Architect Gabriel P. Formoso (+), whose modernist buildings became part of the visual landscape of postwar Manila, has been named a National Artist for Architecture, receiving the country’s highest recognition for contributions to Philippine arts and culture decades after his death.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. conferred the honor through Proclamation No. 1414, signed on Sept. 1, 2026. Formoso is one of 10 new National Artists for the 2025 cycle, and one of four recipients recognized posthumously. He died in 1996.
Formoso’s career was closely tied to the growth of modern Philippine cities. He started his architectural practice in 1939 and was among the first 100 licensed architects in the country, according to GFP Architects, the firm that traces its roots to his practice.
His portfolio included buildings that remain familiar landmarks in Metro Manila, among them the Asian Institute of Management, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the Bank of America–Lepanto Building, the Manila Peninsula, and the former Manila Garden Hotel, now Dusit Thani Manila. His work also extended to residential projects, reflecting the breadth of a practice that served both major institutions and private clients.
Rather than relying on elaborate ornament, Formoso’s work was marked by clarity of form and function. His buildings often used strong geometric compositions, concrete, and carefully considered openings and shading devices. GFP Architects describes his former office building on H.V. dela Costa Street as a typical Formoso work, citing its simplicity, rigid geometry, monochromatic palette, and exposed concrete.
His approach developed during a period when the Philippines was redefining its built environment after World War II. The shift toward modern architecture was visible in the expanding business districts and institutional centers of Metro Manila, where Formoso was among the architects who gave the capital some of its defining modern buildings.
The National Artist recognition adds a national distinction to a body of work that had already received professional recognition during his lifetime. Among these were the Professional Regulation Commission’s Outstanding Architect of the Year Award in 1979 and the United Architects of the Philippines’ Likha Award in 1990.
For Philippine architecture, Formoso’s posthumous recognition also places greater attention on the buildings that continue to frame everyday life in the metro. His legacy is visible not only in individual structures but in a period of Philippine architecture when modern design was becoming closely tied to the country’s expanding institutions, businesses, and urban aspirations.
The 10 New National Artists of the Philippines
National Artist for Architecture – Gabriel Formoso (+)
National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts – Armando “Bing” Lao (+)
National Artist for Literature – Gregorio Brillantes (+) and Nicanor Tiongson
National Artist for Visual Arts – Imelda Cajipe-Endaya and Nunelucio Alvarado
National Artist for Dance – Rafael “Nonoy” Froilan
National Artist for Design – Maria Beatriz “Patis” Tesoro
National Artist for Theater – Teodoro Hilado
National Artist for Music – Alfredo Buenaventura
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