in the omnibus bill of its own, unlike all the others which Tagaytay, it would have a charter of its own, unlike all the others which follow a uniform one. According to Hernandez, Quezon City should not be lumped up with the others, “because it is the Capital of the Philippines.”

HEALTH CENTERS

     In stark contrast to this, however, was the condition of the Quezon City Health Service. Transportation facilities of the Service for the entire Quezon City – with a population of 350,000 in 1955 – consisted of only one ambulance and a jeep that was always under repair. These two vehicles were meant to serve the 22 health centers established in several outlaying areas. Dr. Petronio G. Monsol, head of the health department of Quezon City. The personnel of the department were then composed of 16 doctors, 16 nurses, 16 dentists and 16 midwives.”
     Nevertheless, the health centers kept on increasing. In 1955, a health center was built in Roxas Homesite, in Galas and La Loma while Quirino High School was opened at about the same time.
     On January 18, 1956, the infamous La Loma Cabaret, which had been the target of fury and anger by well – meaning residents of the city, burned down mysteriously. When Mayor Amoranto and two other ranking officials refused mysteriously, when Mayor Amoranto and two other ranking officials refused to grant the permit to reopen the cabaret, because, in Amoranto’s words that it may eventually serve as breeding place of immoralities and even corruption of minors. The Chinese owner, Sy Chuico, filed a petition for mandamus with preliminary injunction, and Mayor Amoranto personally appeared before Judge Nicacio Yatco of the Court of First Instance, and he was roundly applauded, especially by delegations of civic – spirited La Loma residents.

ORTHOPEDIC HOSPITAL

     Another significant and urgently necessary hospital came up in Quezon City on October 29, 1956. The cornerstone of the National orthopedic Hospital was laid on Banaue Avenue at 10:00 a.m. in simple rites officiated by Senator Gil Puyat. The P4 million hospitals, according to Assistant Health Secretary Dr. Tranquilino Elicano, started as an emergency hospital in 1945, of the Philippine Civil Affairs Unit, branching out in 1947 as the Mandaluyong Emergency Hospital. It became known as the National Orthopedic Hospital only in 1948.
     As planned before, the national orthopedic hospital was to be transferred to a private land in Alabang, then to the stone buildings of San Lazaro Hospital. But these were all abandoned.
     Attending the ceremony were Health Secretary Paulino Garcia; he said that the 400 – bed hospital for the physical handicapped will be constructed from funds authorized by R.A. No. 1200, 1411 and 1613. The laying of the cornerstone was followed by remarks of Dr. Benjamin Tamesis, the director of the hospital.
     As vacancies came up in the city council – such as when Benjamin paguia died – the following were subsequently appointed: Gregorio B. Veluz, Jesus M. Ponce, Luciano M. Dominguez, and Isabelo T. Crisostomo.

RESIGNATION OF MAYOR AMORANTO

At early dawn of Sunday, March 17, 1957, President Ramon Magsaysay died in airplane crash on the slopes of Mt. Manunggal, in Cebu. Vice President Carlos P. Garcia was then in Sydney, Australia attending a council meeting of the SEATO organization as secretary of foreign affairs. Immediately flying back home Garcia took over the presidency to complete the last eight months of Magsaysay in the office.
Amoranto sent his courtesy resignation at once to Malacañang; swarms of politicians’ protégés went to the palace as aspirants to the mayoralty. But the new president did not want to make serious changes in Magsaysay’s government. In fact, he retained the entire Cabinet of the deceased. Besides, elections were coming up in November and he had to prepare for it.

PUBLIC DEMANDS FOR AN ELECTION

Some weeks before the elections, Amoranto assigned Major Bibiano Viña as acting police chief, to replace Col. Vicente Novales who joined President Garcia’s security guards. At about this time, public demands for an elective mayor, vice mayor and councilor had become insistent among the residents of Quezon City. The Santa Mesa Heights Homeowners Association at a meeting on October 17, 1957, urged the President and Congress to Approved bill which would make this so. Actually, the measure was approved by the house of Representatives during the last regular session, and was now awaiting action by the Senate. The Local Lawyers Association made the same petition.

ASPIRANTS FOR RE–APPOINTMENT

     The absence of a re-appointment, the jockeying for mayoralty of Quezon City became more brisk, and there were at least fifteen aspirants for the post, according to Manila Chronicle. Among the aspirants were: Carlitos David, former Mayor Ignacio Santos Diaz, J. V. Cruz, Jose Aspiras, Willie Jurado.
     Meanwhile, in the wake of these entire four over the mayoralty post, the construction of the P13 million Capitol building on construction Hiss started on December 5, 1957, upon the final approval of the work contract by Public Works Secretary Florencio Moreno. The building of the lower house building would have thirteen stories, designed by Federico Ilustre, architect of the Department of Public Works.
     Amoranto, announced that on December 20, 1957, the laying of the cornerstone of the P2 million City Hall was to be held. The plans and designs of this building, which would be Silangan Avenue, near the Quezon Memorial Circle in Diliman, were also made by Ilustre. The Philippine Home site and Housing Corporation had given the site to the city, and the construction of the City hall on Highway 54 might used to house the Quezon City High School.

FIRST BUILDING CONSTRUCTED IN QUEZON CITY

The first national office building constructed in Quezon City was the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources building. Near it, would be the bureau of Agricultural Extension building. The DANR building was nearing completion by the end of 1957, while the BAE building was expected to be finished by March or April of 1958.

AMORANTO’S ACHIEVEMENTS DURING HIS TERM

Amoranto cited during a press conference his most important achievements in 1958: the increase in real estate taxes, the eradication of juvenile delinquency, construction of several public school buildings and health centers. He said then, that the city government was able to balance the budget despite the reduction of P300, 000 in national financial aid to the city administration.
Amoranto stayed on as mayor. Garcia’s spectacular showing in Quezon City convinced him that the incumbent mayor was the one the people wanted.

POLICE DEPARTMENT IN 1958

By 1958, the Police department had a force of 616 men, this time under Major Vina.

ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

Luciano Aquino was appointed chief of the architectural division of the Engineering Department. This division had 100 employees, including 11 architects, 14 engineers and several draftsmen.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

By the year-end, the annexes of Quezon City High School in Kamuning, namely: La Loma, San Francisco and Quirino were made autonomous. A principal was appointed for each one.

LOCAL OFFICIALS IN CHARTERED CITIES BECAME ELECTIVE

On June 19, 1959, Congress passed Republic Act No. 2259, “making elective the offices of mayor, vice mayor and councilors in chartered cities, regulating the election in such cities and fixing the salaries and tenure if such offices.”” Although the act included Quezon City, it did not apply to the cities of Manila, Cavite, Trece Martires, and Tagaytay. To provide for the election of the mayor, vice mayor and eight councilors of Quezon City, its charter was revised.

QUEZON CITY’ELECTION on November 10, 1959.

The first elections for mayor, vice mayor and eight councilors was held on November 10, 1959. Amoranto ran for the mayoralty post tha

CHAPTER 1

HISTORICAL VALUE OF QUEZON CITY BEFORE ITS CREATION