ARCHITECTURE | PLANNING | INTERIOR | LANDSCAPE | CINEMA | FASHION | PAINTING 2021/2

BACK to
LOCAL
1. Front Page
ART +
ARCHITECTURE

UAP on Local – B. Sia

Trainors’ Village
– N. Crisostomo

Mindanao Architecture
– G.Dy Metilla

Local Materials for Fashion

– F. Aliño, PhD

lantawanmag@wordpress.com

Lantawan Magazine

lantawanmagazine

www.usc.edu.ph
ISSN-2012-435X
 Lantawan Magazine
August 17, 2021

FIRST MACTAN BRIDGE

When the old bridge was built... Construction workers.

63. FB Posts

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 AD 1

Central Lumber
 EDITORIAL BOARD
Margret Rosario, FUAP
Publisher

Br. Bela Lanyi SVD Deborah Tudtud, MA

Editor-in-Chief Layout Director

Anton Elijah Lin Laudale Dave Dumaguing, UAP

Layout Job Captain CAD Job Captain

BOARD MEMBERS
Carla Marie Adlawan Neil Andrew Menjares, UAP
Karl A. E. F. Cabilao, FUAP Anne Nacorda, UAP, PALA
Ivy Miriam Castro, MA Lionel Sanchez, PIID
Araceli Culibra, MA Dr. Rowell Shih, UAP
EDITORIAL MESSAGE
COPY EDITORS “The place where you are standing is holy ground,”
Dioscoro Alesna, UAP Isolde Amante God told Moses in the desert (Exodus 3:5). Yes, it
was far in the desert, close to God’s mountain Horeb.
Moses saw only a burning bush, a usual disaster

4. Editorial
PUBLISHER
in the hot and dry desert. “Moses looked there,”
The Dean of the School of Architecture, Fine Arts and Design
LANTAWAN Office, School of Architecture, Fine Arts and Design continues the Bible, and he was surprised since
Talamban Campus, University of San Carlos, 6000 Cebu City, Philippines “there was the bush blazing, but the bush was not
safaddean@usc.edu.ph being burnt up.” (Exodus 3:2) The burning bush was
blanyi@usc.edu.ph saved—from a place of disaster, it became a place of
ISSN 2012 – 435X opportunity when Moses recognized God in it.

The pandemic changed our environment—the “bush”

Lantawan Magazine lantawanmag.wordpress.com that we used to love, into a disaster. We now have
usc.edu.ph difficulties in imitating foreign successes here in the
lantawan@usc.edu.ph Philippines since we can hardly travel due to health-
(Tel) +63 (032) 230 0100 (Local 207) USC-SAFAD Dean’s Office related limitations. We can also hardly import from
(Local 232) Lantawan Publications our dream countries since shipping is now more
complicated and expensive. This is the moment when
LANTAWAN is a biannual art and architecture magazine published by the we notice that “the place where you are standing is
holy ground.” We recognize its opportunities. That we
School of Architecture, Fine Arts and Design of University of San Carlos (USC-
can now use better because during the pandemic, we
SAFAD). Subscriptions, contributions, comments and address changes should
learned digital technology better.
be sent to the address above. This is Lantawan’s 2021/2 (September) issue. The
next issue is due in February 2022. “Back to the Local”—the theme of this Lantawan

PAGE
issue—refers to the saving return of a forgotten
appreciation for the place where we live. In fact, the
word “local” originates from “locus,” which is “place”
ABOUT THE COVER in Latin. Various approaches to this idea in the
introductory part lead to the fundamental article of

4
“PUSO” ” (rice pouch /
hanging rice) best represents
Cebu. “It is an embodiment
of the cultural identity of
the Cebuanos as part of the
heritage of living traditions.
A documentary analysis of
rice pouch was used as a
ritual object among the village
farmers in Taptap, an isolated barangay in Cebu City. This art of puso weaving has long been
present since the 13th century prior to the arrival of Spanish in 1521”. (Inocian) Weaving
inspired crafts, fashion, fixtures, furniture, interior, architectural design, and even methods
in building constructions. This interpretation came into fruition in the front and back cover
presenting “BACK TO LOCAL”.
Word and Illustration by Ar. Ryan Cabanlit
Editor’s photo was shot in the chapel Cebu Lay Formation Center, Talamban, Cebu. Photo artist:
Adrian Yap, UAP. Wood sculptor of the Tabernacle: Antonio Cui del Mar, 1984.
Ar. Trani, in which he explains the nature and origin
of placemaking. The next articles then explain what
“place” means for architecture practitioners of the
United Architects of the Philippines (UAP). From
here, we proceed to deeper meanings and traditions
of “Cebuano place.” We study its realizations in art
designs of Dr. Felma Alino and Ms. Carla Adlawan.
In the built environment, we discover designs of
Ar. Crisostomo (USC, Cebu), Ar. Gloryrose Dy
Metilla (Mindanao), and IDr. Heidrun Milan (Leyte).
Discussions in Building Science and Landscape
Architecture follow.
Student visions and USC-SAFAD galleries close this
issue, which is intended to help disappointed and tired
citizens find new inspiration in place and identity—our
very own, indestructible design values. Please read
this, even with its theoretical articles, very practical
Lantawan issue.

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2021/2 Issue (September 2021)
© Copyright 2021 University of San Carlos. All rights reserved.
Br. Bela Lanyi SVD
Editor-in-Chief

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 LOCAL IN ART

Content 42 Design, Creativity, and Innovation

in a New Dimension
Mary Felma A. Aliño, PH.D.
15
45 Designing Cebu’s Milestones:
Publications Design for
INTRODUCTION The Cebu Yearbook 2020
08 Welcome Message Carla Marie Adlawan, MA
Lorelei D.C. de Viana, Executive Director
UAP Center for Filipino Architecture

10 The Theme in Perspective

48 To The VICTOR Belong the Spoils!
ICT and the Creative Industry
Deborah Tudtud, MA
28
Margret D. Rosario, FUAP,
Dean, USC-SAFAD LOCAL IN BUILT
ENVIRONMENT
WHAT IS “LOCAL”?
11 Vocal about Local
52 Materiality+Spirituality
Heidrun Milan, PIID
Lanyi, SVD
34
Karl Aries Emerson F. Cabilao,

2. Content
M.Arch., FUAP 56 Mindanao Architecture with
Smart Vernacular Principles:
15 How do We Create The Municipal Halls of BARMM
Meaningful Spaces? Writer/Designer: Ar. Gloryrose Dy Metilla
Roy Vincent Trani, UAP
65 Challenging Beauty
20 A New World of A Bamboo and Wood Story
Neighborhood Architecture Designer: Ar. Nheil Crisostomo,
Arvin Pangilinan, UAP Writer: Br. Bela Lanyi SVD

22 Back to the Local 72 Bringing the “Vernacular

Ubo Pakes

26 Go Lokal! A Platform for

Architecture“ of the
Past to the Present
38
Robert Malayao, UAP
World-Class Filipino Products
Jojisilia Villamor
74 The Natural Environment
in Everyday Life

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Sherwin O. Ramosa, M.Arch
“LOCAL” FOR UAP
28 Local is Authentic STUDENT VISIONS 42
Buck Sia, UAP

5
76 For a More Social Active
29 UAP Chapter Statements to Student Journalism
Ray Michael Benjimen Piluden
“Back to the Local”
Buck Sia, UAP
78 Raffia, a Versatile Interior Material
Omar Maxwell Espina, FUAP
Joseph M Espina, FUAP
Antonio Cortes, UAP
Marie Ann Pano 56
Robert Malayao, UAP 80 To Build, Better
Ivan Lumayag, UAP Josh S. Young
Monique Chiong, UAP
82 Designing a Pandemic-Proof Home
Kyra Mae C. Lim
“LOCAL” IN CEBU
34 What is it to be a Cebuano?
84 Resourcefulness is Traditional
Marielle Fritz A. Ababon
65
BACK to
Joachim Michael Espina, UAP

38 Body and Soul: Carrying Forward

SAFAD GALLERIES

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the Timeless Legacy of 94 Art Gallery
Fr. Klassen and Ar. Alcoseba
Adrian I. Yap, MSc, UAP
95 Architecture Gallery LOCAL
5
 WRITERS MARIELLE FRITZ CARLA DR. FELMA
ABABON ADLAWAN ALIÑO
@mariellefritz.ababon Carla Marie Moras Dr. M.F. Aliño
Adlawan @maryfelmaalino69
@fritz_ababern @copycarla
@copycarla

AR. RYAN
CABANLIT AR. KARL MONIQUE NHEIL ANTONIO
Ryan Anthony Pioquinto CABILAO CHIONG CRISOSTOMO CORTES II, UAP
Cabanlit
Karl Cabilao Sugbu Architects @nheilcrisostomo @CortesArchitecture
@ry_anthony424
@architect_kaefc @uapsugbuofficial @theCorteses

LORELEI DE AR. GLORY

ROSE DY- OMAR
VIANA AR. JOACHIM AR. MICHAEL
METILLA MAXWELL
@lorie.rebecca.3 ESPINA JOSEPH ESPINA ESPINA
@switodesigns
jardinsolei.wordpress.com

3. Contributors
Yumi Espina Omar Maxwell P. Espina
www.switodesigns.com Joachim Michael Espina
Omar Maxwell P. Espina
@jmpespina

KYRA MAE LIM IVAN LUMAYAG, IDR. HEIDRUN

UAP AR. ROBERT MILAN
Kyra Lim
MALAYAO
rbmalayao@usc.edu.ph

UBO PAKES
AR. ARVIN @ubopakes
PANGILINAN NIQUE ANN RAY MICHAEL
MARIE PANO AR. BUCK SIA
@a.rvinpangilinan PILUDEN
arivn.pangilinan@wtadesignstudio.com @nikki.pano.1 @raenkro @zubudesign
@raenkro @zubu_da
www.zubuda.com

SHERWIN
RAMOSA, UAP,
PALA, PIEP
Sherwin Ramosa
AR. MARGRET
DEGUILMO
ROSARIO
PAGE AR. ROY
VINCENT TRANI JOJISILIA
VILLAMOR

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Margret Rosario @royvincent.trani
@jojisilia VILLAMOR
@jojisilia

AR. ADRIAN YAP LANGUAGE EDITORS

JOSH YOUNG
@adrianiyap
@archadrianiyap
@Joshuku

AR. DIOSCORO
ISOLDE AMANTE
ALESNA JR.
@isoldeamante
@isoldeamante

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CAD
OPERATORS CAD JOB CAPTAIN
LAUDALE DAVE
DUMAGUING
JUSTINN CESAR
ALOJADO MARIA PHYLLIS
@justinn.alojado BARRIGA
Laudale Dave Daclan
Dumaguing @phyllistherese.barriga

LANCE GAVINI PAUL

CHERYL
JAY GALEON ANTHONY
GETONGO
@lance.gavini LIBRES
@mariellefritz.ababon @librespaul
@fritz_ababern @librespaul
@username

JEZREEL NUGAS VENNESE LEAN LOUIE ANN

MERCADO VALERIANO
Jezreel Rendon Nugas
@jezreelnugas @VLC.Mercado Louie Ann Valeriano
@empress.vinny @Lavlaval

3. Contributors
LAYOUT
ARTISTS
LAYOUT DIRECTOR LAYOUT JOB CAPTAIN JOSE PREBEN
DEBORAH ANTON LIN WILLIAM
TUDTUD Anton Lin LAYOLA
Deborah Tudtud @desenfico Joe Layola
@debtudtud @desenfico @_hoooboy
@debtudtud @_hoooboy PATRICIA
DENISE
RAFANAN
@artypatch

AMABELLE
RICCA PALMER LORRAINE ALEYA
JOCELLE VINKY
PIÑON OLIVERON
NGO

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@shanshooked Amabelle Lorraine Piñon
@prollyjoe @awesomeamlorr Aleya Oliveron
@al_starling
@al_starling

FACEBOOK
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EURICH LEA CELINE
EDD ANGELOU
EDITORS PESQUERA
DAMPIOS
DANIELLE
ESCUDERO
@eury_escu
GERMAN
LAGUNDI
@celinelle_
@designsbyduh
@_celinelle
@eclectedd
@duhdesigns

YANI GALE MERIAM JOYCE

JEREMY JEDD HANNAH KAREN TRUZ
COPAG
PABOTOY LLENOS
VALENDEZ Meriam Truz
Jeremy E. Pabotoy @celinelle_ Yani Valendez @truzworthy
@jerrymejedd @_celinelle @yanigaleee

RAPHAEL

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XANDRO MILAN
Rax Milan
@raxmilan

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 Welcome Message
In arts and design, going local implies a preference for local or native
materials, crafts, and skills encompassing areas of production,
continuity of indigenous traditions, creativity mindsets, and even
branding. This also alludes to the crafting of local into something
global, through its adoption or melding with bold contemporary
patterns, motifs, and even styles.

In our postmodern world where the spirit of pluralism pervades, this

choice to favor local is a welcome option to promote Filipino talent,

5. Welcome Message
creativity, and traditions - giving Filipinos a competitive edge and
niche in the international market. Filipinos have been respected
and recognized internationally as artists, designers, artisans, and
craftsmen, achieving world-class status and fame. Going local
acknowledges the Filipino imagination, innovation, expression, and
even enterprise. It is a direction that focuses on Filipino ingenuity,
opportunities for community-based economies, and stimuli for
national growth. Going Filipino or Philippine-made promotes local and
national pride and self-reliance.

In the history of our nation, we have seen how measures to protect

Filipino interest and local industries from private initiatives to visions
of the national leadership have been crafted. There were the Ang
Bagong Katipunan (1903), which sought economic nationalism and
self-sufficiency, then the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines
with its credo of Ours First, Yours Later, followed by the privately
initiated establishment of the National Economic Protectionism
Association. The postwar years saw Elpidio Quirino’s policy on
nationalist industrialization and later Carlos Garcia’s Filipino First

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Policy. Ferdinand Marcos’ Tangkilikin ang Sariling Atin was seen also
in the field of architecture, arts and design when Imelda Marcos
commissioned architects and artists like Leandro Locsin and Bobby
Mañosa, who were known exponents in designing Filipino. In recent
decades, we have seen how Fidel Ramos’s Proudly Philippine Made and

8
One Town, One Product, which was later adopted and popularized
by Gloria Arroyo, have furthered the cause to choose and go for Filipino.

I would like to convey my sincere congratulations to Lantawan for

choosing “Going Local” as their theme for this issue. It continues and
furthers the cause of our leaders and their vision to reinforce pride in the
Filipino. In presenting works, trends, and insights following this theme, we
rejoice in what is truly a celebration and a rediscovery of the Filipino soul.

Mabuhay ang Filipino!

LORELEI D.C. DE VIANA

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
UAP CENTER FOR FILIPINO ARCHITECTURE

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Andorra Tiles
 Back to the Local:
A Creative Response
Strategic planning of Lantawan was conducted in the first semester of Academic Year
2019-2020, before the pandemic. The board unanimously agreed that the theme for
the second Lantawan issue after Quinientos Años (500 Years) should cast the spotlight
on local Art and Architecture. It seemed best fit to focus on the native crafts, products,
artworks, and the built environment that, in so many ways, connect to the last 500
years of Christianity. Writing about the resources available to artists, architects and
designers in the region as well as highlighting the various creative works of Cebuanos
supports the theme “Back to the Local.”

6. Publisher’s Message
The Covid-19 pandemic began to change our daily lives in March 2020; lockdowns and
other public safety restrictions made us more keenly aware of the spaces we inhabit,
even if those spaces temporarily felt smaller. Yet we continue to adapt and to find
creative solutions.

While conscious of the harsh realities of this pandemic’s impact on our community’s
health, we opt to offer a brighter vista and to celebrate the creativity of the Cebuano.
We express pride in the Filipino creative mind and reinforce our trust in the Cebuano’s
allure, artistry, and brilliance.

Ar. Margret D. Rosario, FUAP

Dean, Lantawan Publisher
School of Architecture, Fine Arts and

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Design (SAFAD), University of San Carlos

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LEFT Artwork by: Ryan Anthony Cabanlit, UAP

10
Vocal About Local
KARL ARIES EMERSON F. CABILAO, M.ARCH., FUAP

When the first people built their

temporary shelters, they did not look
far and wide for materials. The rationale
behind their building activities did not
come from a remote area as well. All
they had to do was reflect on the usual

11. Cabilao
activities that they did and on their
immediate needs doing their vital tasks
every day. The design of the simplest
tools used by the early people was rooted
on how they needed to do their chores
efficiently.

The foundations of architecture and

design started out by looking into the
local conditions of the area where
people lived. This paved the way for the
construction of the so-called “humble”
structures that served as temporary
shelters. These were mostly built using
vegetative materials, parts of trees and
plants that flourished within the vicinity
where these structures were erected.

Whenever I discuss this in my History

of Architecture 1 classes, where we

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cover the beginnings of architecture all
the way back to the Neolithic Period,
I always tell my architecture freshmen
students that you would have asked why

11
these flimsy-looking structures made of
merely plant parts were included in the
study of architecture. I always point out
to them that architecture emerged to
answer a specific need of man, the main
user of the space. It is noteworthy how
humans, in specific times in history, came
up with a creative and innovative design
approach to satisfy this need through the
built environment with whatever available
“technology” around him.

Designing local harnesses creativity and

innovativeness whatever era such activity
is made. It shows how people were able
to tap available resources that they had
back then and come up with design
solutions that addressed their immediate
needs, thus making relevant design.

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 LOCAL FOR
SUSTAINABILITY
In the context of relevant design, going
“local” treads on familiar design advocacies
such as sustainability. We know how
sustainability goes beyond just mere
“greening” of buildings and recycling various
products. It considers how materials used
to make these products and buildings are
sourced, manufactured, and delivered
for use. In an online article titled “Quick
Guide to Sustainable Design Strategies,”
Leila Acaroglu wrote that the “full cycle
of a product and the potential impacts it
may have, be it in the manufacturing or
at the end-of-life stage, the impacts are
inadvertently decided and thus embedded in
the product by the designers, at the design
decision-making phase.” This underscores
the important roles of designers in choosing
the appropriate materials and technology to
ensure that adverse impacts to the natural

11. Cabilao
environment are minimized or, if possible,
eliminated. The designer should not just
think about the final product but also the
processes that he needs to go through to
achieve the product. He must make sure
that these processes are “friendly” to the
environment. As the designer uses local
materials and technology, this means a
smaller negative imprint made through
the manufacturing and transport of these
materials, which would otherwise require
fossil fuel and intensive energy consumption.

LOCAL FOR IDENTITY AND

CONTEXT
In the book “Arkitekturang Filipino: A

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History of Architecture and Urbanism in the
Philippines,” the author Gerard Lico noted
that during the latter part of the 1970’s until
the 1980’s, architects in the Philippines
realized “the failure of modern buildings to

12
cope with the imperatives of the tropical
climate.” The modern buildings he referred
to were those built during the 50’s and 60’s,
when Filipino architects who studied abroad
and were exposed to the International
Style edifices of known modernists such as
Mies Van der Rohe and Oscar Niemeyer,
came back to the country and applied what
they have seen and learned in America.
Many observed that these buildings of
concrete and glass were “heavy consumers
of energy” as they depended too much on
air-conditioning units to provide comfort
to its users inside. Lico added that because
of this, “Filipino architects were compelled
to reassess local building traditions and
vernacular architectural symbols to address
the need for a more energy-efficient and
culturally-responsive tropical architecture.”
This paved the way for the concept of

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“regionalism”, which expressed “the local
identity of a particular region.”

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 Taking a look back at these concepts of
tropical design somehow allows designers
to get in touch with the values of
sustainability but also the “local context”.
This is an important approach to defining
a sense of “Filipino” in design amidst the
continuing quest to fully define “Filipino” in
design and architecture.

