BSARCH-3 ARCH391-R4-C1

REACTION PAPER
Arkitekturang Filipino 3: Spectacle of Power: Hispanic Structuring of the Colonial Space

The impressive improvements brought by the book Arkitekturang Filipino to our

history are an expanded beauty to the present surrounding that combines aesthetic
strength and durability. It traces the evolution of Philippine architectural forms from
prehistoric times to the present day. As I watched the video entitled Arkitekturang Filipino
3: Spectacle of Power: Hispanic structuring of the Colonial Space, I have come to realize the
long journey of the building program. I am truly amazed by the worthiness of all the
expenditures to build strong permanent landmarks that mesmerized each local and
international delegate.
The Philippines' built environment has been irreversibly altered by Spanish
colonialism. Also I reflected about the inevitable happenings in the past which made the
history sturdier, for in fact, because of the devastation caused by the 1583 fire and the 1645
earthquake, a hybrid kind of construction was developed. The Arkitekturang Mestiza which
blends a timber frame and stone, wherein primarily the wood is on the upper floor and
stone on the lower floor are believed to have a better chance of surviving an earthquake.
The aesthetic of masterpieces was the driving force behind the Spanish construction
program. As a result, Spanish colonial architecture was constructed with more durable and
long-lasting materials and processes. Architects who are known to be master builders
oversaw the creation of many churches and institutional structures.
Apart from that, I also reflected on the religious organizations which then assumed
spiritual leadership over the Filipinos and began the construction of ecclesiastical structures
such as churches, belfries, monasteries, and convents. It clearly projects structures that are
very useful in today’s time and are visibly seen in different corner and different places, too.
With European styles, Chinese and Native artisans interpreted and executed
ornaments from Classical, Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, and Rococo often in simplified
form and assimilate local tropical motifs and Chinese decorative elements, rather than
strictly following the style's formal rules. These were all a product of beautifully crafted
creation that stood for years.
 As an aspiring architecture student, one of my goals is to build something that will
engrave a memory in each people apart from making it sturdier that will last long and
permanent. Dreaming to make as expanded potentials of my creativity and imaginations.
Thus, as I go through the discussion of the history in the video, I am strongly amazed
because of the fact that it was one of the first hospitals which then erected in Manila that
are primarily being built by the Franciscans. I have been very selective on the thing that
gives me inspiration to proceed and succeed in this path and this became one of the chosen.
After all, viewing all these improvements made me more certain to be determined
and goal-driven to achieve this goal I once dreamt about. As I take another step closer to my
goal which is to become a known architect, I would surely be bringing this history anywhere
else I might be in the future. The legacy that has been embodied in each Filipino and in the
book remains and will be continued by us, architects. Sturdier and permanent that will
surely last thousands of years, and the rest will be added in the history.