INTERIOR DESIGN IN THE PHILIPPINES SINCE WORLD WAR II, AND A

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PIID by: Reuben Ramas Caete, Ph.D. I.

I. The Post-War Period: Reconstruction and the Establishment of Interior
Design in the Philippines (1946-1963)
After the devastation of World War II, urgent reconstruction
of destroyed or damaged buildings and their interiors were
jumpstarted, primarily through American government aid to the newlyestablished Philippine government, and private investment from locals
and foreigners based in the country. Interior Design as a discipline was
still firmly under the field of Architecture, with architects designing the
interiors of their own building projects. Among the more prominent
practitioners of the early post-war years was Ernest Korneld, an
Austrian- Jewish architect and longtime Manila resident who designed
the reconstructed Jewish synagogue in Manila, Temple Emil, in a
restrained modernist style in 1947 (Ephraim 2003, 187-188). Prominent
Filipinos who were assiduous art collectors also practiced interior
design, primarily by influencing others to follow the designed interiors
of their homes, as was the case of Arturo de Santos and Luis Ma.
Araneta (Villanueva and Perez 1993, 95). Since Interior Design was not
yet a regulated profession at the time, anybody who provided furniture
and lighting, collected and hung art on walls, or did the curtains,
upholstery, and carpets were considered interior decorators, even if
they didnt have the proper education or training. This would escalate
throughout the late-1940s to 1950s, as the pace of reconstruction
increased, and demands for interiors, primarily of the new middle-class
housing (primarily the split-level bungalow, as well as the apartmentrowhouse), as well as the upper-class ranch house soared. Foreigners
like Phyllis Harvey and Audrey Guersey, who were primarily involved in
furniture manufacturing, had a flourishing business in interior design
throughout the Fifties and Sixties.
The advent of a professional Filipino interior design practice
would emerge by the early- mid 1950s, primarily as a result of several
Architecture graduates of the University of Santo Tomas (UST), then
under the directorship of National Artist for Visual Arts Victorio Edades,
pursuing either more advanced Interior Design studies in the United
States; or advocated a more professional outlook of interior design as
integrated to structural design in their architectural practice. These
included Wilfredo Wili Fernandez, Leticia Leti Sablan Limpo, Belen
Sablan Morey, Edith Oliveros, and Mercedes Ched Berenguer
Topacio. UST would also be the first Philippine school to introduce
Interior Design as a Fine Arts major starting in 1954, its first teachers
being Ched Berenguer Topacio, Leticia Sablan Limpo, Belen Sablan
Morey and Sonia Santiago Olivares. Architecture graduates in other

Manila schools also turned to interior design at this time, including

Lorenzo Lor Calma, who finished architecture at Mapua Institute of
Technology in 1954.
The Interior Design profession became more specialized
through the return of Filipino architect-teachers who were trained in
interior design abroad; and the emergence of locally- trained Filipino
architects who exclusively designed their own interior projects, and
sourced material via local suppliers. These included Belen Sablan
Morey, Leticia Sablan Limpo, Ched Berenguer Topacio, Sonia Santiago
Olivares, and Myrna Cruz, who all returned from graduate studies at
the New York School of Interior Design between 1953-1955; and Edith
Oliveros, who took a masters degree in Interior Design at Drexel
Institute at Philadelphia. Ched Berenguer Topacio, Edith Oliveros,
Sonia Santiago Olivares, Lor Calma, Edgar Ramirez, Antonio Viria,
Myrna Cruz and Antonio Zamora, among others, would also be involved
in setting up regular showroom displays at the Aguinaldos
Department Store in Echague, Manila starting in the mid- 1950s, which
was the most popular venue for introducing interior design styles and
furnishings to local clients. These efforts were the result of the
expansion of the post-war building boom from reconstruction in
central Manila and Pasay to the spread of new suburban projects,
especially in upscale residential villages in Makati (Forbes Park, San
Lorenzo Village, Dasmarias and Bel-Air Village), San Juan (Green Hills),
and Quezon City (Santo Domingo, White Plains, and La Vista) by the
mid-late-1950s (Travel Time 2001a). However, with the rapid expansion
of the middle-class housing and office construction industry by the
early 1960s, the need for professional regulation was felt to elevate
Interior Design to a respectable and nobler field in the Allied Arts.
II. The Emergence of the PIID (1964-1969)
In a series of meetings held throughout the middle part of
1964 (first at Jade Vine in Malate, Manila; and then a major meeting at
Summit Restaurant in Malate in August 17), the idea of establishing a
professional organization of interior designers was agreed upon by a
group that included Lor Calma, Ched Berenguer Topacio, Wili
Fernandez, Mel Gana, Rosario Luz, Edgar Ramirez, and Antonio
Zamora. The final selection of the first batch of officers of the
prospective organization occurred in the house of Lor Calma in New
Manila. Registering with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) on September 9, the group agreed on the name: Philippine
Institute of Interior Design (PIID), Inc., whose Articles of Incorporation
was certified by the SEC on September 30, with License Number
25860. Elected to two-year terms, the initial roster of PIID officers in
1964-1965 were Antonio Zamora (President); Wili Fernandez (Vice- 20