How a building responds to the hot and

humid climate of the country can be achieved
through modern technologies. This shows
how traditional concepts from the past can
be contemporized to make these relevant.
The bahay kubo in its entirety and exact
form does not have to be the sole reference
for “Filipino architecture” because after all,
this house prototype cannot be attributed
solely to Filipinos since other areas in
Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands have
similar buildings. Building features of the
humble nipa hut, however, such as climate
adaptability and spatial flexibility to fit the
changing lifestyle of Filipino families, could

11. Cabilao
direct us to a clearer image of what is “us” in
terms of design. It reminds us that materiality
and the replication of native techniques may
not be the only key for Filipinos to come up
with a “design style” that we can call our own.

LOOKING BACK TO MOVE

FORWARD
Many people may dismiss everything that
already passed through time as archaic.
But history is full of lessons that, when
contextualized at present, will truly be
relevant. Reading through historical accounts
allows us to look into how people from
centuries ago solved problems and addressed
issues relating to design and architecture

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by harnessing what was available to them.
History presents principles and concepts
guided by various conditions of the site or
locality and even society, which may still
work even in the modern age. These may be

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keys to a better appreciation of indigenous
ideas and technologies that will help us make
a significant step towards a more adaptive
and culturally-rooted future.

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 Search

Lantawan Magazine
December 2, 2020

MANGO AVENUE

“Mango Avenue daw pero walay mangga lol”

Well, that’s not entirely wrong as the Mango Avenue today is known as “The Center of Nightlife Fun in
Cebu”, an entertainment center crammed with bars, hotels, and restaurants that caters both to the locals
and foreigners.

Now, let’s BALIK-LANTAW or retrace this old photo of General Maxilom Avenue aka Mango Avenue (circa
1940s). It can be observed that both sides of the street flaunts nothing but huge and lush mango trees. This
street is considered as the second most significant stretch of road in the history of Cebu, next to Colon

7. Facebook
Street. Also, the University of San Carlos North Campus is located along this street.

Mango Avenue
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14

424k views 1.1k likes 2.7k shares 31 comments

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Facebook Post edited by Meriam Truz

14
 How Do We Create
Meaningful Spaces?
The Concept of Placemaking

ROY VINCENT TRANI, UAP

12. Trani

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15 Placemaking is an important part of
site planning—with emphasis on public
space (streets and plazas) and community
engagement. While site planning is the process
of maximizing space or land through the
identification and analysis of various project
attributes, placemaking can be defined as the
collaborative process of maximizing shared
or public space with a focus on community
participation and the human experience. This
distinction is important because architecture,
landscape architecture, and urban design
is constantly trying to find new ways to
create better environments. From the 2000s
onwards, “better” usually meant sustainable
design however, today, this also means
creating spaces of deeper social value. What
are placemaking principles and how do we

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apply them? Why does design sometimes
favor physical factors over social factors?
How do architects and planners remind their
contemporaries of the importance of public
Ayala Center Cebu, The Terraces - a successful human-made place
space?
15
 HISTORY OF PLACEMAKING

The 1940-1950s: The Spirit of Place

Historians believe that before the Industrial Revolution and even as
far back as ancient history, builders regarded design as more than
the manipulation of materials but as symbolic marking of importance
spaces within a city or town. During this pre-industrial period,
especially in the world’s oldest cities like Rome and London, human
scale and the “Spirit of Place” were of prime importance in design.

• A public space has “Spirit” when it has social and even religious
meaning to a community or group. You can see these in a space
like St. Peter’s Square. The seat of Christianity is more than just a
building but a meaningful symbol to Christians around the globe.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Modernism in American design

began to focus more on the physical and economic factors of public
space. This would lead to the “privatization” of public space and the
weakening the “Spirit” within cities. French architect and planner
Le Corbusier was a notable proponent of privatization, saying that
cars and highways were necessary for the development of cities. Jacobs admonished large-scale urban redevelopment that destroyed

12. Trani
Modernist thinking made no room for the “Spirit of Place” but was
focused on efficiency and economic benefit. This lead to a built
environment that was highly utilitarian and devoid of any social and
cultural meaning. It is no coincidence the people who supported
Modernism belonged to the wealthier citizens of the city.
By the 1950s designers began to create the basic concepts of
Placemaking as a reaction against the Modernist movement. French
architect Gaston Bachelard published The Poetics of Space (1957)
and offered an alternative to Modernism. Bachelard proposed
a fusion of a philosophical and architectural approach to spatial
planning that focused on the intended to bring back meaning in
spaces by studying the “lived experience” together with the project’s
functional requirements.
local communities. She advocated for smaller, compact developments
that required dense mixed-use projects and walkable streets.
Although separate form Architectural Phenomenology Jacobs
highlighted similar principles that would make a place meaningful
which included the “Ballet of the Sidewalk” and “Eyes on the Street”,
which would later be known as natural surveillance.
• The idea that the design of public spaces should be done by the
people who live in those specific spaces mirrors the first-person
approach of Architectural Phenomenology. This decentralized
approach to public space design would become the foundation of
Placemaking today.

Bachelard and contemporaries had laid the foundations of
Architectural phenomenology.
• Architectural phenomenology is a philosophical movement
that focuses on the study of architecture as it appears to the
The 1980-1990s: Public Place
Jacob’s contemporary, William Whyte an American sociologist began
work on identifying elements that would create vibrant (meaningful)

PAGE
human experience [1,2]. It is based on the philosophical term
“phenomenology”, the study of “experience” from the first-person
point of view [3].
public spaces within New York City. He published several books on
the social factors of urban design including The Exploding Metropolis
(1958), Cluster Development (1964), and The Last Landscape (1968). It
was during this time that Placemaking became known and I believe
that his book The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces (1980) had the

16
The concept of a “phenomenological approach to Architecture”
requires designers to not only to satisfy people’s physical needs
but also their social (psychological) needs. Bachelard argued that
Modernist boxes alienated their people, which at their best makes
their buildings uncomfortable or at their worst makes them unlivable
[4]. He emphasized that space did not have only physical value but
social (psychological) value as well. Bachelard’s work would later
inspire the current phenomenological definition of Place.
The 1960-70s: Public Space
The concept of Place was developed further this time in America, by
Jane Jacobs, a journalist turned urban planner. In her book, Life and
Death of Great American Cities (1961), Jacobs critiqued Modernist
planners in America who were inspired by Le Corbusier’s Radiant
City (1920). Jacob’s main adversary was Robert Moses and like Le
Corbusier he was convinced that high density residential buildings
and highways (private space) were the future of city development.
The creation of these types of spaces, especially the new highways
most significant contribution to Placemaking today. [5] The 1980s
publication studied the behavior of New Yorkers in public spaces.
Whyte noticed that New Yorkers “don’t flock to empty spaces as a
refuge from busy city life. People go to places where there are other
people.” Thus, for Placemaking, he concluded the following promoting
factors [6].
• “Openness and visibility to the street are important.”
• Seating: “Anything can be seating — walls, ledges, stairs, etc. — as
long as it’s the right size. Size is primarily dependent on depth,
not height. Anything 1’ — 3’ (0.30 - 0.91m) gets used pretty
equally. Builders tend to discourage potential seating by putting
rails or other impediments in the way, quite by accident.”
• Furniture: “Chairs beat most benches. But anything moveable is
far better than anything immovable. Social interaction is a subtle
art and hard to design for.”
• “Somehow it’s all-too-common to ignore critical factors like wind
and sun when designing spaces.”
• “Provide food! Or at least don’t regulate it out of existence. If you
want activity, food will draw it. Which will draw more food.”

LEFT
caused the destruction of various public spaces in New York City.
Also, it is important to note that Le Corbusier’s plans for massive
highways in France never came to fruition.

16
2000 to present: Contemporary Placemaking
Today, contemporary Placemaking is further developed through
research done on the importance of public space and theoretical
advancements in the field of architectural phenomenology. One group
called the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) advocates for improving
the quality of city-life through proper design and implementation of
Placemaking.
For many contemporary authors, social factors are key to
Placemaking. In this sense, James LaGro Jr.’s book Site Analysis: A
Contextual Approach to Sustainable Land Planning and Site Design
(2nd ed.,2008) is a useful resource. LaGro Jr. describes a cultural
inventory for site planning, which highlights design elements that
could be used in Placemaking as well. It includes factors like land
ownership, local regulations, and more importantly human behavior.
The innovation of current Placemaking comes from how thoroughly
designers today describe new ways of integrating social factors into
design. Today’s practices draw from grounded theories and works of
architects and planners of the past and contextualizing them to better
fit today’s needs. The goal of applying the concept of Placemaking
in projects is to create a design that caters not only to the physical
12. Trani
needs of clients but also their social needs, as well.
In the Philippines, one article called Towards an Understanding of
Place: Placemaking and Archetypal Structures in Saraiya and Quiapo
(ESPASYO vol.1, 2010) by Emilio U. Ozeata described innovations
in local placemaking theory. In this article, Ozeata provides a clear
definition of place and how it applies to two areas in Manila: Saraiya
and Quiapo. Ozeata defines place as a bounded manifestation of the
production of meaning in space [7]. We can break down the meaning
behind this definition as the following:
• “Bounded manifestation” defines a place as a limited or enclosed
three-dimensional space. This factor can be measured by
identifying the project area and scale.
• “Produced” defines a place’s origin as created naturally or man-
made. This factor can be evaluated by local historical data, socio-
economic trends, and census.
• “Meaning” defines a place as socially significant or valuable to
a group of people/ community. This factor can be measured
by community interviews (experience), and studying trends in
the development of socio-economic data: population growth,
PAGE
unemployment, income, etc.
17
PLACEMAKING PROCESS
The process itself is nothing radical and is fairly similar to a typical
design process. However, its simplicity means that it can be used as a
starting point for students, professionals, and everyone in-between.
1. Define Place and Identify Stakeholders
(Pre-Design)
Since a place is “bounded” we need to set clear limits on the size and
scale of the project. Only then can we identify how much the impact
of the project will be, and as a result how much resources it will take
to complete. A boundary can also be identified by a group of people
that need a problem to be solved.
2. Evaluate Space and Identify Issues (Pre-Design)
This step is interchangeable with step one but in most construction
projects frequently the site is given first. This step is just a
straightforward application of Pre-Design or Programming techniques
described by LaGro Jr. (2003).
3. Place Vision (Conceptual Design)
Once the problems have been listed and categorized appropriately,
we can start creating the vision or objectives of the project. The
objectives must be aligned with the issues, otherwise the project
will fail.
4. Short-term Experiments and Implementation
(Design Development)
This is where the iterative design process begins. In large community
projects, the designers, developers, and leaders meet with the public
to make sure that the solution is aligned with the objectives identified
in the previous step. Smaller projects will require less community
engagement. Another key element here is that implementation
needs to start with smaller short-term experiments. Larger projects
tend to oversimplify social impacts as seen in planning projects from
the 1950s. Contemporary designers suggest implementing smaller
incremental projects to identify the nuance of urban impacts.
5. Monitoring and Evaluation
Once the design has been implemented it is important to record how
the project performs. Smaller projects will inform bigger projects and
over time form a network of knowledge that can be implemented on
a larger scale. A good example of this would be the development of
the Netherlands’ cycling lanes. The community had the larger goal
of a city-wide cycling network but started with individual streets in
the 1950-1970s. Those small projects culminated in what is widely
accepted as the best cycling city today.
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17
 Ayala Center Cebu, The Terraces - overview

PLACEMAKING EXAMPLE

12. Trani
A local example of good Placemaking that readily comes to mind
is Ayala Terraces. This selection is based entirely on my personal
experience since I haven’t explored Cebu City as much as I would
like. I also have a preference for malls with gardens since the only
time I go out both here in Cebu and in Sydney is when I want to
get groceries or watch a movie. However, I will do my best to
objectively evaluate the merits of Ayala Terraces as a Placemaking
project. Additionally, I think it’s safe to assume that the design
process of Ayala Terraces is similar to the aforementioned
Placemaking process.

Social Factors
Ayala Center Cebu first opened around 1994 and before there Cebu Business Park before
was Ayala Terraces there was the Ayala lagoon. Since there isn’t
much literature on the lagoon area, I turned to a local Facebook

PAGE
group called “Memories of Old Cebu” and asked them what their
experiences of the space were.

Most people who got to experience the lagoon during the 90s
rather enjoyed it, describing how they would walk up to the lagoon

18
and feed the fishes. However, the same people lamented that
during the 2000s, the lagoon wasn’t well maintained and the spot
became infested with mosquitos. Construction of the Terraces
began around the same time and was completed in 2008 by GF
and Partners Architects. The Terraces also won Silver in the 2010
International Council of Shopping Centers–Asia Pacific Shopping
Center Awards. Overall, I would say that Ayala Terraces managed
to integrate the memories of the lagoon into the experience of
visiting the garden today. In the past, the lagoon was a meeting
place for friends and family, which is still one of the primary
functions of the gardens today. It is both a destination and a point
of entry for the Ayala Center Mall.

LEFT New photos: Br. Bela Lanyi SVD

Archive photo: Cebuano Studies Center, USC
Ayala Center Cebu, The Terraces - entrance

18
Physical Factors
12. Trani
One of the biggest impacts of filling in the lagoon is that it created
easier access between the peripheral retail spaces and the center of
the mall. The plaza area also allows for different events in the middle
of its picturesque garden. The result is a more active space where
people can easily gather: openness and visibility are key physical
elements of the space.

Additionally, the landscape architecture was designed with

functionality in mind and special care was taken to make sure all the
selected plants were from endemic species. For example, the acacia
trees were specifically chosen to provide comfortable shading in the
center of the Plaza.

Economic Factors
PAGE
Population growth rates in Cebu City were on the rise between

19
1995 and 2000. The demand for more retail spaces was high and
Ayala developers saw an opportunity to expand their mall. By a large
margin, constructing more retail spaces and improving accessibility
were economically beneficial for all of the stakeholders. It would also
be easy to imagine the ease of maintaining a plaza versus cleaning
a lagoon.
Conclusion
In Ayala Terraces, we catch a glimpse of Placemaking practices
that were refined since the 1950s. I would also like to emphasize
that the Ayala lagoon was not a failure and had it been properly
managed might have remained as significant as the terraces are today.
However, I want to highlight how careful planning consideration of
social values like the history and meaning of a space can be used
to create successful Placemaking projects. It is apparent that the
designers of Ayala Terraces took into consideration the needs of
various stakeholders: landowners, customers, local community,
References
[1] Genus Loci. (2021, May). Designing Buildings Wiki.
https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Genius_loci
[2] Placemaking. (2020, November 5). Designing Buildings Wiki.
https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Placemaking#What_is_placemaking.3F
[3] Phenomenology. (2013, December 16). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/phenomenology/
[4] The Poetics of Space Summary. (n.d.). Super Summary. Retrieved May 8, 2021, from
https://www.supersummary.com/the-poetics-of-space/summary/
[5] William H. Whyte. (2010, January 3). Project for Public Spaces.
https://www.pps.org/article/wwhyte
[6] Siliski. (2018, September 5). The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces by William H. Whyte.
Michael Siliski.
https://msiliski.medium.com/the-social-life-of-small-urban-spaces-by-william-h-whyte-b3ea4366e

and the environment. It is my hope that designers will continue
developing the principles laid out by Bachelard (1957), Jacobs (1961),
Whyte (1980), LaGro Jr. (2008), and Ozeata (2010) to improve the
quality of life in Cebu City.
RIGHT
503
[7] Barker. (2004). SAGE Dictionary of Cultural Studies. SAGE Publications.
https://fib.unair.ac.id/jdownloads/Materi%20Kuliah/Sastra%20Inggris/Arum%20Budiastuti/ebook
sclub.org__the_sage_dictionary_of_cultural_studies.pdf

19
 A New World of
Neighborhood Architecture
ARVIN PANGILINAN, UAP

13. Pangilinan
“Nothing in this world is more simple
and cheaper than making cities that
provide better for people.”
JAN GEHL
You have probably heard this a million times by now - the
pandemic has dramatically disrupted the way we live our lives.
Different sectors across the globe were forced to make sudden,
unexpected changes, and the architecture industry was no
exception. Designing buildings and cities during the crisis brought
new challenges and demands. For many architects, it has been a
time to refocus priorities and reassess what matters. As we look
at recent occurrences in the worldwide architecture scene, one of
the most notable developments is the strengthened focus on local
communities.

PAGE With travel restrictions, canceled events and engagements, and

limited chances for immersion in foreign countries, the international
architecture community had to find other ways to diversify their
knowledge and practice of architecture. Interestingly, they didn’t

20
have to look very far, as these limitations led them to experience
what is within their reach, their own communities, back to the local.

Having discussions with our friends across the world, we have

learned that they are now more in touch with their own local
communities. The focus has shifted from “making the world a better
place” to finding ways to help the neighborhood they live in during
these challenging times. Instead of learning about the culture of
other countries, they are rediscovering their own culture for design
and development projects.

In Indonesia, for example, local cafes have become venues for

architectural dialogues and art exhibitions instead of the usual
convention centers. In Melbourne, they are trying to bring more
people back to the streets by making plans to convert roads into
walkable and bikeable community garden paths. In Vietnam,
they are developing more local public spaces centered on health,
lifestyle, and sustainability. Oslo has just revealed the theme for the
2022 Oslo Architecture Triennale, which is “Mission Neighborhood
- (Re)forming Communities”. Safety measures required by the

LEFT
pandemic now bring added challenges to neighborhood-focused
projects such as these, but architects and designers are ready to
face them head-on.

20
Another example of a community-focused
project that demonstrates rethinking
traditional structures is The Book Stop
Project. It is a pop-up public library network
that rethinks the physical architecture and
the distribution system of libraries. Designed
by our team at WTA Architecture + Design
Studio, The Book Stop’s mobility allows it to
be placed in the most underserved areas and
reach more members of the community.
What we did was to deconstruct the
fundamental aspects of a library from how
you get books, to where the books are
sheltered, and where people sit when reading
books. As opposed to conventional public
libraries, The Book Stop Project is open 24
hours, requires no identification cards, has
no dress code, and no librarian to tell visitors
to keep their voices down. This is how we
envision public establishments should be, as The Book Stop Project in Plaza Roma, Intramuros, Manila by WTA
friendly and neighborly as possible. Architecture and Design Studio; Headed by Arvin Pangilinan

Architects from all over the world are

learning a lot of lessons from this pandemic.

13. Pangilinan
This renewed focus in local communities is
just one of them. We are returning to our
roots and going back to basics. We are more
sensitive to the health considerations and the
lifestyles of the people who are going to use
the spaces we are designing. We are more
cautious when examining the benefits and
dangers of crossing the threshold between
indoor and outdoor public spaces. And there
may be countless more lessons left to be
learned as each day passes by.

The strengthened focus on local communities

does not necessarily mean that there will be
less sharing and learning between architects
across different countries. Many of the
practices done in small-scale projects can be
applied to large-scale, global projects. As we
exchange ideas on how we design for our own

PAGE
local communities, we can contribute to the
international consciousness of what it means
to be an architect during this unique era.
And of course, we will be able to pass down

21
priceless knowledge to future generations
and tell them stories of how we surpassed
obstacles in this crisis.

As vaccines continue to be administered

around the world, we are now preparing for
new beginnings in a post-pandemic world. We
should keep in mind everything we have learned
from the COVID-19 crisis and use them to
design better, build better, and live better.

“As an Architect, you design for the

present, with an awareness of the
past, for a future which is essentially
unknown.”

NORMAN FOSTER

RIGHT
21
 14. Pakes

For a long time, what is local has been put down and underestimated.
There seems to be a tendency to promote places with “world-class”
malls, markets, hotels, and so on. Even if in many cases, “world-class”
is just referred to a kind of Southeast Asian fusion that has become

PAGE
almost generic.

But isn’t the real beauty of a city in its character? And is this character
not in large part determined by local customs, food, and original
details? Sometimes it is a choice between the smells and smoke of

22street food and the airconditioned comforts of fine dining. The hustle
and bustle of the metro in contrast to the peace and beauty of the
mountains and beaches of rural Cebu.

If you take its local elements out of Cebu, you would have nothing
more than an anonymous, cold urban area. It is the character of
the Cebuano, the elements drawn from local life that bring out the

Back to
authentic flavor of Cebu.

