Inside the newly renovated PICC, a landmark part of Filipinos' stories

The Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City, Manila is Asia’s first international convention center and a National Cultural Treasure.

Inaugurated in 1976, it has hosted countless historic local and global events, and continues to serve as a meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) venue.

After undergoing renovations in 2025, the ICC reopened in time for its 50th anniversary this year, as well as the 2026 ASEAN Summits.

Meant to elevate the guests’ experiences, it received upgrades, including a more spacious building entrance, new LED screens, updated audio systems, and the courtyard transformed into an open-air gallery, and many more.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos led the reopening, gushing over the PICC’s quality infrastructure and calling it “a symbol of Filipino resilience and creativity.”

But the PICC is more than just a grand venue. It is home to many Filipino stories — from college graduations, to international concerts, and company banquets—events ranging from the personal to the national.

More than that, it is a symbol of Filipino identity and heritage, from its conceptualization to its present form.

As we close this National Heritage Month, let us look at what the PICC means for the Filipino.

Leandro Locsin’s vision and artistry

At its core, the PICC was built on love and passion for the Filipino people, all thanks to the National Artist for Architecture Leandro V. Locsin, the same genius behind the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Philippine Pavillion in Osaka, Japan; the Manila International Airport Terminal 1, the Church of Saint Andrew, and many more.

The PICC features Locsin’s signature brutalism, an architectural style that's popularly understood with the use of thick slabs of concrete or wood.

But according to Architect Caryn Paredes-Santillan, brutalism is essentially in its material. Using raw materials, such as wood and concrete as they are, is the core of this style.

The form also has a big impact on how the building is remembered. Brutalism has a social aspect as it responds to guests’ needs.

With the PICC, the National Artist seamlessly connected the brutalism to being Filipino, blending modern culture with traditional elements, Paredes-Santillan tells GMA News Online in an interview.

A heritage consultant for Leandro V. Locsin Partners, Paredes-Santillan studied Locsin as part of her PhD at the University of Tokyo and quickly pointed out one of Locsin’s trademarks is contrast, like “enclosed openness.” She compared it to entering a Filipino home, where some spaces like the sala are for audiences, while some, like bedrooms are more private.

“So even if a space looks very, very open, it can seem like it's segregated. Much like how in the Filipino context, when you enter a house, you take off your shoes, and you know that's when you are entering a private space. So it's a sign of respect. It's a sign of cleanliness even, but it's a sign that you're entering,” Paredes-Santillan said.

To understand the PICC, Paredes-Santillan says, you have to consider how Filipinos welcome their guests at home.

“You bring them first to the sala, which is basically the lobby. You bring them to the sala before you separate them into the different spaces,” she said.

She adds how each space is separate from the next because Locsin "creates invisible barriers."

"It's not just moving from one space to the next using the hallway [because] the hallway actually gives you a transition space. It helps change how you think about the space."

Likening it to an onion, she adds “You have to go around all of those layers para pagdating mo dun sa core space, maganda ‘yung impact.”

“So when you’re incorporated again into the larger spaces, you’re actually kind of hit by this big impact, and that’s what we want. We’re Filipinos, we’re very big on hospitality, and we’re very big on how we try to impress our guests," she continued.

As its name suggests, the PICC is a convention venue able to accommodate large crowds. As such, it is easy to get lost in the PICC, but there are markers that not only help guests navigate the space but help in managing the crowds. These markers are exactly what make the venue a class of its own.

“When you’re in the PICC, you know you’re in the PICC. It's that distinct,” Paredes-Santillan continued. “The PICC is unique in that it’s not just one building, it’s actually a complex within the Cultural Center Complex.”

"And as you go along, you're discovering little gems. Little by little as you’re walking, you’re struck by, oh this space, I’m meant to stop here,” Paredes-Santillan added.

“It’s important because it’s part of this whole narrative of space and form that Locsin was trying to develop.

“They’re part of this whole story. The whole story of Philippine architecture and Philippine identity that we’re trying to tell to an international audience.

