The National Commission for Culture and the Arts has unveiled its 2026 calendar, turning the spotlight on a century of Art Deco in the Philippines as part of a global observance of the influential architectural style.
Titled A Century of Art Deco in the Philippines, the calendar features 12 landmark structures from across the country, one for each month, tracing how Art Deco shaped civic buildings, schools, homes and cultural spaces during the 20th century.
The project was conceptualized and designed by journalist, filmmaker and cultural researcher Roel Hoang Manipon, who also wrote the texts and took many of the photographs. Additional images were contributed by Mervin Concepcion Vergara, Gerard Rey Lico, Ben Scharlin, Bien Alvarez, Lorraine Sy-Lianteng, Iya Cabrera, and Roezielle Joy Iglesia.
In the introduction, Manipon places Philippine Art Deco within both global and local contexts, noting its role in defining the country’s idea of modernity.
“As it marks its hundredth year, Art Deco in the Philippines deserves recognition not only for its beauty but also for its role in shaping the country’s vision of modernity,” he writes.
The calendar opens with the Generoso M. Villanueva House, also known as Daku Balay, in Bacolod City, followed by the First United Building in Binondo, Manila, among the country’s earliest Art Deco office buildings. Other featured sites include the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Malate; the University of Santo Tomas Central Seminary Building in Sampaloc; and the Bulacan Provincial Capitol in Malolos City.
Also included are the Far Eastern University buildings in Sampaloc; Molo Mansion in Iloilo City; the Quezon Provincial Capitol in Lucena City; the Old Municipal Hall of Jaro in Iloilo City; the Old Tanauan Municipal Hall, now Museo ng Tanauan, in Batangas; and the Gala-Rodriguez House in Sariaya, Quezon.
The calendar closes with the Metropolitan Theater in Ermita, Manila, one of the country’s most recognizable Art Deco landmarks, which turns 95 in 2026.
Beyond marking dates, the 2026 NCCA calendar doubles as a cultural guide, inviting Filipinos to look again at how Art Deco left its mark on the nation’s cityscapes and its pursuit of modern life.