To me, one of the most obvious examples is the puso, the famous
“hanging rice” that is wrapped in a casing woven from coconut leaves.
Although not uniquely Cebuano, it is something that both locals

the Local
and foreigners love. The plastic-free and biodegradable food pack
most likely originated as a means to bring food to farms. It is now so
popular that not only street food stalls but even some restaurants
serve it. If you had the choice, wouldn’t you also prefer to have puso
for your take-out or delivery instead of a plastic or Styrofoam box of
rice? The puso stands out as a wonderful example of how an age-old
tradition survives and helps make Cebu stand out, as well as helps
UBO PAKES

LEFT
protect our environment.

22
 14. Pakes
A vendor of native hats and products at Tabo-an Market
Native hats for sale at Sinulog.

Another popular item in many households is the Baguio broom. Every

hardware store in the city has its share of broom vendors who make
these brooms more popular than plastic brooms or vacuum cleaners.
How many brides and grooms have lovingly spent time in Carbon

PAGE
Market looking for native giveaways? How many tourists do you
think have ever brought home the native hats they got for Sinulog?
Even our traditional food makes the long trip overseas. We all know
and are proud of how our lechon, dried fish, and chorizo de Cebu are
popular pasalubong or homecoming gift items.

Going up north from Cebu City, you pass by Sogod where

23
communities make modern Asian furniture and sell it not only along
the busy road but even prepare these for export! This is yet one
more way to combine modern design and technology with local
skills and materials.

During my travels throughout the Visayas, I have noticed there are

small differences between life in the islands. Jeepneys and tricycles
look a bit different, the accent and even the language itself changes,
as do the ingredients and flavors of common dishes. Yet isn’t that
constant adaptation to the local environment what makes the
Philippines such an interesting banig?

Local and indigenous knowledge is all about understanding the

natural surroundings and the skills and philosophies developed by
societies to deal with these conditions. Cebu still enjoys access to
traditional materials, skills and designs. It is up to us to add new
uses, new designs, and production capabilities to make the most

RIGHT
out of the challenge to be authentic in our exploration of a new
normal. Local defines and describes who we are; it makes us
authentic. Local is beautiful.
A vendor of native hats and products at Tabo-an Market.

23
 Ambulant broom vendor in Cebu City

14. Pakes

Puso at a market in Compostela Native products at Carbon market

PAGE
24

LEFT
24
AD 7
 Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,
many local retailers have halted operations,
more than a few businesses have suffered
financially, and millions of workers have been
laid off.

This crisis has caused a tremendous negative

impact not just on the well-being of local
communities but also on the economy.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI),

being one among the many government
agencies working to mitigate the pandemic’s
impact on the country, provides support
services and an enabling environment
for micro, small, and medium enterprises
(MSMEs) to grow and become sustainable and
competitive in the national and global markets.

Even before the pandemic, the DTI, through

its Go Lokal program, has been assisting

Go Lokal!
MSMEs through various initiatives.

15. Villamor
A Platform A PLATFORM FOR
EXPORT-QUALITY
LOCAL PRODUCTS

for World-Class The DTI introduced Go Lokal in 2017. It

is a retail concept store that showcases

Filipino Products
quality and innovative Philippine products
that are crafted, designed, and produced
by the country’s MSMEs. DTI makes this
possible with the collaboration of select retail
partners for brand management and faster

PAGE
access to the market.

JOJISILIA VILLAMOR DTI’s Go Lokal program gives MSMEs wider

access to the domestic and foreign markets
by allowing them to display their products in

26
high-foot-traffic areas like shopping malls and
airports.
The Go Lokal! Store launch at CityMall Anabu in Imus, Cavite on 25 November 2017
via DTI Philippines’ Twitter Account. Since 99 percent of registered businesses are
MSMEs, DTI initiated Go Lokal to provide
local entrepreneurs with opportunities to
mainstream their products.

The program also helps MSMEs develop and

improve local processes and use indigenous
raw materials for finished products to gain
international acceptability and profitability.

The free services offered by DTI under the

Go Lokal! program include :

• merchandise development assistance to

produce commercially viable products for
the market; and
• market access to stores and spaces

LEFT
provided by retail partners such as mall and
retail operators.

26

Go Lokal! CityMall Aparri Branch, via Go Lokal!’s Facebook Page
BUY LOCAL, GO LOCAL
The program has taken on new meaning
with the pandemic, and DTI passionately
encourages the public to buy Filipino-
made products with its new slogan
“Buy Local, Go Lokal”, a national media
campaign that aims to help Philippine
MSMEs who have been severely affected
by the pandemic to weather the storm
and create opportunities for their
recovery and growth.
Buy Local, Go Lokal revolves around the
powerful message for our countrymen
to fully support local businesses and
entrepreneurs by buying local products
and services.
DTI calls on Filipinos to shift their
buying patterns toward the purchase
and consumption of Philippine fresh
produce and manufactured goods. The
campaign likewise helps stimulate and
boost domestic travel, while encouraging
Filipino consumers to patronize
Philippine-owned and operated facilities
and services.
Moving forward, the DTI hopes that Buy
Local, Go Lokal will intensify the buying
public’s preference for Filipino-made
products and make it a permanent part of
their purchase habits.
As the new tagline for Go Lokal! states,
“When we buy local, we create local
jobs—not foreign jobs.”
A single purchase may seem trivial, but the
collective effort to support local products
is a big boost to local businesses.
Many local MSMEs in the country are
social enterprises—all aimed at helping
communities and underserved groups by
providing livelihood opportunities, on top
of producing high-quality products and
services. This makes them attractive to
local and international buyers.
GOING DIGITAL
With ever-changing demands of buyers
15. Villamor
and challenges for MSMEs, Go Lokal
will keep adapting and reinventing the
marketplace for the Philippine economy.
Since 2020, the pandemic has
accelerated the transition of MSMEs
to online selling. Going digital has
become a great strategy for MSMEs as
it is helping them to stay relevant and
competitive in an evolving marketplace.
Considering the need for MSMEs to
pivot and adopt digital operations, Go
Lokal has partnered with UnionBank
GlobalLinker.
This partnership is aligned with DTI’s
goal to help MSMEs “Tech Up” their
way of doing business. Through the
PAGE
GlobalLinker platform, MSMEs are able
to sell their products, network with
other entrepreneurs, avail themselves of
banking solutions, get exclusive deals to
further grow their businesses, and more.
27
It’s a one-stop hub for all their needs
and it’s free.
UnionBank GlobalLinker has 50,000+
users and 1,000+ online stores as of
this writing. Its engagement with
MSMEs and customers alike increased
under the new normal because of the
demand to go digital.
The Go Lokal Digital Mall is already
live on UnionBank GlobalLinker. All
featured products are proudly made by
Filipino entrepreneurs.
BUY LOCAL, BAI BISAYA
In Central Visayas, locally made products
took center stage in the digital space as
DTI Central Visayas (DTI 7) held live online
selling activities in its social media pages in
2021. DTI 7 has been working with social
media influencers to pitch products of local
producers to various markets. Also, the DTI
7 partnered with a local startup to set up the
supporting website “buyotop.ph” to facilitate
online buying and fulfillment.
DTI 7 has been encouraging everyone to help
the local economy recover by patronizing
local products. According to the department,
buying local means buyers are acknowledging
the value of the products of local craftsmen
and helping artisans save their livelihoods.
The campaign, dubbed “Buy Local, Bai
Bisaya,” features quality Bisaya-made
products. It aims to amplify local product
awareness and purchases.
The website “buyotop.ph” is like the virtual
version of the brick and mortar “One Town,
One Product” hubs that are already existing
in the provinces.
Some Filipino MSME owners are already
seeing an optimistic trend, with more Filipino
consumers looking to buy their products.
DTI believes there is still a bright future
ahead for local entrepreneurs as the
department is looking for more innovative
ways to attract more buyers to purchase
from them.
For more information on Go Lokal!, visit
www.golokal.dti.gov.ph
Furthermore, you can visit www.buyotop.ph
for more details about the “Buy Local, Bai
Bisaya” Campaign.
RIGHT
27
 UAP Chapter’s Own
“Back to Local”
Back to Local
BUCK SIA, UAP
UAP District Director the world. I still like to argue that “bayanihan” is one true essence of
being local, a characteristic that is authentic in any race. Which leads
The term Local is as existential as it is literal. It can be defined in me to reflect on these questions: Does being local mean a pursuit
more ways than its affiliation to geography or race. I believe in two of embracing humanity while understanding what shaped your
contrasting forces that shape what Design should be; this dichotomy character? How do design and architecture respond to that?
shapes the thought process of excellent works — is it local or is it

16a. Buck Sia, UAP

global? Is it traditional or is it modern? The current scenario that we
face with the pandemic highlights the imbalance and stresses the
need for local, yet this struggle has always been there.
Local can be identified as empathy, where the designers provide
access for stakeholders to be part of the design process. The recent
Philippine Venice Biennale Pavilion by Framework Collaborative — a
Filipino-Norwegian tandem of Sudar Khadka and Alex Furunes —
featured a community library with the Gawad Kalinga community as
part of the design and building process. They centered on the idea
of “bayanihan,” a trait familiar to Filipinos. However, they noticed
that the “bayanihan” trait can be found in Norway and other parts of
Local can also be identified the process of authenticity. In Edwin
Uy’s book “Design Authenticity Matters in the Philippines,” a
caption from UP scholar Patrick Flores asserts that “the mastery
of the foreign form does not make it less Filipino.” The caption has
validated my personal design philosophy yet it should not stop me
from questioning the output of my work. The pursuit of “local” design
as something vernacular is overrated. As designers, we look past
what is local and look toward authenticity as a response to provide
meaningful work fit for society to experience.
So, what is local? A simple yet profound word if you look into its
layers for answers.

PAGE
28

LEFT
Bent House, Daan bantayan 2021. Zubu Design Associates

28
 USC-SAFAD Building in Cebu City

LAPU-LAPU CHAPTER
AR. OMAR MAXWELL ESPINA
Adviser At a recent congressional committee hearing on the delineation of the roles of the various design

16b. Maxwell Espina

professions, the chairman raised the question: “What is Filipino Architecture?” What, indeed? The
answers were varied and interesting but I felt the question itself was irrelevant. Because in this present
era of overheated global mass communication, it is too late in the day to even bother. This question
relates to our present topic, “Back to the Local,” which I think can be an answer as well as a question.

I believe that this question need not even be asked if Architecture is as it should be: the creation of
environments that are safe, orderly, functional, convenient, comforting, beautiful, etc. Environments
that ennoble man and uplift the human spirit. What this really means is to design to a particular
context. First to design for people of the place. To respond sensitively to contemporary human needs,
the physical environment, climate, culture and time of a particular place. To contribute to the sense of
place. To search for meanings and respond to them.

Filipino Architecture, and for that matter, the architecture of any place, is one that responds to the local
context in time and space.

PAGE
29

Holy Family Church in Mandaue City

RIGHT
29
 AR. JOSEPH MICHAEL ESPINA
Adviser
The ongoing pandemic has resulted in drastic changes in lifestyles.
The whole world faces the prospects of a “new normal”. Traditional
face-to-face gatherings, meetings, and conferences have been
replaced by digital apps and virtual meetings. The usual travels
will be tempered by quarantine restrictions and Covid-19 tests.
Apart from passports and visas, vaccination cards will be required
at international gateways. Shopping has shifted mostly online and
brick-and-mortar stores and malls could slowly lose their appeal.

In the face of this phenomenon, what can countries and

governments do? How can people survive the economic
implications of this general contraction?

The maxim used to be “Think Global, Act Local” but this pandemic
will force us to go the other way around and to “Think Local, Act
Global”. “Glocalization” is precisely this. There could be no surer
way to address our current situation than to encourage people to

16c. Joseph M Espina, FUAP

favor our “local” products and services, as well as our traditional
methods and processes.

Generally, we go back to basics and return to traditional ways of

doing things. We as a people have survived by living with nature,
favoring light and ventilation through orientation, harnessing
natural energy, harvesting rainwater, considering topography,
conserving natural vegetation, building resiliently, using wood and
Bamboo Bike, credits to Kassandra Pepito
wood products…all of which work in harmony with nature.

It is a revelation that the whole world is finally realizing this and

that climate change and urbanization are REAL. The “new normal”
will have to address these global phenomena. But while the
developed countries have gone far ahead in economic growth
while leaving a massive carbon footprint and wreaking havoc on
the environment, developing countries like the Philippines have
remained largely carbon-neutral. Our traditional methods and ways
of living could be a valuable export product we should all take
advantage and be proud of.

PAGE
30

LEFT
Coconut Fiber used with Cork for Insulation,
credits to the University of Texas at Austin
School of Architecture Engineered Wood, credits to Matimco

30
METRO CEBU CHAPTER
AR. IVAN T. LUMAYAG

Procurement of materials from places outside Cebu was so

difficult since the pandemic started, but it did not hinder me from
diverting ideas with the use of our local resources. This time, I
resorted to Mactan Stone, using it as stone walls instead of the
usual imported tiles I have been purchasing before. It requires
more intricacy than other materials. But it gives the same
expensive look, and appears classic and timeless too. It was
during this time, I realized that it is important to support our local
resources. Thus, giving opportunities to local business owners to
showcase their products.

RAJAH HUMABON 16d. UAP Chapter

CHAPTER
ANTONIO CORTES III Statements
This phrase was popular back then in the 1980s, when Philippine
export quality products were abundant. I remember rattan-made
furniture were aplenty, native household items like picture frames,
sea shell jewelries and woven items were in demand for export to
Europe and the US.
It dwindled though during the 1990s.
Trends and Styles as they always have, often come and go like a cycle
Fortunately, these types of furnishings are abundantly available
within the province of Cebu. Cebuanos have always been known
for good craftsmanship, and with the advent of online selling
and advertising, it wasn’t a surprise that during the time of the
pandemic, these woven style furnishings were a hit for those home
makeover projects, a must for the plantitos and plantitas going for
native style pots and pot handles.
Drive up north of Cebu and when you get to the Municipality of
Sogod, you’ll see these rattan-woven wicker creations, lined up along
the side of the road. So should you wish to change your couch set or

PAGE
in every era and generation. The native rattan-weave style of home
furnishings have made a good comeback - now with a modern design
twist seemingly fitting for this generation’s liking.
add outdoor chairs on your patio, or upgrade your plant pots to more
natural native vibes, what better way than to support these local
craftsmen with their creations.
During these trying times when our economy is still recovering, going

31
Woven furnishings - like chairs, plant holders, trays, frames and just back to local is touted as the best way to stimulate economic growth.
about anything you can adorn little nooks with - suits well for those
Scandinavian style interiors and quaint looking projects.

RIGHT
31
 CEBU CHAPTER
The use of local resources is with us since time immemorial. It is the tenet of the
Vernacular Architecture. In a time of globalization, professionals in the AEC have the
freedom and ability to “source” materials from the other side of the world. It is about

16e. UAP Chapter

time that we once again look into our own backyard. The pandemic may have forced
ROBERT MALAYAO, UAP us to once again use locally available materials and talents, but this push must be
sustained as it is not only viable for the local economy but is also a good move to reduce
CO2 emissions from the transport of materials.

Statements

SUGBO CHAPTER
It is about being inspired and being molded by your peers and community —
with pride, service, and an authentic sense of ownership in whatever you do

MONIQUE CHIONG, UAP PAGE

for others. This is when we listen to those around us about what is in direly
needed during times of crisis, when access and empathy for each other are
scarce. In all ways, being back to local is about giving back.

32

LEFT
32
AD 6
 Understanding Our Origins:

What is it to be a
Cebuano?
JOACHIM MICHAEL ESPINA, UAP
IMAGES: ESPINA RESIDENCE, GUADALUPE, CEBU CITY
DESIGNER: JOSEPH MICHAEL ESPINA, FUAP

21. Espina

PAGE
34

LEFT
First level: living room which connects down to a second living room or Semi-open Living Space

34
 21. Espina

Second level: semi-open living space which connects to a courtyard, dining room and kitchen

In our world today, we experience rapid changes due to technology and modernization.
Different cultures can be experienced not only by being able to travel but also through internet

PAGE
access. Because we can access the internet with ease, we have embraced foreign influences that
can be seen in our own lifestyles such as favoring foreign entertainment, literature, food, drinks,
best practices, and even design influences. As beneficial as this may sound, when we begin to
embrace globalization, we sometimes tend to lose a sense of who we are.

35
In the Philippines, there have been advances to showcase the Filipino identity not just to our
fellow citizens but to the world. However, we have to understand that being a Filipino is a broad,
sophisticated, and complex notion. As we are an archipelagic nation, we have a diverse number
of cultures across the many Philippine islands. This article focuses on what it is to be a Cebuano.

First, to find out what is to be a Cebuano, we can look at what has been said of Cebu in
Philippine History. It was in Cebu where our ancestors fought back to defend their territory
and beliefs against Magellan and the Spaniards, signifying that Cebuanos are very protective
of what they own and what they believe in. It is in Cebu where the Santo Niño was given and
where the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño was erected. This signifies that we are religious and
recognized as the cradle of Christianity in Asia. Like Filipinos in general, we are open-minded to
different things as we have been exposed to many cultures during the Spanish, American, and
Japanese occupations.

Second, we can take a look at Cebuano characteristics. Cebuanos are thrifty and self-
sufficient, which can be seen in how well we contribute to the economy. We are also people
with close-knit ties. My family would tell me that they remember when Cebu was not as
populated as it is now and that everyone basically knew everyone else. This shows that we
like to communicate and establish relationships with others. We are resilient in that we have

RIGHT
survived and thrived despite being exposed to adversities such as earthquakes, typhoons, and
the pandemic at present.

35
 21. Espina

PAGE
36

LEFT
Stairway to the private areas

36
 21. Espina
Multiple use of public spaces

Third, it is important to look into the behaviors and practices of

Cebuanos, especially how we perceive the use of space. We like big
spaces that can be used for different functions. One set of examples
would be in the design of our house, wherein our dining rooms and
living areas can be used for study areas and other activities. We
tend to design houses that shelter different generations. A house
that was supposed to be designed for one family can be renovated
or redesigned to cater to sub-nuclear families or accommodate

PAGE
other generations of the family, young and old. Aside from spaces
within the house, there is a vague boundary between private and
public spaces. If we look into densely populated urban areas, we
can see that residents use the public space as an extension of their

37
private areas. Sidewalks and roads can be used for private activities,
such as an expanded living or dining area. What is interesting is
that in some cases, the use of public spaces as private spaces may
change at different times of day to cater to different circumstances.
When vehicles need to pass through the street, the occupied space
of the street becomes smaller. When there are no vehicles, the
occupied spaces grow to accommodate more personal needs.

Finally, what it means to be a Cebuano is to appreciate each other’s

works. We have so many talented artists, architects, manufacturers,
and many more gifted people. We can promote their ideas in the
cultural landscape to help deepen our understanding of what it
means to be a Cebuano. Learning from one another would also
bring us a step closer to realizing who we are.

To be a Cebuano is to look into the past, to understand our

attitudes, and to study the present. It is important to notice that
we are losing our identity through the loss of our own culture. An
example of this is that Cebuanos cannot speak pure Cebuano and
have borrowed a lot of words from migrants from other regions.

