At the Suli exhibit opening with artists Manny Garibay, Herminigildo Pineda, Aetas and Young Porac Artists
There has been a flurry of activity at the Manila City Hall recently, but not in the way we know it vis-a-vis a seat of government. What’s interesting and exciting is, it’s all about art, and it’s happening at the iconic Manila Clock Tower (MCT), on the fourth floor of City Hall. Yes, at the 100-ft-high clock tower, the largest clock tower in the Philippines built in the 1930s.
Consider a group of young Aetas descending upon the MCT for the first time in their lives, not to gawk, mind you, but to exhibit their precious artworks. The empowered indigenous youth, with the Porac Young Artists, expressed in their exhibit titled Suli (Kapampangan word for tree branch sprout) their new beginnings as artists. That’s thanks to their cabalen, veteran artist Herminigildo Pineda, who made it his mission to discover young talented Poraqueños to “showcase their artistic talent as an expression of beauty and understanding of Porac’s local culture.”
Porac was devastated when Mt. Pinatubo unleashed its centuries of pent-up fury and buried the town under tons of lahar in 1991. Years of rehabilitation followed, including the National Greening Program (NGP) initiated in 2011 by then President Benigno Aquino III, covered forest lands and ancestral domains, and will continue until 2028.
Pineda pioneered an artistic mentoring program in Porac which gained support from the Linangan Art Residency of Alfonso, Cavite under the helm of eminent artist Manny Garibay and the National Commission on Culture and the Arts’ (NCCA) National Committee on Visual Arts.
‘Suli,” an exhibit by young Aeta artists, was the inaugural art event on the fifth level of the venue last February
The young artists participated in a three-day Art Camp Workshop, and later joined the First Porac Kampapasi Art Festival, which gathered artists from the town and other parts of the country. The fest transformed several parts of Porac into art spaces with murals and installations created and showcased last February 24-26, in celebration of National Arts Month.
Young Porac artist with mentor Manny Garibay
Suli is the inaugural exhibit on Level 5 of the Manila Clock Tower, which is like an incubation for emerging artists. It was preceded by exhibits from southern Philippines. Tore Ng Kaalam or Tower of Wisdom is a solo exhibition by noted Mindanawon artist Kublai Millan at MCT’s third level. On the second level, meanwhile, Tore Ng Kinaadman or Tower of Knowledge is a group exhibition by 24 visual artists from Davao who were mentors and mentees of Lunang Art Mentoring Project in Mindanao, established by Kublai. They include the mentors Jeff Bangot, Victor Dumaguing, Kristin Gaid, Jag Bueno, and Lucas Rañola, together with mentees Ruthchel Mena, Xyla Sumalinog, Hanna Malang, Jonald Magkidong, and Rem Vergara among others. The two exhibits, which opened in April, ran until May.
Mindanawon artist Kublai Millan
Manila Clock Tower by Lucas Rañola
MCT had a grand opening on October 25, 2022 with the inaugural exhibit, Assertionism Epilogue, featuring the works of Rene Robles, and other multi-awarded artists including Sherwin Gonzales, Nante Carandang, Agi Pagkatipunan, Manny Baldemor, and Joe Datuin, among others, and the collection of Tawid Gallery of Shambala Silang.
It was followed by Banaag and Modern Manileña, group exhibitions from February to March 2023 showcasing young, vibrant artists Melissa Yeung-Yap, Ricky Francisco, Jonathan Dangue, and Francis Nacion; and Charming Baldemor, Maela Grande, Ambit Mendoza, Helena Alegre, Bea Araneta, Jo Rubio, and Celeste Lecaroz, among others.
For June, which celebrates three historic events—Independence Day on June 12, Jose Rizal’s birthday on June 19, and Araw ng Maynila on June 24—MCT has earmarked three exhibits: Kasarinlan, Kagitingan, and #IAMMANILA.
That the MCT is now becoming a hub of art and culture after its storied past is heartening. In his 1999 book, Manila, My Manila, National Artist Nick Joaquin wrote about the 1930s which “began with the building of the grandiose Post Office on the banks of the Pasig,” which would “climax with the building of the Quezon Bridge and the Quezon Boulevard, lordly throughfares for whose greater glory a historic section of Quiapo was obliterated, including the picturesque Puente Colgante.”
For the month of June, MCT will hold exhibits to mark three historic events—Independence Day on June 12, Jose Rizal’s birthday on June 19, and Araw ng Maynila on June 24
He added, “But a public now accustomed to the stateliness of the neo-classic was affronted by the nondescript architecture of the City Hall rising just a street away from the Legislative Building, and wondered why the government of Manila should be housed in what vaguely looked like a prison.”
