Ildefonso Santos, Father of Philippine Landscape Architecture

Ildefonso P. Santos Jr. is known as the Father of Philippine Landscape

Architecture. He is an architect national artist of the Philippines.
On September 5, 1929, he was born, and on January 29, 2014, he died away.
His goal was to re-create paradise on earth by bringing new meaning to
gardening, reinventing the design of neighborhood parks, and urban areas.
The Cultural Center of the Philippines, Paco Park, and Rizal Park are just a few
of his well-known landscapes.
In professional circles, Santos, regarded as the "Father of Philippine Landscape
Architecture," is renowned for his unwavering integrity and high level of professionalism.
He founded the profession of landscape architecture in the Philippines. He played a key
role in the founding of the landscape architecture specialist board at the Philippine
Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). He holds PRC registration no. 0000001.
He studied at the University of Santo Tomas, where in 1954 he graduated with a
Bachelor of Science in architecture. Not satisfied with his recently earned degree, he
enrolled at the esteemed university of southern California school of architecture in Los
Angeles, California, where he went on to earn his second bachelor's in architecture, his
industrial design degree, and later, a master's in architecture, in 1960.
One of the industry's forerunners in the Philippines is the landscape architecture
company Ildefonso P. Santos + Associates. Since its founding in 1963, the firm has
worked on a variety of projects, from straightforward residential construction to
sophisticated and complex developments like resorts, memorial parks, shopping malls,
hotels, office buildings, schools, subdivisions, and high-rise condominiums. It has also
worked in the field of environmental planning and protection.
With years of experience and skill, the business has built a reputation for high
ethical standards and practice throughout its expansion, making I.P. Santos &
Associates is a well-known and reputable name in the field of landscape architecture
both domestically and overseas.
 Ildefonso Santos Works
Ildefonso Paez Santos, Jr. made a name for himself by establishing the practice
of landscape architecture in the Philippines, a field of architecture that is related to it. He
then went on to create four decades of outstanding and captivating work that included
hundreds of parks, plazas, gardens, and other outdoor settings that improved modern
Filipino life.
Malabon-native Santos, Jr., established his first name with the Makati
Commercial Center, where he pioneered the idea of outdoor shopping with accents like
sculptures, fountains, and manicured walkways. Paco Park's landmark public landscape
represents Santos, Jr.'s contribution to contemporary Filipino landscape architecture.

Makati Commercial Center

Before the large malls of today—Glorietta, Greenbelt, Landmark, and SM—the

Makati Commercial Center's open complex served as the go-to gathering place and
contained nearly all of the amenities that our modern malls have. The complex had a
park and a number of restaurants in the 1960s and 1970s, including McDonald's,
Orange Julius, the Makati Automat, and Sulo. Additionally, it was home to a few upscale
stores at the time, including Milani and Le Donne.
Ildefonso P. Santos Jr., a national architect, created the Makati Commercial
Center, which popularized outdoor shopping. The complex also included the Quad
theater, which was created by architect Carlos Arguelles.
The open complex of the Makati Commercial Center's buildings and other
structures were combined into what is now the Ayala Center, along with the Glorietta
and Greenbelt that we are all familiar with, in the 1990s by the Zobel de Ayalas.

Paco Park
 Paco Park is a historical location. It has served as a sanctuary for our ancestors
and heroes. It has observed the passage of time, significant events in our lives, rituals
of love, and everyday occurrences. It preserves both personal and historical memories.
Cementerio General de Dilao, formerly known as the former Manila cemetery,
was declared a national park in 1966. To become a leisure garden, it has been
reconstructed and improved. The groundbreaking public landscape in Paco Park was
the National Artist for Architecture Ildefonso Paez Santos, Jr.'s contribution to
contemporary Filipino landscape architecture.
The colonial elite's ultimate resting place was originally intended for Paco Park,
which was constructed in 1807. The marble crypt markers bearing their family names
are still located inside the inner wall of the circular garden.
A second wall was constructed to surround the more recent burials after the
cemetery was later extended in 1822 to accommodate victims of the disastrous cholera
outbreak in the city.
The names of the cemetery's most well-known occupants, however, were never
inscribed on either of the cemetery walls and were buried covertly in unmarked graves.

