QC celebrates diamond jubilee

MANILA, Philippines - From its now famous food strip to its historic and cultural sites, Quezon City is showcasing everything it has to offer as it marks its 75th Diamond Jubilee celebration this year.

This year, Quezon City’s very own “Eat Street” is finally getting its much-deserved spotlight.

Maginhawa is a foodie haven with hoards of food stalls lined up along that long stretch of road – from Philcoa to V. Luna Extension – providing comfort to people seeking alternatives to the usual restaurant and fastfood fair. As part of the city’s Diamond Jubilee celebration, a food festival will be held on Oct. 11, featuring everything that Maginhawa Street has to offer.

“We want to promote the Maginhawa Food Hub as a tourist destination,” says Margie Santos-Roa, head of the organizing committee of the Maginhawa Food Festival.

“Maginhawa is part of the tourism development program being pushed by Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte and Mayor Herbert Bautista,” Santos-Roa tells a group of journalists during a recent “food trip” along Quezon City’s own “Eat Street.”

“Back in the day, it was just a quiet neighborhood,” Santos-Roa says, recalling how Maginhawa used to be just “an alternative route” for people wanting to get to the nearby University of the Philippines and CP Garcia Avenue.

“It’s only about three or four years ago (that the restaurants and food shops started appearing),” she adds.

With the buzz generated on social media over what Maginhawa has to offer, the local government wants to promote it as the “food hub of Quezon City.”

While a lot of people associate Maginhawa with Barangay Sikatuna or Teacher’s Village, this Eat Street, in fact, passes through seven barangays, says Khristine Del Adraneda-Advincula, chairman of Barangay San Vicente.

Adraneda-Anvincula, who is also part of the food festival’s organizing committee, says Maginhawa is covered by Barangays Old Capitol Site, UP Village, Teacher’s Village East, Botocan, Sikatuna Village, Krus na Ligas and San Vicente. In fact, the whole stretch of Maginhawa runs for 2.125 kilometers.

During the recent media tour organized by the city government, the group sampled RBy’s Steak and Shake of sisters Rowena Zapata-Vera and Bernadette Zapata-Acuña. Rowena, who came home from Pennsylvania, thought of opening a restaurant focusing on Philadelphian cheesesteak. She takes pride in the quality of meat they are using in their sandwiches.

A stone’s throw away from RBy’s is Valerie Chow’s Roasterrific, which offers a unique take on the famed lechon. Calling it “herb-a-licious” lechon, Chow says it’s a recipe handed down from her grandparents – a combination of Cebu lechon and bagnet – beef belly roasted to perfection to come up with the “softest, juiciest, and crunchiest liempo.”

Another spot offering Filipino staples is Jek’s Ku-bo Bulalo at Ulo-ulo, managed by village council member Jessica Frayco and her son Miguel Jacob. “Jek” actually comes from Jessica’s name while “Ku-bo” not only represents the nipa hut at the shop’s façade, but Jessica’s older brother Kuya Boy. Jessica says their store wants to present a “carinderia” alternative among the restaurants lined up along Maginhawa. Their menu, changed everyday, according to Jessica, includes their bestseller bulalo and sinigang sa miso pink salmon.

For a healthier alternative, there’s Hillcrest Wellness Café along the adjacent Malingap Street, which offers organic pasta and coffee, among others. Owner Reuel Tica shares that the café, which opened on March 1, sits on what used to be a Christian church that served free coffee and bread every morning.

“We make sure we pray for the food before we serve them to our customers,” adds Tica. 

For desserts, there is Snow Crème owned by Bryan Kho and his wife Michelle, located on a building at the end of Maginhawa. Snow Crème features Taiwanese desserts, including the café’s take on Taiwanese shaved ice.

The Oct. 11 food festival will gather all restaurants along Maginhawa and adjacent streets. There will also be cooking demos for aspiring chefs and cooks.

The whole stretch of Maginhawa Street will be closed that day, Santos-Roa says, to give way to those wanting to literally go restaurant-hopping. There will also be other gimmicks like traditional Filipino games including basagang palayok, patintero, palo-sebo, among others, with gift certificates from participating restaurants to be given away as prizes.

“It’s going to be a huge food fiesta!” she says.

The diamond jubilee celebration will also showcase the city’s historic sites and monuments, including the shrine dedicated to Melchora Aquino, who is regarded as the mother of the Katipunan.

During the recent tour, media writers were introduced to Melchora Aquino’s descendant, Jacinto Ramos Francisco, who also acts as caretaker of the shrine in the Tandang Sora.

On the occasion of her birthday in January, the local government will stage a grand 3-D mapping of Quezon City’s history.

Also slated for next year is the opening of the San Pedro Bautista Museum at the Sanctuario de San Pedro Bautista in February organized by the office of Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte.

San Pedro Bautista was a Franciscan missionary priest who came to the Philippines in 1584. The San Pedro Bautista parish, with its baroque architecture, is the second-oldest church in the country.

The Quezon Heritage House is another must-see historic landmark located right inside the Quezon Memorial Circle.

Purchased in 1927, the residence was intended to be a retreat place for President Manuel Quezon, then already afflicted with tuberculosis. The family had another house in Pasay, but the house in New Manila, then a breezy neighborhood, was deemed an ideal place for the ailing president.

The reconstructed house features the residence’s neo-classical American architecture, along with personal memorabilia of the Quezon family.

Mayor Herbert Bautista said the 75th year celebration gives the local government the perfect opportunity to show off what Quezon City has to offer.

“There is so much to celebrate and look forward to in the coming weeks. This is why we are inviting everyone to become part of our city’s many celebrations as we collectively show our support and pride as residents of this premier city,” Bautista said.