President); Lor Calma (Secretary); and Ched Berenguer Topacio

(Treasurer). Subsequent PIID Presidents in the Sixties were Ched
Berenguer Topacio (1965-1967); Wili Fernandez (1967- 22 1968); and
Lor Calma (1969-1971). PIID was initially conceived along the
organizational lines of the American Society of Interior Designers
(ASID) and the American Institute of Interior Designers (AIID), in which
membership is classified hierarchically into Professional (for 2 Filipino
senior practitioners), Affiliate (for foreign practitioners), and Associate
(for Filipino 3 junior practitioners). In 1965, the roster of Professional
Members included Lor Calma, Joaquin 4 Imperial, Rosario Luz, Pacita
Qua, and Edgar Ramirez. The roster of Affiliate Members included
Audrey Guersey, Phyllis Harvey, Ernest Korneld, and Ronnie Laing.
Finally, the roster of Associate Members included Nena Avecilla, Edith
Oliveros, Sonia Santiago Olivares, and Nena Villanueva. The premiere
activity of the PIID during this early period of its organizational life
(ending in 1969) was the annual Design and Decoration Show, first
held at the seventh floor of the Architectural Centre in Makati in
December 1964, when exhibition showrooms designed by Antonio
Zamora, Ched Berenguer-Topacio, Wili Fernandez, Betty Regala, Pacita
Qua, Joaquin Imperial, Mel Gana, Lor Calma, Rosario Luz, Ronnie Laing,
Pandot Ocampo, and Edgar Ramirez was seen by ten thousand
visitors, an unprecedented crowd at the time (Woman 13 and Home 27
December 1964 & 19 December 1965). The design trends varied
widely, from the use of historical or Eclectic styles favored by Imperial,
Ramirez, and Qua; to the sleek Modernism of Zamora, BerenguerTopacio, Laing, Calma, Regala, and Ocampo; and the emerging NeoVernacular style of Fernandez and Gana.
The 2nd 17 Design and Decoration Show in December 1965,
held at Northern Motors Showroom at Buendia, had as its theme
Contemporary Uses of Historical Themes. Out of 19 sixteen
exhibitors, fifteen were PIID members: Edgar Ramirez, Ernest Korneld,
Sonia Santiago Olivares, Joaquin Imperial, Nena Ocampo Villanueva,
Mel Gana, Nena Avecilla, Audrey Guersey, Ched Berenguer Topacio,
Edith Oliveros, Pacita Qua, Phyllis Harvey, Wili Fernandez, Lor Calma,
and Ronnie Laing (Woman and Home 19 December 1965). An
innovation in the 1965 show was the execution of furniture designs
done by three student winners of the 1st 23 PIID Interior Design
Competition, which were won by Jose Ma. Johnny Hubilla (1st place);
Gerardo Gerry Contreras (2nd place); and Beckie Delfino (3rd place).
It would also be in 1965 that the Interior Designers Association of the
Philippines (IDAP), was organized whose membership composed of
graduates of Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) major in Interior Design course
through the support of Belen Morey and Ma. Theresa Gatuslao. The
IDAPs pioneering activity was a National Wallcovering Contest (Woman
and Home 24 December 1965,). The expansion of Interior Design as an

academic major in the tertiary level would also be observed in this

period, as Edith Oliveros and Lor Calma establishes the Philippine
School of Interior Design (PSID) in 1967. Furthermore, Leti Limpos and
Belen Moreys curriculum model adapted from the New York School of
Interior Design was established for the Interior Design course at the
University of Santo Tomas (UST) in the late 1950s with a bachelors
degree major in Interior Design. The 3rd Design and Decoration Show
was held in January 1967, and featured the works of PIID members
Nena Ocampo Villanueva, Rosario Luz, Joaquin Imperial, Edgar Ramirez,
Audrey Guersey, Ernest Korneld, Antonio Zamora, Sonia Santiago
Olivares, Mel Gana, Edith Oliveros, Phyllis Harvey, Edong Lazatin, and
Wili Fernandez. Their works showed an increasing specialization
towards specific styles, such as Neo-Vernacularism for Fernandez; the
Modernized Greco-Roman Style of Imperial; the ornate Baroque Style of
Ramirez; and the Ilustrado Style of Luz. By the December 1968 Design
& Decoration Show at the Northern Motors Showroom titled Problem
Room, however, an increasing emphasis towards sleek modernism,
individuality, urbanism, and Eclecticism became the norm. With
designs from nineteen PIID members (which included Ched Berenguer
Topacio, Ernest Korneld, Johnny Hubilla, Rosario Luz, Sonia Santiago
Olivares, Edgar Ramirez, Phyllis Harvey, Nena Avecilla, Audrey
Guersey, Lor Calma, Nena Ocampo Villanueva, Edith Oliveros, Boots
Soler, Evelyn 6 1Vales Garcia, Pacita Qua, Wili Fernandez, Joaquin
Imperial, Pandot Ocampo and Gerry Contreras), the 1968 show would
mark a high point of design showcases by the collective membership of
the PIID that would not recur for another twenty years, as social strife
and economic uncertainties started to undermine the confident vision
of the immediate future, starting with the First Quarter Storm of 1970.
III.Steady Growth Towards Professionalization (1970-1999)
In 1971, despite the constant turmoil of student activism and
political violence (such s the August 21 Plaza Miranda bombing), a
venue for industrial design was available via the Bold Look Collection
of the House of Puyat, held at The Plazas Presidential Hall, featuring
the designs of Mel Gana, Evelyn Vales Garcia, Johnny Hubilla, Edith
Oliveros, and Duane Quintal (Olivares 1998, 16). With the advent of the
New Society under President Ferdinand Marcos in 1973, the initiative
of interior design fell to the government, which under First Lady Imelda
Romualdez Marcos reorganized the cultural sphere via state-sponsored
institutions like the Design Center of the Philippines (DCP), and the
Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). The need to accommodate
thousands of foreign dignitaries attending the 1976 International
Monetary Fund-World Bank (IMF-WB) conference in Manila through the
construction and decoration of 22 major new international hotels was

