Triangle Area and Scout Area

The Triangle Area and Scout Area of Quezon City forms the heart of the city's government center, entertainment industry, and nightlife. On the four avenues forming the Triangle Area, you may either find yourself in a row of government offices, shopping malls, residential areas, and commercial strips.

Understand

Timog Avenue, a major street and nightlife hub of this area

This article includes also barangays Roxas, Obrero, and Kamuning, through those places are not traditionally associated the Scout Area; Muñoz (Katipunan, Veterans Village), Bago Bantay (Bagong Pag-asa, Project 6, Ramon Magsaysay, Santo Cristo, Vasra), Santa Cruz (around Fisher Mall) and Nayong Kanluran) are also included as part of the larger North EDSA area, with its glitzy malls.

The Scout Area gets its name from the 22 Boy Scouts of the Philippines who died on the way to the 11th World Scouting Jamboree in Marathon, Greece; this area encompasses barangays Laging Handa, Sacred Heart and South Triangle. Most streets, except Mother Ignacia Avenue, Panay Avenue, Sergeant Esguerra Avenue, Timog Avenue and Tomas Morato Avenue, are named after the 22 Scouts, hence the district's common name.

The Triangle Area is part of the former barangay of Diliman. It was originally intended to be the location of all the offices of the Philippine government as Quezon City is envisioned, and the northeast corner (present-day Quezon Memorial Circle) was the supposed site of a new Philippine capitol building, but as World War II erupted in the Pacific, many of the proposed building have never been constructed. The west and south sides of the Triangle grew into middle-class neighborhoods; the east side only became filled with government offices, and the north side is partially filled with government offices and commercial developments, with interspersed slums. The north side of the Triangle Area is undergoing redevelopment as part of the Triangle Business Park commercial development.

The Scout Area's major streets are Timog Avenue (Route 173), a four-lane street running east-west from EDSA to Quezon Avenue, and Tomas Morato Avenue, a north-south avenue running from the area near the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Complex south to E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue in New Manila. Both streets are nightlife centers; expect to find many classy restaurants and bars at almost every corner.

South Triangle, a barangay, is a mid-class neighborhood home to the two major television networks, ABS-CBN and GMA Network, and film production firms; it is home for many Philippine TV celebrities, and is the Philippines' Hollywood.

Get in

The Triangle and Scout Area is near to Diliman and Cubao; from the streets of Diliman, crossing East Avenue brings you immediately to the East Triangle area. From Cubao, you can just hop onto MRT Line 3, a jeepney, or a city bus, and get down at points along EDSA.

By public transit

MRT Line 3 (MRT-3) serves the Triangle and Scout Area, and you can alight at the three stations inside the district.

• 1 Kamuning  3 . Brings you near Timog Avenue, East Avenue, and the GMA Network Center, just beside it. (updated Dec 2018)
• 2 Quezon Avenue  3 . At the busy intersection of EDSA and Quezon Avenue, it is meters away from the Eton Centris mall and the Bantayog Memorial Center. (updated Dec 2018)
• 3 North Avenue  3 . The northernmost end of MRT 3, it lies near two major shopping malls, Trinoma and SM North EDSA. This station will be relocated to a newer terminus named the Unified Grand Central Terminal, which will have a cross-platform transfer with LRT Line 1. (updated Dec 2018)

By bus

The area is served by city buses route 6 from Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) and the EDSA Carousel BRT.

See

The Millenium Transmitter tower outside the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Complex

• 1 Bantayog Memorial Center (Bantayog ng mga Bayani), Quezon Avenue, Pinyahan, ☏ +63 2 985-1126, bantayog@bantayog.foundation. 10AM-4PM. Monument dedicated to the people who died during the Marcos dictatorship. (updated Dec 2018)
• 2 11th World Scout Jamboree Monument (Boy Scout Monument), Timog Avenue and Tomas Morato Avenue. Monument created in memory of the 22 Boy Scouts who perished en route to the 11th World Scouting Jamboree in Greece. (updated Dec 2018)
• 3 Millenium Transmitter, Mother Ignacia Avenue corner Sergeant Esguerra Street. The 220 m (720 ft) transmitter tower by ABS-CBN, providing strong TV signals around Metro Manila. It is a landmark of the district itself, and is very visible from almost every corner of the Scout Area. (updated Dec 2018)
• 4 Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center. Houses a zoological and botanical garden, complete with a man-made lagoon for boating activities (updated Dec 2018)
• 5 SM City North EDSA Sky Garden. Elevated park with a simulated river and waterfall, part of SM City North EDSA (see #Buy) (updated Dec 2018)
• Pinoy Big Brother House, Eugenio Lopez Jr. Drive. See (#Do) (updated Dec 2018)

Quezon Memorial Circle is found at the northeast corner of the district, but it has its own set of sights and activities, and is covered separately.

