Manuel L. Quezon University (MLQU) is a private,
nonsectarian
Nonsectarian institutions are secular institutions or other organizations not affiliated with or restricted to a particular religious group.
Academic sphere
Many North American universities identify themselves as being nonsectarian, such as B ...
, coeducational basic and higher education institution in Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. It is named after the second president of the Philippines,
Manuel L. Quezon
Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina (, , , ; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier, and politician who was president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1 ...
.
History
On November 1, 1947, eighteen professors and Six co-founders included Assoc. Justice Jose Benedicto "JBL" L. Reyes, Sen. Lorenzo M. Tanada Sr., Dr. Leoncio B. Monzon, Justice Arsenio P. Dizon from the school where Dr. Monzon served first president and as Dean joined him in an old MLQ School of Law Building at the corner of Mendiola and Legarda Streets to begin training 643 students for the law profession. Thus was born the MLQU School of Law.
The fledgling school produced its first batch of graduates the following year and in the Bar Examinations given in that same year, the school registered a passing average of 97.5%. In 1949, it exceeded its first record with a passing average of 100% with three of its graduates making it to the Top Ten.
The law school soon found it necessary to transfer to a new site on R. Hidalgo St. where other academic units were organized beginning with the School of Arts and Sciences followed by the School of Education, Commerce and Business Administration, Engineering, Architecture and Graduate Studies. With the addition of these units, the Law school became the Manuel L. Quezon Educational Institution. In 1958, the institution acquired University status.

Subsequently, the Schools of Criminology, Architecture and Secretarial Education were separated from the School of Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Commerce and Business Administration, respectively. The School of Information Technology is the latest addition to the university community.
The Manuel L. Quezon University has two campuses, namely, the Monzon Hall, located at 916 R. Hidalgo Street, Quiapo and the Arlegui Compound at Arlegui St. where the Basic Education Department is located. Just recently, the Research Center was built adjacent to the Monzon Hall and which was named after Justice Arsenio P. Dizon.
Move to Quezon City and expansion
In August 2014, construction magnate and
New San Jose Builders Inc. chairman
Jose Acuzar acquired ownership of the 69-year-old university for an undisclosed amount and a year later opened the School for Professional Advancement and Continuing Education (SPACE) inside the Victoria Sports Tower Condominium along
Epifanio de los Santos Avenue
Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, commonly referred to by its acronym EDSA (), is a major circumferential road around Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. It passes through 6 of Metro Manila's 17 local government units or cities, namel ...
signaling the university's entry to the roster of esteemed academic institutions in Quezon City.
On the occasion of
Quezon City
Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...
day and 138th birth anniversary of
Manuel L. Quezon
Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina (, , , ; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier, and politician who was president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1 ...
, the university officially moved from
Quiapo
Quiapo may refer to:
* Quiapo, Chile, a location in Arauco Province
*Quiapo, Manila, a district in the Philippines
** Quiapo Church
The Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno (), commonly known as Quiapo Church and canonically ...
,
Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
to Victoria Sports Tower on August 19, 2016, dubbed "Manuel is Home in Quezon City". Two (2) more locations will be added in nearby
Timog Avenue and the former site of Bureau of Research and Standards under the
DPWH to offer more tertiary courses to potential students and alumni alike.
Notable people
*
Blas F. Ople - Former Senate President
*
Wigberto Tañada- Senator, Republic of the Philippines
*
Alberto Romulo - Senator, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, and Executive Secretary of the Republic of the Philippines.
*
Roberto A. Abad - AB '60,
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court (; colloquially referred to as the ' (also used in formal writing), is the highest court in the Philippines. It was established by the Taft Commission on June 11, 1901, through the enactment of Act No. 136, which abolished th ...
Associate Justice (Retired)
*
Isagani Cruz - LLb '51, School of Law,
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court (; colloquially referred to as the ' (also used in formal writing), is the highest court in the Philippines. It was established by the Taft Commission on June 11, 1901, through the enactment of Act No. 136, which abolished th ...
Associate Justice (Retired)
*
Jose Melo - chairman,
Commission on Elections (Philippines)
The Commission on Elections (), abbreviated as , is one of the three Constitutional Commission#Philippines, constitutional commissions of the Philippines. Its principal role is to enforce all laws and regulations relative to the conduct of ele ...
''; ''retired
Supreme Court Associate Justice
*
Ruben T. Reyes -
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court (; colloquially referred to as the ' (also used in formal writing), is the highest court in the Philippines. It was established by the Taft Commission on June 11, 1901, through the enactment of Act No. 136, which abolished th ...
Associate Justice (Retired)
*
Martin Villarama- Former Supreme Court Associate Justice
*
Benjamin Abalos
Benjamin Santos Abalos Sr. (born September 21, 1934) is a Philippines, Filipino politician who currently serves as the mayor of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila since 2022, a position he also held from 1986 to 1987 and from 1988 to 1998. He also serve ...
-Incumbent Mayor of Mandaluyong former chairman, Commission on Elections. Chairman of
Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
* Amparo Cabotaje Tang - AB '75, Political Science, Presiding Justice
Sandiganbayan
The Sandiganbayan () is a special Appellate court, appellate collegial court in the Philippines that has jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases involving Graft (politics), graft and corrupt practices and other offenses committed by public ...
*
Gregory S. Ong - Associate Justice, dismissed
Sandiganbayan
The Sandiganbayan () is a special Appellate court, appellate collegial court in the Philippines that has jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases involving Graft (politics), graft and corrupt practices and other offenses committed by public ...
, Quezon City
*
Rosalinda Baldoz - Secretary of Labor and Employment
*
Silvestre Bello III
Silvestre Hernando Bello III (born June 23, 1944) is a Filipino people, Filipino businessman and lawyer from Isabela (province), Isabela, who served as the Secretary of Labor and Employment (Philippines), secretary of the Philippines' Departmen ...
- Secretary of Labor and Employment.
*
Roberto Pagdanganan- Philippine Tourism Secretary and Governor of Bulacan Province.
*
Antonio Villegas
Antonio de Jesus Villegas (January 9, 1928 – November 16, 1984) was a Philippines, Filipino politician who served as the 16th Mayor of Manila from 1962 to 1971. His term was after the term of Arsenio Lacson as mayor of Manila, and before the ...
- Mayor, City of Manila
*
Jamalul Kiram III -
Sultan of Sulu
The Sultanate of Sulu (; ; ) is a Sunni Muslim subnational monarchy in the Republic of the Philippines that includes the Sulu Archipelago, coastal areas of Zamboanga City and certain portions of Palawan in today's Philippines. Historically ...
*
Guillermo de Vega - chairman of the Board of Cendors for Motion Pictures (now MTRCB)
*
Rustica Carpio - Decorated actress, academic, and public servant
*
Sonny Matula- president of the Federation of Free Workers, labor leader and lawyer, and 2022 and 2025 senatorial candidate
See also
*
Quezon City Academy
References
External links
*
*
{{authority control
1947 establishments in the Philippines
Education in Quiapo, Manila
Universities and colleges established in 1947
Quezon family
Schools in Quezon City
Universities and colleges in Manila
Universities and colleges in Quezon City