PSID honors 10 icons

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine School of Interior Design (PSID) starts the first quarter of the year with a grand alumni homecoming today called “Home After Forty-Four,” marking the first ever homecoming since its founding in June 1967.

“It’s PSID’s way of inviting our students back home after 44 years. It is also the administration’s way of letting our students from way back know that we now have a new home and that they are very much welcome in it,” shares PSID president and administrator Charo Yujuico.

The event will be held today at the new home of PSID in the Asian Institute of Art and Design Building on Bayani Road, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. The grand alumni homecoming celebrates PSID’s 44 years as the premier academic institution for interior design education. Home After Forty-Four also kicks off the formation of the PSID Alumni Association.

One of the highlights of the event is the launch of PSID’s Ten Iconoclasts, 10 outstanding alumni that have made a name for themselves in the different avenues of interior design.

“PSID celebrates their accomplishments and they have made the school very proud,” adds Charo. The event also features a mini-exhibit of a gallery of past projects of PSID alumni.

PSID 10 iconoclasts are:

Luisa Delos Santos Robinson

With an Industrial Design degree from the Philippine Women’s University, Luisa graduated from the PSID in 1984. Today, she is a prominent figure in furniture design, an active member of Movement 8, and winner of three Katha Awards from CITEM and another three from Cebu X. She is also a recipient of the 2006 Mugna Special Citation for Material Innovation and a 2006 Furniture Design Award from Singapore. She is the owner and design director of Accessoria Inc., a company that manufactures and exports home accessories.

Genevieve Siao

Gene graduated cum laude from the University of the Philippines with a BS in Landscape Architecture and garnered the top three spot in the National Licensure Examinations for Landscape Architecture before pursuing interior design studies at the PSID. Gene graduated from PSID in 2003 and a former board member of the Philippine Association of Landscape Architects (PALA). She was a 4th runner-up in the Mutya ng Pilipinas 2002.

Chitz Legaspi

Chitz started out with a degree in Computer Science at the AMA Computer College before pursuing a career in interior design, graduating from PSID in 1997. Chitz’s has been featured in Bluprint and Condo Living magazines and Urban Zone on ABSCBN.

Milo Naval

Milo studied architecture at the University of the Santo Tomas and graduated from the PSID in 1982. Milo is one of the founding members of Movement 8. He owns Evolve Designs, Inc. and his furniture collections have been showcased in shows in Valencia, Milan, New York, Paris and Cologne.

Jigs Ranada Adefuin

Jigs is a product of the consortium between the College of Saint Benilde DLSU and the PSID. His career in the interior design field consists of visual merchandising, garnering for him the award for Outstanding Sales Performance of the Year twice in a row in 2003 and 2004 from Ethan Allen.

Marcelo Alonzo

Marcelo graduated BS Zoology from the University of the East before pursuing his interior design studies at the PSID, graduating in 2000. He is the managing director of St. Nicolas Crafts, an export company that specializes in home accessories and decorations. He is currently a lecturer at the Philippine Women’s University.

Rocky Robinson Robins

Rocky graduated from Ateneo with a Business Management degree and from PSID in 2009. His practice allowed him to be an exhibitor at international expos in Milan, Italy and Valencia, Spain. He is also a regular exhibitor for Worldbex International. Rocky is a contributing stylist for Metro Home magazine.  

Wilfrid Nicholo Magcase

Nicky has degrees in mass communication and political science and philosophy before he graduated from PSID in 1975. He was named Interior Designer of the Year in 2006 and designed the College of St. Benilde Hotel, Kimpura and Peking Garden in Greenbelt 5. He is president of WM Magcase Design Company and is a member of the Heritage Conservation Foundation of the Philippines.

Josephine Labrador Hermano

Opat received her PSID certificates in 1974 after graduating with a degree in commerce at the College of the Holy Spirit and a post-graduate course in Economics in Georgetown University in Washington. She was awarded Outstanding Professional of the Year in 1999 by the PRC for her contributions in the field of publishing and interior design.

Valentina Lee Ang

From a masters degree in Business Administration, Valen took up interior Design in PSID and graduated in 1982. Valen is business unit head and the EVP for CWC Industries, Inc. Valen believes that the business industry can work well within the parameters of an interior design practice when the company addresses the creative needs of the designers and architects.