05/09/2026
๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ
Did you know that DM Consunji, Inc. (DMCI) completed the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in less than two years, from November 1974 to September 1976, just in time for the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Meeting on October 4, 1976?
Designed by National Artist for Architecture Leandro V. Locsin, the PICC became Asia's first international convention center and remains one of the country's foremost examples of brutalist architecture.
The project was part of a massive national effort to prepare for the prestigious gathering of more than 4,600 delegates. At the time, DMCI was responsible for constructing half of the PICC complex while simultaneously building the Philippine Plaza and undertaking the renovation and expansion of the Manila Hotel. Delivering these major projects within the same tight timeframe highlighted the company's capacity to execute multiple landmark developments at once.
Despite the scale and complexity of the undertaking, DMCI completed its portion of the PICC in just 23 months. The project required the driving of about 20,000 prestressed piles, the largest number the company had ever used for a single development.
The PICC was inaugurated on September 5, 1976, marking the completion of one of the country's most ambitious construction projects of its time.
Fifty years later, the landmark continues to serve as a venue for significant international gatherings. The PICC will serve as the main venue for the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Summits from November 13 to 15, 2026.
In his memoir, A Passion to Build, DM reflected on the experience of building the iconic convention center:
โThe architect for the PICC was Lindy Locsin, my colleague on many projects for many years. Like the Cultural Center, which he also designed, the PICC did not pose great engineering challenges or technical difficulties for us. The real challenge there was meeting the deadline-we were given less than two years to finish the huge convention center and it took quite a lot from us to do it. Considering that we were also doing two large hotels at the same time, it was quite a feat for us to have finished the PICC in 23 months, from November 1974 to September 1976.
What made the PICC extraordinary was its size. We must have used about 20,000 prestressed piles in that whole complex, the most number of piles we had ever driven for any one project.
The PICC is a sprawling convention center made up of a number of interconnected structures.
A project of that size would normally take three years or more to finish. But with the looming deadline, we had to devise ways to complete it in less than two years. We fabricated a lot of modular forms that we could use and reuse to save time. Our workers were on two shifts; work was almost non-stop, 20 hours a day.
Those were very trying times, so we felt a great sense of accomplishment when we finished the PICC as scheduled.โ
Through the years, the PICC has hosted some of the world's most prestigious events, including the 1994 Miss Universe Pageant, APEC and ASEAN Summits, the World Law Conference, and performances by internationally acclaimed artists such as Luciano Pavarotti, the Bolshoi Ballet, Janet Jackson, Michael Bublรฉ, Josh Groban, Ricky Martin, Burt Bacharach, and Lea Salonga.
Declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines in 2022, the PICC continues to stand as a timeless symbol of Philippine architecture, engineering excellence, and the construction expertise that brought a national vision to life.
Sources:
A Passion to Build: A Memoir of David M. Consunji
www.picc.gov.ph
Photo: A Passion to Build: A Memoir of David M. Consunji
