“[QC Stories] is sort of a paradox,” Do Good Studio producer Bon Reyes told Rolling Stone Philippines. “When you read it, it anchors you to a time and place… but it still needs to feel timeless.”
QC Stories: The City We Call Home is the latest brainchild of Do Good Studio and Quezon City local government, and it reads like a love letter to the largest city in Manila. Jumping across different generations, subcultures, and niches, the book offers what can only be described as a good, honest look at the city and its people. There’s a photo collection on the tailors of Kamuning, the city’s main textile district. There are essays on homegrown dining concepts like Max’s, Estrel’s, and the ever-growing list of cafés, dive bars, and tambay spots around the city. There’s even a guide to making the most out of 24 hours at Cubao X.
There are also the memories of the actors, artists, and storytellers that make up the UNESCO Creative City. Dolly de Leon reflects on her best days in UP Diliman, Maricel Soriano looks back on moving to Scout de Guia Street before her career took off under Regal Films, and how National Artists Ryan Cayabyab and Virgilio Almario have found something almost poetic about the city.
“We wanted to capture a collective memory,” Tin Dabbay, Do Good Studio’s editor and creative director, told Rolling Stone Philippines. “We wanted something that people could keep for a long time. Something anti-algorithm, too, because we wanted to avoid stories that were just trending on TikTok. We wanted these to be the kind of stories that you share either at a family reunion or in a private conversation with friends.”
Learning the Ropes
It was a stressful six months for the members of Do Good Studio as they scrambled to put together 48 different stories about their beloved city.
“Originally, parang mga 150 pages lang ang gusto namin,” recalled Do Good Studio producer Meryll Soriano, before noting that the book ended up being closer to 300 pages long. The group’s core members agreed, with executive producer Lorenze Andrew Buenaventura adding, “There were so many good stories, we didn’t want to cut any of it.”
What’s more, as QC Stories is a government project, the group had to work closely with the local government office to make the book a reality. “It was a lot of paperwork,” joked Buenaventura, with other Do Good Studio members noting that the allocated budget set by the city added another layer of challenges.
“But I think what made QC Stories what it is is because Mayor Joy Belmonte is such an advocate of culture,” noted Dabbay. “For this book, she really gave us the freedom to explore what kind of creative output would suit it best. That trust really mattered to all of us.”
This isn’t the first time that Do Good Studio has created a QC-centric book. In 2019, they published QC: A Guide to the Quezon City Experience, which was also made in collaboration with the local government. “In a way, mas mahirap ‘yung first book,” recalled art director Patrick L. Jamora. “We were just learning the ropes in terms of working with the government. So medyo alam na namin, going into the second book, about what to expect.”
“We were younger then, and so the book felt younger,” added Dabbay. “It was pretty much just a guide of where you could find the hottest spots or whatever around QC — a little more focused on being trendy.”
The years in between both books have taught the studio both to be more intentional when it comes to the stories they choose and to take bolder swings with how they represent the city. Unlike its predecessor, QC Stories touches on the real, systematic problems that continue to plague the city, including failing facilities, overcrowding, and a population that includes many living below the poverty line.
“We’re really proud to include stories from the fringes,” said Dabbay, who noted that many of these themes are featured in artist Cian Dayrit’s illustration of the city’s ongoing issues. “Of course, you have the National Artists, the entrepreneurs, all these really successful people; but the reality is that the city needs a lot of improvement as well. There are floods in certain areas. We need better infrastructure, education.”
Something in the Works
Since its launch earlier this March, QC Stories has proven to be a success among those who’ve managed to obtain the book and those who’ve perused browsing copies of it at local libraries and cafés. However, it looks like many will have to wait a little longer to buy their very own copies.
“People are asking if it will ever be for sale,” said Soriano. “But since beforehand pa naman, sinabi sa amin na hindi talaga pwedeng ibenta, kasi it’s really a personal project of Mayor Joy. Na-allocate na ‘yung budget for that.”
“But I think we will try our best to approach Mayor Joy and see what we can do,” she continued. “We can talk to her about the demand from the people. Everybody wants to get a copy, ‘di ba? And we want that also, kasi we’re so proud of the book.”
When asked if Do Good Studio has any future plans for another QC-themed book or for books that spotlight other cities within the Philippines, the group acknowledged that they had been thinking about their next project. “Confidential pa,” Soriano half-jokingly said. “But we really are hoping to have different cities na magawa namin. If [QC Stories] is a contribution to QC, why not a contribution to the whole Philippines? Sana makapag-travel tayo sa mas malayong lugar, para maging collection na siya. Why not, ‘di ba? Dream big!”