RIGHT
Our language becomes a mix of Tagalog, Ilonggo, and many other
languages. We have to address this need by supporting advocacies View from the courtyard
that try to preserve our identity.
IMAGES: BY AUTHOR

37
 22. Yap

PAGE
38

LEFT
St. Arnold and St. Joseph Church, Talamban Campus, USC

38
Body & Soul:
Carrying Forward the Timeless Legacy
of Fr. Klassen and Ar. Alcoseba
ADRIAN I. YAP, MSC, UAP

The unique architectural collaboration architecture. The duo had a fascinating light to flood the interior. The inverted funnel
between Ar. Artemio Alcoseba and Fr. dynamic, Klassen wrote books provided shape adds to the vertical emphasis, one
Winand Klassen that began more than 40 and much improved by Alcoseba’s students’ cannot help but look up. The work had been

years ago at the University of San Carlos
has given us architectural masterpieces that
represent a distinct architectural legacy in
Cebu. I can prove this through examples
from my own investigation of Modernism
in the Visayas. As most of their works are at
USC-TC, Carolinian student life will never be
complete without setting foot in one of
their works.
MODERN AND
VERNACULAR
Since Klassen was a German, Alcoseba
represented the duo before Philippine
authorities as the architect of record for
their collaborative design, a partnership
which lasted for some 20 years. But how
22. Yap
illustrations. Alcoseba’s practice, backed
by years of experience in construction,
was supplemented by Klassen’s theoretical
inclinations. Together, they have produced
books and built works that enriched local
architecture in Cebu and the country.
MASSIVE YET LIGHT
In 1969, Leandro Locsin’s Cultural Center
of the Philippines became a prime example
of a vernacular idea utilized in modern
architecture. It expressed a floating pure
mass that is massive yet light. Inaugurated
around 1982, Alcoseba and Klassen
interpreted ‘massive yet light’ differently
for St. Arnold and St. Joseph Church at
USC-TC. It establishes the same idea but
influenced by Heideggerian aesthetics of
the revealing light and the Gothic spiritual
tradition of heavenly light in the interior. It is
a building with a representation of God in an
eternal and natural sense.
The faithful are immersed in a free flow
of space, nature, and tropical sunlight.
The floor-to-ceiling and slender concrete
windows seem to diminish the distinction
between interior and exterior, the space
becomes boundless. The church presents
Filipino characteristics of strong yet delicate,
openness, and religiosity. The church could
also hold events like graduation ceremonies.
Another representation of Filipino community
spirit is multi-functionalism which is a
common characteristic between vernacular
and modern architecture. A place of worship

could Klassen, a foreigner, understand what
is Cebuano or Filipino? How did Alcoseba,
a Cebuano, understand and adapt Klassen’s
foreign thoughts? Undoubtedly, a foreigner
PAGE
with experiential and structural lightness and community-gathering incomparable
contrasted with the heaviness of the to any religious space in the Philippines.
cylindrical volume. The roof was subdivided
and elevated by clerestory windows allowing

39
may allow himself to step back and look at
the bigger picture. Together, they achieved
an expansive and balanced perspective
on architecture—a truly Cebuano one.
Modern and vernacular stand as polarities in
architecture in principle. Likewise, as human
beings, we are composed of opposites that
depend on each other, the body and the soul.
The architectural duo’s works also exemplify
other different polarities: modern and
vernacular, massive yet light, light and dark,
and man-made and natural.

BODY AND SOUL

Just like the two architects, theory and
practice are two inseparable things,
one complementing the other. Just as

RIGHT
technological aspects of modern were
important, there was a constant pursuit of
interpreting the Filipino soul in architecture.
Dome of the St. Arnold and St. Joseph Church
Undeniably, we are the soul of our
Dome Photo by Fr. Generoso Rebayla, SVD

39
 DARK AND LIGHT
In the Garcia residence, the architects applied
polarity differently. One enters through a
narrow and low-ceilinged entrance bridge
which opens to a light-filled cathedral-like
living space. Aside from the experiential
dark and light, Klassen wrote in his book
Architecture in the Philippines that the building
was inspired by Nick Joaquin’s idea of the
Filipino heritage of smallness. Instead of
a large volume, it is subdivided into five
segments and expresses a family of forms.
This house is uniquely Cebuano, if not
truly Filipino.

BUILT (MAN-MADE)
AND NATURAL
Modernism’s indifference to nature was

22. Yap
a reason to contradict the movement,
especially by postmodernists. In the USC
Office of Population Studies, Alcoseba and
Klassen achieved a harmony of the built and
the natural. In the epilogue illustration of
Klassen’s History of Western Architecture, the
building is shown as sensitive to the human
scale and nature. As with the university
church, curved corridors were used to reduce
the sense of distance and thus making the
space more human in scale. Their works are
generally nestled subtly in their location and
can best be described in the local dialect
as hamugaway, characterized by lightness,
openness or airiness. It is proof that Modern
can also have a low environmental impact
just like the vernacular way of building and it
is characteristic of the Cebuanos’ connection
to nature.

PAGE
USC Office of Population Studies

40

LEFT
St. Arnold and St. Joseph Church, interior St. Arnold and St. Joseph Church, exterior

40
 22. Yap

PAGE
Details of USC Office of Population Studies

ALCOSEBA AND KLASSEN

41
Their works are not just mere copies of Modernism. Undoubtedly,
they have created a vocabulary that speaks locally with global
relevance. Furthermore, Cebu enjoys freedom from the capital
which may have led to the pursuit of identity independently. In
this way, they have successfully hybridized and vernacularized
architecture in Cebu. Another contribution is the use of light and
its phenomenological effect on the experience which is distinctive
to Cebu. Ar. Artemio Alcoseba
Our journey to knowing ourselves entails protecting the past. For
years, their architectural documents have been gathering dust and
remain unstudied. The duo’s works may not be up on a pedestal
in a manner of speaking, but they deserve more attention. These
are great architects whose continuing legacy should be protected
by architectural organizations and institutions by promoting the
collection and documentation of their works. As we return to
what is local, we would do well to look back and carry forward
the legacy of Alcoseba and Klassen. Their successful collaboration
shows how the synthesis of modern and vernacular can result in
an architecture that is distinctly Cebuano.

Photos by Author; Portrait photos by Ar. Dioscoro Alesna, UAP RIGHT

Fr. Winand Klassen

41
 Fruit tray made of lampakanay (sea grass) in Tabogon, Cebu

31. Felma Alino

Design, Creativity,
and Innovation in
a New Dimension
PAGE
MARY FELMA A. ALIÑO, PH.D.

42
The lockdowns that became necessary in the early days of this
pandemic made a huge impact not only on our economy but on our
cultural and creative sectors as well. Small and Medium Enterprises
Sisal plantation in Dalaguete, Cebu

(SMEs) such as those in the fashion and creative design industries

felt very much affected. Fashion designers had to close their shops
as the need for couture clothing and social dressing reduced. Several
construction projects were also put on hold, which brought the
practices of architecture and interior design to a standstill. Everything
for a while was a blur and uncertainty prevailed about what the
future holds.

Since people stayed at home for fear of getting infected, they looked
for alternative activities that kept them occupied such as gardening,
ornamental plant collection, urban farming, baking, and the cooking
business. This then paved the way for a revival of craft but at a new
level, specifically in the art of weaving. Home decor items made of
endemic natural materials and fibers became valuable assets in most

LEFT
households. Woven plant holders, hampers, placemats, trays, fruit
containers, and other basket ware made of bamboo, rattan, pandan
(screwpine), and lampakanay (reeds) were predominant, as were
macrame plant holders made of salago, sisal, and abaca fibers.

42

As lockdown restrictions slowly eased,
majority of the people were still hesitant to
venture out to crowded places like malls and
other indoor spaces. Instead, they flocked
to wide, outdoor destinations like the
countryside, mountain resorts, and beaches.
This led to the rise of local products such as
native bags (either plain or hand-painted) and
hats, as appropriate accessories for outdoor
activities. These items are readily available
and affordable, and a newfound preference
for them has helped boost the livelihood of
local weavers.
The pandemic may have affected the
31. Felma Alino
handloom weaving industry but the
Philippine Fiber Industry Development
Authority (PhilFIDA) in Region 7 has
continuously mapped out plans of expanding
plantations of endemic plant fiber sources,
conduct further training and workshops in
extracting local fibers, and install additional
training centers for handloom weaving.
The trend of using innovative and sustainable
local materials has sparked the interest of
the fashion design industry, specifically in
handloom weaving, which integrates local fiber
materials to show local ingenuity in search of a
globally-competitive Philippine textile.
Three government agencies that helped in
promoting the development of the textile
and weaving industry in the Philippines are
PhilFIDA, the Philippine Textile Research
Institute (PTRI), and the Department of Trade
and Industry (DTI).
Handloom Weaving in Barili
Hand Weaving Training Center in Barili (using the hand looms)
According to Director Benjamin S. Gomo
of PhilFIDA 7, the production of all natural
fibers is ongoing. Training is conducted in the
countryside, specifically in Ginatilan, Barili,
Dalaguete, Argao, Tabogon, Danao City, and
Balamban, all in Cebu. One of the important
main objectives of PhilFIDA is to promote an
integrated development of the fiber industry
in various aspects of research, production,
processing, and regulation (www.philfida.
da.gov.ph). This agency has supported
the installation of training centers for
handloom weaving in Cebu, specifically in
Argao and Barili.
PTRI, for its part, conducts applied research
and development for the textile industry
sector. It undertakes the transfer of
PAGE
completed research works to end-users or via
linkage units of other government agencies
(www.dbm.gov.ph).
43
DTI, on the other hand, promotes income
opportunities through a comprehensive
development and promotion of micro, small,
and medium enterprises (MSMEs) or the 7Ms
of MSME development: mindset, mastery,
mentoring, machine, money, market, and
models of “negosyo” or entrepreneurship
(www.dti.gov.ph). In a nutshell, DTI serves
as the entrepreneurial and marketing arm
of MSMEs.
As an academician, the desire to teach design
and creativity to the craftsmen would be
a fundamental building block to achieve
progressive and innovative designs. One way
of achieving this is to help them understand
how the principles and elements of design
work together to create a confident design
that can withstand competitiveness in the
business arena.
Handloom weaving in the Cebu
Technological University (CTU) in Argao
RIGHT
43
 Handloom Weaving in Barili Oven table runners and place mats
in Barili, made of Sisal Fibers.

31. Felma Alino

Handloom weaving in Barili with PhilFIDA Region 7 Director Benjamin Gomo

PAGE
44

LEFT
44
 32. Adlawan
Designing Cebu’s
Milestones:
Publication Design for the Cebu
Yearbook 2020
CARLA MARIE ADLAWAN, MA PAGE
45
Local Design for a Local Publication
Every year, SunStar, one of Cebu’s most
reputable newspaper companies, releases
the much-awaited Cebu Yearbook. This
annual publication features Cebu’s highlights,
milestones, memorable events, and
significant changes that happened in the
different sectors including business, culture,
tourism, arts, and people. The Yearbook was
created to give the reader a glimpse of how
Cebu has grown and what it can offer to its
residents, investors, and tourists.
For the 2020 edition, White Brick Creative
Studio was tasked with the total art direction
and design of the Sunstar Yearbook with the
theme “Build, Build, Build”. This is in line with
the national administration’s plan to improve
the country’s infrastructure.
What that in mind, the team decided to
build and create all the section titles, or
cover pages, per section from scratch using
common household and office materials
to form 3-Dimensional (3D) designs, most
specifically typography. The artwork for each
section title needed to match the main article
of that section.
To represent the massive growth of Cebu
City, the main idea of the 2020 cover was
to show a modern cityscape with buildings
and other structures. After experimenting
with different concepts—including wooden
blocks painted in neon, which was eventually
scrapped—the team chose an old desktop
computer motherboard and painted it
completely white to resemble an ultra-
RIGHT
modern and sleek cityscape
of the future
45
 Business Cover Story
The section’s main article focused on the hospitality The section title was made from real metal pipes since
industry and hotel toiletries. This gave birth to the the main article was about waterworks.
concept of using carved soaps to form the section title.
However, finding soap in different sizes and colors proved
to be challenging. The solution was to create faux soaps

32. Adlawan
using candle wax and food coloring.

Cebu Visitor’s Guide Fashion

To present the different theme park
developments that were featured in the
section’s main article, the team created a
theme park made from paper for the title.
PAGE The main article for this section was about “trashion” or fashion
from trash. The section title’s letters were made from paper
maché, a sculpting technique that combines old newspapers
with glue and dried to form a hard material. The letters were

46
then photographed on a mini-runway.

Index
The team repurposed an old book and used a paper
folding technique to create the section title.

LEFT
46
Information Technology
Since the section’s article was all about the tech
industry, the section title was built using copper
wire and an old motherboard, which was then
painted with a matte white color.
Life & Culture
Since this section highlighted influencers on social
media, clay was used to create the section title, with
little clay emojis incorporated into the design.

32. Adlawan

Real Estate People

The highlight for this section was about green
architecture. For the section title, the team used
concrete letters and fake moss, which was then
PAGE For this section, the people being featured were business
owners from different industries and sectors like
electricity, water, power. The section title’s letters were

47
photographed on a solar panel. made from different materials to represent each element
like cotton, leaves and flowers, rocks, ice and even
matchsticks set on fire.

The Year That Was 2019

Every year, this section contains news that
defined the previous year. Old newspapers
were rolled up to form the section title.

RIGHT
White Brick Creative Studio created and designed all artworks and layout for the Sunstar Yearbook 2020. Congratulations to the team: Jude
Crisostomo, Alexa Crisostomo, Stephanie Tudtud, Angelica Tudtud, Michelle Abalos, Honey Cabahug, Giann Alipar, Jeremiah Ablaza, Gabriel
Villacarlos, Shari Llamis, and Roxanne dela Peña.

47
 To The Victor
Belong the
Spoils!
ICT and the Creative Industry
of the Visayas
DEBORAH TUDTUD, MA
The National ICT Confederation of the
Philippines, the Department of Information
and Communication Technology (DICT), the
Visayas ICT Cluster Organization (VICTOR),
and the ICT Association of Dumaguete and
Negros Oriental, have organized a two-day
virtual conference called the VISAYAS ICT
Virtual Conference, where hundreds of
attendees participated via Zoom and many
more via Facebook. The 9th Visayas ICT
Cluster Organization Conference was held on
August 25-26, 2021.
On August 26, 2021, they dedicated the
second day’s afternoon event for the creative
industry of Visayas, particularly in Regions VI,
VII, and VIII. This afternoon’s event is called
the 5th Visayas Creative Congress which
is organized in Dumaguete. The very first
Visayas Creative Congress event was held in
Bacolod in 2015. In 2016, the event was held
in Capiz in Roxas City. In 2017, it was held
in Tagbilaran City in Bohol and in 2018, they
held it in Kalibo, Aklan.
There were many prominent Digital Creatives
LEFT
and frontrunners of the field of the Creative
Industry at the event. Key topics included
48
the gaming industry, original Filipino content,
PAGE
co-productions, Illustration, animation, and
live action filmmaking. Many organizations,
studios, and creatives were present and
showcased and inspired their works to the
public for everyone to see.
48
The event was hosted by Atty. Jocelle
Batapa-Sigue, who is a Digital Transformation
Consultant for the Tatak Pinoy Policy
Program, a certified Go Negosyo Coach and
Mentor on Digitalization and Business Law
under the DTI, the Chairman of the Board
of the Voice of the Free Foundation, and
Founder of The Design thinking Factory.
Atty. Jocelle hosted and moderated the event
including the Q&A portion.
The afternoon’s event was divided into two
parts: Design and Creatives Opportunities
in the Visayas and The Showcase of Visayan
Creative Talents.
The first part had four key speakers, who took
the audience on a trip about the design and
creative opportunities here in the Visayas.
Speakers at the event from Top to Bottom: Alvin
Juban, Daniel Enriquez, Magoo Del Mundo,
and Lawrence Panganiban
ALVIN JUBAN
He is the Chairman and Former President
of the Game Developers Association of the
Philippines (GDAP) He has over a decade of
experience in triple A 3D game production
and is the business unit head of Synergy
88, which is the First Microsoft Certified
Art Studio in the Philippines. He is coined
with the title “The Emperor”. He is also the
Secretary General of National Electronic
Sports Federation of the Philippines.
Juban noted that because of the pandemic,
there is a rise in video game consumption.
The number of video game users in all
platforms advanced by 3 years ahead of its
projected number. That meant that there are
more video game and animation investments
globally. He also mentioned the changes
in the workplace setting like working from
home, or a hybrid of in-house production
and working from home. He recommended
to students who are interested in the field
of game design and game development
to pursue courses like Entertainment and
Multimedia Computing, Multimedia Arts,
Fine Arts, Architecture, as well as, taking a
CG Arts Certification Program.
DANIEL ENRIQUEZ
He is the Executive Director of the Animation
Council of the Philippines Incorporated
(ACPI). Engr. Daniel Enriquez has worked
for over 20 years in animation as a project
manager, 3D specialist, designer, and
educator for Multimedia Arts and Animation
courses. He gave an update of the state of
the Philippine Animation Industry. Globally,
the animation production service earned 270
billion US dollars worldwide in 2019. The
Philippines earns 20-30 million dollars from
the industry, and most of these are earned
by 5 major studios in the country. Big portion
of the animation industry in the Philippines
is 2D Animation, next is 3D Animation, then
Web Animation, and lastly Augmented
Reality (AR)/Virtual Reality (VR) Animation.
The Philippines export animation production
to countries like the United States, Japan,
Canada, the United Kingdom, and France.
Daniel Enriquez also noted International
Filipino and Filipino-American Champions in
the Animation industry that mentors future
talent. The five he mentioned are Animator and
Concept Artist Armand Serrano, Marvel Studios
Senior Visual Development Artist Anthony
Francisco, Producer, Writer and Development
Executive Eric Calderon, Comic Book Writer
and Artist Whilce Portacio, and Director,
Designer and Animator Bobby Pontillas.
Engr. Enriquez also talked about the goals
and plans of the Animation Council of the
Philippines, Inc. (ACPI).
CROSS-COLLABORATION
Continuous collaboration with other industry
associations, government agencies, and private
organizations.
TALENT DEVELOPMENT
Further strengthening of courses and curriculum in line
with the latest trends in animation, and conduct capability
development workshops for students, teachers, and
professionals
ORIGINAL CONTENT CREATION
Encouraging of original content creation through
Animahenasyon, and Partnership with government
agencies for production cost subsidy
GLOBAL MARKETING AND EXPOSURE
Continuous exposure of the Philippine Animation
industry to relevant local and international conferences,
exhibits, and seminars.
POLICY ADVOCACY
Active involvement in the creation and advancement
of policies relevant to the animation industry, as well as,
knowledge and awareness campaign on IP and copyright.
RESEARCH
Staying adept with global trends, innovation, and
opportunities in the animation industry
MAGOO DEL MUNDO
He is the President and Co-Founder of
Creative Content Creators Association of
the Philippines (SIKAP) encouraging Original
Filipino Content. He is also an IP Ecologist, an
animation and music producer, and a music
composer for TV, animation, video games and
theater. He is hopeful that the Philippines can
get a share of the world market of Intellectual
PAGE
Properties Authorship Focused Activities. Del
Mundo stated that in 2020, Original Content
and its monetization earned 6.6 Trillion US
Dollars in 2020 alone. He also mentioned that
the world is looking at countries in Asia to
49
tell its stories. It is time to share our original
content, our stories to the world. Other Asian
countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand,
Malaysia, and Indonesia have also begun
developing their own original content sector.
SIKAP’s goal is create locally made content
consumed globally. That means that the
content Filipinos create is being consumed
not only by OFWs and Filipinos based abroad,
but also by people of other nationalities
and cultures. He cited the success of the
animated version of Trese that was streamed
on Netflix internationally and not just within
the country.
Lastly, he mentioned two projects that are in
the works that are co-productions with the
Philippines and other countries. Kampilan,
which is a 3D animated feature that combines
performance capture for the acting with
the storyline of the Battle of Mactan is a
partnership and co-production of Hollywood
and Kampilan Productions. Solemn Vow is a
fantasy anime TV series that is inspired by the
Pre-Hispanic culture of the Philippines and is a
co-production between Cebu and Singapore.
LAWRENCE PANGANIBAN
Lawrence Panganiban is involved in the
entertainment industry of Cebu, specifically
in animation service work and original
content. He is a representative of Cebu
Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(CCCI) during the event. He talked about
the business of entertainment and the
future plans of CCCI to build a physical
infrastructure or creative space for art and
entertainment.
VISAYAS CREATIVE
TALENTS SHOWCASE
In second half of the afternoon’s talk is the
showcase of Visayan Creative Talents and had
a variety of resource speakers from different
creative media.
The first three resource speakers focused
on illustrations. The first speaker was
Illustrator and Marvel Cover Artist Xteve
Abanto based in Dumaguete. Maej Anfone,
who is the founder of the art and illustration
community in Negros Oriental, Art6200
was the second speaker. The third speaker
is Cebuano Graphic designer and Illustrator
Winston Cangsuco, whose works ranges
from editorials, digital infographics, and print
designs.
Former President of the Cebu Animation
Guild Philmore Amodia showcased his
company called Emottoons’ creative works
such as 2D animation and illustration. He
also featured his Battle of Mactan-inspired
animation which is currently on their youtube
page. Fizzbuzz Inc., represented by Cebuano
animators Carlyn Ceniza and Deborah
Tudtud, showcased their company’s animated
works which range from stop motion
animation, 2D animation, and 3D animation.
Kris Villarino represented live action
filmmaking and gave an inspiring talk about
his life experiences from studying Advertising
Arts in the University of San Carlos to where
he is now as a director and cinematographer
in live action films.
At the end of the event, the organizers
promised to dedicate a whole day for the
talks with the creatives because they were
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impressed with the updates that the creative
industry of the Visayas has to offer.
49
 Search

Lantawan Magazine
June 19. 2021

ALWAYS PAY YOUR CREATIVES!

