NCCA celebrates centennial of Art Deco style with 2026 calendar

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) continues its calendar tradition with the release of the 2026 edition. This time it commemorates the 100 years of Art Deco in the Philippines, coinciding with the global celebration of the architectural style and highlighting its beauty and enduring impact on the country’s landscapes.

Titled “A Century of Art Deco in the Philippines,” the calendar features 12 notable structures—one for each month—around the country that demonstrate how Art Deco influenced civic buildings, educational institutions, residences, and cultural landmarks across the archipelago during the twentieth century.

The calendar was conceptualized and designed by journalist, filmmaker, and cultural researcher Roel Hoang Manipon, who also wrote the texts and took many of the photographs featured in the publication. Additional images were contributed by Mervin Concepcion Vergara, Gerard Rey Lico, Ben Scharlin, Bien Alvarez, Lorraine Sy-Lianteng, Iya Cabrera, and Roezielle Joy Iglesia.

In his introduction, Manipon situates Art Deco within both global and local contexts, underscoring its importance in the country’s cultural history. He writes: “As it marks its hundredth year, Art Deco in the Philippines deserves recognition not only for its beauty but also for its role in shaping the country’s vision of modernity.”

The calendar opens with the Generoso M. Villanueva House, popularly known as Daku Balay, in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, followed by the First United Building in Binondo, Manila, one of the country’s earliest Art Deco office buildings. Other featured structures include the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Malate, Manila; the University of Santo Tomas Central Seminary Building in Sampaloc, Manila; and the Bulacan Provincial Capitol Building in Malolos City, Bulacan. Also highlighted are the Far Eastern University buildings in Sampaloc, Manila; Molo Mansion in Molo, Iloilo City, Iloilo; the Quezon Provincial Capitol Building in Lucena City, Quezon; the Old Municipal Hall of Jaro in Jaro, Iloilo City, Iloilo; the Old Tanauan Municipal Hall, now housing the Museo ng Tanauan, in Tanauan City, Batangas; and the Gala-Rodriguez House in Sariaya, Quezon. The calendar concludes with the Metropolitan Theater in Ermita, Manila, one of the Philippines’ most iconic Art Deco landmarks which celebrates its 95th anniversary in 2026.

The 2026 NCCA Calendar serves not only as a timekeeping tool but also as an accessible cultural reference—inviting Filipinos to rediscover how Art Deco helped shape the Philippine built environment and its aspirations for modernity.

For details on this press release, contact the Public Affairs and Information Office, through paio@ncca.gov.ph or 0945 788 5698. Visit www.ncca.gov.ph and the Facebook page @NCCAOfficial.