CCP Main Building to be renovated from 2022 to 2025

MANILA, Philippines – After a 2018 to 2019 building audit, the renovation of the main building of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) is currently underway.

Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino is being prioritized for renovation due to its ceiling and flooring. Tanghalang Pambansa’s repair is already in progress, while Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo is last on the list, with a projected 2024 complete rehabilitation.

According to CCP Chairperson Margie Moran-Floirendo, the 53-year-old building had been dealing with numerous site damages such as leaks, corrosion, and structural weaknesses caused by water seepage, earthquakes, and fatigue. Additionally, the CCP’s fire and environmental protection systems and other building codes are up for renewal. 

The audit report also showed that the main building’s drainage system and electrical lines were already in need of overhauling. 

The rehabilitation plan is expected to be implemented from 2022 to 2025 and will cost approximately P950 million. The first renovation phase is expected to run on a P400-million budget, while P515 million has been earmarked for the second phase, which will cover the repair of the hydraulic pit, the freight elevators, and the theaters’ light and sound systems.

The construction materials have been thoroughly studied and were chosen because of their perceived capacity to adapt to climate change.

The exhibition site along Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City has long served as a venue for “the best of Philippine arts and culture” for the enjoyment of the Filipino audience, hence its need to be preserved and rehabilitated. 

While the CCP has raised some funds during its fundraising efforts and BDO Unibank Inc. donated P1 million to the project, it still hopes to receive additional funding from the government for the inclusion of other elements in the rehabilitation plan. 

“We envision that when fully renovated, the CCP Main Building would last for another 50 years,” said CCP administrative manager Teresa Rances.

However, despite the heavy renovations the CCP building is expected to undergo, the CCP will still do its best to ensure that the original design devised by National Artist Leandro Locsin is preserved. 

“Our artists need new and better stages and venues to showcase and display their talents and abilities. We need venues that can fit more modern productions, as well as globally-competitive staging facilities and equipment. We need training facilities for our actors, dancers, and other performers,” shared CCP President Arsenio J. Lizaso.

When fully renovated, it is anticipated by CCP Administrative Manager Teresa Rances that the main building would last for another 50 years before needing to undergo reconstruction again. 

Meanwhile, Lizaso hopes for the renovated CCP complex to become a global, self-sustaining tourist destination. 

The CCP Complex was built in 1966 for the purpose of preserving and honoring Philippine arts and culture. – with reports from Juno Reyes/Rappler.com

Juno Reyes is a Rappler intern.