Cubao collosus

The other night, I was watching one of those feature programs on cable on the "making of" a movie. Moviegoers have become so sophisticated that they now need to know how special effects are done or how stunts are coordinated. I prefer to just go see a show and leave my disbelief at the door. But I had nothing better to watch that night, the other channels being full of talk shows covering the latest political comedy of the week.

The movie was Gladiator. It was a good thing that the show featured the effects and not Russel Crowe’s self-conscious acting. What was truly amazing in the movie was how they recreated the gigantic Roman Colosseum, an engineering marvel that accommodated up to 45,000 blood-thirsty citizens. Emperor Vespasian had built it in the 1st century A.D. to appease city crowds with free circuses and gladiator matches.

Field Of Dreams

Well, today, we have cable TV for that, but I remember that in the 1960s we had our own marvel, a great structure that I had forgotten to feature in last week’s article on "Philippine architecture in the 1950s." I dug into my half-opened boxes (I’m slowly unpacking my stuff now) to look for my research material on the Philippine version – The Araneta Coliseum.

The coliseum has been standing in Cubao for so long that most people probably feel that it’s been there since panahon pa ni Mahoma. (whoever Mahoma was). Well, it wasn’t. That corner of Cubao was a large open field with radio towers of the RCA Corporation until 1952 when Don Jose Amado Araneta bought the 35-hectare property. His company, the Progressive Development Corporation, quickly set about developing the land to compete with other emerging pockets of development like Makati and northern Quezon City.

The industrialist-sportsman felt that what was needed was a landmark able to house the largest Filipino crowds for sports and other events. This, he felt, would also draw more people to set up businesses in the area and within the Araneta Complex. After all, it was at the busy crossroads of Aurora Boulevard and Highway 54.

Engineering Marvel

Apparently, the coliseum was not the product of any well-known architect but the creation of an engineering team led by PDC’s manager Dominador Lugtu and engineer Leonardo Lugtu. Their team included Marcianbo Santiago Jr., Emelie Amador, Agusto Alfonso, Fidel Angeles, Edgardo Gatilao, Ramon de Leon, Jacinta Calilung, Roberto Tina, Edmundo Orgaza, Elpidio Movilla and Benjamin Santander (I do like to make sure unsung heroes get credit!).

The proportions of the design were indeed heroic. The coliseum has a clear span of 108 meters (357 feet). The dome is suspended 10 stories (121 feet) above the arena floor, which itself is a half-acre in area. The dome was Imeldific before its time.

Construction started in 1957 and it took two more years to complete. The base of the coliseum and its tiers were cast concrete. The dome was made of steel with 48 main ribs meeting in a compression ring that floated high above the floor. The roof was of aluminum, the most modern material of the day. AG& P Manila was chosen as the engineering fabricator and contractor. It was a job fit for gladiators.

The dome finally opened on March 16, 1960 with the world championship fight of Flash Elorde versus Harold Gomes. Da Flash won, but the other winners were the Filipino people who now could boast that they had the "biggest covered coliseum in the world." This title was confirmed by international engineering bodies and the Araneta Coliseum held the title for three years. It still is today’s largest enclosed coliseum in Southeast Asia.

Dome-Estic Memories

My first memories of the dome were of the "Holiday on Ice" shows that came every Christmas. Filipinos were suckers for those ice-capades. I believe that they even adopted the Bayanihan dancers for one of their tours. The other recurrent events I remember were the visits of the Harlem Globetrotters. They played funny ball.

In all of these, I remember the dizzying heights we had to climb and the hard seats of the coliseum. The view, nonetheless, was exhilarating. I went back regularly to partake of the feasts of visual delight – circuses, acrobats, Deodato and then the famous Ali-Frazier fight. Of course, there was the annual Binibining Pilipinas, that carnival of female pulchritude that is now a cultural institution.

The dome went through a bad patch in the late 1970s and in the ’80s. The roof started to leak often and competing venues were more comfortable. All that has changed now. After a P200-million refurbishment, the dome is back to its old glory. The roof has been fixed, the seats are now first class all the way. They’ve got NBA-class scoreboards and even classier new restaurants that could give the Makati ones a run for their money.

I do miss some of the old surroundings of the dome. The original A&W was at the corner and enticed all to come with the neon sign "After the Show, A&W is the place to go!" I also miss the miniature golf on one corner of the property that was eventually converted to the Ali Mall. And I also miss Vasquez Brothers where my mother used to buy our school supplies. This was replaced by a National Book Store branch under the dome.

In the ’70s, I ate my first Jollibee hamburger at the Coronet Theatre nearby. I had my first beer guzzle fests with college buddies in holes-in-the-wall near the Farmers Market. But this is all gone and we all moved on, too.

Cubao will never be without the Coliseum. They are one and the same to me. We could invite Russel Crowe to perform at the dome. But I hope they use real lions this time. Trust me, the world will be a better place afterwards!

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Feedback is welcome. Please e-mail the writer at citysensephilstar@pacific.net.ph.