In 2011, South Korean firmHanwha Engineering and Construction won the contract to manage the construction of the Philippine Arena. Hanwha outbested bids from Filipino firmEEI Corporation and done on August 17.[13] Hanwha announced that it had completed the construction of the indoor arena on May 30, 2014.[8] The venue was not formally inaugurated until almost two months later.
Inauguration
The Philippine Arena, along with Ciudad de Victoria, was officially inaugurated on July 21, 2014. Philippine PresidentBenigno Aquino III and Iglesia ni Cristo Executive MinisterEduardo Manalo unveiled the marker of Ciudad de Victoria.[14]
Building details
Concept
The initial design concept of the Philippine arena was inspired bynarra tree, the mother tree of the Philippines, and the root ofbanyan tree.[15] The roof was inspired byNipa Hut.[16]
Architecture
Populous, a global mega-architecture firm, designed the arena through their office inBrisbane, Australia.[17] The official website of the sports facility describe's the structure's architectural style asModernist.[18] The arena has been master-planned to enable at least 50,000 people to gather inside the building and a further 50,000 to gather at a ‘live site’ or plaza outside to share in major events.[17] The seating bowl of the arena is a one-sided bowl and is partitioned into two parts, the upper and the lower bowl each with approximately 25,000 seating capacity. The lower bowl is the most used part of the building and the architectural design allows for easy separation of the lower bowl from the upper tier, by curtaining with acoustic and thermal properties. A retractable seating of 2,000 people capacity is also installed behind the stage which is used by the choir of the Iglesia ni Cristo for events of the church.[2]
The seating layout of the arena is different from that of a standard arena where the stage is at the middle and is surrounded by seats. The seating of the arena closely resembles that of aGreek amphitheater, built in a semi-circle with the seats at the sides and front of the arena stage. The seatings are divided into three sections. Each of the sections are colored green, white and red: the colors of the Iglesia ni Cristo flag.[19]
The arena has four floors or levels. Level 1 is the stage level, Level 2 is the main access level open to the general viewing public, Level 3 is the VIP area which also houses conference rooms with views facing the main plaza outside the indoor arena building, and Level 4 is the upperconcourse.[2]
Furthermore, contractor Hanwha hired their own architecture firm, Haeanh Architects for the project.[2]
Structure
Interior - upper box lobby
Built on 99,200 square meters (1,068,000 sq ft) of land, the arena has a dome over 9,000 square meters (97,000 sq ft).[20] The oval roof has a dimension of 227 m × 179 m (745 ft × 587 ft)[21] and contains 9,000 tons of steel work. The roof was made as a separate unit to reduce burden on the arena with extra load. The arena is 65 meters (213 ft) in height, or about fifteen stories high and founded on pile construction. About a third of the dead load of the building was designed for earthquake loads. The building was also divided into multiple structures to strengthen the arena's earthquake resistance.[16][22]
Landscape
PWP Landscape Architecture, the firm who landscaped theNational September 11 Memorial & Museum,[23] designed the landscape for the arena and the whole complex ofCiudad de Victoria. For the arena, a series ofoutdoor plazas,gardens and performance venues form the setting for the development including: The North and South Arrival Plazas, The Promontory Plaza, The Great Stairs, and Ciudad de Victoria Plaza that are all related to each other with two cross axes (N-S and E-W) that intersect at the Promontory Plaza. Two fountains that can shoot waters up to 15 meters (49 ft) are also installed in front of the arena.[11]
The arena serves multiple purposes, hosting major church gatherings of theIglesia ni Cristo (INC) and functioning as a versatile sports and concert venue. It accommodates various events, includingboxing,basketball, and live music performances, but notassociation football or field events due to its limited size. For field events, the adjacentPhilippine Sports Stadium, also owned by the Iglesia ni Cristo, is used. Every seat in the arena offers a clearline of sight, even with different configurations such as church ceremonies, boxing matches,tennis, concerts, or indoorgymnastics. The INC allows non-Iglesia tenants to use the arena but reserves the right to prohibit activities that violate its religious principles, such asgambling-related events andcockfighting.[17][24][25]
On October 19, 2014, the Philippine Arena hosted its first commercial and non-INC event with theopening ceremonies of the2014–15PBAPhilippine Cup. It was attended by 52,612 people, making it the largest attendance record for an opening ceremony in PBA history. It again hosted the opening ceremonies for2019PBA Philippine Cup on January 13, 2019, attended by 23,711.[26]
The most attended PBA game of all time was recorded in the arena on January 15, 2023, whenBarangay Ginebra San Miguel playedBay Area Dragons in front of a crowd of 54,589 for Game 7 of the2022–23PBA Commissioner's CupFinals. It broke the previous record of 54,086 set back on October 27, 2017, at the same venue during Game 7 of the 2017 Governors' Cup Finals. Game 6 of the same series on October 25 also recorded a crowd of 53,624.[27]
February 18, 2018 – NLEX Road Warriors beat Blackwater Elite in the first game, 93–90, while Meralco Bolts defeated Barangay Ginebra in the second game, 84–82.
