Agrifina Circle

The name "Agrifina" is a portmanteau of the words "Agriculture" and "Finance" since two neoclassical buildings located on opposite ends of the circle formerly housed the Departments of Agriculture and Finance. The former building of the Department of Finance formerly housed the Department of Tourism until 2015, when the building was vacated to make way for the new National Museum of Natural History.

The circle was officially renamed Teodoro F. Valencia Circle on January 5, 1990, through Republic Act No. 6836,^[4] after the former head of the National Parks Development Committee, who initiated and maintained Rizal Park's beautification.^[3][5]

The Agrifina Circle was intended to be a grand civic plaza surrounded by the planned Capitol Building and five wedge-shaped buildings, which included the Finance and Agriculture Buildings, according to the Burnham Plan of Manila by American architect Daniel Burnham.^[6]

After World War II, when it was decided that the capital of the Philippines was to be moved to Quezon City, the then-plaza was converted into a roundabout. Vehicular traffic was allowed on the road until the late 1960s when Rizal Park was consolidated, and most roads going through the park were pedestrianized. A globe fountain and skating rink were installed on the central island.^[7]

There were plans to construct Luneta Tower, a 390-meter (1,280 ft) observation tower, at the Agrifina Circle for the Centennial Celebration of Philippine Independence in 1998. However, the decision to build the tower at the site was controversial, and the plan was eventually shelved.

By 2000, the Binhi ng Kalayaan Monument had replaced the fountain, but the skating rink remained.^[2] The monument was later moved to a barren area of Rizal Park in 2004 and was replaced by the Statue of the Sentinel of Freedom, a monument dedicated to Lapulapu.