Remember, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was commissioned by Pope Julius II
for Michelangelo.
Creatives in all fields, whether design, film, advertising, illustration, and so on
deserve treatment and compensation.

34. Facebook
Pay Your Creatives

PAGE
50

227k views 940 likes 2.6k shares 14 comments

LEFT
Facebook Post edited by Edd Dampios

50
Andorra Tile
Ad
 Paragpahut (embroiderer) embroiders the design
using dyed buri to a woven tikog mat. This colorful
mats are part of our way of life.
41. Milan
Materiality +
Woven buntal grass with ikat pattern reflects the
spiritual essence of a place.

Spirituality
HEIDRUN MILAN, PIID

PAGE Architecture in Asia developed with the belief that the

built environment should blend with its surrounding

52
natural environment. It is on the same premise that
the Balai of the precolonial Philippines inherited this
concept, where the delineation between outside and
inside spaces is blurred. Materials that are abundant like
bamboo, nipa, and wood were used as the main building
materials. Anthropologist Dr. Fernando N. Zialcita said
that the bamboo tradition in the Philippines is at least
2,300 years old. Bamboo is culturally, aesthetically,
and practically suited for the Filipino house, whether
traditional or modern. It is a material that is maaliwalas—
the feeling of openness where we can breathe easily and
be one with our surrounding. Indigenous knowledge on
how these materials are used is deeply ingrained in our
identity and tied to our collective memory.

But there is a much deeper reason for using these

natural materials in our built environment. For ancient
Filipinos, there was a spiritual connection that bound
the human and the divine. As our national artist Felipe
“Jun” de Leon puts it, “Architecture sensitive to its context

LEFT
is truly a spiritual concept because it implies sharing and
celebration of life.”

52
41. Milan
Women of Samar weaving inside Saob cave. The
cool temperature allows the tikog grass to be more
pliant, making it easier to weave. This tradition is
passed down from generation to generation.

PAGE
53

RIGHT
Abaca paper with t’nalak print adds a Filipino
touch to this modern girl’s bedroom.

53
 This also holds true in our tradition of
weaving banig (woven grass mat) - a vital
cultural object that serves a multitude
of purposes. The mat is present in many
of the important rites of passage: births,
christenings, engagements, and weddings. In
the absence of furniture in precolonial times,
the mat served as a multifunctional piece.
We are born on mats, we play on mats, we
celebrate on mats, we are wed on mats, we
dance on mats, we share intimate moments
on mats, and we are buried in our graves in
mats. Such is the versatility of function of
banig that it is literally present from birth to
death. The Waray riddle “Kon adlaw bubungan;
kun gab-i kadagatan” records the utility of
the mat as a canopy (bubungan) by day and
as floor spread (kadagatan or the metaphoric
tranquil sea) by night.

The abundant materials found in nature

composed our vernacular architecture.
But why are these materials seldom used
in contemporary design? According to
architecture historian Ar. Gerard Lico, “the
41. Milan
pervasive phrase “primitive architecture”
in the 1980s has unwittingly disseminated
a pejorative implication emphasizing the
dualistic distinction between “primal” and
“cultivated,” barbarism” and “civilization,” and
“non-Western” and “Western.” Similarly, the
category “indigenous architecture,” used by
other writers, seemed to bracket off the non-
formal architecture introduced and built by
immigrant and colonial populations in order
to privilege those building forms constructed
by the indigenes. The category “anonymous
architecture” reflects the bias toward

PAGE
buildings designed by named and canonical
architects, while “folk architecture” is tinged
with issues of class differentiation. The same
privileging is offered by “ethnic architecture,”
a term that reflects “an exoticization of

54
the residual ethnolinguistic Other by the
dominant cosmopolitan culture.”

During the American Occupation in the first

half of the 1900s, reinforced concrete was
introduced as the standard building material.
Looking back at our history, brainwashing
brought about by foreign influences led us
to believe that our materials are inferior.
We learned to favor new materials that were
thought to be “better” than what is found locally.

Many of these attributes that are visible in

the mats also reflect our spirituality as well as
our preferences as a people. The great variety
of banig is indicative, not of our differences,
but rather of a strong bond that unites
us together and links us to our ancestors
through an unbroken chain of tacit knowledge

LEFT
passed on from one generation to the next.
It is a living culture that has survived the
Banig with underwater scenery used as a counter cladding
strong waves of colonization and the present at the OTOP Hub in Samar. Banig adds meaning and
phenomenon of globalization. context to this interior space, as banig is not only a cultural
but also an economic activity in Samar.

54
 41. Milan
Mosaic bamboo with gold leaf details is a
contemporary application but the material is close to
home, adding a sense of familiarity to cosmopolitan
living.

PAGE
55

Abaca paper frames the wall of this resort-themed

unit. T’nalak print is a connection to the spiritual
realm as the patterns must be dreamt before the
weavers can start weaving.
RIGHT
Woven banig used a roman shade and ottoman lends
a Filipino yet contemporary feel.

55
 42. Dy-Medilla
The design of of the Municipal Halls of BARMM resonates with Moro peoples
Mindanao Architecture with
Smart Vernacular Principles
The Municipal Halls of BARMM*
DESIGNER/WRITER:
GLORYROSE DY METILLA, UAP
PAGE
SWITO DESIGNS ARCHICTECTURE, DAVAO CITY
Architect Gloryrose Dy-Metilla
56
Beyond your design activities in Mindanao, you saw
the wide world. You were working for SM Supermalls
and studied in Australia. What did you take from
these places for your present work?
Yes, those were very interesting parts of my life as an in-house
designer for malls. I really learned a lot about project management
in teamwork that has to be done in terms of cooperation with the
consultant architects, engineers, and the general contractor.
In Australia, I studied for my Master’s in Urban Cultural Heritage,
which trained me in culturally sensitive design. This is where
I learned about the basics of my work. In Australia, they use
more western concepts but they are also trying to embrace their
aboriginal architecture, which is very good. It led me to a reflection
on what we’re doing here in the Philippines. It taught me how to
balance between modern technologies and heritage. We cannot just
always say that we have to love tradition; we also have to bear in
mind that modern technologies or evolutions can be used for hybrid
LEFT
and traditional design.
* Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)
56
Architecture is all around us. It influences us, provides continuity with
the past, and connects us with the future. If we could all go back to
the past and think about a building and a place that we hold dear,
we could then ask: why are we connected to that place?
The answer is obvious. It is because we have memories of the
place. The memories, both happy and sad, make up the value and
significance of the place.
Attaching value to a place via our memory is universal. It happens
all the time. For example, we value our homes so much at the
family level and we even have our favorite spots. I used to love
my main door because it shows my height progression. When I
was 8, I used to be taller than my sister Pearl, but when I was 10,
she had grown to be taller than me by half an inch.
At the local level, we value places through memory by making
them historical landmarks in tourist spots and at the national
level, we make things and places our national treasures. We
do this globally by putting places with historical and aesthetic
value in the World Heritage Site (WHS) list. And because of the
WHS, places like the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal have
become of universal value.
Assigning values to places carries memories across time. Our
significant stories are given places to reside and this allows a
continuing dialogue from generation to generation. But how do
we continue the significant stories of places when their identity
is on the brink of extinction, such as Mindanao Architecture?
During my architecture college years, this was never mentioned.
There was a whole section of Asian Architecture and World
Architecture and it focused on Japanese and Chinese
religious buildings. There were a few discourses on Philippine

Architecture, especially Spanish-Filipino
Architecture. However, most architects’
42. Dy-Medilla
research, when it comes to heritage,
focused on the Spanish and American
influences in the Philippines. There was
little focus on Mindanao Architecture.
The irony in this is that our pre-colonial
heritage dates back 30,000 years ago and
still exists until this day, preserved through
the traditions of our indigenous brothers
and sisters. They have created value by
preserving memory and passing it on
through generations as a living heritage.
According to the United Nations
Development Program, the Philippines
is composed of over 110 ethnolinguistic
groups. About 33% of these groups are in
the northern part of the Philippines while
61% are situated in Mindanao. About 67
indigenous peoples live either at the foot
of mountain ranges or on them.
So what is Mindanao Architecture?
Mindanao Architecture is a subset of
Filipino Architecture. It is the architecture
of the ethnolinguistic groups of Mindanao
as well as the evolutionary changes that
come with every architecture. What is the
difference between Filipino and Mindanao
Architecture? Mindanao Architecture has
its own character, which includes some
preserved pre-colonial elements. It is
Traditional elements have been safeguarded
similar to Balinese Architecture in that it
Livability
possesses features unlike that of Indonesian
Floor plans for the Municipal Halls of
Architecture. Mindanao architecture doesn’t
BARMM depict a half-moon with major
have the hybridity so typical for many parts
offices at separate ends. The elevation is
of the Philippines. Why is it not hybrid?
reflective of that of a Maranao style with
Because the cultural communities have
Panolong end beams and Okir details. Vents
embraced the identity of their forefathers:
appear in the transom areas as well as the
by how they built their structures. Instead of
roof gable ends for maximum airflow. This
hybrid, it is rather very reflective.
makes the building livable. Because of its
multi-dimensionality as well as its multiple
Aside from being an architecture of the
uses in space, the area is livable. Floor-to-
cultural communities, Mindanao Architecture
ceiling heights are high to provide better
is sustainable architecture. It has three
airflow and a sense of openness.
elements and principles that can be
attributed to sustainability or being smart.
Smart vernacular is an architecture that is
both modern and yet vernacular. It has the
Sustainability
following principles: livability, sustainability,
Additionally, the Municipal Halls of BARMM
and cultural sensitivity. To understand this
are examples of sustainability because these
further, let us take the case of the design
are adaptive to nature. Materials used are
of the Municipal Halls of the Bangsamoro
found in the locality and cottage industries
PAGE
Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.
such as kawayan and amakan (both bamboo),
and local timber, and feature the handiwork
Initiated by the Ministry of the Interior and
of woodcarvers of the area, which are
Local Government under its Minister, Atty.
then married to modern technology. This
Naguib Sinarimbo, the Municipal Halls of
57
cuts down logistical costs and also helps
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim
the local economy.
Minadanao (BARMM) provide one of the
best examples of a modern Mindanao
Architecture with smart vernacular principles.
Eleven Municipal Halls are being constructed
Cultural Sensitivity
in the BARMM areas, designed by Swito
Cultural sensitivity is also a factor in the
Designs Architects as of this writing.
design of the Municipal Halls of BARMM.
The design resonates with Moro peoples
They are like an unending tale of storytelling because of the traditional elements that have
been safeguarded. It is like an unending tale
of aesthetic storytelling. Every corner of each
building holds a décor that interprets stories
of people making and building and retelling
memories of the Bangsamoro people.
RIGHT
57
 42. Dy-Medilla

LEGEND:
PAGE
GREEN WOOD VARNISHED ON
BLEACHED WOOD
RED WOOD VARNISHED ON
BLEACHED WOOD
58
YELLOW WOOD VARNISHED ON
BLEACHED WOOD
BLUE WOOD VARNISHED ON
BLEACHED WOOD
NATURAL WOOD VARNISHED ON
BLEACHED WOOD
LIGHT OAK WOOD VARNISHED ON
BLEACHED WOOD

OKIR DETAIL

LEFT
58
 42. Dy-Medilla
Flexible Housing
Adapting Vernacularity
in Residential Spaces

PAGE
In Mindanao, common and even multi-generational living is frequent.
Today, designing for this lifestyle, we have to add requirements of
sustainable green living. Instead of small and tight condominiums,
different kinds of families and people wish to live together in a shared

59
commitment supported by sustainability and nature.

The core idea consists in flexible rooms. The design is modular.

Various units can be created: one bedroom, one bedroom with a
mezzanine, two bedrooms and so on. The idea of flexibility comes
from the vernacular practices in the Philippines. Urban settlers or
squatters use their area in a flexible way. They have one room, which
may become two rooms later, in adjustment to personal and actual
needs. They inspired the designer toward a concept with flexible
rooms. In this Swito Designs Architects, Gloryrose Dy Metilla and
Mary Catherine Diaz, modular space create idea, modular spaces
create the basic arrangement, to which various other spaces can be
added. The module size is 6 x 6 meters, without partitions. Further
modules can be added up according to the size of the family or other
needs. In the middle of the building, there’s an air well, a kind of
vertical tunnel for ventilation. So, the hot air ascends and leaves the
structure. The cold air, however, descends to the living areas. For
further sun protection, the designer raised the balcony by wrapping
it around the entire structure as a bracelet. Here, woven curtains of
Mindanao design deflect the heat of the sun. They can be adjusted
for optimum efficiency. This solution is based on a living tradition of
indigenous houses in Mindanao which apply such balconies wrapping
around the core structure.
The floor plan is laid out in a grid, ensuring that when the occupants
want to have a bigger area—for example, two rooms—they will just
use the 6 x 12 meter option. Then, if one uses an 18 x 6 space, that
will contain three bedrooms. What about bathrooms that seem to
need a fixed location? There is a provision for a bathroom in every
module—which a new occupant may not use when he chooses to
occupy two modules for bigger living space but with the need for
only one bathroom. If this occupant moves out and will be replaced
by two occupants who want to use only one module each, they can
reactivate both prepared bathrooms easily. In order to support the
modules structurally, the structure is built out of metal frames. For
flexibility, the partitions are bolted to the frames. Occupants may put
in new partitions when they so decide. It’s all planned out but it feels
as a natural growth.
RIGHT
Even the electric outlets and lights are movable, in case a new person
moves in and wants to reconfigure the space.

59
 7
7

6
4 5 6 8

1112
1 9 2 3 9 10

LONGITUDINAL SECTION CROSS SECTION

42. Dy-Medilla
0m 5m 10m 20m 40m

LEGEND
1- COMMON LIVING & DINING AREA 7- VIEWING DECK HALLWAYS, LOBBY ELEVATOR
2- COMMERCIAL SPACE 8- GYM & WELLNESS CENTER COMMON ROOMS PUBLIC SPACE
3- PARKING AREA 9- INDOOR PARK PRIVATE ROOMS
4- CORRIDOR 10- TOILET AREA MATERIAL
5- 1-BEDROOM UNIT UTILITIES
11- ELECTRICAL ROOM BAMBOO
6- 3-BEDROOM UNIT 12- ELEVATOR STAIRS
LOUVRES

PAGE
1-BEDROOM UNIT
60 3-BEDROOM UNIT

OTHER CONFIGURATIONS

LEFT
60
 Local Materials
Bamboo
1 1 9

I learned from people who know how to

ON RIGHT ELEVATION
execute in bamboo. There is an industry in
Panabo City and Tagum City, both in Davao
del Norte Province, that is really good in
bamboo work. We are still in the learning
process when it comes to bamboo, which
is a very tricky material, although it’s also
very sustainable. Logistics must be well
organized. In in my area, you have to hire a
carabao and cars to get the bamboo from the
14 riverbanks. The bamboo can survive for fifty10 14 6 14
years. Indigenous people like the Bagobo or

42. Dy-Medilla
Tagabawa on Mount Apo build houses fully
5 out of bamboo. They usually change the 1 3 6 7 8
bamboo every ten years. They don’t harvest
bamboo anytime they like but only if there’s a
full moon. They also have traditional ways of
harvesting and treating the bamboo.
10

LONGITUDINAL SECTION
2 1 1 9

5- KITCHEN FRONT9- OUTDOOR KITCHEN

ELEVATION 13- SHOWER ROOM RIGHT ELEVATION
6- STAIRS 10- VERANDAH 14- BEDROOM
7- COMMON T&B 10 11- PRAYER ROOM
8- LAUNDRY 12- STOCK ROOM

2 1 1 9

PAGE
5m 10m

HALLWAYS
FRONT ELEVATION RIGHT ELEVATION
14 14 COMMON ROOMS 10 14 6 14

61
14 14 PRIVATE ROOMS

7 5 UTILITIES 1 3 6 7 8
STAIRS
6 13 PARKING AND
EXTERIOR SPACES
7
14
12
14 14 10 14 6 14
MATERIAL
CROSS
10 SECTION
11 LONGITUDINAL SECTION
BAMBOO
1 7 5 GI SHEET 1 3 6 7 8

LEGEND
1- PORCH 5- KITCHEN 9- OUTDOOR KITCHEN 13- SHOWER ROOM
R PLAN 2-
SECOND FLOOR PLAN
CARPORT 6- STAIRS 10- VERANDAH 14- BEDROOM
3- LIVING AREA 7- COMMON T&B 11- PRAYER ROOM
4- DINING AREA 8- LAUNDRY 12- STOCK ROOM
CROSS SECTION LONGITUDINAL SECTION

RIGHT
0m 2.5m 5m 10m

LEGEND
1- PORCH 5- KITCHEN 9- OUTDOOR KITCHEN 13-HALLWAYS
SHOWER ROOM
2- CARPORT
8 9 6- STAIRS 10- VERANDAH 14-COMMON
BEDROOMROOMS
3- LIVING AREA 7- COMMON T&B 14 11- PRAYER
14 ROOM PRIVATE ROOMS
4- DINING AREA 8- LAUNDRY 12- STOCK ROOM 61
7 UTILITIES
 CROSS SECTION LONGITUDINAL SECTION

LEGEND
1- PORCH 5- KITCHEN 9- OUTDOOR KITCHEN 13- SHOWER ROOM
2- CARPORT 6- STAIRS 10- VERANDAH 14- BEDROOM
3- LIVING AREA 7- COMMON T&B 11- PRAYER ROOM
4- DINING AREA 8- LAUNDRY 12- STOCK ROOM

0m 2.5m 5m 10m

HALLWAYS
COMMON ROOMS
8 9
14 14 PRIVATE ROOMS

7 UTILITIES
5 STAIRS
6 13 PARKING AND
6
EXTERIOR SPACES
4 7
14
12
2

42. Dy-Medilla
3 MATERIAL
10 11
BAMBOO
1 GI SHEET

GROUND FLOOR PLAN SECOND FLOOR PLAN

Local Materials
Brick
PAGE
62
I am an advocate of brick. There is a
group, Sidlakpinoy ( https://sidlakpinoy.
business.site/ ), located in Bukidnon
that manufactures structural clay bricks
that are earthquake-proof and can bear
several stories. Brick houses are very cool
inside and brick buildings accommodate
traditional details from the Maranao
tribes in Mindanao. Bricks could be
manufactured in much higher quantities
in the Philippines because the raw
materials are available. Filipinos forgot
about brick after the strong marketing
of cement. But most of the projects
that I am doing now are made out of
brick. I use double walls with a width of
two bricks. I designed the Bangsamoro
Municipal Halls in brick but not all of it
could be executed as such because the

LEFT
supply of the bricks is not enough. If we
continue to promote bricks, the investors
and builders may realize that bricks
are more economical.

