The Cultural Center of the Philippines: Asia’s Mecca of the Arts

Article titled 'The Cultural Center of the Philippines: Asia’s Mecca of the Arts' by Pedro R. Narvasa, published in Business Chronicle on 31 May 1970.

The article describes the preparations for the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), which began in 1965. Designed by Leandro Locsin, the CCP's massive, rough concrete edifice, in the style of Brutalist architecture, took four years to build on 21 hectares of reclaimed land along Manila Bay. Envisioned by then First Lady Imelda Marcos as a 'showcase of Filipino artistic expression and an architectural landmark', it opened in 8 September 1969, as, the writer quoted, 'The Mecca of the Arts in Asia'.

The article discusses at length the organisational efforts of Mrs. Marcos and the people involved in its early years. It also provides a background for the nation's dream of building a 'true national theater', ever since the decline of the Metropolitan Theater before World War II.

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English

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1970

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news reportage

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The Cultural Center of the Philippines: Asia’s Mecca of the Arts