Bantayog ng mga Bayani

 The movement against President Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr.
(1917-1989) during his twenty-one years in power and the crimes committed by the
government during the implementation of Martial Law came together to plan for a
memorial shortly after the February 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, which
resulted in Marcos' exile from the Philippines (1972-1981). Thus, on August 21, 1986,
three years after Senator Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" Lampa Aquino Jr. (1932-1983) was
killed, those who fought against or were victimized by Martial Law founded the
Bantayog ng mga Bayani Memorial Foundation (Monument to the Heroes).The UP
College of Public Administration Dean, Ledivina Vidallon Cario (1942-2009), assisted
the Filipino American doctor Ruben Polintan Mallari (1936-2013) in developing the
foundation's initial proposal, which was submitted to and approved by President The
late senator's widow was Mara Corazón "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco Aquino (1933–
2009).
The Bantayog ng mga Bayani Park was also opened on November 30, 1992, on
the 129th anniversary of Katipunan founder Andrés de Castro Bonifacio's birth (1863-
1897), close to the intersection of Quezon Avenue and Epifanio de los Santos Avenue
(EDSA for short). The 13.7-meter-tall bronze sculpture of "Inang Bayan" (Motherland)
by Eduardo De Los Santos Castrillo (1942-2016), which represents the Motherland
trying to lift her slain son while pleading for justice, is the park's main attraction.
The 3.45-hectare plot of land that houses the entire park, which was created by
future national artist Arch Ildefonso Paez Santos Jr. (1929-2014), was given to him by
President. Aquino was added to the charter by Proclamation No. 132 of July 25, 1987.
The area was initially going to be a part of President Manuel Luis Molina Quezón's
(1878–1944) bigger Balintawak City Park, but he gave it to the People's Homesite and
Housing Corporation instead. Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay (1907–1957) was
recognized by Proclamation No. 373, which was issued on December 21st, 1956. But
until the area was turned into a park, the People's Homesite and Housing Corporation
(now the National Housing Authority) was unable to develop it for housing or any other
ambitions.
Manila Hotel
 A historic five-star hotel with 550 rooms, The Manila Hotel is situated along
Manila Bay in Manila, the Philippines. The Malacaang Palace, the official residence of
the President of the Philippines, was erected in 1909 to compete with the hotel, which
opened on July 4, 1912, the anniversary of American Independence. It is the oldest
premium hotel in the Philippines. At the northwest corner of Rizal Park, along Bonifacio
Drive in Ermita, a 35,000 square meter (380,000 square foot) tract was recovered and
used to construct the hotel complex. General Douglas MacArthur lived in the penthouse
from 1935 to 1941 while he was the Philippine Commonwealth's Military Advisor.
The New York Times, among other foreign news outlets, had offices in the hotel
in the past. Authors Ernest Hemingway and James A. Michener, actors Douglas
Fairbanks, Jr., and John Wayne, publisher Henry Luce, performers Sammy Davis, Jr.,
Michael Jackson, and The Beatles, as well as international leaders and famous people,
have all visited. Bill Clinton is the president.
The hotel tower is the tallest hotel tower in the Manila Bay area. It was
constructed as part of the hotel's renovation and expansion between 1975 and 1977.
The original five-story building was replaced in 1975 with a high-rise hotel
building, increasing the hotel's capacity to 570 rooms. Leandro Locsin and Ildefonso
Santos, national architects, oversaw the renovations alongside Patricia Keller, a partner
at the global interior design firm Dale Keller & Associates. Executive services, language
translation, a business library, color television, and closed-circuit movies are just a few
of the improved guest amenities. Simple Mission-style furnishings replaced the hotel's
sparsely decorated interiors. The Manila Hotel had formal opening and reopening
ceremonies on October 6, 1977.

Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila

 Few hotels in the city can rival the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, located in the
reclaimed Cultural Center of the Philippines complex close to Manila Bay, in terms of
their prominence and history.
It was one of the hotels constructed at the height of the Marcos administration to
promote the Philippines during the global events taking place at the time. To be more
precise, the hotel, which was once known as the Philippine Plaza Hotel, was
constructed to house the delegates of the 1976 IMF/WB summit that was scheduled to
take place in Manila. (An occasion Marcos effectively lobbied for)
With Ildefonso Santos designing the hotel grounds, pool, and gardens, renowned
Filipino architect Leandro Locsin's seminal work manages to hide the fact that it was
rushed to completion while yet maintaining its original beauty. In terms of room count, it
also happens to be one of the biggest hotels in the nation. A hotel with only 11 stories
and a total of 609 guest rooms seemed impossible. The hotel also has a commanding
view of Manila Bay and its famous sunset because it is close to the bay.

Rizal Park
 Ildefonso P. Santos, a national artist for architecture, and Carlito B. Pesons were
additional group founders.
When he passed away, Carlito oversaw the Board of Landscape Architecture of
the Philippine Regulation Commission. He was 71. Prior to his government service, the
UST graduate had worked as a landscape architect for 50 years, first as an associate of
IP Santos and later as one of my partners in the firm of PDAA Partners Landscape
Architects.
He and his old boss both had a knack for designing stunning settings. In addition
to design, Carlito also used karaoke sessions as a platform for his creative expression.
Santos disliked the nightlife and preferred to express his opinions via writing. Both had
an impact on younger designers like me. I learned how to write like Santos and how to
deal with audiences of tough clients from him.
IP wrote with elegance and beauty. Here are some excerpts from a speech he
delivered in 1988 in Athens to the International Federation of Landscape Architects.
"Aesthetics in Landscape Architecture as Applied within the Context of a
Developing Country" was the title of the piece.
Numerous public parks, gardens, and settings were built by IP Santos with the
help of Carlito Pesons, who served as his senior colleague until the 1980s. Many of
them, like the Rizal Park, which was partly created by landscape architect Dolly Perez,
are in jeopardy due to expanding construction. Many of their other creations, such as
Nayong Pilipino and the city's pocket parks, are either no longer there, are being poorly
managed, or are being turned into commercial complexes.
We need to reclaim an aesthetic that values landscape beauty and creates
enticing rather than depressing cityscapes. Filipino landscape architects, urban
designers, architects, and planners have a responsibility to create for the needs of the
people, not merely for political or financial gain.
References
 https://united-architects.org/about/national-artists/
https://varsitarian.net/circle/20090318/father_of_landscape_architecture
https://pia.gov.ph/news/2022/04/12/paco-park-celebrates-200-years
https://nolisoli.ph/19361/throwback-makati-70s/
https://thephilippinestoday.com/father-of-philippine-landscape-architecture/
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Ildefonso_P._Santos_Jr.
https://lakansining.wordpress.com/tag/ildefonso-santos/
https://www.theurbanroamer.com/at-the-sofitel-philippine-plaza-manila/
https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/modern-living/2014/09/06/1365687/filipino-
landscape-aesthetic