A Trip to the MET
A Trip to the MET
An exterior shot of the MET, taken from its entrance. (Photo courtesy of Crissy Aquino)
It’s not every day that you get to watch Filipino movies on the big screen for free, let alone watch it in a classic, almost timeless cultural gem embedded in the psyche of the capital.
And yet, this is what is looking to be a regular occurrence at the Manila Metropolitan Theater. In a bid to reinvigorate one of the city’s former cultural hubs, the Metropolitan Theater Management is conducting a series of free screenings at the hallowed Padre Burgos establishment. Last February 25, I went on a trip to the Metropolitan Theater to attend such an event, entitled “Mga Hiyas ng Sineng Pilipino”. Its literal translation being, “The Jewels of Philippine Cinema”, the program aimed to showcase different restored classics of Philippine cinema courtesy of the aforementioned organizations in partnership with other government organizations.
Beyond finding novel experiences I don’t encounter on a day-to-day basis, I see this as an opportunity to see the revival of a cultural space tucked away in the confines of the past. This bodes well for an average enjoyer like me, whose only understanding of a cultural space is from the articles occasionally written about its revival attempts and the firsthand accounts from older people. The closest I could get to seeing this picture unfurl before me were the recollections of my parents from visiting the MET to watch a theatrical performance of Cats. Given many factors, the least of which is the Philippines’ historical record of being reluctant to preserve structurally important spaces in Manila (see: Jai Alai, Capitol Theater), it’s not often that I have the opportunity to step into an important piece of Art Deco architecture and breathe the same air that my parents and many other cultural patrons of yesteryear once shared.
But thankfully, and perhaps, miraculously, we live in a scenario where the NCCA managed to secure the ownership of such an establishment thanks to a purchase deal from the GSIS in 2015. The commission had the burden of restoring and cleaning up a theater that had lived through countless revival plans and structural decay to settle as a popular edifice, dormant and waiting to see the light of day when it would be maximized again. It was, after all, originally built in the late 1920s to serve as a cultural space for plays, films, and various local and foreign products of the time. The difficulty in this task was being able to overcome the theater’s structural decay, which had worsened in the years since it closed in 1996 due to conflict in ownership. The idea that the Metropolitan Theater would succeed in its current capacity seemed unbelievable – yet as it stands, there is indeed, light at the end of this tunnel.
A restored and fixed Amorsolo painting, found on the second floor of the recently restored Metropolitan Theater. (Photo courtesy of Kyle Livelo)
Other collated works of art which can be seen in the MET lobby.
Though sections of the theater remain closed and are undergoing renovation as of this writing, the theater is open to a limited capacity. An initiative like “Mga Hiyas ng Sineng Pilipino” is a welcome treat to encourage people to drop by the theater in their free time. In my case, as a moviegoer located in another part of the Metro, the trip would require me to cross several landmarks along the way. To any other person, the MET might seem generally difficult to get to – but trust me, it’s well worth the trip.
Much can be said about its designs both inside and outside, how the fusion of pre colonial Filipino art and modern architecture create a structure that feels relatively unique in today’s world. But stepping inside its lobby offers more than just the fair share of “oohs” and “ahs” from any casual visitor. There is something relatively ethereal about stepping into a space that recalls an era that has long passed, especially when that capsule frozen in time was once used to showcase different cultural forms of Filipino entertainment. This isn’t your typical visit to the cinema. The feeling I experienced as I sat down inside the theater and saw Ishmael Bernal’s “Pagdating Sa Dulo” felt completely different. Among many things, it felt like a brief traversal into Philippine history as I imagined myself watching the same movie in a different timeline. Where a regular experience at the cinema would transport the viewer into a world completely confined inside their film of choice, this one felt like entering a portal into the old days; one that made people pine for something much more different from the currently sanitized and mechanical way of watching a film.
These sentiments are the products of a restoration that, while still ongoing, have so far extracted something great out of me, and perhaps others who were watching in the room could feel the same thing. After all, a theater nearly subject to becoming a distant memory is now being used to screen movies that would’ve otherwise suffered the same fate. It’s a wonderfully appropriate combination of things that I can’t help but be in awe of. The NCCA have been doing a particularly great job with making sure the decorations and designs are close to what Juan Arellano’s original designs were. Coupled with a state-of-the-art Dolby sound system and the domineering interior of the theater, that feeling of watching old actors like Rita Gomez and Eddie Garcia grace the screen is certainly something. I don’t even know if I have the right words in my vocabulary right to express this, but these opportunities are not something you easily get for free. On a normal day, having the chance to sit through such restored classics has its own barriers to entry: you have to stay updated by following the right Facebook pages; have enough money to pay either the 99-peso FDCP subscription or the 150-peso rental costs of KTX; you name it.
A wide shot of the MET’s theater proper from the orchestra section.
Of course, many nascent restoration projects like these are not without their little quirks and misgivings. The first set of screenings for “Mga Hiyas ng Sineng Pilipino” faced an unfortunate quagmire when on the original schedule of February 20, it had to deal with a power surge that forced the management to cancel screenings on the day itself, long after people have started preparing for their first trip to this cultural heritage site. The management itself also had to deal with some other minor mishaps in preparation for the screening. While these aren’t serious problems, they could still be refined to make sure that the publicity and exposure of the MET are continuously brought out for the public eye to see. It’s certainly a process that, with continued help and assistance from people who the MET caters to, will improve over time.
But whatever the case, I do think this is an opportunity that shouldn’t be passed on as much as possible. We’re living in an important period today in the Philippines where cultural heritage is prioritized to the extent that such programs and events are made possible. This is far more unprecedented than people think, and for anyone looking to find some form of reprieve or escape in a world that seems more tumultuous and disastrous by the day, consider a trip to the MET.
The MET, as of this writing, will soon be hosting its second set of screenings as part of the “Mga Hiyas ng Sineng Pilipino” series. On March 20, 2022, the MET will be screening Marilou Diaz-Abaya’s “Feminist trilogy” (“Brutal”, “Moral”, “Karnal”) for free from 10 AM onwards. Click here for more details on how to register and sign up for the screenings.