62
FRONT ELEVATION RIGHT ELEVATION

9 9 9 9 7

7 7 7 7 7 7 8

5 5

42. Dy-Medilla
5 5 1 2 3

CROSS SECTION LONGITUDINAL SECTION

LEGEND MATERIAL
1- LIVING 8- TOILET & BATH OPEN TO BELOW STAIRS BRICK
2- DINING 9- ROOF GARDEN HALLWAYS WINDOW
3- KITCHEN
4- TOILET COMMON ROOMS DOOR
5- FOYER PRIVATE ROOMS ROOF
6- CARPORT UTILITIES
7- BEDROOM

4 4
3
4
PAGE 8 8 8

63
3 3
7 7 7

2 2 7 7 7
2

1 1 1 7 7 7

9 9 9
7 7 7
5 5 5

6 6 6 SECOND FLOOR PLAN THIRD FLOOR PLAN

0m 5m 10m 20m 40m

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

RIGHT
63
 Search

Lantawan Magazine
June 15, 2021

GREEN ARCHITECTURE BOOTCAMP FOR GAMERS!

Known by the game Mobile Legends, Team Execration has earned great
success through championships. Take a look at the proposed bootcamp for
their team designed by Cali Architects. It’s amazing how green architecture
goes well with technological innovation!

46. FACEBOOK
Gamers’ Bootcamp

PAGE
64

920k views 2.2k likes 6.5k shares 276 comments

LEFT
Facebook Post edited by Rax Milan

64
 43. Lanyi / Crisostomo

Challenging Beauty:
A Bamboo and PAGE Wood Story
ECOTECH Trainors’ Village65 , Cebu City
Designer: Ar. Nheil Crisostomo , UAP
WRITER: BELA LANYI, SVD

Once the theme of this Lantawan issue was selected, several sources told me that our
metropolis Cebu City carries no local design. It can rather be found in the northern or
southern ends of the Philippines: in Mindanao or Northern Luzon. However, for Lantawan’s
readers, I wanted something Cebuano as well. After a short research, I encountered this tiny
design of the Trainors’ Village at Ecotech Center in Cebu City, which was even recommended
for a prestigious Philippine architectural award. The designer is our very own Ar. Nheil
Crisostomo, former topnotcher and beloved mentor of USC-SAFAD architecture students. In

RIGHT
contrast to my usual way of reporting, here I first received the plan drawings and only later
did I have the opportunity to talk with the designer about his deeper motivations. When I
afterwards visited the built structure, I understood the challenges and chances of indigenous
materials. The keyword is professionalism.

65
 THE DRAWINGS OF ECOTECH
TRAINORS’ VILLAGE, CEBU CITY
The project consists of small rowhouse units stepwise aligned
with the curving principal circular road of Ecotech Center at the
end of the governmental district of Cebu City. Roadside guest
rooms? Rather a small oasis, a resort, amidst this governmental
subdivision of offices and dormitories. Fresh natural environment,
fine detailing, and elegant colors upgrade the village to a premium
accommodation for speakers and very important guests of courses
that run in those strict-looking neighboring buildings. Indeed,
already these drawings reveal that the Trainors’ Village is a venue
rather for wellness than for pure overnight stays.

From the street, protective buffers demarcate this place of silence

and crisp air: a water feature, a plant strip, and its own comfortable
walkway. We enter the unit through a coco-sided portal with a
mini-porch. Here, upon opening the door, the guest encounters an
all-transparent and almost immaterial room. Crisostomo literally
split off the corners and turned them into light-and-air channels
of bamboo screens with abaca natural fiber lashing. The other
surfaces, even in the bathroom, are covered with coco planks.

43. Lanyi / Crisostomo

The architect was consequent in applying his own strict set of
rules regarding the choice of materials, the use of colors, and
the roof edges.

Outside a tiny interior pocket-garden, between the two foyers

of neighboring units, exterior pocket gardens are displayed. This
complex space system of small volumes guarantees a greater and
more homogeneous natural lighting of the units. It also strengthens A premium accommodation for speakers
their refreshing visual impact for a greater privacy and familiarity.
Roof planes floating one above another link the units together.

One of the challenges presented here was the use of indigenous

materials, bamboo and cocolumber, including structure, enclosures,
and finishes. Woven arorog bamboo, treated and finished with
clear polyurethane topcoat, covers the ceiling of the bedroom.
Coco planks of 1”x 4” size in the bathroom, and of 2”x 4” size on
the portals, carrying dark walnut woodstain and clear plyurethane
topcoat, decorate the unit. For durability, the bamboo is exposed
to constant ventilation to keep it from rotting, to prolong its life.

THE DESIGNER
PAGE
Architect Crisostomo gladly responded to my questions. “Ecotech

66
Center is a training center for public school teachers with speakers
from all over the country. Its management conceptualized this
project as an extension in 14 units of premium accommodations for
course speakers. When I saw the center’s existing, relatively old,
Brutalist main building from the Marcos period, I did not want to
be separated from their spirit: they used bamboo and cocolumber
as well. That’s where I got the idea of using cocolumber. We
applied a Japanese technology, which conserves wood through
burning. In fact, we used local materials, while in Japan, they
applied pinewood. So they burn the surfaces of pinewood. In the
old building, cocolumber was not burned, it was painted. You can
actually feel it when you touch the material. The old buildings also
took note of the passing cooling. For the Trainors’ Village, Ecotech
Center’s management also foresaw passive cooling. They also
suggested a garden to serve as a buffer from the road,”
he explained.

What about the durability of the major design features, the

bamboo and cocolumber?
“We all know that our indigenous material doesn’t last quite long.

LEFT
But these materials can be easily sourced locally. So, if they need
to repair some areas of the finishing, they will be able to replace
these easily. So initially, they wanted to have something like that. Light-and-air channels of bamboo screens

66
 43. Lanyi / Crisostomo
I told them to use sustainable materials. For
the ceiling, we also applied bamboo. We
attached it to plywood,” he added.
How did you ensure an intensive natural
ventilation?
“All the windows, all the openings, are
operable. Most of the windows were made of
jalousie blades. And then, in the shower area
and in the bedroom as well, we have sliding
windows. You can open the whole room
through those windows,” Crisostomo said.
How have you got this wonderful
governmental commission?
“They wanted something unique, so they
commissioned me. My office is based on
research of indigenous materials. I also
designed a restaurant for Sumilon Island
(Oslob, Cebu) with native materials like nipa
roofing,” he said.
Do you think that your approach will attract
followers?
“Today, because of the pandemic, most of
our architects are already conscious of local
materials. But before, we were more or
less like expressionists. What if we express
ourselves, even though this is not actually
needed by the client? Now, in my practice,
I put the sustainability of the design first
because we are already moving into the
direction of sustainability,” he shared.
PAGE
How does the compound look today?
“If you go there, you will see some renovations
on the Trainors’ Village. They are replacing
the bamboo screen with another material.
67
They did not communicate with me. Why are
they doing that? Initially, the bamboo screen
was intact but then a tarpaulin was put on it,
which covered the screen. So, when it rained,
the moisture was locked inside. The bamboo
absorbed this moisture and it deteriorated.
If I had been consulted about the problem, I
would have requested to purchase the same
material, bamboo and cocolumber—to replace
the deteriorated parts. Anyway, bamboo is
cheap. And if destroyed by moisture, we can
just replace it. But then, the owners obviously
wanted something more long-lasting. On
second thought, they might have also wished
for something that signals reliability: ceramic
tiles instead of cocolumber,” Crisostomo
said. Thus, if there is a need for a pioneering
building, even if it is pioneering through
being “just local,” it also has to be maintained
RIGHT
through the participation of all stakeholders,
including the architect.
67
 43. Lanyi / Crisostomo

PAGE
68

Trainors’ Village units,

LEFT
ECOTECH Center, Cebu City
(Ar. Nheil Crisostomo, UAP)

68
THE ADMINISTRATOR
43. Lanyi / Crisostomo what the Marcoses thought to be “truly
Deteriorated wood and bamboo

getting deteriorated after so many decades.

With Crisostomo’s ideas in mind, I went to the
place. Ecotech Centre Administrator Mr. King
Vincent Po and Maintenance Engineer Dahlia
I. Ubas were pleased to show me the building.
But they also did not hide the problems. “We
had to change the coco planks of the portals
because they looked terrible already.” What
I can see is rather disappointing and very
different from the original drawings and design
visualizations—dark brown ceramic tiles cover
the portal in unambitious work quality. Even
the white edges can be seen, and the trim line
remained uneven. The spaces between the
Filipino”: a kind of propaganda building. For
promoting agriculture, even a demo-farm
belonged to the Center. Today, very few
buildings of that intention and period remain
in Cebu.
Thus, I was amazed when the Administrator
showed me the building. Cocolumber is
extensively employed here—and after many
decades, it is just now that the first signs of
deterioration have appeared on it. Yes, in
most of the rooms I could still see those
painted coconut planks, Capiz shell windows,
and a functional natural ventilation—the
Some equipment don’t correspond to today’s
standards. But the center’s management
tries to maintain the original features, which
became part of Cebu’s architectural heritage.
Up to today, the heavy colors and massive
forms of this governmental building still recall
strongman Marcos. But its open and naturally
cross-ventilated courtyards and lobby
correspond to the same tropical architectural
features as Crisostomo’s design. Its fine
wooden carvings evoke the same care as the
meticulously designed details of the Trainors’
Village. So it became now clear that Ecotech
Center’s administration will do its best to save

tiles are not equal. “I can also show you our
bathroom problems as well,” Po said.
He led the way to a bathroom where, precisely
PAGE
features which impressed Crisostomo so the ambitious but challenging beauty of the
much. I noticed that a renovation is going on pioneering architect.
here. In fact, some parts of the cocolumber are

69
at that moment, workers happened to be
removing some deteriorated coco planks. I
took some photos. The bamboo screens on the
front, which, back when the units were first
executed, created a beautiful contrast to the
dark coco planks of the portals, were missing.
A few coco planks could still be noticed. “We
really love the design of Ar. Crisostomo, it is so
Filipino,” commented Po. “We just don’t know
how to replace the deteriorated parts with the
same material in a durable way. Please, if you
know somebody, just let us know the name.”

Entering the old building of Ecotech Centre,

built during Marcos’ time, I understand Po’s
emotions. Ecological-Technological Livelihood
Community Center is the official name of
this compound built around a ring road. Po’s
office is in the oldest building. Ms. Josefina
Josephine
Cortona, a cashier at Ecotech who has been
Fortuina

RIGHT
working here since 1979, even knows the
designer’s name: Architect Jerry Cruz from
Manila. The edifice incorporated and signaled The Administration Building of Ecotech Centre

69
 43. Lanyi / Crisostomo

PAGE
70

Trainors’ Village units,

ECOTECH Center, Cebu City

LEFT
(Ar. Nheil Crisostomo, UAP)

70
THE BAMBOO CONSULTANT
Once Ecotech Center Administrator Po asked for a bamboo consultant,
I recalled that in January 2015, together with USC Vice-Presidents Fr.
Anthony Salas, SVD and Fr. Generoso Ricardo Rebayla, SVD, Dean Ar.
J.M. Espina, FUAP, and Ar. Bryan Auman, UAP, we visited the Institut
Teknologi in Bandung, Indonesia, which is the highest bamboo research
authority in Southeast Asia. As a result of this trip, USC sent Auman
immediately to Bandung for advanced bamboo studies, which he
completed with outstanding results. So after having visited Ecotech
Centre, I called Architect Auman.

He suggested that all deteriorated bamboo parts be removed to protect

the rest of the structure. “As they say, one bad apple spoils the barrel.
My bamboo team and I have been working with Sacred Heart School-
Ateneo de Cebu for the Cor Jesu Oratory together with Kenneth
Cobonpue and Ar. Buck Sia and so far, our bamboo is all right. It has
been three years since its opening. Not to mention, my rest house in
San Remigio has been well maintained for the past seven years and
no bamboos need to be replaced ever since,” Auman said. He offered
to send someone from his team to check the conditions of Eco-Tech
Center in Cebu and, if needed, to help their directors with
design decisions.

43. Lanyi / Crisostomo

Upon receiving this message from Auman, I decided to assess the
bamboo’s condition on one of Auman’s projects. I chose the one closest
to USC Talamban Campus, the Cor Jesu Oratory. Auman was already
waiting for me in front of the project of two edifices: the Oratory with
a pastoral building. Even from afar, the external bamboo surfaces were
clearly noticeable. They were coated with Sherwin Williams coating, as
I learned from Auman. Comparing these with the interior bamboo wall
siding, a slightly fainter color could be observed but all the bamboo
poles were still intact. The most interesting part is the suspended
ceiling of the Oratory. I asked Auman how he managed to create a Cor Jesu Oratory
durable bamboo work on such an exposed position.

“Bamboo is a cheap material but it is labor-intensive,” explained Auman.

“It is special work. It was even not included in the general budget for
this building. The principal architect commissioned me as a bamboo
consultant and under my direction, my work group carried the work
out. It is a three-dimensionally bent suspended ceiling on hidden steel
beams. We made the wall surface siding as well.”

PAGE
This bamboo looks fit despite the common belief that bamboo is not
durable. “First of all, pre-selection and pre-treatment of bamboo is
crucial before using it as a building construction material. The bamboo

71
poles should be carefully selected in the bamboo forest. Such forests
are located in Bantayan Island and recently in Balamban as well. Poles
of 3-5 years of age should be selected. The age can be noticed by
the spots on it. Fresh bamboo, which easily deteriorates, is shiny in
appearance while old bamboo is already full of spots. Not only the
selection of bamboo but also its application is very labor-intensive and
needs a lot of quality control,” explained Auman. And then?

“After an initial planning, prototypes had to be done on the spot to

explore the actual geometry: the exact joint connections and how
everything looks. For the ceiling of this Oratory, we first thought of
smaller bamboos ( ϕ2”) but the solution turned out to be not impressive
enough. We created two such prototypes but then we decided to
dismantle both of them. These necessary on-the-spot experiments
matured in us the final decision to use ϕ4 bamboo. First we put up this
new prototype just above the altar area. School President Fr. Manuel
Uy, SJ, and the designers approved this design, so we could apply the
elaborated solution for the whole structure. I can image that some
people don’t like this perpetual experimenting but this is the nature of
bamboo, which should be honored.”

We just hope that with the cooperation of all, Ecotech Trainors’ Village will
get back its previous magnificence.
RIGHT
Bamboo elements of Cor Jesu Oratory
fit after more than 3 years

71
 Bringing the
‘Vernacular
Architecture’ of the
Past to the Present
AR. ROBERT MALAYAO, UAP
VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE
44. Malayao
Vernacular architecture, regardless of location, is always based on the
natural resources of an area. In a tropical country like the Philippines,
architecture students have always been taught the techniques our
forefathers applied to their structures. Techniques that they have
honed after experiencing the devastations they will face again and
againlest they make the adaptations. These techniques may be
summarized under a common concept/term: “Tropical Architecture”.
Passive cooling is a favorite concept or technique that every
architecture student may have heard from the instructors. However,
saying that a designer wants to incorporate the concept of passive
cooling to their building is totally different to actually having a
building that is passively cooled. It is the same as saying that having
windows will automatically aerate the space. In fact, passively
ventilating or cooling any space will depend on a host of factors that
every student and building professional should be aware of: cross-
ventilation, wind direction, window size, materials, among others.
OUTDATED BASIS OF ASSUMPTIONS
PAGE
In short, more often than not, students, and in some cases,
professionals, simply make the assumption that doing Action A
will automatically result in Action B. Heck, our ancestors did it that
72
way, didn’t they? However, we should also be reminded that they
did it by trial and error. They also had the advantage of being in an
environment that was totally different from ours, even though it may
have been just half a century ago. An environment (as ‘outdated’ as it
may seem) that many people, students and professionals alike, have
used as their basis to ‘gauge’ the effectivity of the techniques that
they are applying to their buildings.
The “center” of a barangay back then, though having had a higher
density of people than far-flung areas, did not suffer from the Heat-
Island Effect. If they did, no data or information can tell us that they
did. If they did, I doubt very much that it was the same degree as what
we are experiencing now.
Apart from that, there’s noise. The concepts surrounding acoustics
is part of the curriculum for architecture students to complete their
degree. However, not until 2020 and 2021, most people have this
notion that acoustics is a component of the construction cost of a
house that can be saved on. This is also evident in the ambiguity
of the requirements imposed by the National Building Code of the
LEFT
Philippines related to acoustics. The barangay centers of the present
have become noisier.
72
WINDOW-AIRCON DILEMMA
Opening a window to allow for passive cooling has become a
dilemma for many of us, whether you are the designer or the
user. Opening a window for passive ventilation may in fact not
have the advantages as it woould have had 500 years ago. Now,
when you open a window, the wind that you are so hoping to
give you comfort may not be there or if it’s there, it may be a
heated version of what you were expecting. Couple that with
dust, noise and the occasional dengue-bearing mosquitoes. To
deal with all of these, the most common response is to have the
structure mechanically cooled - enter our all so favorite ‘aircon’.
However, we must remember that cooling your building through
mechanical mean will not only add to your electric bill but will also
increase the heat of the outdoor environment. In short, you are
contributing to the Heat Island Effect. Be that as it may, it looks
like mechanically cooling a space will remain as one of the ways in
which we can ensure a comfortable space.
Another bane that people have against it is the energy cost. We
always assume that these appliances consume a lot of energy.
Although we are ready to accept that as our fate all for the sake
of a good night’s sleep, we must also be conscious that using the
‘aircon’ actually does not have to be that energy consuming. In
establishments that really require the use of these mechanical
ventilation system, understanding the principles of physics
and thermodynamics would, as a matter of fact, give you more
savings. It all boils down to the term ‘thermal leak’. This term is
a very common term in other countries especially those in areas
that experience winter. Buildings in those countries as much as
they can, endeavor to ensure that thermal leaks are avoided or at
least reduced. Studies have showed that heating a room during
winter costs more than cooling it down during summer. In our
country, we do not have winter or summer but our ting-init is
“hellish”. And by the laws of physics, air flows from hot to cold.
This air flow is one among other forms by which energy is lost
e.g., radiation, occurs through thermal leaks. They usually occur
in gaps as well as in areas where material types are different, e.g.
[DAJ9] light metal framing to support a fiber cement wall or in
a CHB wall that is exposed to the sun for much of the day. So,
if the designer and the builder do not consider all these things
in their designs, the rooms would experience thermal leak and
consequently eat up on your electric bills.
 SIMULATING A BUILDING’S
PERFORMANCE
SCAN ME With the advent of technology at the
present, we have a far better way of
“predicting” how different materials
contribute to the overall performance of a
space. As a student back in 2010, we were
taught to use different programs to present
our designs. In 2012, we were taught BIM
(Building Information Modelling). With the
exposure I received in 2020 in Vienna, I
learned that the world has moved on from
BIM to BEM (Building Energy Modelling) and
even BPS (Building Performance Simulation).
This graph shows the increase of Carbon Dioxide (ppm) for the last 14 years. The QR Code will lead Stuff that is still at its infancy in the country
you to a video showing how polluted the air is since the Industrial Revolution. and of which students are still not too keen
Image source: https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon-dioxide/ on using, because who cares about how a
building performs as long as it looks good,
right? Wrong. Many of us know what climate
change is and about the ‘Doomsday Clock’
which warns the public about how close we
are to destroying our world with dangerous

44. Malayao
SCAN ME technologies of our own making. Our
industry is one of the biggest contributors to
CO2 during construction and our decisions/
indecisions as designers can add more to
that CO2 as our designs have the power
to influence the way our users use their
appliances. By incorporating appropriate
simulation tools instead of just relying on our
assumptions (this is how we did it before,
why change something that isn’t broken?)
we get to make better and well-informed
decisions regarding our designs. So, do we
give up on our vernacular architecture?
The graph shows the temperature differences of the city against the suburban Absolutely not, but what we should stop on
and the rural areas. The QR Code leads you to a deeper and more graphical doing is referencing the old “environment”
explanation of the phenomenon. with the chaotic environment that we
Image source: https://www.epa.gov/heatislands/learn-about-heat-islands inherited from the older generations and are
forced to deal with now.

PAGE TOOLS IN OUR MIDST

In conclusion, the techniques our ancestors
used for their houses in the past are still

73
relevant today. However, we must also
understand the challenges that our people/
SCAN ME users are experiencing now. ‘No internet’
is even a challenge now and is ‘memoed’ as
grounds for leniency.