The structure took on a life of its own, however, with its iconic 100-ft high clock tower designed by architect Antonio Toledo. Octagonal in shape, the tower initially sported pale yellow and muted red hues. The clocks on four sides face Bonifacio Shrine in the north, Malacañang Palace in the east, Intramuros in the west, and Rizal Park in the south.
The City Hall with the Manila Clock Tower was destroyed during the fierce Battle of Manila in 1945. Even as Manila was declared an “Open City” during that period of the Second World War, it was flattened by carpet bombing, making Manila the most devastated capital city after Warsaw in Poland.
Many years after the war, Manila Councilor Lou Veloso filed a resolution in 1996 to renovate the Manila Clock Tower. However, renovation was started only during the time of three-termer Mayor Lito Atienza. The first two renovations were in the early 2000s, and the third was in 2014. All three overhauls were primarily done to upgrade the mechanisms of the clock. Whereas before manual adjustments were needed for accuracy, the last renovation upgraded and digitalized the clocks to synchronize with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) for Philippine Standard Time.
In mid-2020, portions of the Clock Tower, including the faces of the four clocks were painted gold, while the interior was renovated for adaptive reuse and is now a tourism, cultural, and arts destination.
In this latest reincarnation of the Manila Clock Tower which is managed by Jose Ma. Belmonte and supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture and Arts of Manila (DTCAM) headed by Charlie Dungo, tremendous assistance is being given by a maverick woman—lawyer, former law professor and dean, military reserve officer since being commissioned in 2012, and currently deputy brigade commander at 3RCDG, Atty. Elba S. Cruz. This lady who wears many hats is an avid art collector who reinvented herself as a museum owner and curator, while continuing business consultancies. She even got a Certification on Introduction to Curating and Intro to Contemporary Art at Sotheby Institute of Art, New York, in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Author with Atty. Elba Cruz at the MCT 1st Level of multi-sensory exhibit of 1945 Battle of Manila
The first level of the tower, which contains the immersive multi-sensory exhibits of the Battle of Manila in 1945, was designed and curated by Cruz with Ohm David, a leading stage designer known for creating spaces and environments for productions, museums, and installations both here and abroad.
The art gallery and moving museum can be found on the second and third levels, while the fourth level, the Hall of Mayors and Library, gives a glimpse of a mayor’s office and an inside look into the workings of local government.
The fifth level features a multi-purpose cultural hall, which provides a platform for artists to showcase their talents as well as an open area for art competitions and workshops.
The last renovation in 2014 upgraded and digitalized the clocks to synchronize with PAGASA for Philippine Standard Time
On the sixth level of the Manila Clock Tower is the clock room, a state-of-the-art facility housing an incredibly accurate clock designed to keep time for over 10,000 years.
West Clock at Clock Room, 6th Level of MCT
The topmost part of the tower is the seventh level, which presents a panoramic 360-degree view of Manila, where the sights and sounds of the city can be enjoyed while basking in the natural light of the rooftop.
On her work for the Manila Clock Tower, Atty. Elba Cruz says it was “a challenge to showcase and further build my newfound career as well as form a formidable team to undertake heritage projects.”
She further says, “I saw the potential of the MCT as a landmark venue to contribute to reestablishing a new culture and arts destination.”
On the challenges she faces for the continuity of this novel project, Cruz says: “It’s a first for both the City of Manila and myself, and thus, it has its share of birth pangs, while making sure we don’t compromise the integrity of the project. Working with an LGU (local government unit) has its restrictions and procedures and limited funds, since an effort of this magnitude is not easily appreciated as a crowd-drawing and impactful project.”
She adds, “The concept of a non-traditional museum gallery that is sustainable is also a challenge. We have to work on the resources available, both in terms of people and materials. We have to give museum management training to both DTCAM and on-the-job trainees, since there are no regulars nor volunteers yet.
“But thanks to the cooperation, support, and networking efforts of the people in the industry, we are able to mount credible exhibitions and events.”
It was said that during the campaign for the 2019 local elections, mayoral candidate Isko Moreno promised to build a new Manila City Hall beside the current City Hall should he win the mayoralty race. He pointed out that the current City Hall will be repurposed for other uses. After winning the election, Moreno joined then President Rodrigo Duterte’s delegation to Tokyo for prospective investors to boost his 10-year Infrastructure Plan for Manila, which includes the construction of the New City Hall.
For now, the Manila Clock Tower is enjoying a boom as an arts and culture hub. If ever there will be a new City Hall, and the architecture will be designed according to a plan that will make Manila shine and be true to its once description as “Pearl of the Orient,” perhaps we can glimpse a radiant Nick Joaquin, smiling at his “ultimate heroine, patroness, beloved—of his every novel, story, poem, play or essay: indeed of every Joaquin myth or legend retold again and again over small beer.”
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