Philippine International Convention Center (PICC)

The Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) stands on Vicente Sotto Street inside the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Pasay, Metro Manila, on reclaimed land facing Manila Bay. Opened on 5 September 1976, it is documented by the venue as Asia's first international convention centre, built in 23 months after Presidential Decree No. 520 authorised the Central Bank of the Philippines to create it, and it opened just ahead of the 1976 IMF-World Bank meeting. Its architect was Leandro V. Locsin, a National Artist, and the building is a Brutalist landmark of floating concrete volumes; in 2022 the PICC and four of its intrinsic artworks were declared a National Cultural Treasure. The complex is made of five modules, the Delegation Building, Secretariat Building, Plenary Hall, Reception Hall and The Forum added in 2003, on a 12-hectare site with more than 70,000 sqm of floor area, 38 meeting rooms, a Muslim prayer hall, reflecting pools, courtyards and the APEC Sculpture Garden of 20 works donated by member economies. It holds 117 paintings and 36 sculptures, including Jose Joya's Pagdiriwang, Arturo Luz's Anito and Grid, and 93 benches by Napoleon Abueva. The PICC has hosted APEC in 1996 and 2015, ASEAN summits in 2017, the 1994 Miss Universe and the 1992 World Chess Olympiad. It has 428 parking spaces; the nearest rail stop is LRT-1 Vito Cruz, a short jeepney or taxi ride away, and Ninoy Aquino International Airport is a 15 to 20 minute drive.