Philippine International Convention Center

Philippine International Convention Center
Sentrong Pangkumbensyong Pandaigdig ng Pilipinas
General information
Status Complete
Type Convention center
Architectural style Brutalist
Location Vicente Sotto Street, CCP Complex, Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
Coordinates 14°33′15″N 120°58′57″E / 14.554257°N 120.982618°E / 14.554257; 120.982618Coordinates: 14°33′15″N 120°58′57″E / 14.554257°N 120.982618°E / 14.554257; 120.982618
Construction started 1974
Completed 1976
Inaugurated September 5, 1976
Renovated 1996
Owner Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
Technical details
Floor area More than 70,000 m2 (750,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect Leandro Locsin
Architecture firm Leandro V. Locsin & Associates
Renovating team
Architect Raul Locsin (1996)
Other information
Parking 400 slots[1] (2014)
Website
http://www.picc.gov.ph/

The Philippine International Convention Center (Filipino: Sentrong Pangkumbensyong Pandaigdig ng Pilipinas, or PICC) is a convention center located in the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines. The facility has been the host of numerous local and foreign conventions, meetings, fairs, and social events.

The PICC served as the office of the Vice President of the Philippines until 2005. It also previously housed the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

History

In 1974, then President Ferdinand Marcos signed the Presidential Decree No. 520 which authorized the Central Bank of the Philippines (now Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) to construct an international conference building, acquire a suitable area for that purpose, and organize a corporation to manage a conference center. Thus, the PICC was organized under the Corporation Code. This was a part of Marcos' efforts to make Metro Manila as one of Southeast Asia's financial centers.[2]

The construction of the PICC Complex was undertaken in a short span of 23 months, from November 1974 to September 1976, with Leandro Locsin as architect, who was subsequently named a National Artist.

On September 5, 1976, the PICC, Asia's first international convention center was officially inaugurated when it hosted the 1976 IMF-World Bank Meeting.[1]

From its inception to the present, the PICC has also hosted the annual Awards Night of the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS), the Philippine-equivalent of the Academy Awards, mostly at its Plenary Hall.

Presidential Decree No. 995 created the Batasang Bayan to function as a legislative body before the Interim Batasang Pambansa convened in 1978. So on September 21, 1976 on 4th Anniversary of the birth of the Bagong Lipunan (New Society) the Batasang Bayan held its inauguration at the PICC. For the first time, the PICC was used to house a legislative body from 1976 to 1978.

The PICC was the venue of Miss Universe 1994.

Renovation work which costs millions of pesoes of the PICC was completed in 1996 which took around seven months for the APEC Meeting after the aging structure has been neglected since 1985. Renovations were headed by Raul Locsin the cousin of the original architect of the facility. The endevour was founded by the facility's owner, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.[3]

In March 2011, Bro. Bo Sanchez, founder of Light of Jesus Family, transferred "The Feast" from Valye Verde Country Club to PICC. The Feast PICC has an attendance of 16,000 at the Plenary and Reception Halls Combined. Also they held November 2013 Kerygma Conference here.

On November 18–19, 2015, the PICC hosted the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting.[4]

Architecture and design

The Philippine International Convention Center is composed of five building modules; the Delegation Building, Secretariat Building, Plenary Hall, Reception Hall and The Forum. The facility which was designed by Leandro Locsin, who would be later named National Artist was built in reclaimed land and has a floor area of more than 65,000 sq ft (6,000 m2).[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "About PICC". PICC. Philippine International Convention Center. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  2. ↑ Bonabente, Cyril (5 September 2006). "Did you Know". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Inquirer Research. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  3. ↑ Gagelonia, Gynna (3 August 1996). "APEC meet revs up center's multi-million renovation". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  4. ↑ Caliwan, Christopher Lloyd (November 5, 2015). "APEC traffic advisory: Road closures, rerouting schemes in Metro Manila". InterAksyon. TV5 Network, Inc. Philippines News Agency. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
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