Lucena City Guide

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Lucena City Guide

The City of Lucena, or Lungsod ng Lucena, is the capital city of the province of Quezon found in the southern Luzon region of the Philippines. This first-class, agricultural based urban city is locked between two big rivers--the Dumacaa River on the east and Iyam River on the west. It has 7 more rivers and 6 creeks that serve as natural drainages for the city. Its terrain is characterized by flat plains and slightly rolling hills with an elevation ranging from 0 to 20%. Bordering the city is the Municipality of Pagbilao to the north and northeast, the Tayabas Bay to the south and southeast, the Municipality of Sariaya to the southwest, and the city of Tayabas to the northwest. It is approximately 137 kilometers away southeast of Manila and accessed by the Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway.

The city has a total land area of 83.15 km², of which 57.42% is dedicated for agriculture. The city’s major agricultural products include rice, coconut, corn, bananas, vegetables, root crops, citrus, and mangoes. Approximately 3% of this land area is used for industrial and manufacturing industries, which includes the processing of agro-industrial based products, manufacturing coconut-based products, the manufacture and assembly of cars and jeeps, and garment manufacturing for export.

Like most locations in the Philippines, the recorded history of Lucena started with the arrival of Capitan Juan de Salcedo in 1571 in Quezon province, which was then called Tayabas. The Franciscan priests founded the Tayabas town between 1580 -1583, with Lucena as one of its barrios. The name “Lucena” was derived from the town of Lucena in Andalucia, where the barrio’s Franciscan pioneer Father Mariano Granja had originated. On June 1, 1882, Lucena became an independent town.

Lucena had its share of bloody battles at the outbreak of the Philippine revolt against Spain in 1896. Leading the local revolutionaries against Spanish troops was the town’s captain municipal, Jose Zaballero. After which, a revolutionary government was instituted by Manuel Argüelles, instating José Barcelona as president. Gen. Miguel Malvar then took over the whole province after Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo’s declaration of independence in Kawit, Cavite.

The Philippines faced a new set of invaders when the United States occupied the country after its defeat of Spain. It was during the American occupation that the provincial capital was moved from Tayabas town to Lucena. During the Second World War, Japanese forces invaded and occupied Lucena on December 27, 1941. The guerilla movement adamantly resisted the Japanese forces, that on January 25, 1945 they were able to liberate the town even before the American troops had returned to liberate the province.

In the following years after the war, the Philippines gained its independence and Lucena steadily grew in importance as the provincial capital. On August 19, 1962, Lucena was inaugurated as a chartered city.

Residential Places in Lucena

Through the years, Lucena city has seen the conversion of vast coconut plantations into residential developments to provide its growing population a variety of choices in residence. One of the city’s recent and most premiere residential development is the Ridgewood Park Nature Estates. Suitably located far from the busy streets of Quezon Avenue and the Diversion Road and yet easily accessible from the city proper, this first-class residential development was designed to create a community whilst preserving the different plant and animal species found in the area. This highly exclusive residential estate offers only 250 prime lots that may range in sizes of 250 to 500 sq. m. It features state-of-the-art amenities and facilities, such as theme parks with picnic grounds, a clubhouse, a junior Olympic-sized and kiddie swimming pools, two tennis courts, and a fully-covered basketball court.

There are other residential developments found in the city. Often called subdivisions and villages, they often feature common amenities such as lighted streets, centralized water supply system, and garbage management. They may however, vary in other featured facilities such as recreational and leisure facilities.

Some of the city’s subdivision and villages include Santa Veronica Village, Puerto del Mar Subdivision, CUESTA VERDE Executive Village, Pantoc Subdivision, Welmanville, Capitol Homesite, Villa Aurea, Andaman Village, Campo Subdivision, Employees Subdivision, North Employees Subdivision, La Milagros Subdivision, Marilag Subdivision, Orgas Subdivision, Saint Peter Subdivision, Zaballero Subdivision, Alpsville Subdivision, University Village, Better Living Subdivision, Maharlika Subdivision, Firenze Subdivision, Green Meadows Subdivision, and Bestland Homes.

Hospitals and Universities of Lucena

Lucena has both private and public hospitals that are capable of providing most common and advanced medical services, as well as in handling medical emergencies. Both types of institutions are considered to provide the same standard of healthcare and services, differing mainly with the medical and diagnostic facilities at hand.

These are staffed with qualified medical practitioners that are well-versed in English. The doctors are graduates of the many top reputable medical schools in the Philippines, with most have pursued further studies and training in the United States. Likewise, the nurses are also the products of the many credible nursing schools in the country. These same institutions have produced the many Filipino nurses working in the United States, Europe, Middle East, and other parts of the world.