the primary impetus for interior designers to showcase their

contributions.
The Seventies was thus characterized by individual PIID
members undertaking interior design projects primarily for tourismrelated structures like hotels, airports, and resorts. Besides tourism
facilities, another area was designing new interiors for houses of the
middle-upper class of the period, primarily with the expansion of gated
subdivisions in Makati, Quezon City,Mandaluyong, Pasig, and
Muntinlupa. The 1970s was initially characterized with hard-edged
forms and bright colors associated with industrial design and High
Modernism, which would be juxtaposed with Pop Art elements. In the
late-1970s, the use of softer, organic forms, the reemergence of NeoVernacularism, the Ilustrado Style, and the dominance of Tropical
Modernism (particularly the introduction of rattan furniture in interiors)
would typify Filipino Interior Design. Along with Edith Oliveros, Mel
Gana, Sonia Santiago Olivares, Wili Fernandez, Johnny Hubilla, and
Gerry Contreras, new PIID members like Duane Quintal, Boots Soler,
Angelita Bondoc, Ramon Antonio, Luis Antonio, Josephine Opat
Hermano, and Manny Castro emerged as prominent interior designers
during the Seventies to early Eighties (Travel Time 2001a; Oliveros and
Florendo 2014, 130). PIID Presidents during the Seventies were Edith
Oliveros (1971-1972); Evelyn Vales Garcia (1972-1975); Sonia Santiago
Olivares (1975-1976); Nena Ocampo Villanueva (1976-1978); and
Johnny Hubilla (1978-1980). In the field of interior design education,
Leticia Sablan Limpo initiated the improvement of the Interior Design
curriculum at the College of the Holy Spirit between 1970-1975 were
she introduced the thesis requirement of a book research, together
with an actual graduation exhibit for the interior design students of the
College of the Holy Spirit, a hand-on experience in putting up actual
interiors settings as designed. On the other hand, a Bachelor of Interior
Design course was instituted at the College of Home Economics (CHE),
University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman in 1973 as a joint program
between College of Home Economics and the College of Architecture
(CA).
In the 1980s, capital flight and political uncertainty following the
1983 Ninoy Aquino assassination would force homeowners to build
smaller homes, like the townhouse and multi- level
apartment/condominium unit. Postmodernism and futurist dystopias
were the new dominant styles, with the return of classical motifs on
modern spaces using synthetic materials; or the use of high
technological designs inspired by films like Star Wars, Terminator, or
Blade 8 Runner. Nonetheless, it was also in the early-1980s that the
impetus towards fulfilling the professionalization efforts of the mid1960s was anchored on firmer ground, following the formation of the

