Quezon

Lucena (Tagalog pronunciation: [lʊˈsɛna], American Spanish: Spanish pronunciation: [luˈsena] , European Spanish: Spanish pronunciation: [luˈθena] ), officially known as the City of Lucena (Filipino: Lungsod ng Lucena), is a highly urbanized city situated in the Calabarzon region (Region IV-A) of the Philippines. The city is the largest urban center and capital of Quezon Province. The city also serves as a major hub for commerce, healthcare, education, and governance within the region. Lucena City, although geographically situated within Quezon Province, is politically and administratively independent. This distinction enables it to govern itself without provincial oversight, giving it a unique status within the region. Metro Lucena is a proposed metropolitan area that would encompass the highly urbanized city of Lucena and its surrounding municipalities, including Candelaria, Dolores, Lucban, Pagbilao, Sampaloc, San Antonio, Sariaya, Tayabas and Tiaong. This proposed region aims to consolidate the economic, cultural, and infrastructural resources of Lucena City and its neighboring towns to foster regional development, improve governance, and enhance the delivery of public services. According to the 2020 census, Lucena City is home to 278,924 people.

The Philippine Tong Ho Institute (simplified Chinese: 罗申那同和中学; traditional Chinese: 羅申那同和中學; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lô͘-sin-nā Tông-hô͘ Tiong-o̍h) is a Chinese high school in Lucena City, Quezon. It was founded February 14, 1921. It has a small population of students and is a small campus.

The Quezon Convention Center is a multi-purpose convention center in Quezon located near the Provincial Capitol in Lucena, Quezon, Philippines. The venue has hosted local and regional basketball competitions, concerts, and conferences. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo led the inauguration rites of the facility on August 19, 2002. It was constructed using the savings of the Quezon provincial government. The arena hosted a number of concerts and fine performances such as Sharon Cuneta, Gary Valenciano, Pops Fernandez, Martin Nievera, Regine Velasquez, Kyla, the Apo Hiking Society, Sam Milby and Kim Chiu, Wolfgang, and Aiza Seguerra. Even international artist gospel singer-songwriter Don Moen has performed in the arena. The arena has also held games for various sports leagues, including the Philippine Basketball Association, Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, Liga Pilipinas, and Philippine Basketball League. It became the home arena of the expansion Quezon Huskers of the MPBL from 2023.

Lucena station is a railway station located on the South Main Line in Lucena, Quezon, Philippines. The station was opened on February 10, 1913, the station building was enlarged in 1938 together with the completion of the Main Line South. It was a major stopping point on the South Main Line for PNR intercity services until the line's closure in 2006 after Typhoon Milenyo damaged infrastructure. It served both the Bicol Express and the Mayon Limited. It is near the Quezon Provincial Government Center, which houses the provincial government of Quezon, as well as Perez Park and the Lucena Fire Station. Further away from the station are the Port of Lucena, the Lucena Airport and SM City Lucena. The PNR project, titled “Restoration of Station Building,” was funded with P15.3 million and was being undertaken by Batangas-based Granby Trading and Construction. Started on June 25 2015, the project is expected to be completed on Oct. 25 2015. The station is considered one of the remaining heritage structures in Lucena, being considered by the local government as “important cultural property.” In February 2022, the station was reopened as a terminus for the San Pablo–Lucena Commuter Service for a test run, even though the station is in a partially rebuilt state. There are plans to reopen the station before May 2022. The Chinese ODA-funded rebuild will construct a new station while preserving the remnants of the original. On October 21, 2024, the PNR resumed its PNR South Main Line services for the Lucena-Calamba-Lucena line. The PNR train stops include San Pablo station, Calamba station, Sariaya, Lutucan, Candelaria, Tiaong (Lalig), IRRI, UP Los Baños station-Junction station, Masili and Pansol stations. Lucena station has depot and maintenance facilities.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lucena (Latin: Dioecesis Lucenensis) is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines with the seat in Lucena City. The Roman Rite Latin Church diocese was erected in 1950 from the Archdiocese of Lipa to become a suffragan diocese of the archdiocese. In 1977, the Diocese of Boac, which covers the parishes in the island-province of Marinduque, was created and separated from Lucena. In 1984, the Diocese of Lucena was further divided with the creation of the Diocese of Gumaca, which covers the municipalities of Quezon province east of Gumaca, Quezon.

Maryhill College (Filipino: Dalubhasaang Maryhill) formerly Maryknoll is a non-stock, non-profit Roman Catholic basic and higher educational institution in Lucena City, Philippines. It was founded in 1938 initially named as Lucena Catholic School and eventually become Maryknoll Academy on the same year . The school is part of the mission of the Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic . The school has basic education which is composed of primary and secondary education, and also has higher education.

Saint Ferdinand Cathedral, commonly known as Lucena Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Lucena, Quezon, Philippines. The seat of the Bishop of Lucena, it is dedicated to Saint Ferdinand III of Castile, a 13th century monarch who reigned in parts of modern-day Spain. The cathedral is situated at Barangay 5 (Poblacion), in the city proper of Lucena.

Sacred Heart College of Lucena City is an educational institution in Lucena City, Quezon, Philippines. The first catholic learning institution in Quezon Province, it was founded on April 27, 1884. It had its roots in the vision of a simple and saintly woman named Hermana Fausta whose exemplary life was moulded on the Vincentian spirituality. The school grew and its status was changed from Academy to College in 1941. It was formally turned-over to the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul on 1 August 1937. The school's basic education division offers primary and secondary education from Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12). The higher education division offers courses leading to associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, and master's degrees.

Quezon National High School (QNHS) is a major public secondary high school in Brgy. Ibabang Iyam, Lucena City, Philippines. It is one of the largest contingent national high schools in the Philippines, both by size and by population, with more than 11,000 enrollees from Grades 7 to Grade 12. Aside from offering the K-12 Basic Education Curriculum, it also offers many different subjects and electives through its various Special Programs, with specific curricula for Science, Technology and Engineering (STE), Journalism (SPJ), Arts (SPA), Sports (SPS), and Foreign Languages (SPFL).

Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation (MSEUF), also known as Enverga University (EU), is a private, non-sectarian university situated in Lucena, Quezon, Philippines. The university is named after its founder, Dr. Manuel Sarmiento Enverga. MSEUF has the second highest number of accredited academic college degrees/programs offered in the whole Southern Tagalog Region, behind University of the Philippines Los Banos. The university also has satellite campuses in Candelaria, Catanauan, Sampaloc, San Antonio, and Calauag — all of which are located within the Philippines.

Camp Guillermo Nakar is a military camp used by the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Lucena, Quezon. Formerly called Camp Wilhelm, it was renamed to its present name by AFP General Orders No. 266 issued on March 30, 1978 in honor of Guillermo Nakar, one of the first guerrilla leaders of the Philippine resistance against Japan during the Second World War. It is currently the headquarters of the AFP Southern Luzon Command. It contains an air field, a forensics and criminology office, and a basketball court near the front gate. It also has a few small apartment and duplexes which house both military personnel and civilians.

The Southern Luzon Command (abbrv. as SOLCOM) is the Armed Forces of the Philippines' unified command in charge of the Calabarzon, Mimaropa and the Bicol region but excludes the Palawan Islands. It is responsible for the defense of these areas against external aggression, as well as combating terrorism and insurgency.