UNWRITTEN

HISTORY OF
FILIPINO ARCHITECTS
Paul Angelo D. Santos ARCHI-4A
 During the Spanish era, there were no architectural schools to have ever existed. However, there is one existing school called
Escuela Practica Y artes Oficios De Manila where the first graduates were Julio Hernandez (1891), Isidro Medina (1894), Arcadio
Arellano (1894), and Juan Carreon (1896).
In record, the first ever Filipino architect was Felix Roxas y Arroyo, who attended a London- based university. It was in 1858
when he first started his architectural practice and in 1887, he was eventually appointed as the municipal architect of Manila. He
designed the Sto. Domingo Church and Ayuntamiento de Manila in Intramuros but both were unfortunately destroyed during the World
War II.
In 1902, The Academia de Arquitectura y Agremensura de Filipinas( AAAF), the first association of architects, was established.
This group were pioneered by Guillermo Gardiner-THE PRESIDENT, Arcadio Arellano- VICE PRESIDENT, Jose Perez Siguereza -
SECRETARY, and Tomas Arguelles and Jose Paras- DIRECTORS.
However in 1903, they’ve decided to rename the association into Academia de Arquitectura, Ingenieria y Agremensura de
Filipinas (AIAAF) which by then, civil engineers and surveyors were also included.
In 1921, Engineers and Architects Law (ActNo. 2985) was established. In this, Separate Boards of Examiners for Civil
Engineering and Architecture were established by legislation. Architects were automatically tasked to the surveyors. As an architect,
Tomas Mapua received License No. 1 while Carlos Barreto and Antonio Toledo, who both studied overseas, were granted Licenses 2
and 3 respectively.
 In 1933, the association was once again renamed into Philippine Architects Society (PAS). It had Don Juan Nakpil as the
President, Tomas Mapua as the Vice President, Harold Keyes as Secretary-Treasurer, and Carlos Baretto and Fernando Ocampo as
Directors. On the eve of World War II in 1941, 96-strong PAS held a national convention with notable messages from Pres. Manuel L.
Quezon, VP Sergio Osmenia, and Manila Mayor Eulogio Rodriguez, Sr. That time, Government architects led by Juan Arellano,
Antonio Toledo, and Elias Ruiz were invited to join.
After the devastating World War II, in the year 1945, Philippine Architects’ Society was reorganized and was founded by
Fernando Ocampo. He then was appointed as the PresidenT while on the other hand, there were Cesar Concio as Vice President, Jose
Zaragoza as Secretary, Luis Ma. Araneta as Treasurer, and Juan Nakpil, Andres Luna de San Pedro, Gines Rivera, and Gabriel
Formoso as Directors.
A year after, PAS changed its name to Philippine Institute of Architects & Planners (PIAP) and not long after, it was also later
changed into Philippine Institute of Architects (PIA) by a Resolution presented by Carlos da Silva.
In 1948, a resolution proposing a professional bureaucratic service of its members to help with the formulation of plans for
public works and projects during the war was offered by PIA to President Elpidio Quirino.
In 1947, the first Architectural Exhibition which was held in the lobby of the Consolidated Investment Building at Plaza Goiti
was part of the 3-day PIA Annual Convention, held at the Manila Hotel. It was the Convention’s Honor Dinner which highlighted the
event where the first Architect of the country Carlos Barretto, one of the founders of PAS and surviving member of AAIF, was
promoted as PIA Fellow.
 The Republic Act No. 472 of 1948, which amended Section 1901 of the Administrative Code, may be viewed as the Magna Carta
of the practice of private architects against bureaucratic architecture and engineering. It legalized the awarding of the design of public
works and buildings to private architects and engineers.
Andres Luna de San Pedro received the first ever Gold Medal Award for a Filipino architect in 1950 for his renowned work
"Crystal Arcade and in 1951, PIA's Standards of Professional Practice were published and printed. It was in 1953 when the architects
were first acknowledged as guests by the President of the Philippines, at the 20th Annual Convention of the PIA, when President
Quirino gave a cocktail reception in Malacanang. In 1954, The American Institute of Architects recognized and honored Filipino
architect Carlos da Silva by making him an AIA Honorary Member during the organization's 96th anniversary.