Specialty Board of Interior Design (BoID), under the Board of

Architecture of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) in 1982,
and whose first members were Julio Matias, Lor Calma, and Belen
Sablan Morey. The administering of the first licensure examinations for
Interior Design followed in October 1983. Thirteen examiners took this
first exam, of which eleven passed. Among the passersand thus the
first locally licensed interior design practitioners in the Philippines
were Ma. Lourdes Abad, , Ma. Theresa Battad, Sherby Co, Maria Nerissa
Galang, Ma. Fleur delys Granda-Sison, Evangeline Belinda Kuizon, Ma.
Consuelo Laya, Maria Encarnacion Marichi Limpo-Costelo, Ma.
Antoinette Relleve, Ma. Janet Ocampo, and Ma. Elena Yiguez (Nubla
December 19, 1983). In February 1984, following the passage of
Resolution No. 2 of the Specialty BoID, 57 other interior design
graduates were sworn in as licensed interior designers. Thereupon, the
board examinations for interior design was held every October,
yielding a harvest of roughly fifty to seventy board passers every year
from 1984-2000; and from 2001 onward, between 110-240 passers per
year. A growing concern for the professional society to put its position
existence in place and to assert its rights in the industry It was also at
this time that the members of the IDAP were integrated into the PIID,
forming a single organization in order to have a strong voice and
establish its goals and standards of practice; whose membership
spanned from new interior design graduates to senior professionals;
and which can now work together to enforce tighter guidelines of
professional practice, and begin working for the full independence of
Interior Design from Architecture. The Modernist logo of the expanded
PIID would also be designed at this time by co-founder Lor Calma.
With the Specialty Board for Interior Design created by the
PRC through the Board Resolution of the Board of Architecture, a need
to standardize interior design curriculum among schools and
institutions offering the interior design program was established by
1979. The Council of Interior Design Educators (CIDE) was initiated and
formed by Belen Sablan Morey and is composed of the following
member-schools: UST, College of the Holy Spirit, PWU, Assumption
College, UP, PSID, La Consolacion College Bacolod, University of St.
Louis Tuguegarao, UE Caloocan and St. Scholasticas College. CIDE was
formed to unite and implement guidelines for the preparation of Board
Exam questions via the standard curriculum. In particular, CIDE
decides how to come up with scope of subjects in its teaching
procedures and other requirements. To date CIDE has legitimized its
existence with the efforts of the organizations officers to register with
the SEC in order to comply with proper documentation.
Despite the uncertainty of this decade, exhibitions featuring
Filipino interior designs still occurred. From February 7-29, 1983, the

PIID presented and sponsored its 9th interior design show called
Buhay Pilipino at the 9th Floor of the then-new Allied Bank Building
along Ayala Avenue corner Makati Avenue. The show highlighted the
traditions, customs and varied 1influences (foreign, indigenous and
ethnic) that shaped the Filipino lifestyle at the time. The PIID exhibitors
included: Nardy Aquino, Evelyn Suarez, Sonia Ongkiko, Edith Oliveros,
Tony Adriano, Gerry Contreras, Andre Soriano, Roland Laurena, Ronnie
De Jesus, Yolinda Pe, Raymond Fuentes, Budji Layug, Ramon Antonio,
Luis Antonio, Manny Castro, Belen Sablan Morey, Sonia Santiago
Olivares, Ched Berenguer Topacio , Wilfrid Nicholo Magcase, Josephine
Labrador Hermano, Tirso Umale, Jiro Estaniel, Myrna Guiang Limcaco,
Edong Lazatin, Willi Buhay, Joselito Querubin, Johnny Hubilla and
Jacqueline Vega. The lobby of the building was converted by Lor Calma
and other PIID members into a rain forestthemed Buhay Filipino 10
1 interior (Interview with Lor Calma, 16 June 2014). From 1985 to 1987,
the PIID coordinated with the state-run Center for International Trade
and Exhibitions (CITEM) under then-Director Mina Gabor to promote
interior design within the Philippines, as well as abroad. CITEM
provided financial support to bring exhibit materials, furniture,
accessories to the different Asian countries to showcase Philippine
products and design expertise of the Filipino Interior Designers,
through an actual exhibition showcase. Through this support, design
exhibitors were able to travel to other countries in Asia to showcase
Philippine Design. This program between PIID and CITEM resulted in a
travelling show from June-July 1985 titled Accents on Philippine
Interior Design. The show went to the United Arab Emirates, Brunei
Darussalam, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore and
Bangkok Thailand. The featured members of the travel group were
Ched Berenguer Topacio, Josephine Hermano, Edgar Ramirez, Edith
Oliveros, Tony Adriano, Belen Morey, Evelyn Garcia. (PIID Secretariat.
Email to author 25 July 2014). This was on top of the annual Furniture
Market Week inaugurated by CITEM in 1985 that featured PIID designer
furniture for local consumption (Olivares 1998, 23). In addition,the
holding of the ASEAN Summit in Manila in December 1987 after the
restoration of democracy by President Corazon Aquino provided ample
opportunities for PIID members to decorate the suites and conference
facilities of the foreign delegations (Herico 1987,). It was also in
December 1987 that the first newsletter of the PIID, Mozaic, was
published under President Raymond Fuentes, and had Gemma Aldea as
its founding Editor in Chief. In the international awards circuit, Ched
Berenguer-Topacio gave distinction to Philippine interior design practice
from the late-1980s to the early 1990s for her winning using
outstanding furniture designs. Among these were the 1987 Roscoe
Award for her Petal Collection Furniture Design; the 1988 Roscoe Award
for her Matador Chair; and the 1992 Neocon Award for her Orient
Klismos Chair.