The PICC is part of Filipino culture

Paredes-Santillan also noted the social value of the PICC, and how it is part of Filipinos’ stories, from graduations, to concerts, to banquets.

Even the iconic red stairs, these are visual cues for guests that Locsin purposely put there, to interact with the building.

PICC General Manager Atty. Nicolette Ann P. Cruz agrees. Experiencing the PICC should be done with both senses and sentiment. This means using the physical senses to see the construction, but the sentiment is for when emotions and feelings come into play.

“Ang Pinoy di ba, very emotional. We are not a cold, neutral, detached people, we are very warm. We are very hospitable. Nabubuhos ‘yun lahat sa PICC more and more through the years, with every day na may pumapasok dito na tao,” Cruz told GMA News Online.

“You feel the pride, you feel the love of country, you feel the association with other Filipinos,” Cruz said.

“As much as possible, we want people to feel welcomed wherever we are. We try to help, we are very empathetic, et cetera. So every time that there are people who may be total strangers to one another, every time that they’re here, it’s as if they are a family.”

There are a number of Filipino paintings and sculptures that pull people in.

Cruz said that as the PICC is celebrating its 50th anniversary, it has been a bastion of the arts since the beginning of its conceptualization.

“It was always meant to stand as a piece of Filipino culture and identity in the most beautiful way.

“May fundamental underpinning [ang PICC] but it evolves, it adapts, it is enhanced through the years, through the decades, through the centuries,” Cruz added.

Cruz said the PICC has been maintained and repaired with artistry by artisans, master craftsmen, and apprentices. There are indigenous fabrics and all the furniture is locally made.

“It really takes experiencing PICC by walking through its halls, by taking time to sit around. It really takes experiencing the PICC in order for the Filipino features to jump out,” she said.

A symbol of heritage

Continuing the concept of Filipino values, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos even called the PICC a symbol of Philippine resilience.

Paredes-Santillan said he could be looking at the PICC as a metaphor for the Filipino. Opened in 1976, there were so many changes to building technology, which was evident in the conservation.

“Conserving a historic building is not like building a new building or even renovating an existing building, because you have to be aware that each action can actually detract from the value. Each stone that you chip or each surface that you're painting can actually add or detract to the value.”

Cruz added the PICC is visually strong, secure, stable, and solid, which allows guests to feel the quiet amidst the noise even though there are a lot of people.

“Literally, ‘pag nasa loob ka ng PICC, you feel safe, you feel secure, and you feel strong,” she said.

Despite the changes in the Philippines, Cruz said the PICC has been able to stand.

“Parang very insulated and protected siya amidst diversity, amidst everything that’s changing and fluctuating all around it. And for someone na nawawala, someone who feels lost, someone who feels unsafe, whenever you see something standing strong, it helps you move forward, it helps you stand firm.”

Cruz added there is strength in numbers and that the PICC is “a symbol of united Filipino identity.”

“There is unity and strength. There is unity and strength in being solid, being unshaken kahit ano pang mangyari, good or bad all around you,” she said.

Paredes-Santillan commends the whole conservation team, who made sure to stick to the holistic value of the PICC and uphold its original values.

“I think what is distinct about the PICC and the work of Locsin in general, is that it is a response of the Filipino as an independent nation,” Paredes-Santillan said.

“I think what he did, abstracting forms, abstracting ideas, rather than copying ornaments was the strongest thing he could have done. He showed that the Filipino architect is a creative thinker. The Filipino architect can express outside of these foreign influences, still accepting that ito ‘yung past ko eh, but looking toward the future.”

Paredes-Santillan added that brutalism needs a kind of maturity to be appreciated as the values go beyond aesthetic, they encompass social, cultural, and even political.

“The PICC, it’s very deep. It comes from within, and it’s an expression of who we are as Filipinos and who we aspire to be: a strong nation and yes, good hosts.”

“It’s the kind of architecture where all the meanings are not there in front of you. It’s the kind of architecture that makes you want to go and experience it, and then make your own decision whether you like it or not.” — LA, GMA News