My husband Robert and I are members of the Escolta Commercial Association Inc. (ECAI), a non-profit organization of Escolta building owners. On Sept. 1, 2011, we were invited by then Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, through heritage conservationist Gemma Cruz-Araneta, to attend a talk on Escolta. The lecture was given by Dominic Galicia, an architect deeply concerned with the preservation of historic architectural sites.
The year 2011 was a bad time for Escolta, which had 20 percent vacancy rate. We had been working with the Office of the Mayor since the time of Mayor Mel Lopez (1986-1992) to revive Escolta but development was difficult and unsustainable. We really needed the government to give us a leg-up.
We listened to Architect Galicia talk about Escolta, the premier business and commercial center of Manila from the late 1800s up to the early 1970s. We were mesmerized by his details of heritage structures, which made us appreciate the history and value of Escolta.
After that talk, Architect Galicia became the adviser of ECAI from 2011 to 2013. He helped guide our public-private initiative to revive Escolta, Manila’s historic downtown. He made the supreme sacrifice of driving every Thursday from Makati to Escolta to meet with us, together with Gemma Cruz-Araneta, heritage lovers, architects, and artists. When he left, the buildings on Escolta had almost 100 percent occupancy.
It is heartening to note that Architect Galicia is the son of our very own Mrs. Josefina Quimbo-Galicia (HS-39/AB-42/BSE-47), who is related to the whole Quimbo clan, alumnae of Holy Ghost College/College of the Holy Spirit.
A graduate and Distinguished Asian Pacific Alumni Awardee of the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, Architect Galicia specializes in designing churches, among them, the Church of St. Benedict in Ayala Westgrove Heights in Silang, Cavite; Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Antipolo; and the St. Alphonsus Mary de Liguori Parish Church, more popularly known as the Magallanes Church. His most famous work, I would say, is the National Museum of Natural History in Manila.
Architect Galicia gave another talk on August 29, 2020 via Zoom. Sponsored by the CHS Alumnae Foundation. He enlightened us about how architecture affects the spirit, about heritage, about the adaptive reuse for buildings and sites that are slowly disappearing. He was hopeful that the National Cultural Heritage Act or Republic Act No. 10066 will protect, preserve, conserve and promote the nation’s cultural heritage, its property and histories, and the ethnicity of local communities.
R.A. 10066, which was signed into law on March 25, 2009, created the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property, the repository of all information pertaining to cultural properties in the Philippines deemed significant to our cultural heritage. The law stops the destruction of buildings over 50 years old which are presumed to be important cultural property. He ended his talk by urging everyone to join the Heritage Conservation Society and work as one voice in advocating for the protection and preservation of our cultural and historical sites..
Architect Galicia also represents the Philippines in the International Scientific Committee on Twentieth- century Heritage (ISC20C) of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). He was president of ICOMOS Philippines from 2014 to 2017. He has served as Vice President of the Heritage Conservation Society (HCS). For two three-year terms, he represented HCS on the Executive Council of the National Committee on Monuments and Sites (NCMS) of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
The Tree of Life Courtyard in the National Museum of Natural History, designed by Arch. Dominic Galicia
PHOTO: DOMGALICIA.COM
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From left, Arch. Galicia, Gemma Cruz-Araneta, Lorraine and Robert Sylianteng enjoy a light moment at the unveiling of the historical marker of the First United Building formerly Perez-Samanillo Building in Escolta.
PHOTO: @ISIDRA.REYES.3 ON FACEBOOK
Arch. Galicia (back row, 4th from left) and members of the Escolta Commercial Association Inc. pose for a photo in front of the FUB building.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF LORRAINE Y. SYLIANTENG