New emerging interior designers of the 1980s included Tony

Adriano, Roland Laurena, Antonio Budji Layug, Jiro Estaniel, Nardy
Aquino, Alexander Ogie Periquet, and EdongLazatin (Travel Time
2001a; Oliveros and Florendo 2014, 147); Co August 13, 2014). The
PIID Presidents during the 1980s were Lor Calma (1980-1981), Gerry
Contreras (1981-1983), Evelyn Suarez (1983-1984), Jiro Estaniel (19841985), Nardy Aquino (1985-1986), and Raymond Fuentes (1987-1990).
Starting in 1987, efforts were underway to legislate
improvements to the professionalization of interior design practice and
its regulation. Leticia Sablan Limpo, together with Belen Sablan Morey,
and Gerry Contreras initiated to draft an interior design bill filed in
Congress and Senate and faithfully followed up in Congress for the
next 12 years. The efforts at legislation began with a Senate Bill
sponsored by Senator Teofisto Guingona in 1990. This would
eventually result in Republic Act 8534, signed by President Fidel Valdez
Ramos in February 23, 1998, in the presence of Speaker Jose de
Venecia, PIID President Gerry Contreras, and members of the PIID
Board at Malacaang Palace. RA 8534 defines Interior Design for the
first time as an autonomous and regulated discipline separate from
Architecture, and invests the BoID with its own regulatory entity
separate from the Board of Architecture. Licensure examination
requirements were tightened, and unlicensed interior design
practitioners were penalized under this new law. Foreign practitioners
were also required to get temporary work permits before being
allowed to practice locally.
In this period, the conditions of interior design practice had
started to normalize and accelerate following the normalization of the
economy after the coup attempts, natural disasters, and power crisis of
1989-1992. The PIID, through the efforts of its senior members,
specifically Edith Oliveros and Belen Morey became accredited to the
international interior design organizations, namely the Asia Pacific
Space Designers Alliance (APSDA) in October 1991 at its national
convention in Taiwan. This further enhanced the PIIDs presence in the
region; and in October 1995 the PIID was accepted as member in the
professional category of the International Federation of Interior
Architects/Designers (IFI) at its international convention held in
Nagoya, Japan. These recognitions were indeed a moral upliftment for
professional interior designers in the Philippines, and in order to further
prove its worth, the PIID became the Accredited Professional
Organization (APO)now Accredited Integrated Professional
Organization or AIPO)by the PRC. The PIID is recognized by the PRC
as the only Accredited Professional Organization (APOnow AIPO) for
Interior Designers, which mandated that all successful passers of the

board examinations be automatically members of the PIID. Along with

the interior design courses of UP, UST, CHS, PSID and Assumption
College, schools that opened new interior design courses include St.
Scholasticas College, University of San Carlos Cebu, La Consolacion
College Bacolod, University of the East Caloocan, Philippine Womens
University Manila, and the College of Saint Benilde Manila via a feeder
program from PSID (Travel Time 2001a).
Starting in 1993, the PRC, as a means of acknowledging the
contributions of professional practitioners in their chosen field,
launched the Outstanding Professional of the Year Awards for Interior
Design. The awardees in the 1990s included: Ched Berenguer Topacio
(1993), Edith Oliveros (1994), Edgardo Ramirez (1995), Wili Fernandez
(1996), Lorenzo Calma (1997), Sonia Santiago Olivares (1998),
Josephine Labrador Hermano (1999), and Leticia Sablan Limpo 23
(2000).
With the implementation of Republic Act 7356 creating the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in 1992, the
Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the NCCA mandating the
creation of national committees in the various arts began to be
implemented in the late 1990s, although the IRR would not be encoded
in definitive form until 2010 (National Commission for Culture and the
Arts 2010). Among its provisions were cultural heritage preservation of
Filipino structures and their interiors; and the implementation of grants
and awards via the various committees. Interior Design, resides in the
Subcommission of the Arts, National Committee on Architecture and
Allied Arts, which includes the fields of architecture, landscape
architecture, interior design, industrial design, and fashion.
With the economic expansion of the countryside in the 1990s,
from Calabarzon in southern Luzon, to Metro Cebu and other areas,
interior design practice expanded dramatically outside Manila. The
explosion of new electronic equipment inside the home necessitated
new design solutions, as well as the dramatic range of design materials
that was now possible with globalization, such as imported marble,
tiles, and furniture. Traditional and contemporary Asian designs fused
with international accents once more became the predominant theme
(Olivares 1998, 27), followed by more modern versions of the NeoVernacular style; and the arrival by the late-1990s of fantasy design
such as the Mediterranean and Neo-Modern styles. Among the top
emerging interior designers of the 1990s would include Leo Almeria,
Arlen de Guzman, Wilfrid and Maritess Magcase, Tina Periquet, Manny
Samson, Ivy Almario, and Conrad Onglao (Travel Time 2001a; Florendo
2014). The PIID Presidents of the 1990s were Belen Sablan Morey
(1991-1992), Johnny Hubilla (1993-1996), and Gerry Contreras (1996-