Listed below are the hospitals and clinics found in Lucena City:

Lucena City Hospitals and Clinics

Name Address Telephone

Lucena United Memorial District Hospital   178 Merchan Street   -
Lucena MMG General Hospital   Maharlika Highway, Ibabang Dupay   373-5925
Mt. Carmel Diocesan General Hospital   Allarie Extension   712-576
Lucena United Doctors Hospital   Barangay Isabang   373-6161 or 373-6163
St. Anne General Hospital   51 Gomez Street   710-2218 or 710-3506
Quezon Memorial Hospital   QMH Compound, Quezon Avenue   373-7619, 710-3944, 710-4023 or 710-0113
St. Mary's Hospital   Quezon Avenue   -

Educational Facilities

The tertiary education system in Lucena provides instruction and training in various fields of study, both for baccalaureate degrees and vocational courses. Institutions offering degree programs in various fields including liberal arts, arts & sciences, engineering, and information technology are the ABE International College of Business and Economics along Quezon Avenue, Calayan Educational Foundation, Inc. and City College of Lucena along the Maharlika Highway, Columbus College-Lucena, and the Catholic institutions of Sacred Heart College on Merchan Street, Maryhill College at Ciudad Maharlika in Iyam, and the Baptist Voice Bible College on Edano Street.

The Inter-Global Maritime College in Barangay Bocohan provides programs in the maritime sciences, while the St. Anne College in Barangay Gulang-gulang offers degrees in the allied medical sciences. The AMA Computer College -Lucena on M.L. Tagarao Street in Iyam and STI College at the corner of Enriquez and Profugo Streets are institutions for higher education that provide computer-related courses.

Commercial Places in Lucena

Lucena boasts of three large, modern shopping malls which serve as the city’s major commercial centers. These are the Pacific Mall situated at the LandCo Business Park on M.L Tagarao Street, SM City-Lucena which stands at the corner of Maharlika Highway and Dalahican Road in Barangay Ibabang Dupay, and the Ocean Palace Mall along the Quezon Avenue.

The largest amongst the three, the Pacific mall boasts of a three-level structure that houses 127 stalls of shops and boutiques. It carries the anchor stores of Metro Gaisano Supermarket and Department Store, four state-of-the-art cinemas, an entertainment hall, and several dining establishments which range from cafes and restaurants to prominent fastfood chain outlets.

Likewise, the SM City-Lucena and Ocean Palace Mall also carry shops and boutiques for most common commodities, service shops, cinemas, and dining establishments. In addition to these, SM city-Lucena carries the usual SM anchor stores of SM Supermarket and Department Store.

Dining Establishments

Aside from the restaurants and fastfood chains found in the three aforementioned shopping centers, Lucena has several notable restaurants found all over the city. The most common restaurants found in the city serve Filipino cuisine that makes use of the abundance of fresh ingredients available in the locality. Some of the city’s prominent restaurants include Buddy's Restaurant which stands at the corner of Quezon Avenue and L Guinto Street, Apple & Peach Restaurant along the Maharlika Highway in Barangay Kanlurang Mayao, Zymursy Cafe & Lounge on Bonifacio Street, Hacienda Inn Restaurant along Quezon Avenue, Smallwillies at the corner of Smallwillies And Zamora Streets, Barrio Fiesta on GRANJA Street, and Isabel's Restaurant at the corner of Abellanosa and Tagarao Streets.

Alternatively, the hotels and resorts found in the city also host notable dining establishments as well as recreational features. Some of the city’s finest hotels and resorts include the Diamond Mansion along the Maharlika Highway, Lucena Fresh Air Hotel in Barangay Isabang, Ouans Worth Farm on Diversion Road In Barangay Mayao Kanluran, Queen and Margarette Court on Diversion Road in Barangay Domoit.

Service Establishments of Lucena

The Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) supplies the electricity in the city and its rural barangays. The company has 100% electrification coverage of all of Lucena’s 33 barangays. Applications for service and bill payments may be done by visiting the MERALCO Lucena branch office on Doña Aurora Boulevard in Barangay Gulang-Gulang.

The telecommunication companies servicing the city are the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) and Digitel Telecommunications. Both companies provide traditional fixed telephony and internet access via dial-up and digital subscriber line (DSL). An alternative internet service provider is SmartBro of Smart Communications, a subsidiary of PLDT. It provides wireless internet connection via broadband.

The latter, together with Globe Telecom and Sun Cellular of Digitel Telecommunications, provide the cellular network services in the city. Globe has put up 2 cell sites in the city, while Smart and Sun Cellular has put up 4 cell sites each. These companies offer both postpaid and prepaid subscriptions.

The Quezon Police Provincial District is headquartered in the city. Its office is located in Camp Guillermo
Nakar and may be reached through the numbers 373-7051 or 660-8656. In addition, the Lucena City Police Station is found on Allarey Street and may be reached at 373-7294 and 373-7344. Sub-stations and police community precincts are located in every barangay.

Embassies in Lucena

There are no foreign embassies and consular offices located in Lucena City. These diplomatic missions to the Philippines have their offices mostly located in the cities of Makati and Manila at the National Capital Region.

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Residential Places in Lucena

Hospitals and Universities of Lucena

Commercial Places in Lucena

Dining Establishments

Service Establishments of Lucena

Embassies in Lucena

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