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Major Hubs 5 Major Destinations
Manila and Its Spokes
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Cebu and its Spokes
Laoag / Baguio and its Spokes
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Davao and its Spokes
Clark/Subic and its Spokes |
Others and its Spokes
Lucena / Quezon
THE PROVINCE AT A GLANCE
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Quezon, an elongated province due east of Metro Manila and
the downward chain of Luzon provinces, is the country's
sixth largest province. Manila’s gateway to the Southern
Luzon and Bicol Region, the province of Quezon abounds with
numerous potentials and existing tourist attractions.
Named in honor of the president of the Philippine
Commonwealth, President Manuel L. Quezon, who was a native
and patriot of the province, Quezon is now considered an
industrial growth corridor, and is targeted as the
centerpiece for prime eco-tourism development in Southern
Luzon under the CALABARZON concept, to cover the provinces
of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Aurora, Rizal and Quezon.
Although close to Metro Manila, the province retains many
traditions, legacies and observances of the past. One of the
best preserved is the internationally acclaimed Pahiyas
Festival in the towns of Lucban, Tayabas, Sariaya and
Tiaong. Held in honor of San Isidro Labrador and marked by
rice paste overhangs in a rainbow of colors from every
window and door all over town, the festival is a major
tourism spectacle in the Philippines.
Quezon’s northern gateway to Laguna and Metro Manila is
Tiaong which is only about one hour and 30 minutes away over
good roads. The town is a traditional traveller’s haunt
often visited by travellers from either point of origin.
Interesting tour stops include the fully-developed Villa
Escudero and the almost untouched Tikob Lake. The mystical
Mt. Banahaw continues to attract not only pilgrims, students
of the paranormal sciences and dabblers in mysticism but
curious travelers as well. Deeper south, one can choose
between the forest of Quezon National Park and the beaches
of the coastal towns which dot the province.
BRIEF HISTORY
Quezon Province, formerly known as Tayabas, was first
explored by the Spaniards in 1571 & 1572 by Juan de Salcedo
upon the orders of the first Spanish Governor General,
Miguel Lopez de Legaspi. Salcedo crossed thru the central
portion of Tayabas in his march from Laguna to Paracale. The
following year, Salcedo led an expedition around the
northern coast of Luzon and visited the "contracosta" towns
of Baler, Casiguran and Infanta. In 1574, the municipality
of Gumaca, then called Bumaka was discovered by father Diego
de Oropesa on the eastern coast. The natives living there
had their own culture and form of government.
The present day territories of Quezon province used to be
under the jurisdiction of other provinces. The southern and
central portions were under the province of Bonbon
(Batangas), the northern portion was divided between Laguna
& Nueva Ecija, while the rest of the territories was divided
into the provinces of Mindoro, Marinduque & Camarines. It
was only in 1591 that Tayabas was created as a separate
province with the name of "Kalilayan". Its capital was the
ancient town of Tayabas, located in what is today a barrio
of the town of Unisan. In the middle of the 18th century,
the provincial capital (together with its name) was
transferred to what is now the present site of the town of
Tayabas.
The year 1595 marked the spiritual birth of the province
with its incorporation into the diocese of Nueva Caceres.
The first catholic bishop of the province was Fray Francisco
Ortega, an Augustinian friar. With the onset of the
Philippine revolution, Tayabas was among the first provinces
to join. On Aug. 15, 1898, Gen. Miguel Malvar took
possession of Tayabas in the name of the Revolutionary
Government. But the reins of government were relinquished to
the American forces upon his surrender in 1901. A Civil
Government was established by the Americans on March 12,
1901 with Lucena as the new capital. Hon. Cornelius Gardiner
was the first governor of the province. On June 12, 1902,
the district of Principe (a dependency of Nueva Ecija) and
the district of Infanta, including Polilio (a dependency of
Laguna) were annexed to Tayabas. Six months later,
Marinduque (a separate province) was also annexed.
With the coming of World War II, Tayabas was not spared from
the Japanese atrocities. On December 23, 1941, a joyous
Christmas celebration was interrupted by the landing of
Japanese forces on the beaches of Atimonan.
Civil control was regained upon liberation at the end of
World War II. On September 7, 1946, Tayabas was renamed
"Quezon Province" by virtue of Republic Act No. 14, signed
by President Manuel Roxas, in honor of its most illustrious
son, Manuel Luis Quezon of Baler, First President of the
Phil. Commonwealth.
LANGUAGE/DIALECT
Tagalog is widely spoken by the populace with the
characteristic lilt common to the locale.
MAJOR INDUSTRIES
Quezon province plays a vital role as the new axis of
growth in the fastest developing economy of Southern
Tagalog. The province is well-endowed with productive
agricultural land, that allows the province to lead in
coconut production, as well as crops like rice, corn, root
crops, bananas, mangoes, and vegetables. The seas
surrounding the province are rich fishing grounds that teem
with shrimp, crap, grouper, tilapia, milkfish and squid.
HOW TO GET THERE
Buses at Lawton Terminal in Manila go to Lucena, capital
of Quezon Province. The trip takes 3 hours. From Lucena,
there are jeepneys and mini-buses to either Sariaya, or
Lucban
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