Quezon Memorial Circle is both a national park and a monument to the man the city is named after. At its centre, a soaring three-pronged obelisk marks the tomb of Manuel Quezon, the second president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, who led the country until his death in 1944. The monument is flanked by reliefs depicting key moments of his presidency.
The park itself is one of the most liveable public spaces in Metro Manila. Paved paths loop through gardens where families picnic on weekends, vendors sell street food, and joggers keep up a steady circuit. There is a small butterfly sanctuary, a children's playground, a small zoo, and the Quezon Heritage House — a modest wood-and-stone building where Quezon once stayed on visits to the city. On weekday mornings, the park belongs mostly to office workers eating breakfast and retirees doing tai chi; on Sundays it fills with half of Quezon City.
The QCX Museum on the grounds offers an interactive history of the city itself, with exhibits on the founding, the postwar years, and the cultural character of the place today.