2001). It was alsoin the late-1990s that more regular activities of the
PIID membership started, primarily around the annual anniversary
celebrations. This resulted in the reappearance of the PIID membership
exhibitions in such venues, as the WorldBex conventions starting in
1998; as well as sponsored anniversary celebration events that started
in 1998, and continued into the 2000s. Among other events that PIID
would also be noted with in the 1990s was the 1998 Outstanding Store
Designers Awards given by the Philippine Retailers Association, of
which the following interior designers were cited for their exemplary
work for their respective store clients: Miguel Pastor (for Bench-SM
Megamall); Victor Ruel Pambid (for Island Spice-Festival Mall); and Maja
Olivares-Co (Rustans Makati Expansion).
In 1998, the PIID also established a College of Fellows that
distinguished its most senior and well-known members during its
anniversary every September. 35 PIID members have so far been
included in the PIID College of Fellows from 1998 to 2013. They are:
Ched Berenguer Topacio, Lorenzo Calma, Leticia Limpo, Belen Morey,
Edith Oliveros, and Edgardo Ramirez (for 1998); Josephine Hermano,
Jose Ma. Hubilla, Roland Laurena, and Sonia Santiago Olivares (for
2000); Cynthia Belleza, and Gerry Contreras (for 2001); Nardy Aquino,
Jiro Estaniel, and Raymond Fuentes (for 2004); Leo Almeria, Arlen de
Guzman, Wilfrid Magcase, Sonia Ongkiko, and Jacqueline Vega (for
2006); Antonio Adriano, Sherby Co, Ma. Suzette Cocuaco, and Ma.
Angelica Fajardo (for 2009); Luis Antonio, Ramon Antonio, Marilin
Arellano, Manuel Castro, Fernando Ocampo, Evelyn Suarez, and Nena
Ocampo Villanueva (for 2010); Francisco Maosa (for 2012); and Lilia
de Jesus, Raquel Florendo, and Ma. Theresa Magcase (for 2013).
IV.Consolidation and Expansion for the Future (2000-2014)
At the dawn of the New Millennium, it was felt that many
provisions of RA 8534 were insufficient to address professional
concerns among interior designers, necessitating moves to strengthen
the profession via a new law. These concerns included the legitimacy of
using the term interior designer (or IDr) among unlicensed
practitioners; the integration of senior unlicensed practitioners; and the
loopholes concerning reciprocity agreements for interior design
practice in other countries. Through a series of board meetings and
consultations with the BoID and members of the House and Senate
from 2006 onward, the PIID leadership was able to shepherd a new law
that reinforced the interior design profession in 2012, with the signing
of Republic Act 10350 by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III on
December 17. RA 10350 addressed most of the loopholes found in RA
8534, and further strengthens the autonomy of interior design through
separate licensure and penalties against unscrupulous designers.

Interior design plans now require thorough documentation and

licensing rules. The prefix IDr is now exclusive only to licensed
professionals. Foreign consultants are now required to have permits in
order to work in the country, and are also required to have a local
licensed practitioner as counterpart with a minimum of ten-years
experience to interpret and execute their plans (Enriquez 20 February
2013, D3). In line with the updating of interior design regulation, the
PIID has also upgraded its Code of Ethics and By-Laws to reflect the
new changes resulting 23 from RA 8534 and RA 10350.
In 2000 2003, an important milestone for PIID was the
appointment of Belen Sablan Morey to the Board of Consultants (BOC)
as PIID representative, together with other professional groups to
undertake the revision of the National Building Code. This required
detailed committee work in order to update policies and guidelines for
the building industry by the DPWH under Chairpersons Angel Lazaro
and Salvador Pleyto. The Ancillary Permit Form for Interior Design was
prepared and approved by the BOC under Belen Sablan Morey by July
2003, and recommended to the DPWH Secretary for implementation.
For many PIID members, however, the day when permits for interior
design projects could be easily facilitated has yet to come.
Nonetheless, the acknowledgement of the contributions of senior
professionals in the field of Interior Design continue to be undertaken
by the PRCs Outstanding Professional of the Year Awards. Awardees in
the 2000s include: Gerardo Contreras (2001), Rolando Laurena (2002),
Cynthia Belleza (2003), Belen Sablan Morey (2004), Jiro Estaniel
(2005), Wilfrid Magcase (2006), Raymond Fuentes (2007), Leo Lino
Mothermoso Almeria (2008), Ma. Theresa Magcase (2009), Antonio
Adriano (2011), Manuel Garcia Samson (2012), Francisco Tronqued
Maosa (2013) and Raquel Florendo (2014).
Along with the effort to update RA 8534 into RA 10350, the
period 2001-2012 also marked the need by the PIID to register all
unlicensed senior and provincial practitioners under the Grandfathers
Clause, which allows those who have practiced for 10 years previous to
the passing of RA 8534 to apply to the PRC BoID to get licenses subject
to the submission of their design portfolio. This was overseen by the
PIID as an advocacy program to help legitimize and professionalize the
practice of senior designers who didnt take the BoID licensure
examinations for various reasons. In the early part of the 2000s, the
PIID continued its interaction with CITEM in promoting Filipino interior
design practice, products, and services in international fairs. This was
particularly realized via the Philippine Solo Exhibition from March 2730, 2003 at the Shanghai Convention Center in China, which was held
in order to promote Filipino products in the burgeoning Chinese market;
to establish links with Chinese importers/exporters who can access this

