HERE’S giving credit to whom credit is due.
In what can be perceived as a rare display of common sense and historical acumen, the Aquino administration takes a sudden leap forward with its decision to infuse P27 million for the restoration of The Metropolitan Theater (The MET).
The money will be used by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts to purchase the theater from the Government Service Insurance System for a series of restoration efforts.
The MET has suffered decay and extreme neglect through the years. The theater, a one-of-a-kind art-deco structure designed by Juan Arellano, opened in 1931 as a venue for the performing arts.
It stood on what was once called the Mehan Garden along historic Padre Burgos Avenue (now called Sining Kayumanggi), right across from the Manila Central Post Office building, which Arellano also designed together with the Legislative Building.
Decades earlier, around 1862, the Teatro del Príncipe Alfonso XII stood near where The MET stands. Found along Plaza Arroceros, the Teatro burnt down 14 years later. The idea of again building a theater in Manila came during the early years of the American colonial period and was approved by the Philippine legislature.
The first 10 years that came on the heels of its opening saw performances from foreign classical artists such as Amelita Galli-Curci, Fritz Kreisler and Jascha Heifetz. Local zarzuelas and shows were also featured at The MET.
In one of its most courageous displays of nationalism, various artists used The MET to support anti-Japanese plays and dramas that helped spread the resistance headed by the guerrilla underground. It was then that a concert scheduled for the Manila Symphony Orchestra was canceled due to a raid conducted by the Japanese army.
The level of neglect and disrepair it suffered forced the government to close down The MET in 2012. Since then, The MET had deteriorated further and stood as a crumbling monument to how the Philippine government views our culture and heritage.
If the government’s infusion of fresh capital stands as a sign of its commitment to the arts and the preservation of heritage sites, then The MET’s restoration could signal a step toward the right direction.
In many European countries, vintage theaters have raked in millions of dollars in tourism money. Who knows what The MET could bring once it’s restored to its former glory?
Image credits: Jimbo Albano
1 comment
They dont really deserve any credit yet. This attempt to purchase the MET was only reactionary to the efforts of the City of Manila to purchase the MET and develop it themselves.
Lets wait for what they can do with it after the purchase.