This just means that there are additional

factors that we must consider that our
ancestors before did not have to think
about. With the advent of the Internet
of Things (IoT) and the development of
new softwares, designing for the sake of
DIAGRAM A DIAGRAM B producing structures that simply looks
good has become outdated. Since these
software are still in their infancy, we still
The diagrams A&B shows the thermal bridge of a glass wall as simulated by the author in one of cannot properly ‘predict’ and simulate the
the structures in Cebu. Diagram A shows a typical glasswall without any insulation placed around factors that influence a person’s behavior or
it that will prevent thermal bridge from occurring whereas Diagram B shows a simulation of a decisions e.g., when to open a window, but
glasswall with insulation placed around it. The QR Code leads to a youtube video that gives a basic it is a good start. We must therefore change
the narrative from designing a building

RIGHT
discussion of thermal bridge.
that simply looks good on paper to actually
Image Source: Author producing a building that actually is good for
the users, to some degree at least.

73
 The Natural Environment
45. Ramosa
in Everyday Life
SHERWIN O. RAMOSA, MArch
Theories, principles, and models play a
significant role in the practice of built
environment professionals. These ideas
could be taken from the natural or physical
sciences, behavioral and social sciences, and
the arts or humanities. It is necessary to
unpack these concepts to understand better,
care even more, and value as never before
the spaces and places that matter to us all.
Defining the Everyday
The study of everyday life is, of course, a
staple in the social sciences, particularly in
the disciplines of sociology and anthropology.
According to David Inglis (2005) in Culture
and Everyday Life:
Different people have different sorts of
everyday lives; the sorts of everyday routines
and activities they engage in depends on their
social position; understanding how everyday
life is structured for particular people requires
understanding how the society in which they
live in is itself structured and organized.
In other words, our day-to-day or lived
experiences define who we are, what we
LEFT
do, where we came from, and reflects our
relationships, frustrations, and aspirations
of which social and natural systems collide.
74
Natural Systems
Human societies are embedded in natural
systems, whether we like it or not. Every
PAGE
civilization here on earth was founded in
nature. The Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR) has
classified five (5) major ecosystems in the
Philippines: forests, upland farms, grasslands
74
and degraded areas, urban areas, and
coastal zones and freshwater. Ecosystem
services that nature provides are as follows
(Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005):
1. SUPPORTING (i.e., soil formation,
nutrient and water cycling)
2. REGULATING (i.e., water regulation and
purification)
3. PROVISIONING (i.e., food, fibers,
biochemical)
4. CULTURAL (i.e., aesthetic, spiritual, health
and recreation)
Similarly, the 5th Edition of Starke and
Simonds’ (2013) Landscape Architecture: A
Manual of Environmental Planning and Design
points out that a landscape architect’s
fundamental design palette is composed
of climate, land, water, and vegetation
as applied in site planning. Our localities
or building sites are heavily influenced
by climatic conditions (e.g., tropical or
temperate). These climatic conditions then
affect other elements on the list. Concepts
of housing, real estate, and infrastructure
development, large and small, are built
on plains, rolling, and hilly or physical
characteristics of land or landforms among
other considerations (e.g., engineering and
horticultural properties of soil in terrain
analysis).
On the other hand, water evaporates,
condenses, flows, and is stored in the
landscape through watersheds, river systems,
lakes or reservoirs, aquifers and finally, to be
consumed as potable water and sanitation
in every household, water features (e.g.,
detention/retention ponds, swimming
pools and natural lagoons) for landscape
development or improvement projects,
and irrigation. The excess of water (i.e.,
stormwater run-off) ends up in urban or built-
up areas such as floods, and ultimately, at sea.
Capping the list is vegetation, wherein the
varieties of food (e.g., fruits and vegetable
crops) in traditional and specialty farms
(i.e., urban agriculture) are promoted, and
landscape plants (e.g., trees, shrubs, and
groundcovers) adorn home interiors, parks
and streets can all be traced to their origins
in forests and the agricultural revolution. In
addition, old-growth forests (i.e., mangroves
to rainforests) are habitats of wildlife (i.e. GROUP 2: Institutional, Recreational,

45. Ramosa
flora and fauna) and bastions of biodiversity. Industrial and Large-Scale Residential
These bits and pieces of nature are often Development Projects
overlooked and underappreciated, or even
worse, polluted and destroyed across spatial Planned Development and Townships
scales and land uses. Natural systems help us Clubhouse Facilities
function daily as human beings and as society
at large. Imagine, for example, going without Airports
drinking water for a day or so, manufactured Schools/Universities
food to eat all day, polluted air to breathe,
and vegetation-free neighborhoods to live in. Parks and Urban Recreation Areas
Somehow these will result in discontentment, Apartment/Condominium Sites
helplessness, and apathy, which will lead to
declines in physical, mental, and social health. Industrial and Commercial Properties
Shopping Centers
Deprivation of nature only heightens the
importance of environmental quality and Parking Areas
protection. This is what built environment Hospitals and Church Grounds
professionals (i.e., landscape architects) ought
to respond to. The Philippine Association Hotel Sites
of Landscape Architects (PALA) sets the

PAGE
Exposition and Fairgrounds
project classification (see Table 1.0) for
Regular Design Services. If there is one Marinas
thing landscape architects would like to Sports Fields
accomplish, it is to make sure the trifecta of

75
human environmental (home, work/school, Playgrounds
and community) health, safety and welfare is Resorts
secured every day.
Squares/Plazas
Memorial Parks

TABLE 1.0 PROJECT CLASSIFICATION IN Subdivisions

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Parks and Parkways
About the photo
GROUP 1: Government Projects Zoological and Botanical Gardens
Socialized Housing Projects Greenbelts Most Philippine cities and towns
originate from fishing villages where
Rural (Low Density) Recreation and Outdoor Shopping and Pedestrian Malls our pre-colonial ancestors considered
Camping Area the sea as food source, trading, and
Promenades
National and Public Parks communication route. Today this
landscape-seascape interface is
Historical Parks GROUP 3: Private Projects
being threatened by the onslaught of
Roads and Walkway System Residential and Private Grounds urbanization. The view shows Maqueda
Hospitals Streetscapes Bay as seen from the Spanish colonial
period-church in Paranas, Samar Island.

RIGHT
Schools/Universities Easement and Circles
Cemeteries Roof Deck Gardens Original Photo: Sherwin Ramosa, MArch
Re-Illustrated: Ricca Palmer
Public Building Sites Interior Gardens and Courts
Public Squares and Plazas Patios and Yards

75
 For a More
Social Active
Student
Journalism Lantawan Magazine Facebook editors Ms. Yani Valendez and Mr. Raphael
Xandro Milan spoke during Balangkasan

RAY MICHAEL BENJIMEN PILUDEN

50. UAPSA Statement

The UAPSA Board of Directors brought the goal of making this
year’s National Congress more socially relevant, with the theme
“Angatwiran”, a combination of “Angat”, meaning to rise, and
“Katwiran”, to reason respectively. The event aims to enlighten
the participants of what was, what is, and what will become of the The sub-event begins
Filipino Architectural Identity, to give light to what changes are
happening due to the global pandemic brought by COVID-19, and
how it will affect the future of the profession.

The “Balangkasan” titled “Student Auxiliary x Junior Arm:

Transcending the Scope of Representation for our Organization”, is
a sub-event that’s a hybrid between a debate and an open forum on
resolving issues between affected parties, often leading to a healthy
discussion with firm resolutions that are aimed for the betterment of

PAGE
the organization as a whole.

One of the key topics of the Balangkasan is the autonomy of the

UAPSA Commission on Publications, wherein Haligi Publications
should be allowed to choose and engage in topics they see as

76
beneficial. Whereas, the UAPSA Committee on Publication does Participants of the online sub-event on communication
not have complete autonomy on the selection of its topics or is
hindered with censorship.

Though far from being safe from the views of the general public,
due to the Balangkasan’s resolution which allows the UAPSA
Publications’ branches to release sections that, on set time intervals,
go out of the boundaries of Architecture in order to be more socially
active. Haligi is definitely closer to tackling bigger topics and more
socially relevant issues that affect not just the entirety of the
organization but us as citizens, to which the organization believes is
what every publication strives for.

Lantawan Magazine had a promotional activity during the event

that UAPSA happily catered, especially due to the fact that
the topic involved the importance and the supposed role of a
student publication.
UAPSA is a highly appreciated contracted partner of Lantawan Magazine.
The event was joined by Ar. Janice Echiverri-Quintano, Ar. Gene

LEFT
Lambert Giron, Ar. Adrian Tampolino, John Pierre Jarmonilla,
John Benedict Bien, Ray Michael Piluden, and Zion Enrico Licup.
The discussion also talked about student representation, safety,
and involvement.

76
 Duke Ellington School of the Arts
Architect: cox graae + spack architects
/ LBA Joint Venture
Photo © Chris Ambridge

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 Raffia — 51. Pano
a Versatile Interior Material
NIQUE ANN MARIE PANO

We are all familiar with the saying “Tangkilikin

ang sariling atin!” Enjoy what is truly our own.
However, we have not always taken that
thought to heart.

As we continue to rise from the devastation

PAGE
of this pandemic, many Filipinos have shown
ingenuity and an entrepreneurial spirit,
driven by the need to feed their families. How
euphoric it is to hear and see human artistry

78
being unlocked while individuals pursue
a simple goal—to live and rise above the
inevitable event.

ARTISTRY FOR THE
ECONOMY
Technology has cleared the way for a
multitude of innovations and continues to
serve us in this current crisis.
It has allowed businesses to be more
inclusive, with design now doable using
digital tools and spaces. Yet to produce
something from these designs, materials
need to be acquired. Since March 2020, cargo
has continued to cross international borders yet
some raw materials have been difficult to source.
One such material is raffia. Raffia (Raphia
Farnifera) is a palm tree that flourishes
in tropical countries Madagascar and the
Philippines, among others. It is a sustainable
material that has been used for centuries,
mainly in handcrafted items. It has
surprisingly plenty of uses, from its stalks and
leaves to its sap. In the Philippines, a town
has long been known for its production and
exportation of raffia is Tubigon, popularly known
as the loom-weaving center of Bohol Province.
Aside from the delicacies Bohol is proud of,
loom-weaving is the town’s prime source
of subsistence. Members of the Tubigon
Loom weavers Multi-purpose Cooperative
the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
arranged for trainings and seminars for the
loom weavers to enhance their skill and to help
them master the facilities that were provided
so they could produce more efficiently.
They were given capital for the purchase of
materials. Whether made traditionally or
using the more advanced methods, raffia
yields intricately patterned and high-quality
goods. Access to the fiber allowed multiple
businesses to be established and opened
opportunities for unemployed citizens. The
founding of TLMC, along with the moral support
and financial aid from government agencies,
helped Tubigon’s raffia weaving industry to

LEFT
The lack of materials has inspired many
Filipinos to make something out of locally
grown or made goods, such as cotton, leaf
fibers, abaca, bamboo, and the like.
(TLMC)—a local team that is responsible for flourish and become globally competitive.
the continuous supply of raffia—practiced
traditional weaving. Seeing their potential,

78
 TRADITIONAL GOODS IN DIGITAL SPACES
When the pandemic broke out, most businesses paused for months.

Yet a rapid shift to digital technologies created a way for businesses to

operate such as by live-selling clothes, home decors, and other items,
including goods made of raffia. The DTI organized and hosted an online
trade fair for businesses led by women and that made goods from
natural sources. Among the products featured were fashion items,
decors, accessories, and souvenirs, which the DTI urged viewers to buy
to keep the tradition of weaving alive ‘til the next generation and to
support local makers.

Some businesses that had run for years adapted and switched to
making food or objects with natural ingredients just to sustain
operations and save their workers’ jobs. For the country’s qualifying
event for the Miss Universe competition, Bohol’s candidate Pauline
Amelinckx chose to promote raffia products for the #LoveLocal
campaign. She wore a gown made of that fiber in one segment of the
pageant. And on her Facebook page in February 2020, Pauline posted:
“The possibilities of raffia are as endless as your imagination is rich.
Always proud to be able to wear something with raffia. It’s like I’m

51. Pano
bringing a piece of home with me wherever I go.”

RAFFIA’S VERSATILITY
Raffia is such a versatile material that it can be used to create furniture
with its stalks, household items such as baskets, placemats, rugs,
and mats, as well as fashion items like handbags, shoes, hats, and
accessories, which are usually sold as souvenir items to tourists.

The handcrafted materials are characterized as soft and durable,

making it fit for interior applications such as couches and seat covers,
headboards, wallpapers, table runners, blinds, home accessories,
coasters, pillowcases, baskets and whatnot. These items as well can
be found in Metro Manila and Cebu. Once raffia reached the market,
its potential for development became apparent. Multiple hands were
needed to keep up with the demand for goods made out of raffia.
According to Stanfield (2021), the material can be mixed with synthetic

PAGE
fibers and dyed with various colors and is sustainable, recyclable,
biodegradable, and compostable.

In the blink of an eye, this unseen opponent at the center of this

79
pandemic has shut down some businesses and slowed down the
design industry, what with the limited access to resources and some
services. Yet this crisis has also created a space for the creativity and
resourcefulness of local artisans to flourish. We cannot underestimate
the risks this pandemic still poses on our economies and communities.
But neither should we underestimate the potential for growth that
local artisans, including raffia craftsmen, possess—for as long as they
harbor the same versatility and durability of the material they work with.

REFERENCES:
Anonymous (n.d.). Raffia Loomweaving Producers in Inabanga. Bohol Philippines. https://www.bohol-philippines.com/raffia-loomweaving-producers-in-inabanga.html.
Anonymous (n.d.). The Beauty of Raffia Crafts. Our 71017 Islands. https://www.our7107islands.com/the-beauty-of-raffia-crafts/.
Anonymous (n.d.). Tubigon loom weaving experience tour. Tourism Office of the Province of Bohol. https://tourism.bohol.gov.ph/project/tubigon-loom-weaving-experience-tour/.
Anonymous (n.d.). Tubigon. Bohol Philippines. https://www.bohol-philippines.com/tubigon.html.
De La Cruz, J. (28, March 2021). How Bohol Bee Farm Supports Their Community During the Pandemic. Spot Ph. https://www.spot.ph/things-to-do/the-latest-things-to-do/85660/how-
bohol-bee-farm-supported-locals-during-the-pandemic-a4543-20210328-lfrm
Bohol Island News (25, October 2020). Bohol’s Pauline Amelinckx ready for the Miss Universe PH crown. Bohol Island News. https://boholislandnews.com/2020/10/25/bohols-pauline-
amelinckx-ready-for-the-miss-universe-ph-crown/
Magsaysay, B. (31, August 2020). Gawang Pinay’ online trade fair highlights products by women-owned, -managed enterprises. ABS CBN News. https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/08/31/20/

RIGHT
gawang-pinay-online-trade-fair-highlights-products-by-women-owned-managed-enterprises.
Roslinda, E. (n.d.). PROCESS-Bohol, Inc.: Tubigon Loom Weavers Multi-Purpose Cooperative. Changemakers. https://www.changemakers.com/fabricofchange/entries/process-bohol-inc.
Stanfield, S. (28, April 2021). Is Raffia Sustainable? All the Facts (& What to Look Out For). Citizen Sustainable. https://citizensustainable.com/raffia-sustainable/.
Stefano, G. (12, July 2013). Weave Raffia Into Your Interiors for Natural Appeal. Houzz. https://www.houzz.com/magazine/weave-raffia-into-your-interiors-for-natural-appeal-stsetivw-vs~13977196.

79
 52. Young
A line of people waits for public transport near a Philippine university via Central Philippine University’s website.
To Build, Better
JOSH S. YOUNG
The practice of numerous professions
through the so-called “new normal” that
the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about
proved to be a challenge to many. Society
is still trying to evaluate and adapt to the
way things are today, and this compelled
professionals to begin thinking about and
making new business plans, goals, and
methods to improve their and others’ way
of living. One occupation that has affected
its workers, professionals, and clients alike is
architecture.
LEFT
80
PAGE
80
Architects together with their colleagues and
workers are experiencing something that
they have never seen before. Coming from
a family of architects, I can tell that they,
too, experience challenges when it comes to
planning for meetings, designing for projects,
and seeing to deadlines and concerns.
People might see concerns like the sourcing
of construction materials and dealing with
online suppliers to be more challenging than
usual but progress has been made toward the
continuity of the industry.
Thanks to the Department of Health and
other community leaders, we Cebuanos
have been able to survive through the
pandemic and gradually reopen our
economy up, guided by their directives.
The construction industry and its products
were deemed essential activities, so
stakeholders stayed open and maintained
business despite restrictions like the
enhanced community quarantine (ECQ)
that we experienced in Cebu in April and
May 2020, and again from June 16 to 31.
Yes, construction and production were
initially stalled; workers had to stay home
to observe protocols and workloads had to
be adjusted, but because of the initiative
that community leaders have taken, the
community persisted and goods kept
flowing. In other words, COVID did not halt
the trade of essential goods.
Another thing I would like to raise would
be how Cebu is rich with local construction
suppliers and resources. For instance,
there are manufacturers of construction
materials and wall systems in Naga and
Carmen, respectively; and manufacturers
of deformed bars in Mandaue City. Cebu
also has local bamboo suppliers in relation
to green building, given that bamboo is a
renewable and sustainable resource that
some people prefer as well. There are
bamboo farms located up in Northern Cebu,
and the treatment of these materials usually
happens in the island of Bantayan. There also
has been a rise in do-it-yourself (DIY) home
renovations by homeowners who followed the
“stay-at-home” protocol. Some have made a
living by selling wood and other materials for
architectural models, online or through SMS,
especially for architecture students.
“Preparation is the key to success.” Sturdy buildings will
There are a good number of stakeholders always be results of good planning- no matter what.
who choose suppliers that have a promising
online presence. It will be important for these

52. Young
individuals to be able to study what they
will buy from and sell to one other, and they
must be honest and efficient. Each of them
must also be digitally knowledgeable, at least
to the extent wherein business and open
communication would be possible through
online means.

Architectural office infrastructure would

also have to be upgraded to adjust to digital
demands. These firms now need to get used
to things beyond the norm; suppliers have
adapted to receiving digital architectural
plans and making estimates on the spot,
and clients should learn how to view certain
plans for approvals, while architectural firms
have to get used to dealing with challenges,
especially when it comes to meeting people
or visiting their sites personally. Architects

may receive more online notifications and
frequent progress updates regarding their
construction sites or developments. This
may also mean fewer physical site visits and
PAGE
Architects work with the Frontliners to help, create,
and find different ways to save lives in a changing and adapting world.

81
inspections on their end.

Through it all, though, the entire design and

construction industry is adapting to these
times’ constant changes. This may come to
show that the Cebu design and construction
scene is resilient in dealing with these
challenges and is very open to those who
wish to learn about it. All it would take now
would be for us to patronize local products
to help bide the tide of change, and to help
our local industry thrive during difficult times.
This would be a sign for us to think better, to
work better, to communicate better, and to
build better.

RIGHT
Despite the pandemic, architectural firms such as GSG
Architects meet their colleagues face-to-face.

81
 Designing a
Pandemic-Proof Home
KYRA MAE C. LIM

Boxed in by the walls of home, one begins to notice the flawed
furniture arrangement and poor design of spaces. Studying and
working from home has pointed out the absence of the thick walls
necessary for our Zoom calls, the lack of decontamination zones
for receiving deliveries, and the insufficient outdoor space for
exercise, to name a few. The home is no longer a reprieve from
Informed by online resources, ordinary folk are becoming their own
designers with do-it-yourself solutions using local and
cost-effective materials.
Pandemic-resistant residences need to function “normally” while
safely housing both healthy and possibly infected occupants,

53. Lim, Kyra

school or work but a constant dwelling place for all daily endeavors. providing isolation zones, and protecting everyone from the
uncontrollable external environment.
This age of self-isolation and its ongoing unpredictability
demands us to confront the shortcomings of our set-ups, while To minimize the transmission of the virus inside, the following
for professionals, it presents a challenge to construct long-term concepts can be applied:
architectural plans that are disaster-ready yet enriching urban
hideaways for occupants.

