The Welcome Rotonda is a roundabout in Quezon City in the Philippines. It is located a few meters from Quezon City's border with Manila, at the intersection of E. Rodriguez, Sr. Boulevard, Mayon Avenue, Quezon Avenue, Nicanor Ramirez Street, and España Boulevard. It may also refer tothe monument situated on its central island. The roundabout was officially named Welcome Rotonda until May 17, 1995, when it was renamed Mabuhay Rotonda by then-Quezon City Mayor Ismael Mathay, Jr., following an initiative by local restaurateur Rod Ongpauco to promote the use of the Filipino expression "Mabuhay!" as a way of welcoming foreign visitors to the Philippines.
History
1948 Opening
The roundabout was first opened in 1948, with a marble monument designed by Luciano V. Aquino erected at its center to welcome visitors to Quezon City, which was then the newly declared capital of the Philippines. The monument is surrounded by four lions indicating the cardinal directions. It served as the boundary between Manila and Rizal Province, prior to the creation of Metro Manila in 1975. It is also a site for rallies and protests.
On September 27, 1984, Welcome Rotonda became the site of one of the most infamous protest dispersals during the administration of Ferdinand Marcos, in which pro-Marcos forces fired tear gas on several thousand peaceful protesters which included 80-year-old former Senator Lorenzo Tanada and 71-year old Manila Times founder Chino Roces; and fired into the crowd, hitting student leaderFidel Nemenzo in the kidney. Other intellectuals, opposition leaders, artists, and journalists who participated in the rally were:
Iconic images showing Lorenzo Tanada and Chino Roces struggling against the waterhosing and teargas unleashed by the pro-Marcos forces led to a further decline in support for Ferdinand Marcos, who was already losing significant support in the wake of assassination of Benigno Aquino the year before.
The roundabout attracted attention during the 1995 general election, when businessman Amando "Jun" Ducat, Jr.—who would later be known for kidnapping 26 students in 2007 near Manila City Hall—scaled the monument and staged a hunger strike at the top. He did this to dramatize his opposition to Chinese Filipinos running for public office, who he opposed because of their alleged control of the Philippines' rice trade. He wanted the government to ban Chinese Filipinos from being candidates and he sought to convince voters to vote against them.
