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Welcome Rotonda
Welcome Rotonda
Mabuhay Rotonda
	The roundabout which features a marble monument in the center
Location
	Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Coordinates	14°37′04.0″N 121°00′06.2″E / 14.617778°N 121.001722°E
Roads at; junction	E. Rodriguez, Sr. Boulevard; Mayon Street; Nicanor Ramirez Street; N170 (Quezon Avenue); N170 (España Boulevard)
Construction
Type	Roundabout
Opened	1948
Maintained by	Department of Public Works and Highways

The Welcome Rotonda, officially the Mabuhay Rotonda, is a roundabout in Quezon City, Philippines. It is located a few meters from the city's border with Manila, at the intersection of E. Rodriguez, Sr. Boulevard, Mayon Street, Quezon Avenue, Nicanor Ramirez Street, and España Boulevard. The name may also refer to the monument situated on its central island.

History

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, then the newly declared capital of the Philippines.^[1] The monument is surrounded by four lions, indicating the cardinal directions.

It served as the boundary between Manila and Rizal Province before the creation of Metro Manila in 1975.^[2] It is also a site for rallies and protests.^[3]^[4]

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.,^[1] 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.^[5]

Notable protests

September 1984 protest dispersal

On September 27, 1984, Welcome Rotonda became the site of one of the most infamous protest dispersals during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, in which pro-Marcos forces fired tear gas on several thousand^[6] 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 leader (and later UP Diliman Chancellor) Fidel Nemenzo in the kidney.^[7]^[8]

Other intellectuals, opposition leaders, artists, and journalists who participated in the rally were:^[9]^[10]

Tanada's son (and later Senator) Wigberto Tanada,
Constitutional Convention delegate (and later Philippine Vice President) Teofisto Guingona,
human rights lawyer (and later Senator) Rene Saguisag,
August Twenty One Movement (ATOM) and Bansang Nagkakaisa sa Diwa at Layunin (BANDILA) founder (and later Senator) Butz Aquino,
human rights activist Ed Garcia,
later Tarlac Governor Tingting Cojuangco,
WE Forum photographer Lito Ocampo,
activist and writer Susan Quimpo,
Cebuana radio commentator Nenita Cortes-Daluz; and
film director Behn Cervantes.

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 the assassination of Benigno Aquino Jr. the year before.^[11]

1995 Ducat hunger strike

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.^[12] He did this to dramatize his opposition to Chinese Filipinos running for public office, which 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.^[12]^[13]

Transportation hub

The Welcome Rotonda is known as a transportation center. It served as one of the first terminals for jeepneys as they began plying the streets of Manila after World War II.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Mallari, Perry Gil S. (March 14, 2008). "Timeless memories of Welcome Rotonda". The Manila Times. Manila Times Publishing Corporation. Archived from the original on March 18, 2008. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
^ Partitioning of Rizal
^ "Allies, critics of Arroyo snarl traffic at Mabuhay Rotonda". GMA News. March 14, 2008.
^ Mangosing, Frances (May 1, 2014). "Labor Day protesters gather in Manila-Quezon City landmark". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc.
^ Luna, Luis (May 13, 1995). "Welcome Rotonda to have new name". Manila Standard. Kamahalan Publishing Corporation. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
^ Quimpo, Susan F. (2012). Subversive lives : a family memoir of the Marcos years (First Ohio University Press ed.). Athens: Ohio University Press. ISBN 978-0-89680-495-1. OCLC 954735081.
^ "'They are scared,' Martial law victim says of surprise Marcos burial". Manila Bulletin News.
^ "Lorenzo Tañada undaunted in line of fire". www.rappler.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2017.
^ Sabillo, Kristine Angeli (November 25, 2016). "LOOK: Photographer shares dramatic images from anti-Marcos protests". newsinfo.inquirer.net.
^ Cojuangco, Tingting. "For the love of freedom". philstar.com.
^ Chua, Michael Charleston B. (2012) Haring Bayan: Democracy and People Power in the Philippines, in “For Democracy and Human Rights: Rekindling the Lessons of Martial Law and the People Power Revolution” (Discussion Papers for the 40th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Martial Law (Never Again, Remembering Martial Law @ 40).” Quezon City: Center for Youth Networking and Advocacy and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.
^ ^a ^b Jimenez-David, Rina (March 30, 2007). "Instant celebrity". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
^ "Hostage taker Ducat has eye for publicity stunts -- friends". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. March 28, 2007. Retrieved June 3, 2014.