market; to establish a foothold on the Chinese market; and to identify

niches in the Chinese market were Filipino products could compete.
The participating interior designers in this show were: Marcelo Alonzo,
Sherby Co, Necita Cheng, Michael Pizarro, Celynn Imperial, Josephine
Opat Hermano, Lor Calma, Czarina Allanigue, Amalia Santillan,
Debbie Chua, and Dorothy Gosingco.
With the effectivity of RA 8534, the PIID, under the Office of
the Executive Director for Professional Practice and Continuing
Professional Education, reiterated and pursued the advocacy to
legitimized unlicensed practitioners and coordinated with the PRC CPD
Council committee on promoting programs for cultural heritage
consciousness appreciation for traditional design among PIID members
that earns CPD credit units for the renewal of their PRC licenses. Three
heritage tours for these PIID members have been undertaken so far via
the efforts of IDr. Marcelo Alonzo: to the Islas Filipinas de Acuzar in
Bagac, Bataan (2011); Carcar City, Cebu (2012); and Intramuros,
Manila (2014). In 2010, the IFI Congress in New York City advocated to
promote world consciousness of the interior design profession through
a designated common date to celebrate World Interiors Day as
proclaimed by the Mayor of New York, USA. A further means of
increasing consciousness among the public for a regulated and
professional interior design profession was undertaken when President
Benigno Simeon Aquino III issued Proclamation Number 390 on May 25,
2012 declaring every last week of May as National Interior Design
Week. Presidential Proclamation 390 was celebrated by the PIID on
June 1, 2014 via a public lecture on interior design by Marcelo Alonzo,
Trisha Padernal and Lady Mayo at the Fully Booked, Bonifacio Global
City branch. The lecture was also held to celebrate the 50th 2
Anniversary of the PIID with the support of CIDE.
The decade starting from 2001 has been filled with many ups
and a few downs, starting 4with the unstable Joseph Erap Estrada
presidency (1998-2001), the second EDSA Revolution (2001), and the
extended term of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2001-2010). By
2002 however, the economy has started to grow, and has since grown
continuously for the past 53 quarters, a major achievement for
economic stabilization and national progress. Rapid population
expansion and the rise of real estate prices have, however, forced
many in the Metro Manila and Metro Cebu areas to live in smaller
apartments, townhouses, and tower-type condominiums; while house
building has expanded in the provinces. The spread of a global
lifestyle-oriented fantasy interior aesthetic has continued, abetted by
mass consumption of cable channels. A stronger emphasis on both
Asian Contemporary, as well as a Tropical version of Neo-Modern styles
have also become prominent, along with the need for incorporating

more high technology in electronics like wi-fi, satellite TVs, internetconnected appliances, and CCTVs. This dramatic economic expansion
in the regions is captured institutionally via the opening of new
regional Chapters of the PIID, starting with PIID Western Visayas
Chapter at Bacolod City (February 2004); PIID Central Visayas Chapter
at Cebu City (July 2008); PIID Eastern Visayas Chapter at Tacloban City
(January 2010); and PIID Mindanao Chapter at Davao City (August
2011). The expansion of PIID membership nationwide has also led to
the need to organize national conventions. The first PIID National
Convention was held in March 2010 at the Philippine International
Conventions Center (PICC) and SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. In
addition, the decade began with the PIID hosting the International
Convention of APSDA at PICC from October 3-6, 2002.
Another national linkage that strengthens the PIIDs ability to
influence interior design excellence among young professionals is its
inclusion of a permanent representative in the jury of the Metrobank
Art and Excellence Awards (MADE) instituted in 2004, wherein entries
in the fields of Interior Design and Architecture in this national
competition would be overseen by a 5panel composed of members
from the PIID and the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP). The
first Grand Prize winner of the MADE Interior Design category was IDr.
Marybeth Tabaquin-Ting in 2005; followed by IDr. Jasmine Oyek Sy
(Grand Prize) and IDr. Teresita Guevara (Special Prize) in 2006; IDr.
Wilhelmina Garcia (Grand Prize) and IDr. Cheryl Montebon (Special
Prize) in 2007; IDr. April Rose Frigillana (Grand Prize) and IDr. Adrian del
Monte (Special Prize) in 2008; IDr. Karina Diana Cortez (Grand Prize)
and IDr. Pauline Joy Cuevas (Special Prize) in 2009; IDr. Maureen Grace
de Jesus (Grand Prize) and IDr. Heidruth Milan (Special Prize) in 2010;
and IDr. Angelo Venci del Mundo (Grand Prize) and IDr. Childy Elamparo
(Special Prize) in 2011.
In addition, senior and professional members of the PIID also
achieved international renown during this decade for their outstanding
achievements in interior design practice in the Philippines. Among
them, IDr. Maja Olivares-Co added international prestige to PIID by
winning, alongside Philips Lighting, the Award of Merit from the
International Illumination Design Awards (IIDA) in 2002 for their
illumination design of the Essences store in Rustans. In another
instance, IDr. Joey Yupangco won Honorable Mention at the 2008 Seoul
Design Competition, with the theme Design is Air. The competition
focused on design opportunities for sustainable city life.
In 2011, the PIID instituted the Disenyo Awards, as a means of
recognizing the lifetime achievements in interior design, that
manifests the highest degree of professionalism and integrity, thus

