20 February, 2011

M159-85: Cultural Center of the Philippines Postcard

Postcard Size: 4"x6"
Postcard Type: View card with brown border
Printed by: JMC Press, Inc., Quezon City

Purchased at Goodwill Bookstore

The postcard shows the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Main Building or the Tanghalang Pambansa, and the fountain.

CCP houses four theaters (Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo or the CCP Main Theater, Tanghalang Aurelio V. Tolentino or hte Little Theater, Tanghalang Huseng Batute or the Studio Theater, and Tanghalang Manuel Conde or the Dream Theater); a museum of ethnographic exhibits and a changing exhibit of Philippine art or ethnography, galleries, and a library on Philippine art and culture.
M159-85: Cultural Center of the Philippines Postcard

HISTORY
At a Cebu proclamation rally
for her husband in September 1965, Imelda Marcos expressed her desire to build a national theater. In March 12, 1966, by Presidential Proclamation No. 20, 17 hectares of reclaimed land by the edge of Manila Bay are decreed as the site of the envisioned Cultural Center. Formal ground breaking ceremonies were held on April 17, 1966.

In July 25, 1966, Executive Order No. 30 was signed to create the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) "for the purpose of preserving and promoting Philippine culture in all its varied aspects."


The Php50 million center was designed by Leandro V. Locsin and was finished after three years.
The center inaugurated on September 8, 1969 with California Governor and Mrs. Ronald Raegan as guests.

SOURCES:
Cultural Center of the Philippines Wikipedia Entry
Cultural Center of the Philippines | Timelime
Cultural Center of the Philippines Website

16 February, 2011

M156-85: Manila Bay Postcard

Postcard Size: 4"x6"
Postcard Type: View card with red border
Printed by: JMC Press, Inc., Quezon City

Purchased at Goodwill Bookstore

The postcard shows the Manila Bay and the stretch of 7.6-km Roxas Boulevard at dusk. You can find along the boulevard hotels, a yacht club, restaurants, park, the CCP complex, government buildings, embassies, and museums.

Roxas Boulevard stretches from Ermita towards Pasay City. It was once known as Harrison Boulevard until 1915 when it was renamed Dewey Boulevard, the American Commodore who destroyed the Spanish Navy during the 1898 Battle of Manila Bay. After World War II, it was renamed Roxas Boulevard after the first president of the post-war Republic, Manuel A. Roxas.

M156-85: Manila Bay Postcard

SOURCE:
Daluyan: A Historical Dictionary of the Streets of Manila, p. 94, National Historical Institute, 1994

11 February, 2011

M152-85: Pagsanjan Falls Postcard

Postcard Size: 4"x6"
Postcard Type: View card with green border
Printed by: JMC Press, Inc., Quezon City

Purchased at Goodwill Bookstore

This is another postcard of the 393-ft Pagsanjan Falls or the Magdapio Falls.

The back of the postcard reads:
Precise paddle strokes and sure-footed kicks propel native dugouts up towards Pagsanjan Falls. The fast return through the same river rapids is heart-stopping.

M152-85: Pagsanjan Falls Postcard

RELATED ENTRY:
M1080: Pagsanjan Falls Postcard

10 February, 2011

M147-85: Philippine International Convention Center Postcard

Postcard Size: 4"x6"
Postcard Type: View card with blue border
Printed by: JMC Press, Inc., Quezon City

Purchased at Goodwill Bookstore

The postcard shows the 3,175 sq.m. Plenary Hall of the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). The Hall has hosted the annual Awards Night of the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS), the Philippine equivalent of the Oscars.

The back of the postcard reads:
The Plenary Hall is the most impressive of four modules at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). It can easily sit 4,000 delegates during international conferences.

M147-85: Philippine International Convention Center Postcard

06 February, 2011

M146-85: Philippine International Convention Center Postcard

Postcard Size: 4"x6"
Postcard Type: View card with brown border
Printed by: JMC Press, Inc., Quezon City

Purchased at Goodwill Bookstore

The postcard shows the stunning main lobby of the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). Seen as well in the postcard are the chandeliers and the grand staircase. The chandeliers are made of metal tubes in varying lengths with light bulbs at the end. Numerous paintings can also be seen across the hallways, paintings of Jose Joya, Ang Kiukok and Manuel Baldemor.

M146-85: Philippine International Convention Center Postcard

If you look closer at the bottom of the chandeliers near the staircase, there are two portrait paintings - those of then-President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda Marcos (the portrait below). I was able to find online "the" Imelda's painting (or a reproduction perhaps) but not that of the late president. The portrait (288.53 cm x 171.45 cm) was done in 1977 by Basuki Abdullah, an Indonesian painter.

Imelda Marcos Portrait

The convention center, with more than 70,000 square meters of floor area, was designed by Leandro Locsin and was built on a reclaimed land. The construction started in November 1974 and was finished in 1976 in time for the opening of the 1976 World Bank-International Monetary Fund meeting on September 5th.

The Philippine International Convention Center is Asia’s first international convention center.

Philippine International Convention Center

SOURCES:
Living la Vida Imelda
Museum of the Filipino People
Philippine International Convention Center Wikipedia Entry
Philippine International Convention Center Website