Manila Metropolitan Theater: A brief structured history
MANILA, Philippines — Not many buildings in the Philippines can boast of a history as decorated yet tumultuous as the Manila Metropolitan Theater, the oldest existing theater in the country.
The structure better known as the MET was the result of a proposal to build a theater in the northern part of Manila's Mehan Garden.
Architect Juan Arellano was tasked with designing the theater, departing from his neoclassical architectural style by utilizing instead an Art Deco style.
The MET was inaugurated in 1931 while the Philippines was under American occupation, and it continued to hold performances during World War II under Japanese rule.
The theater was affected by the 1945 Bombing of Manila as it lost its roof but saw its walls still standing.
A rehabilitation act was filed the following year. But over the next three decades, the remains of the MET became a site for informal settlers, a bar, and even a boxing arena.
The MET was named a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines in 1976 and two years later, reopened in 1978 after four months of restoration under the supervision of Arellano's own nephews Otillo and Alejandro.
The theater proceeded to hold several shows annually, but financial issues led to the MET becoming the site of Vilma Santos' variety show "Vilma!"
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An ownership dispute between the Manila City government and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) resulted in the MET's closure, with no restoration projects put into effect until 2007.
In 2010, the MET was named a National Cultural Treasure. A 2012 accident, however, postponed any plans of reopening.
Finally in 2015, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) received funds from the Department of Budget and Management and got ownership of the MET from GSIS since the theater was now a National Cultural Treasure.
Restorations again occured starting in 2017, with the intention of reviving some of the MET's original features. This includes the installation of mango, banana, and tropical leaf designs on the theater ceiling, although the seating capacity was brought down from 1,600 to just over 900 for safety reasons.
The lobby still has the same flooring from 1931 and it is decorated by two large replicas of Fernando Amorsolo's "The Dance" and "The History of Music" (the originals are in GSIS Museum) as well as bronze sculptures of Adam and Eve by Italian artist Franceso Riccardo Monti.
The ballroom's renovation was patterened after its design from the 1970s as there was no documentation of what the room looked like when it was first built.
The MET officially re-opened in 2021 to mark its 90th anniversary. To date, it is supervised and owned by the NCCA, with all income going to the theater's maintenance.
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