bringing honor and pride to the Interior Design profession and to the
Filipino people. The first batch of Disenyo Awardees for 2011 was:
Gerry Contreras, Jose Ma. Hubilla, Leticia Sablan Limpo, and Belen
Sablan Morey. On the international front, the PIID became part of the
IFI Fellowship Awards held in Kuala Lumpur in May 20, 2014, that
recognized the exemplary international achievement within the
Interior Architecture/Design profession, and to honor those who lead,
connect, inspire, enrich, and influence the interior architecture/design
profession in significant and outstanding ways. IFI President Shashi
Caan, and members of the 2011-2014 IFI Executive Board awarded ten
awardees coming from various IFI member- 9 organizations that night.
For the PIID, the IFI Fellowship recipient was Belen Sablan Morey.
Between 2010 and 2011, the restoration of the Paco Public Market
under IDr. Maja Olivares-Co through the support of the national and
local government, Rustans Group of Companies, and the Pasig River
Warriors under Gina Lopez, was highlighted by the visit of Presidents
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (during its groundbreaking rites) and Benigno
Aquino III (during its inauguration), as well as meriting international
attention via a feature in the global cable news channel CNN.
Aside from the PIID, parallel organizations that help
professionalize interior design education and integration to
professional practice among interior design students and graduates
were established. These include the Council of Interior Design
Educators (CIDE) initiated by Belen Morey to standardized school
curriculum program offering Bachelor of Science in Interior Design
(BSID), and the Student Auxiliary Body of the PIID (PIID-SAB). As far as
identifying the top emerging interior designers of the 2000s is
concerned, the PRC BoID under Chairperson Sonia Santiago Olivares in
June 2014 outlined a list of both emerging and senior PIID members
that was felt to inspire the high school students to consider interior
design as a career via its Career Guidance Advocacy Program. The
interior designers that were highlighted by the program are: Arlen de
Guzman, Wilfrid Magcase, Eduardo Calma, Johnny Hubilla, Manny
Samson, James Jao, Marcelo Alonzo, Ivy Almario, and others. The PIID
Presidents that have served since 2001 are Belen S. Morey (20012003), Gerry Contreras (2003-2007), Arlen de Guzman (2007-2012),
and Rogelio Caringal (2012-2014).
With the passing of RA 10350, the implementation of
updated Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) rules and
guidelines under the PIID By-Laws and Code of Ethics, and the PRC
BoID regulation of the interior design licensure system and final
printing of in the National Building Code of Ancillary Permit for Interior
Design, the dreams of the PIID founders that August day in 1964 could
at last be considered fulfilled, with a challenge to move on. The

professionalization of an autonomous interior design practice, that

incorporates and also makes distinct its contributions to the built
environment within architecture and landscaped space, is now moving
beyond the needs for standardized regulation and professionalization,
and is now going into the area that needs greater concern for the
practitioner: excellence of work, creativity and originality of ideas, and
the inculcation of Filipino spirit and identity through both national and
global competency in the interior design profession. As a testament of
the degree that the discipline of interior design has matured in the
Philippines, Leticia Sablan Limpo asserts that: Interior Design does not
confine itself to the aesthetic and psychological aspects of design. Our
training and professional experience develop our skills to make a space
livable, yet fulfill the desired effect and individuality that we want to
project.
The Filipino culture is young, yet our standards of taste
have gone a long way. A few years ago, the Interior Decorator was
competent enough to satisfy the requirements of the trade: now it
takes a professional Interior Designer to do it. All over the world, the
Filipinos are known to have a high standard of good taste and we
should be proud that there is an increasing demand for our
professional designers, not only in our country, but elsewhere (Limpo
2014).
To further enhance the integration and coordination
between the training and practice of the professionals in the
preparation for entry level to the industry, the Tripartite Assembly
composed of PRC BoID, PIID & CIDE was formed in 2011. The assembly
meets every quarter to discuss the concerns that affects the interior
design profession.
The onset of international competition for the Philippine
creative industries under the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)
starting in December 2015 challenges the collective talents of all PIID
members, and helps them to inspire, encourage, think, and to deliver
world- class Filipino interior design that is creatively unique,
aesthetically desirable, and efficiently designed with a high level of
global competency. This is a firm commitment that the PIID will pursue
as it heads towards its Diamond Jubilee on September 30, 2039.