Do

Television

The South Triangle area is the nerve center of the Philippine TV industry; the two major networks, GMA and ABS–CBN are headquartered here. If you want to get a glimpse of the Philippines' TV industry, you can either visit the TV studios in the area and watch live performances of popular shows being broadcast throughout the Philippines (and also to overseas Filipino communities around the world).

• 1 ABS-CBN Broadcasting Complex, Eugenio Lopez Jr. Drive, South Triangle, ☏ +63 2 924-4101. The flagship studio of the ABS-CBN media network, built in 1968 and is the Philippines' most advanced broadcasting center. (updated Dec 2018)
  • ABS-CBN Studios. The oldest television studios inside the complex, with 8 studios housing ABS-CBN's popular shows like It's Showtime, Magandang Buhay, TV Patrol, and ASAP. (updated Feb 2024)
• 2 Pinoy Big Brother House, 18 Eugenio Lopez Jr. Drive, South Triangle. Home of the Philippine Big Brother franchise. The façade makes this more of a house, but it also hosts the studios where Pinoy Big Brother is aired. The surrounding area can become very crowded during eviction nights, where thousands of fans wait. The house is generally closed when Pinoy Big Brother is not being broadcasted. (updated Dec 2018)

Events

• Quezon City Pride Parade (December 8 and 9)

Buy

• 3 Eton Centris, EDSA, Pinyahan, Diliman. Mixed-used development with a shopping mall, lifestyle strip, and call center buildings (updated Dec 2018)
  • Centris Station, EDSA, Pinyahan, Diliman (At the corner with Quezon Avenue. MRT station: Quezon Avenue; Bus stop: Quezon Avenue), ☏ +63 2 845-3866. 24/7. Indoor mall of the Eton Centris complex, with select restaurants, shops and a SM Hypermarket. (updated Dec 2018)
• 1 Fisher Mall. Su-Th 10AM-9PM, F Sa 10AM-10PM. Mall owned by a fishing business in Malabon, and built over an old bus terminal. This mall has plenty of fast food chains and fast food restaurants, but not as crowded as the major ones. (updated Dec 2018)
• 2 SM North EDSA, ☏ +63 2 8929-6688. M-F 10AM-10PM; Sa Su 10AM-10PM. The second largest mall in the Philippines, one of the world's largest malls, and the first mall of the nationwide SM Supermalls chain, SM North EDSA houses almost 1000 retail stores, services and restaurants within the mall's premises. It was the largest mall in the Philippines from 2008-2011 and 2015-2021. (updated Feb 2024)
• 3 TriNoma, ☏ +63 2 999. M-Th 10AM-9PM; F Su 10AM-10PM. Short for Triangle North of Manila, it is a large shopping mall in Quezon City in the Philippines owned by land developer Ayala Land. Opened in 2007, the mall is on the side of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, near the MRT-3 North Avenue Station in Quezon City, giving significant market competition to the nearby SM North EDSA as one of the largest malls in Manila's metropolitan area. (updated Feb 2024)
• 4 Wil Tower Mall, Eugenio Lopez Drive, ☏ +63 927 776-6772. M W 6AM-10PM, Tu Th-Su 6:30AM-10:30PM. Small upscale mall with a Coffee Project café and All Day convenience store, part of the 46-storey Wil Tower condominium complex. (updated Dec 2018)

Eat

• Greens 104 Sct. Lozano St. +63 999 722 1799. Continental restaurant with many vegetarian and vegan friendly options including cake. (updated June 2022)

Drink

Bars

Tomas Morato Avenue is the nightlife capital of Quezon City since the 1970s; almost ever corner has a restaurant and bar. Timog Avenue has also a plenty of them, and the Scout Area is certainly the nightlife center on town.

