Is there such a thing as Philippine

Architecture?

Mauro Gia Samonte

WHY don’t we have the grand and monumental structures

such as the Borobudur temple (9th century) in

Indonesia, the Angkor Wat (12th century) of Cambodia,

and the ancient pagodas of Vietnam? What did we have to

show for when the Spaniards arrived in the 16th

century? Is there Philippine Architecture or may be

described better as Architecture in the Philippines?

This is a strong sentiment among many Filipinos since

we as a Filipino people are continuously looking for

our identity as a nation.

There are two distinct traits in Filipino culture: the

flamboyant colorful and lively fiesta attitude which is

reflected in our numerous local town fiestas such as

the “Pahiyas Festival” in the Quezon province –people

in the cities decorate their houses and their costumes

with “kiping,” a leaf-shaped wafer made of rice paste—

and the “Magara” collection displays in our old

Filipino-Spanish houses (i.e ceramic china tea pots and

utensil are displayed but not used); and the

appreciation of Animism and spiritual symbolism that is

innate in the Filipino culture.

In religion we often see the unique devotion to the

Santo Nino and the Nazareno, which some may call as

“folk Catholicism.” For Filipino folklore, we have the

“agimats” and the “diwatas.”

Whenever we talk about Philippine Architecture, we

immediately imagine the “bahaykubo” or the “bahay na

bato” of the Batanes Islands. It is culturally and

geographically distinctive. It is made with local

materials that are designed to adapt in the geographic

climate: the kubo’s stilt design is for the flooding

and stone houses for wind speed. Some historians will

also include in the fray of the discussion the old

Ilustrado houses that we deem Spanish, such as the

houses in Ilocos Sur, Bulacan, and Batangas. These

houses are actually a modernized/Hispanized version of

the “bahay kubo”! Both dwellings use the ground floor

as the entrance and storage area (i.e ancient Filipinos

place their chicken and pigs below) and the second

floor is the main area of the home.

But a good question out of these modest bits of

history: Is there such a thing as purely Filipino

architecture? Or is it instead proper to say that

Filipino architecture could be found in the mixing of

the various influences such as the early Arab

tradesmen, Malay, the Chinese, Spanish, Dutch,

American, and Japanese, and including the influences

the millions of Filipino expatriates bring home to our

country?

A more essential question is: What is the Filipino

Identity?

Toward national identity

When I was fortunately included to help bring Dubai

from a 3rd world nation into the 21st century back in

1977, the sheik instructed the team to develop Dubai

without losing its sense of identity and culture. In

that challenge, I realized that maybe architecture

itself is an assimilation of the best practices of the

world. It is taking specific materials to compliment

specific designs that are apt to the context of that

generation’s needs and behavior.

The history of the Philippines will also tell us that

we can say that as early as the 9th century, we have

been one of the first global villages of the world.

Rooting from Malays who migrated, we interacted with

many cultures through trade. We are one young nation.

Global influences have continuously assimilated with

our local culture. Is the “bahaykubo” concept purely

Filipino, as is the “bahay na bato”? Then I will go

back again to the reflection regarding the localness

and globalness of architecture. Architecture in modern

lingo is something we call ‘glocal.’ It is ever

evolving and would continue to do so, because it is

made to adapt to contextual needs. But metaphorical

symbolisms may be other issues that are debatable and

up for discussion. Buildings, more than physical

expressions of an identity, are also highly-functional

and economical. Also, highly-functional does not mean

cheap or aesthetically bland, but the beauty and

contemplative nature of the building is part of its

suggestive nature.

National identity I believe is taking form in the

strength of the culture while being able to assimilate

to the strengths of other cultures. There should be a

balance. It is being able to design inclusive buildings

that can inspire unity, even in diversity. National

architecture for me is architecture that can bring a

community together because of good planning, in such a

way that it encourages social interaction and care for

one another–even if the people are strangers to each

other.

What kind of architecture can we truly and proudly call

our own? This article is not meant to dictate or impose

a specific design, rather it invites the citizens to

reflect on the questions that were raised. We should

continuously ask ourselves, what does being Filipino

mean? What is to be Filipino? Then slowly, we can start

expressing those sentiments in the concrete physical

form of our buildings.