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<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-17/picc.webp" alt="Philippine International Convention Center" loading="lazy" />
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(Philippine International Convention Center)
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<p>
In 1974, then President <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/595/today-in-philippine-history-september-11-1917-ferdinand-e-marcos-was-born-in-sarrat-ilocos-norte" class="news_link">Ferdinand E. Marcos</a> signed the Presidential Decree No. 520 which authorized the Central Bank of the Philippines (present day Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) to construct an international conference building, acquire a suitable area for that purpose, and organize a corporation to manage a conference center. Thus, the PICC was organized under the Corporation Code.
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This was a part of Marcos' efforts to make Metro Manila as one of Southeast Asia's financial centers.
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The construction of the PICC Complex was undertaken in a short span of 23 months, from November 1974 to September 1976, with Leandro Locsin as its architect. It is composed of five building modules: the Delegation Building, Secretariat Building, Plenary Hall, Reception Hall and The Forum.
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<p>
Locsin was subsequently named National Artist for Architecture.
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<p>
From its inception to the present, the PICC has also hosted the annual Awards Night of the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS), the Philippine-equivalent of the Academy Awards, mostly at its Plenary Hall.
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<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-17/picc-2.webp" alt="Plenary Hall of the Philippine International Convention Center" loading="lazy" />
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(Plenary Hall of the Philippine International Convention Center)
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<p>
The PICC was the venue of the World Chess Olympiad and the Miss Universe in 1994, the APEC meeting in 1996, and the 3rd Informal Summit of the ASEAN in 1999.
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<p>
The PICC also served as the home of the Office of the Vice President of the Philippines until 2005.
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<b>Source:</b>
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<ol class="article-sources">
<li>
Philippines News Agency archives
</li>
<li>
Presidential Decree No. 520, s. 1974, <a href="" class="news_link" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/</a>
</li>
</ol>



September 5, 1976: the Philippine International Convention Center was officially inaugurated