ZONING
Compartmentalize the
building into four space

PAGE
82

1. External space: The uncontrolled external environment 2. Delivery space: Between the gate and house, the typically

LEFT
outside the property can be separated by an enclosure like gates outdoor space is reserved for receiving deliveries, reducing
or firewalls. A setback for the structure is usually employed for contact and accidental spread of contaminants inside. A small
distance from contaminants and further safety as shown above. hatch is a favorable approach.

82

53. Lim, Kyra
AIR CIRCULATION
The internal layout determines movement patterns and influences
PAGE
proximity of inhabitants and visitors. Doors positioned across narrow
corridors and fire escapes are potential bottlenecks, forcing people
to bump or rub shoulders. Configuring outsiders’ entry ways through
hand washing areas first will lessen the danger of passing
83
through bottlenecks.
Ideally, air should progress from the domestic habitat to the
containment space, then to the delivery space, and outside the
external space. In other words, air movement should flow from the
resident’s private rooms, to the communal area, to the porch, and
outside the gate.
SOUNDPROOFING WALLS
Sharing the same space, it’s likely noise from someone else’s video
call or music can be heard in your room. The key to soundproofing is
to seal the holes and gaps so that vibrations don’t have a medium to
flow through. However, household items like hanging thick blankets
or comforters on walls can work as a temporary alternative to
noise reduction.
Making the necessary adjustments to your home isn’t a short-lived fix
since the pandemic’s end remains unforeseeable. Investing in small
renovations and necessary utilities will be worth the cost and hassle,
as it will improve your safety and peace of mind. Who knew designing
could save lives?
3. Containment space: This buffer transitions users between
the vulnerable external and domestic safe-zone. Here,
occupants disinfect and shed their exposed belongings.
Ideally, in this location,alcohol bottles, sinks, and showers with
running warm water and soap are first accessed to disinfect
both person and items on hand. Shoe racks and hangers are
strategically placed here for shoes and shopping bags, to
avoid contamination.
If the containment space is not indoor, its components can
be built easily outside the house from bamboo, coco lumber,
palochina, wooden pallets, water or oil barrels, garden hoses,
or a single bag of concrete. These inexpensive materials are
abundant in supply and available at local hardware stores.
Further, contactless options can be achieved with foot-operated
water pump installations.
4. Domestic habitat: A virus-free domain needs a large enough
bedroom adjacent to a private bathroom, suitable for self-
isolation, while the remaining non-infected residents can freely
move without risk of contagion. For the mental well-being of
the isolated person, a private outdoor space should be solely
accessible to that occupant.
Without sacrificing aesthetics, acrylic partitions are affordable
and effective dividers of wide communal spaces that make
receiving visitors safer. Acrylic sheets can be positioned
between living room coffee tables or separate private from
public spheres of the house. The height of the partition will take
into account the tallest user since the radius around a person’s
breathing pocket is 30cm, with the center starting between the
ears. Acrylic can be free-standing, flexible via hinges, wheeled
and mobile, or hanging like drapes. However, unless the acrylic
walls complete the open space between people, the risk of
transmission of viral particles exists.
Sources:
(1) Eykelbosh, A. (2020, May 13). Physical barriers for COVID-19 infection
prevention and control in commercial settings. National Collaborating Centre
for Environmental Health. Retrieved from https://ncceh.ca/content/blog/
physical-barriers-covid-19-infection-prevention-and-control-
commercial-settings
(2) Marko, K. (2020, June 7). Pandemic Resistant House Design | Home
Quarantine Set-Up | ArkiTALK (English) [Youtube]. Retrieved from https://
youtu.be/PRPpw0y1efE
RIGHT
The other references are available at Lantawan’s Editorial Office.
83
 Do It Yourself!
Resourceful is Traditional
MARIELLE FRITZ A. ABABON

54. Ababon
Architecture in the Philippines has been
evolving since the pre-colonial era, from our
proud creations of the Bahay Kubo to the
Bahay na Bato, and now the modern Filipino
architecture. One aspect that greatly affects
the effectiveness of a design is its material.
It is through the understanding of materials

PAGE
available all over the world that design
becomes dynamic.

Yet while it seemed that no idea would be

impossible to execute, the pandemic has

84
hindered us from acquiring various materials
that would otherwise make design visions
come true. Or has it?

“Tradition is great as long as it does not

hold back progress,” said Jim Kumbes. It’s a
reminder that using mainly local resources,
our ancestors made possible the great
Balangay boats and the practical application
of the Filipino lifestyle in architecture. Yet
what is the truly traditional material of the
Philippines? What does it mean to handle
such material?

Mr. Christian H. Ababon is the head of

maintenance for a high-end subdivision in
Cebu. One of his greatest dreams is to have a
permanent home in his hometown, amid the
serene mountains in Minglanilla. Applying
his grit, he gathered scraps and discarded

LEFT
construction materials from his work to
create his dream retirement home purely out
of recycled materials.
Wood is a traditional Filipino material.

84

Ababon has gathered most of the materials from renovation and construction sites.
What would he consider as the most
traditional Filipino material? “Wood is the
traditional material because it comes in a lot
of variety and is easy to work with,” he said.
He has seen people create beautiful and
cozy homes with wood, which he is typical
in tropical homes. In low-cost or expensive

54. Ababon
houses, wood can be used either for aesthetic
or structural purposes.

Most of the materials Ababon has gathered

from renovation and construction sites are
wood scraps and parts of ceiling panels,
furniture, and used lumber in good condition.
He also used twigs and drew inspiration from
his surroundings to create pieces of furniture
and sturdy posts for his home, which added
to its natural ambience. The outer shell of
the home is made of reused wood cladding
that previously formed part of the ceiling of
a parking garage. The elevated flooring made
of bamboo is supported by large blocks from
fallen trees. The upper portions of the walls
are adorned with woven rattan, trusses made
out of branches, and windows made from
used lumber that had been sanded and cut.

PAGE
For furniture, he used scraps of wood, making
the most of its natural texture.

The outer shell is made of reused wood cladding.

His design and construction choices all
came from observation and his curiosity

85
about modern designs while working for a
subdivision for almost 20 years. “There is
nothing impossible as long as you start,” he
said. That is something he has manifested
throughout his journey. This house is not
the first project Christian did in his area. He
has also created two homes for the elderly,
using recycled construction materials that
still stand to this day. He offers his Sundays to
create things, made mostly of recycled wood,
that fascinate him.

Resourcefulness is traditional. Wherever

one stands, the creativity and ideas fueled by
what is around us bring out many possibilities.
The pandemic must not be a hindrance to
craft or keep us from creating solutions that
will benefit our communities. The Philippines
is rich in resources, and as creators, we can

RIGHT
learn to better use or reuse what is around us.
This may yet teach us to use these resources
wisely, to keep them from running out.
The elevated flooring is supported by large blocks from fallen trees.

85
 Lantawan Magazine
June 12, 2021

THE TRUE FILIPINO IDENTITY

We study it in classrooms, we try to find it within ourselves, and yet our quest seemingly does
not end. Here are some characteristics of Filipino art and some facts on some famous national
artists-and why we need to keep finding our national identity in art.

55. Dampios
Facebook Page

PAGE
86

LEFT
Facebook Post edited by Edd Dampios

86
AD 8
 3 Reasons Why
Native Trees Matter
AD 5 “Back to the Local” means relearning about the critical role that
native trees play in supporting our ecosystems and conserving
endemic species. Here are three things you need to know about why
native trees matter:

1. Conserve biodiversity — Native trees are the homes of local

wildlife. They provide food for many species including insects,
birds, and even us humans!
2. Balance the ecosystem — Indigenous tree species are designed

RAFI Ad/Article
to thrive in our local environment. Growing trees provide oxygen,
improve water recharge, and enhance soil.
3. Sustainable livelihood — Native trees are a source of livelihood
for the communities that care for them. One to Tree provides our
partner farmers with income in exchange for planting seedlings
and nurturing them as they grow. Fruit-bearing trees also provide
farmers an alternative source of income once they bear fruit.

About One to Tree

The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc.’s (RAFI) One to Tree

program advocates for the growing of native trees (indigenous to
the Philippines) in partnership with local communities to support
sustainable livelihood. The One to Tree program teaches our partner
farmer groups the best forestry practices and provides them income
for the growing of seedlings, planting, and maintenance to ensure a
high survival rate of seedlings.

One to Tree encourages individuals who care about the planet to take
action by donating trees through our various online platforms. We
bridge organizations, businesses, and communities to grow native
trees as a crucial step towards restoring our environment together.

Visit our website at

www.onetotree.org
to learn more. Doing your part to restore our environment is as easy
as One to Tree! Your donation grows native trees and
supports local communities who care for our environment.
You can donate through a variety of online platforms:

One to Tree

For partnership inquiries, please contact: onetotree@rafi.ph

Fine Arts Gallery
Fashion Design

61. Art Gallery

PAGE
89 CATHERINE CUERVO
BASIC FASHION ILLUSTRATION WINNER

ERIC JAPOS
EXTRA STUDENT WORKS

RIGHT
89
 Cinema

61. Art Gallery

created by kahuta STUDIOS

JULIANNE CADAMPOG, JOHN JUSTIMBASTE, & CARLOS TALAG

MOVING IMAGES 1 - BEST PITCH BIBLE

Androgynous and with Chinese ancestors,

Jesse Yap has all the good looks you’d want to
find, but is it a male? A female? We don’t know
either, but Jesse wears whatever it feels like
wearing, a dress? A suit? A turtle neck? You
Jesse Yap
LEWENRIPAGE CHALICE - the special chalice used to
permanently transform monsters into
humans

STAFF- the trusty old staff of the albularyo

90
name it, Jesse makes sure its wardrobe is up to BOTTLE - part of the Albularyo’s first aid kit
date. You can probably tell this creature is
obsessed with looks and fashion. So don’t go CANDLE - lights the Albularyo’s house
touching its hair, makeup, or simply keep your
distance to not incur its lengthy talks on FEATHER - used for drawing with ink
fashion.
VIAL - the vial hanged around the
albularyo’s neck, I wonder what’s inside...

LENWENRIS are handsome and

HERB - a medicinal herb used to cure many
beautiful creatures who appear to diseases
children either at dawn, noon, or dusk.
They like to make frightful shrill sounds
and play music according to their ARROW-PIERCED SKULL - probably
mood. They are helpful to the humble
but punish the proud.
belonged to a engkanto who died a long
time ago

10 21

sketches & WIPs

enchanted
pond
Located in Padigus, it is a
magical pond that grants a
temporary disguise to
monsters as humans. This
is the one thing enabling
monsters to experience the
human world.

LEFT 19 29

90
CHRISTER GARLET, CARL LARA, & ELIJAH MIANO

PARCEL SAMPLE SCENE

Nico and Melda meets each other after Nico heard her voice.

PARCEL

61. Art Gallery

WIPs, SKETCHES & DOCUMENTATION PARCEL WIPs, SKETCHES & DOCUMENTATION

CARLOS BUL-ANON, ARNYL JACALAN, SHABAK NOLASCO & EDLON PLAZA

PAGE Det. Mortis

Alias: “Death”
Case file

91
Affiliation: The Afterlife

After crossing to the afterlife, he has been

given the task to justify souls. But his
earthly duties continue on in that life as a
well received detective.

Souls tend to lose memory and therefore

cannot cross without closure, luckily this
detective is entitled to take up this
responsibility.

His trusty scythe aids his judgment towards

the souls giving him a second opinion and a
vivid evidence to either be sent to HELL or
HEAVEN.

WIPs & Sketches:

RIGHT
91
 Advertising Arts

NOREEN NARCISO

ADV 3101 DIGITAL DESIGN 3

SPATIAL TYPOGRAPHY

The goal of this project was to use

craft and found objects instead of
using the computer to visualize a
message.

61. Art Gallery

VANESSA LEUTERIO &

TRINA CASAL
ADV 3101 DIGITAL DESIGN 4
LISHA KILAT

PAGE
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
ADV 3101 DIGITAL DESIGN 3
VIDEO TUTORIAL The goal of this project was to encourage the target
audience to do regular mental health check-ups.
Video tutorial that is both easy to understand The group chose teachers as their target audience for

92
and interesting to watch. The student used their campaign. The concept is about checking in on
stop motion to add life to the steps in making others, and acknowledging that teachers too need to
banana milk. be checked on about their wellbeing (and not just
teachers checking in on students).

LEFT
92
 BENEDICT VILLARANTE

ADV 3101 DIGITAL DESIGN 3

FOOD AND PACKAGING CONCEPT

Food and packaging concept for a meal

replacement to be served on the journey

61. Art Gallery

to Mars. Food photography, label design,
and 3D rendering by the student.

DARLA JUGNO &

MARR MEDEL

ADV 3101 DIGITAL DESIGN 4

COMME DES GARÇONS WATER
CAMPAIGN

PAGE
The goal of this project was to launch a
bottled water product under the luxury
street wear brand Comme des Garçons.
The group used the texture of water instead

93
of the bottle itself to align itself with
the brand’s rebellious and experimental
personality.

VANESSA LEUTERIO &

TRINA CASAL

ADV 3101 DIGITAL DESIGN 4

UNIQLO WATER CAMPAIGN

The goal of this project was to launch a bottled

water product under the lifewear brand Uniqlo.

RIGHT
The group revolved around the idea of water as
an element that would make everyday better.
These are reflected by illustrations of activities
from everyday life.

93
 Lantawan Magazine
April 28, 2021

YOUR CAROLINIAN ACCENT

“I like your Carolinian accent. Say it again.”

“Sahluhmuht”

17. Facebook
Your Carolinian Accent

PAGE
86k views 855 likes
94885 shares 17 comments

Facebook Post edited by Meriam Truz

LEFT
94
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE’S
Gallery
FLOR VINCENT TAN
Architecture, First Year
Haribon: The Pride of Filipinos
Philippine Pavilion for the 2021 Venice
Biennale Architecture Exhibition

62. Architecture Gallery

The design is inspired by the Philippine Eagle –
the national bird and pride of Filipinos. I used
perforated weathering steel for the pavilion.
That material portrays the inevitability of
time’s passing, and makes time tangible.

BELA CHRISTIANNA BERNAL Architecture, Second Year

A Proposed 4 Storey Apartment Building
PAGE
95

Bernal, Apartment Building

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95
 Bernal, Apartment Building, continuation

My take on the apartment building balances (1) the practicality of

the building form, (2) the typical program of spaces, and (3) the
luxury of connecting with the natural elements in an urban setting.

I call this building “The Grove Sixthree”. It is a multiple-family

dwelling located in uptown Cebu City that values function, lifestyle
and the environment. The design is a symbol of growth, from
the wooden facade representing trees to the growing vines and
the roof garden with the foliage of the grove. Growth is the key
feature that establishes a city through acknowledging its cultural
roots and values paired with the forward-looking approach of
Cebuanos.
Bernal, Apartment Building

PHILIP LUKE
MANGHIHILOT

62. Architecture Gallery

Architecture, Third Year
Church of the Morning Star

The Church of The Morning Star embodies the Blessed Mother’s

call for the people’s renewed faith as expressed in the three
Secrets of Fatima*. Translated into form, the church resembles
a crown in the street view as a representation of Mary as The
Queen of Heaven derived from the belief that the Virgin was
taken up into heaven upon completing her earthly life. When
viewed from atop, the church’s main structure is a four-cornered
star alluding to Mother Mary’s title as The Morning Star likened
to the celestial body, Venus, which precedes, mediates, and
prepares the people for the coming of the Sun which symbolizes
God’s redemptive plan personified in Jesus Christ. In terms of
planning, the spaces of the church are designed to represent
interpretations of the Fatima Secrets with the user circulation
patterned after the Acts of the Penitent in the Sacrament of

PAGE
Reconciliation. My memorial church design is a reflection of the
various aspects of the Marian devotion.
*Secrets of Fatima - Please read https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Three_Secrets_of_Fátima

96

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96
JAN MARIE TROCINO Interior Design, First Year

Master Bedroom and En-Suite Bath with Walk-In Closet

A stylish but calming ambiance was my design objective. As the

clients’ design brief called for hotel and spa-like areas, I tried infuse
the space with a sense of tranquility and luxurious comfort. I
gravitated towards neutral tones like gray and cream which not only
create an illusion of spaciousness but can also be soothing. I brought
nature into the scene. With dark ceramic flooring throughout the
whole space, I incorporated elements like wood planks, pebbles,
spa essentials (diffusers, scents, candles) to collectively give off a
luxurious spa-like vibrancy. Strong dim (golden) lighting contrasts
with the dominantly dark floor finish and gives a peaceful night-
like candle-lit ambiance. Balancing comfort and luxury, the design
creatively provides ease in circulation while making good use of a
plain rectangular plan.

62. Architecture Gallery

CHRISTOPHER KEITH L. MANALO

Interior Design, Second Year
Senior Living Homes:
A Proposed PWD-friendly Residential Space for the Aged
PAGE
97

Manalo, Senior Living Homes

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97
 Manalo, Senior Living Homes, continuation

As doctors save lives through medical knowledge, we designers

save lives by creating life-affirming designs. In accordance with
the Accessibility Law BP 344, a universal design with a sense of
individuality was established within this community. It contains
spaces where interaction and connection happen: like the one
between bedroom #3 and #4. This modern yet classic design is
based on anthropometrics and ergonomics. The colors create a
restful ambience with a feel of security, joy, and warmth.

Manalo, Senior Living Homes

PHILIPPINES NIPPON PAINT ASIA

YOUNG DESIGNER AWARD 2020 –
GRAND FINALIST
62. Architecture Gallery
BEST IN COLOR CHOICE
RYAN JAPHET GABLINES Interior Design, Fourth Year

PAGE
98 Communal Center for the Badjao Community

I wanted to address the social issues of

poverty, environment and cultural diversity
currently affecting Cebu, specifically the
Badjao Community. The goal of the design
was to create a communal interior and
residential space that would sustain the lives
of the Badjao community while preserving
the natural environment and the cultural
identity of this distinct ethno-linguistic group.
Bakhawan, which came from the Cebuano
term for “mangrove”, is a community mangrove
sanctuary for the Badjao community. The
design is derived from the reverberation of the
beating Tambol which resonates with qualities
of a community space, in union with natural

LEFT
ecosystems and community values. Moreover,
It also aims to provide a climate-responsive
and sustainable design.

98
 This design envisions a memorial park with a partly separate interment
REXAM DOMINIC ALVAREZ for Covid-19 death cases. A tranquil forest serving as a resting place
preserves natural vegetation and resembles a “strolling park” with
Landscape Architecture, Second Year conjoined pathways. Innovative and engaging botanical elements provide
an uplifting experience for visitors. The design’s unique site composition
A Proposed Lapu-lapu City Memorial Park
creates a “journey” through walkways, pathways and vehicular accesses.
The non-rectilinear in-ground interment zone offers a unique approach.

62. Architecture Gallery

KENNETH LEV DANO Landscape Architecture, Third Year

PAGE
A Proposed Economic Housing with Green
Infrastructure Technology

My intention was to incorporate a green infrastructure in the layout of This also improves the water’s quality before it exits the site. This
this subdivision. I established a drainage system that spans the entire natural alternative also helps reduce the need for mechanical ways

99
length of the site with pockets for bio-filtration through retention of filtering the water. Since this site is located in the coastal area, this
ponds which further slow down water if heavy runoff occurs. system will also drastically reduce seawater pollution.

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 Erratum
We missed to add footnotes to the article of Idr. Heidrun Milan „Material and Spirituality”
(pages 52-55) Herewith we make them up. Regarding this article, on the Table of Contents
the name Lanyi,SVD was erroneously added. We apologize for the mistake.

FOOTNOTES OF THE ARTICLE OF IDR. HEIDRUN MILAN

(P52-55)

Tan, Rosario Encarnacion, 100 THINGS ABOUT BUILDING WITH BAMBOO

1

Nochesada, Elmer I. RARA: ART AND TRADITION OF MAT WEAVING IN THE PHILIPPINES,
1

HABI: The Philippine Textile Council, 2016, p.xiii,5 & 34

Back Cover