 January 23, 1957, the Union Internationale Des Architects (UIA) formally recognized the Philippine Institute of Architects as its
National Section and in 1957, PIA and LPA met jointly at the request of the PIA Committee on Professional Practice To agree on the
Standard Schedule of Fees. This was an attempt to unite the two groups. The government-employed architects at that time established
a new association in 1958 called the Association of Philippine Government Architects (APGA).
In the 1960s, there were persistent attempts to merge the diverse groups of architects into one and a lot of work had been put in
over many years in order to close the gap between the three groups. Eventually, The Council of Filipino Architects (CFA), originally
intended to serve as the umbrella group under which the three societies would gather under one flag, was founded in 1962 after the
short-lived Philippine Council of Architects (1962) of LPA and APGA. Furthermore, The CFA was not affiliated with PIA.
 In 1965, The Architects' National Code, the Architects' Services, and the Schedule of Fees were unanimously approved by the
APGA, LPA, and PIA and was later approved by the Board of Examiners for Architects. The 50th anniversary celebration of
Philippine architecture, one of such initiatives in 1971, served as a foundation for unification. An Ad-Hoc Committee of young
architects was also formed in 1971 to commemorate the profession's 50th anniversary. The said event was a huge success, and it took
place at the Manila Polo Club. The majority of the prominent members of the three organizations attended the event.
In April 1973, PIA President Ariston Nakpil was invited by LPA President Architect Edilberto Florentino into a meeting which
sparked a series of conferences between the two organizations and eventually with Deogracias Atienza, APGA President. It was in
THE same year that the elusive goal of professional unity was explicitly conceptualized thus having the Panel of Negotiators being
the result. The three current presidents of the three organizations—Deogracias Atienza of the APGA, Edilberto Florentino of the LPA,
and Ariston Nakpil of the PIA also created a panel of negotiators on their behalf. The panel also included Benjamin Meamo and
Alfredo Tungpalan for the APGA, Luisito Guiang and Ricardo Poblete for the LPA, and OtilloArellano and Carmencita L. Rosales for
PIA. On June 1973 President Ferdinand Marcos issued PD 223 creating the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) for the
purpose of regulating the practice of all professions.
Architecture Week was jointly celebrated by APGA-LPA-PIA On December 9-10 and the momentous occasion was
highlighted by the passing of the Joint Board Resolution of Integration of PIA, LPA and APGA. This Joint Resolution was ratified
without objection in a joint general assembly on December 16,1973 at the Architectural Center in Makati.
 After an endless and careful consideration, examination, and evaluation, many people agreed to the term United Architects of the
Philippines, and were finally chosen because they reflected the fundamental idea upon which the organization was built: unity.
The President of the Interim Board was Norberto Nuke, and Cesar Canchela was a member (VP for Private Practice), Benjamin
Meamo, Vice President for Allied Fields, Deogracias Atienza, and Aquiles Paredes (Secretary), Ben Feliciano, Edilberto Florentino,
Luciano Aquino, Otilio Arellano, Alfredo Tungpalan (Treasurer), and Bernandino directors Victor Tiotuyco, Lozad, Arturo Maalac,
Ariston Nakpil, and Evelio Valdes.
Finally on December 12, 1975, the members of the UAP elected the First Regular Board of Directors, namely: Jose Herrera
(President), Manuel Mañosa, Jr. (VP for Private Practice), Ruperto Gaite (VP for Government Service), Cesar Concio (VP for Allied
Fields), Urbano Caasi, Jr. (Secretary), Librado Macalinao (Treasurer), and Felipe Mendoza, Ricardo Poblete, Constantino Agbayani,
Corazon Tandoc, Jesse Mackay, Antonio Ascalon, Johnny Sulit as directors while Norberto Nuke as ex-officio.