^{A treasured autograph of Arch. Francisco “Bobby”  Mañosa}

^{(National artist, visionary, an inspiration)}

“There is no such thing as Filipino Architecture! Everything we have is borrowed”.  My thesis partner, Esperanza Gonzales (I know she will kill me by spelling out her complete name) and I felt incapacitated, humiliated and shattered, after hearing this from our thesis jurors. We have spent sleepless nights preparing for our thesis Project which is entitled Neo-traditional Lakeview Resort Villas in Caliraya Laguna…which is geared on bringing glory to Filipino Architecture as a focal point of our research... but with that statement from our jurors… as expected we failed the initial deliberation. That day, that phrase kept reverberating in my ears.  I thought everything has gone into pieces.  We were about to give up and just drop the subject and wait till next year to graduate or change our thesis proposal,  but a voice inside us is saying we should continue to fight; after all, there are still 2 more deliberations we are waiting for to eat us alive.

I have to prove them wrong. I must do something. We must do something. First person came into our mind is the Famous Architect and the so-called “Hero of Filipino Architecture” Francisco “Bobby”  Mañosa.  He is a  national artist noted for his Filipino inspired architectural designs.  He is also one of the seven visionary architects in Asia; First recipient of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) award for Architecture. I am very sure he will shield us from the piercing eyes of our jurors and I am very sure also with his achievements, and that it would be hard to have a tete a tete with him. How am I going to ask this famous architect to allot a time for us?  That is why, we told ourselves that we are  not expecting that he would personally attend to us, any of his staff will just be fine for a short interview as long as we would have a grasp of his works and philosophies but again this maybe impossible!  But we are still optimistic.  We emailed their office hoping to have a chance.  I received a call from his secretary, she was arranging the schedule of Arch. Mañosa to meet us and she told us that he preferred to personally answer our questions. Wow! We will have a chance to finally meet a famous icon in the history of Philippine Architecture!

   ^{Arch. Francisco “Bobby”  Mañosa}

We finally arrived in his office…and excited to meet him in person! We were like toddlers who were seeking seclusion from a parent.  We told our story and with much wisdom he shared to us...  “There is Filipino Architecture, the nipa hut or Bahay Kubo to Bahay na Bato are concrete exemplifications of Filipino Architecture.

He is an ardent admirer of Filipino Architecture, this could be seen in numerous projects he had designed. As he always say “I Design Filipino.”   Mañosa designs have been described as Neo-Vernacular. A compilation of his works, which summarizes his philosophies is now a book called “Designing Filipino”.

He explained that Filipino Architecture responds to its climate. The Bahay kubo which is a symbol of Philippine Architecture was designed organically. The open gabled roof is intended to allow ventilation; the materials used like bamboo, anahaw, nipa palms etc. are indigenous; its stilt type structure is made to get away with floods and rodents; the awning windows which is being supported by a stick (tungkod) can be adjusted according to the sunlight or ventilation you need.; the open plan layout (meaning no partitions) has been used to maximize the space --so it is not true that Frank Lloyd Wright  was the first one to use the open plan in house designs.

^{Bahay kubo, the symbol of Filipino architecture and ingenuity.}

Arch. Bobby Mañosa never stopped to impress us as he showed the scrapbook of his works. But despite his cheery disposition, he has only one sentiment----on why Filipinos would always go western in getting an inspiration for design. He said we must take pride of our cultural heritage towards forging an architecture that is at once truly Filipino and truly of our time. He said in one of his speeches, “We as Filipino citizens must continue to develop Philippine Architecture. By the practice of other cultures, we pollute the minds of the future architects.  We must stop copying other cultures. We have our own.”

The warm conversation made us really felt at home, as if we were only discussing with a friend. But I still can't believe that I had a chance to talk to him, that is why before we parted ways I asked him for an autograph… with a comical voice he told me, “look at this girl, now you want my autograph?” He had inserted the “architect” before my name; it's like something I have to keep as a goal back then.

We came up with our proposal incorporating new urbanism with Filipino Architecture.  We finished our thesis with pride.  Not just the thought of finishing it but the thought of going back to our roots and exploring the wonders known as Filipino Architecture. Yes, my friend there is a Filipino Architecture!

Jeanette Cano or Jen as her friends would call her is an Architect by Profession. She completed BS Architecture in Far Eastern University. Her Passion for the arts has brought her to her profession. Jen is now working as an Interior Architect in LINEA Design (www.lineadesignbahrain.com) based in Bahrain, it is a firm which she started with a partner to showcase to the world the artistic talents of Filipino interior designers and architects by outsourcing works from the Philippines. She is looking also for the possibility of exporting Philippine made building materials to Bahrain Market. She said that there are lots of things that a Filipino could boast off; we just need persistence, determination and opportunity. Since she was given the opportunity to start a design firm, she used this to give opportunity to fellow Filipinos.