January 15, 2023 –2022–23PBA Commissioner's CupFinals Game 7: Barangay Ginebra defeated Bay Area Dragons, 114–99. The match recorded a crowd of 54,589, making it the largest attendance record for a PBA game.
FIBA 3x3 World Cup
The2018 FIBA 3x3 World Cup was hosted by the Philippines on June 8–12, 2018 with Philippine Arena as the venue. Serbia won the men's tournament, while the women's tournament was won by Italy. The event was co-organized byFIBA.
The Philippine Arena duringU2'sJoshua Tree concert on December 11, 2019.Coldplay performs for over 48,000 fans at the Philippine Arena on January 20, 2024, during theirMusic of the Spheres Tour.
The Philippine Arena has hosted several concerts by both local and international artists. Notable acts who have performed at the venue includeBlackpink, the first musical act to hold multiple nights and sell out two shows at the arena with theirBorn Pink World Tour;[30]Bruno Mars, the first solo artist to sell out two shows at the arena withhis 2022–24 tour;[31]Coldplay, who hold the record for the highest attendance by a musical act at the arena with a combined total of 96,079 attendees during theirMusic of the Spheres World Tour;[32]BINI, the first local act to headline and sell out a show at the arena withtheir 2025 world tour;[33] andSB19, the first local act to hold and sell out two consecutive shows at the arena, and the first Filipino act to sell out a concert at the arena in less than seven hours, with theirSimula at Wakas World Tour.[34][35][36][37]
Other events
On November 30, 2019, the Philippine Arena hosted theopening ceremony of2019 Southeast Asian Games. It was the first time that a SEA Games opening ceremony was held in an indoor arena.[38]
Sa Tamang Panahon, a special episode ofKalyeserye segment from the noontime variety showEat Bulaga!, was held in the arena on October 24, 2015. It was reportedly attended by a record of 55,000 people after it sold out three days after the announcement.[39]
The Philippine Arena was featured in a documentary calledMan Made Marvels: Quake Proof. It aired onDiscovery Channel on December 25, 2013, and focused on making structures in the Philippines more safe from natural disasters in general such as earthquake and typhoons.[42]
The live television event ofSa Tamang Panahon, a special episode ofKalyeserye segment fromEat Bulaga!, drew around 55,000 people on October 24, 2015, making it one of the most attended event held in the Philippine Arena.[39]
Disney+ Philippines' launch eventA Night of Wonder with Disney+ was held at the Philippine Arena on November 17, 2022, featuring local Filipino singers performing Disney hit songs in an illuminated empty arena around projections of clips from various Disney films.[43]
^Salud, Joel Pablo (November 5, 2012). Joel Pablo Salud (ed.)."Dawn of the New Guard"(magazine).Philippine Graphic.23 (23). Makati City, Philippines: T. Anthony C. Cabangon: 23.OCLC53164818.
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