MET Clean-up Drive marks start of Manila Metropolitan Theater rehab

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) kicks off the restoration efforts for the Manila Metropolitan Theater on December 12, Saturday.

METamorphosis, the official Facebook page for the project, will be sending a weekly invitation for college students to join the MET Clean-up Drive. 

The weekly clean-up drive will last for one to two months, with a fresh group of 50 students participating in rehabilitation. Each group will be tasked to scrub and wash the theater's façade—a signal to the public that the renovation has began. 

Structural retrofitting will begin once the clean-up drive has concluded. The student volunteers will be working strictly on the exterior of the theater. 

 

Getting ready for the #MET clean up this December. #metropolitantheater #HeritagePH Photo from METamorphosis FB Page

A photo posted by NCCA (@nccaofficial) on

Nov 30, 2015 at 4:50am PST

The project was initiated for students who wanted to do thesis work on the historic building. As a purely volunteer-based activity, the NCCA hopes that the clean-up drive makes the youth feel involved in the restoration of the MET and help connect them to the country's cultural heritage. 

The Manila Metropolitan Theater first opened in 1931 and was closed down in 2012 due to structural decay. In 2015, it was turned over by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) to the NCCA, along with a P270 million budget for restoration. — Aya Tantiangco/BM, GMA News

Students who want to volunteer may get in touch with the NCCA/Manila Metropolitan Theater via email (mettheatermanila@ncca.gov.ph) or contact them at (02) 527-2192 local 308.