• 1 Music Match, 270 Tomas Morato Avenue, ☏ +63 2 927-8531. M-Th 1PM-3AM, F 1PM-5AM, Sa Su 2PM-3:30AM. Karaoke bar with disco and a selection of food. Smoking allowed in some rooms (updated Dec 2018)

Sleep

Budget

• Strawberry Hometel, 111-B Scout Lozano Street, Quezon City (just behind Zirkoh Comedy Bar and Mang Inasal at Tomas Morato Avenue), ☏ +63 966 345 9993. Comfortable, affordable inn with air-conditioned rooms and international cable TVs. ₱800. 
• 1 Icon Hotel Timog, 60 Timog Avenue, Laging Handa (Beside Petron at the Scout Memorial), ☏ +63 2 8709 4331. A/C single or double rooms with flat-screen TV, free WiFi, safe, and bathroom with bidet and hot water shower. Free breakfast. Has swimming pool, restaurant and laundry. Airport shuttle available. From ₱1,350. (updated Dec 2018)
• 2 Hotel Sogo North EDSA, 937 EDSA, Phil-Am Village (Beside North Avenue MRT Station), ☏ +63 2 8928 7646. Half-day stay: from ₱1,020 (weekdays) or ₱1,400 (weekends); Overnight stay: from ₱1,290 (weekdays) or ₱1,575 (weekends). (updated Dec 2018)
• 3 Camelot Hotel, 35 Mother Ignacia Avenue (Near M Place South Triangle), ☏ +63 2 8373 2101. Castle-themed hotel, with rooms having a royal and European feel. It has five restaurants, one open 24/7, another playing live music, and some with bars. From ₱1,210. (updated Dec 2018)

Mid-range

• Casa Pura, 55 Scout Santiago St., Barangay Laging Handa, ☏ +63 2 373-2384. Casa Pura offers rooms equipped with air conditioning, telephone, writing desk and sofa. The hotel has a deck garden, restaurant, banquet hall, conference rooms, and parking. Room service, laundry service available. From ₱2,400. 
• 4 Cocoon Boutique Hotel (The Cocoon Hotel), 61 Scout Rallos Street, ☏ +63 2 921-2706, info@thecocoonhotel.com. Has vibrantly colored rooms with free WiFi, cable TV, minibar with coffee and tea makers, and bathtub with hot and cold water. Larger rooms have a living room and an additional bedroom. Its rooftop has a swimming pool providing views of the Scout Area and nearby Cubao. Amenities include a bar, a restaurant, a café, a hair salon, a gym, a business center, and a spa. Free breakfast available. From ₱3,450. (updated Dec 2018)
• 5 Imperial Palace Suites Quezon City, Scout Memorial Circle (Corner Timog Ave & Tomas Morato), ☏ +63 2 8927 8001, fax: +63 2-9207884. This hotel offers room amenities like air-conditioning, cable television, and kitchenette, complete with daily maid service. However be prepared for possible privations (e.g. no soap/towels, dirty sheets, broken toilet seat, bad TV reception, overall dilapidated conditions). From ₱2,260. 
• Luxent Hotel, #51 Timog Ave., South Triangle, ☏ +63 2 8863 7777. All rooms have in-room safety deposit box, mini bar, individual climate control, LCD flat sreen with cable and DVD player. Some of its facilities and services are lobby lounge, bar, infinity pool, kiddie pool, gym/fitness center, multi-level parking, Wi-Fi internet connection, in-room suite dining service, laundry/pressing and dry cleaning, wake-up call, 24-hour concierge and security. From ₱3,875. 
• Stonehouse Condominiums, 102 & 103 The Forum, Tomas Morato Avenue St (corner Scout Limbaga Street), ☏ +63 2 724-7551. Each high-rise condominium provides luxury-filled rooms and suites. From ₱2,100. 

Stay safe

The district is relatively safe, but watch out for pickpockets and the occasional scammers. Showing drunkenness is not tolerated; some foreigners are arrested for engaging in drunken brawls. Some areas of this district are best avoided at all times:

• The interior of barangay Obrero (and areas under an old power line at the boundary with New Manila)
• Some areas on the Triangle Area characterized by slums. Riots have erupted during demolitions, so it is best avoided at all times.

Cope

Embassies

• 1 Embassy of Cyprus, LG-03 Crispina Building, 1589 Quezon Avenue, West Triangle. (updated Dec 2018)

Go next

• Cubao – The grand old retail center of the city, along EDSA.