Philippine Center

Consulate General of the Philippines, New York
Konsulado Panlahat ng Pilipinas sa New York
Coordinates 40°45′21.28″N 73°58′45.74″W / 40.7559111°N 73.9793722°W / 40.7559111; -73.9793722Coordinates: 40°45′21.28″N 73°58′45.74″W / 40.7559111°N 73.9793722°W / 40.7559111; -73.9793722
Location New York, New York 10036, United States
Address 556 Fifth Avenue
Ambassador Mario Lopez de Leon, Jr.
Website http://philippinecenterny.com
http://www.newyorkpcg.org

The Philippine Center is a building that primarily houses the offices of the Philippine Consulate General in New York City. It is located at 556 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, three blocks south of Rockefeller Plaza and north of the New York Public Library Main Branch in Bryant Park.[1] In addition to housing the offices of the Consulate General, the Philippine Center also houses the Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the United Nations as well as the New York offices of both the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Tourism.

Since its early days, the Philippine Center been a venue for the Filipino-American community as well as hosting business meetings, forums, receptions and weekly art exhibits featuring Filipino art.

History

The Philippine Center was established by Presidential Decree No. 188 on May 10, 1973. It was purchased by the Philippine Government from the Knights of Columbus on October 29, 1973 at the cost of $2,250,000.00, with an additional $1,500,000.00 to buy out an existing lease on the building.

The building's legal owner is the Republic of the Philippines; offices of its national government housed within regularly began paying rentals to the Philippine Center in 1993, including nominal fees for the use of its function rooms.[1]

On September 15, 2005, President of the Philippines HE Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo made a historic official visit to the Philippine Center, the first by a ruling Filipino head of state.[1][2]

Structure

The Philippine Center has seven floors, with the Kalayaan Hall (Freedom Hall) which is the main reception hall. It also houses a hall annexe, an art exhibit area at the first floor lobby, and a library at the second floor. The upper floors are rented by offices belonging to the Government of the Republic of the Philippines.[1]

Purpose

The Philippine Center was created to:[1]

Philippine Government offices

The following government offices are housed in the New York Philippine Center:[1]

Art Collection

From June 3–15, 2007, the Philippine Consulate-General and the Philippine Center Management Board exhibited the building's art collection for the first time in its 34 years of existence. The collection includes works by National Artists such as Hernando R. Ocampo, Vicente Manansala, Cesar Legaspi, Arturo Luz, Ang Kiukok and Jose Joya.

The works of Manuel Rodriquez, the Father of Philippine Printmaking, Venancio C. Igarta, Hugo C. Yonzon II, Malang, Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, Angelito Antonio, Norma Belleza, Eduardo Castrillo and Juvenal Sanso were also displayed. The art collecting project of the New York Philippine Center begun since its opening on November 14, 1974. Some art masterpieces were donated by the artists themselves. The public exhibit was officially presented as Pamana: Modernong Sining (A Heritage of Modern Art), to celebrate the 109th anniversary of the Philippine Declaration of Independence.[3]

See also

Main article: Little Manila

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "About the Office". Philippine Consulate General of New York. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  2. ↑ "Visit of Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to Participate in the 2005 World Summit - High Level plenary session of the 60th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York, United States of America, 12–15 September 2005", Press Kit, Office of the President, Government Mass Media Group, Bureau of Communications Services, Manila, September, 2005.
  3. ↑ Endaya, Imelda Cajipe (artist and independent curator) and Cecilia B. Rebong (Philippine Consul-General). "Pamana: Modernong Sining" (A Heritage of Modern Art), An Art Exhibit from the Collection of the Philippine Center in New York, Printed Catalogue, The Consulate General of the Philippines, Philippine Center Management Board, and PCGNY.net, June 11, 2007
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