Project Title & Location
EXECUTIVE BUILDING, MALACANANG PALACE
Manila

Client
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS
Bonifacio Drive, Manila

Project Completion
June 1989

Associated Firms
ECT Consulting
Bondoc, Interior Design
APDAA, Landscape Architects
GALHIA, Architects

Services Provided
- A&E Services
- Site Development Planning

The San Miguel Brewery Plant in Aviles is an icon of the Commonwealth Era. The period is also known for the ascendancy of the company as a pillar of industry in the Philippines. It is no longer known who has precedent over the name San Miguel; the district, or the beer company? When the company started to expand by regionalizing its breweries, the facilities at Aviles adjacent to Malacanang lost its primacy. Eventually the complex had to be given up by the company. The lot has a direct frontage to the Pasig River and is a logical extension of the Palace grounds. The property has for its western boundary the San Miguel Pro Cathedral.

During the Aquino Administration, the need to consolidate the executive offices necessitated the restoration of the building for new uses. The President did not want to use the Malacanang as her functioning office, the spaces of which were made into the Malacanang Museum. The building carcass stayed; retrofitted with spaces renovated for a modern office. The offices of the President were built with bullet proof fenestrations, a direct connection to other rooms and easy access for emergency evacuation. In all the restoration work covers 21,120 square meters. Period furniture were added to complete the interior designs. The right landscaping designs reflective of a premier building were also introduced.