History, art, and memories of Señor Federico Aguilar Alcuaz at Manila Pavilion

A visit to Manila Pavilion along United Nations Avenue could take you on a trip down memory lane. It was here at the former Manila Hilton, after all, that everything began. Back when the hospitality industry was walking its baby steps, Manila Hilton became the hub of the country’s elite, politicians and wealthy families, as well as diplomats from other countries. 
 

At 22 stories, “Manila Pavilion was the second biggest hotel in Manila and we were the tallest. Makati was just a marshland that time. To go for fine dining, you either went to Manila Hotel, the Intercon or Manila Paviion in 1968,” said Manila Pavilion’s General Manager Christopher Park.
 

Parties were lavish, fashion shows and art exhibitions were grand. The crème of the crop had to be there and had to be seen. It was the place to be.  
 

Journalist Sol Vanzi, who is a regular at the Manila Pavilion, recalled fondly, “it was very Old World. You felt like royalty walking through the halls, with its upholstered chairs and European interiors.”
 

The focal point of the social gatherings was the old Rotiserrie, a French fine dining restaurant, frequented by guests for its roast beef and Caesar salad. This was where the late President Ninoy Aquino enjoyed a casual lunch and also where he was arrested in 1981; where former UN Secretary-General Carlos P. Romulo held court, drawing people to him and speaking at length about current events; and where the late President Ferdinand Marcos lifted Martial Law. 
 

The old Rotisserie was also the favorite fine-dining restaurant of the elusive National Artist Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, who was actually a resident of the hotel for 40 years, until his death in 2011.
 

The home of the master painter 
 

To honor Señor Alcuaz, as he is fondly called by hotel staff, Manila Pavilion transformed the old Rotiserrie into the Alcuaz Function Rooms, which will be the home of some of Alcuaz’ famous paintings. 
 

The 300-seater ballroom proudly displays two large-sized oil paintings: "The Beautification of San Lorenzo Ruiz" (1981), based on an actual mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II at the Rizal Park, and "Birth of a New Republic" (1981) based from the historic lifting of Martial Law in June 1981.
 

To those who were too young to experience the heyday of the old Rotiserrie, one can simply take a peek at the master painter’s depiction of the 1980’s old Rotiserrie, mounted at the ballroom lobby, together with the oil on canvas paintings of the Tres Marias series.   
 

Senyor Alcuaz often made the hotel staff his subjects, including Adora, a former somellier at the hotel. Senyor was very popular and well-loved in the hotel, especially by the older ones, until he got mugged in Luneta, fell and hurt his head, according to the blog richric2003.blogspot.com. Since then, he became sullen, suffering from memory loss. 
 

Park told GMA News Online, “Everyday I saw Federico. He was more of a family to us than a guest. He definitely left a significant mark in this hotel.” However, as he aged, he became more and more eccentric. “He got into a lot of naughty things,” Park shared. 
 

Alcuaz, according to his son Christian Aguilar, chose to live in the hotel because he wanted  a place in Ermita, then the art capital of Metro Manila, where he could be free to come and go as he pleases. “He was a a frequent traveler, so he would go from Manila to Barcelona to New York and back,” Aguilar said. He lived in Manila Pavilion for forty years, which also became his studio and where he painted a thousand art works, until his death in 2011, whene he slipped inside his bathroom. 
 

Alcuaz had been an award-winning artist since the 1950s. He won the Premio Moncada and Prix Francisco Goya in Spain in 1957,  the first prize at the Pintura Sant Pol del Mar in 1961, and the second prize at the Premio Vancel in 1964.  The same year, he was accepted into the Order of French Genius. In 2005, he received the Presidential Medal of Merit Award. In 2009, after an extensive three-year vetting process, he was granted the rank of National Artist.
 

The new Rotiserrie
 

The launch of the function room named after its long-time resident was in a way, a look-back into the hotel’s past. It was also a look into the future as Manila Pavilion adapts to the times. 
 

Park explained the reason behind creating a function room, “we had an area to convert into function rooms because our clientele was demanding for more function space. We used to have an 800-person ballroom which was too big and which we leased to Philippine Gaming Association. But we needed the space for ourselves. Here we have the Chinese restaurant and the old Rotisserie. What we did we tore those down and we transformed into Alcuaz Function room.”
 

The Alcuaz Function room was constructed by Ilustre & Associates, Architects. The look of the ballroom was overall modern and contemporary, highlighted by rich and vivid artwork. Shades of brown and beige can be found throughout its interior; and with black and red for its accents. 
 

The good news is the Old Rotiserrie will be rebuilt in a different space. It is, according to Park, too iconic to be let go. Manila Pavilion, or the old Manila Hilton, will always be attached to the old Rotisserie, where the grandest of parties were held, where Philippine historical icons dined and socialized. 
 

With this, Manila Pavilion hopes to preserve history and the memories, while creating new ones in the new spaces they’re building. Times have changed after all. — VC, GMA News