Anybody who has driven around or been in the vicinity of the Quezon Memorial Circle is familiar with the monument at its center.

It is a towering structure that serves as a beacon reminding passersby that beneath it is where the remains of one of the most important Filipino political leaders of the 20th century lie.

If the shrine stands as a motionless landmark and offers little clue to who President Manuel L. Quezon was, the rooms at its base will bring him to life.

The Museo Ni Manuel Quezon is a multi-gallery album that houses items spanning Quezon's lifetime and even beyond — from when he was a boy in Baler town until he assumed the role of the country's most powerful man, and from his last days to what inspired the construction of the 66-foot tribute and the formation of a city that bears his name.

"Iniisip lang natin lagi na ama siya ng wikang pambansa, pero he's more than that," museum curator Janice Tambo tells ABS-CBN News.

"Talagang may firm commitment siya sa social justice natin, binigyan ng pagpapahalaga ng national defense, then iyong railroad system inayos din niya. Nagkaroon tayo ng social equality sa pamamagitan ng pagboto ng mga kababaihan at pwede na silang mahalal.

"So marami tayong na-accomplish noong time niya."

The Museo was built in 1979, and in 2015 a project to modernize it was completed. There are interactive elements now, the exhibits more systematized, and the language used to tell Quezon's story comes in Tagalog and English.

Besides artifacts and photographs, timelines are all over the museum walls recounting not only Quezon's history but also providing context to his life by putting it side by side with a nation transitioning from American rule then being thrown into the fire that is the Second World War.

"I want our people to know that the Philippines is their country, that it is the only country that God has given them, that they must keep it for themselves and their children, that they must live for it and if necessary die for it," Quezon said in one wall-posted quote.

The galleries are ordered chronologically: it begins with Quezon's youth, fast-forwards to his early years as a public servant, then goes into his time as president of the Philippine Commonwealth and during the Japanese occupation. The last gallery is an exhibit on his legacy, part of which explains how the Quezon Memorial Shrine came into existence.

The items on display range from the expected (clothes, kitchenware, plaques, school certificates and wartime effects) to the not-so-much.

There is Quezon's sword collection that includes katana swords, as is his golf bag, which is stored in a room replicating the presidential office.

There is a worn-out record, which looks like an overused cymbal, that was given to Quezon by KZRH radio station on his 63rd birthday; in the same glass case, an issue of TIME magazine with the president on the cover.

A gold in-laid chest where a copy of the 1935 Constitution was stored is on display, too, as is the hospital bed that Quezon used when he was at Malinta Tunnel in Corregidor.

Doña Aurora, Quezon's wife, has a section devoted to her. A replica of her room contains a bed, her dresses and a sewing machine.

Tambo says it's misguided to think of her as just a presidential spouse.

"Supportive si Doña Aurora kay Pangulong Quezon sa mga advocacy niya. Habang ginagawa ni Quezon iyong duties niya as president, si Doña Aurora naging honorary president ng Red Cross, Girl Scouts of the Philippines, so may mga civic organizations siyang na-create na hanggang ngayon active pa rin," Tambo says.

"Marami siyang ginawa to serve the country."

Not all items on display are meant to place visitors in a time machine.

The fifth gallery on Quezon's legacy ties his impactful yet oft-overlooked contributions — and the volatile times in which they were advanced — to the present day.

His political contemporaries — both in the US and fellow Filipinos — held Quezon in high regard. Their shared hope is that people's idea of him goes beyond the name of a bustling metropolis and the edifice at the heart of it.

"Death forever closed his lips and stayed his pen," General Douglas McArthur said, "but the immortal spirit which sustains his soul remains forever a dominant influence upon the destiny of the republic for which he gave so much."

Carlos P. Romulo, former president of the UN General Assembly who was an important figure in the Philippines' campaign to be independent of the US, said Quezon "remains my hero, the finest type of leader I shall ever know."

"He will always be, to me and our people, the embodiment of unalloyed patriotism."

Museo ni Manuel Quezon is open Thursdays to Sundays, 8 a.m. to 4 a.m.

People enjoy recreational activities in the area surrounding the Museo ni Manuel Quezon at the Quezon Memorial Circle. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

The moon in the background passes atop the Quezon shrine at the Quezon Memorial Circle. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Children pass beside the sculptures that adorn the exterior of the Museo ni Manuel Quezon. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Children play on the stairs leading up to stone sculptures depicting events in Philippine history at the Quezon Memorial Shrine. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

A Commonwealth dry seal greets visitors at the Museo ni Manuel Quezon. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Office furniture used by President Manuel L. Quezon housed inside his eponymous museum at the Quezon Memorial Circle. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Different katana swords given to President Manuel L. Quezon as gifts after the Second World War are displayed at the Museo ni Manuel Quezon. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

A representation of the room of Doña Aurora Quezon, the president’s wife, houses the First Lady’s clothes and some personal effects are housed at the Museo ni Manuel Quezon. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

A visitor looks at the actual hospital bed used by President Manuel L. Quezon when he was at Malinta Tunnel in Corregidor, which is displayed at the Museo ni Manuel Quezon. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Visitors at the Museo ni Manuel Quezon view the gold in-laid chest used as the repository of the 1935 Constitution. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

A guest at the Museo ni Manuel Quezon views the gold in-laid chest used as the repository of the 1935 Constitution. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Intricate details of the gold in-laid chest used as the repository of the 1935 Constitution. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Visitors at the Museo ni Manuel Quezon read a brief explanation of how the Commonwealth government of the former president opened its doors to receive Jewish refugees who fled the Holocaust. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

An obelisk plaque on display at the Museo ni Manuel Quezon at the Quezon Memorial Circle dedicated to the former president as Philippine representative to the US Congress. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

President Manuel L. Quezon on the cover of TIME Magazine, which is on display at the Museo ni Manuel Quezon at the Quezon Memorial Circle. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Potpouri bowls were popular during the 1930s at the Manuel L. Quezon Museum at the Quezon City Memorial Circle. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

A telegram Morse code buzzer displayed at the Museo ni Manuel Quezon at the Quezon Memorial Circle. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

A military coat worn by Carlos P. Romulo, president of the UN General Assembly in 1949 to 1950, is part of the Second World War exhibit of the Museo ni Manuel Quezon. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

A military satchel bag with President Manuel Roxas’ name inscribed on it is part of the Second World War exhibit of the Museo ni Manuel Quezon. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Commemorative coins donated by former Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte on display at the Museo ni Manuel Quezon. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Commemorative coins donated by former Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte on display at the Museo ni Manuel Quezon. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

The tomb of President Manuel L. Quezon. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

People sit outside the Museo ni Manuel Quezon, which is open to the public Tuesdays to Sunday. There is no entrance fee, but donations are encouraged. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

The Museo ni Manuel Quezon is located at the foot of the Quezon Memorial Shrine. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News