President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has named Gabriel Formoso, the architect behind the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Complex, a National Artist for Architecture 2026.
Formoso died in 1996 at the age of 81. He joins four honourees who received the title posthumously this year. The other recipients include theatre lighting designer Teodoro Hilado, filmmaker Armando “Bing” Lao and writer Gregorio Brillantes.
Formoso in Philippine architecture
Formoso finished secondary school at Ateneo de Manila in 1933. He then earned an architecture degree from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) four years later.
He received his licence in 1939. Formoso became one of the first 100 registered architects in the Philippines.
According to the Daily Tribune, Formoso apprenticed with several major figures in Philippine architecture. These included Andres Luna de San Pedro, future National Artist for Architecture Pablo Antonio, and Luis Araneta.
Over a career spanning more than four decades, Formoso designed about 80 buildings. He also created more than 150 residences, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
His major projects include the BSP Complex in Manila. He also designed several landmark structures in Makati.
These include the Manila Peninsula Hotel, Asian Institute of Management, Pacific Star Building, Lepanto Building and Dusit Thani Manila.
Formoso in the National Artist tradition
Formoso joins a distinguished Architecture roster. It began with Juan Nakpil in 1973 and later included Pablo Antonio in 1976.
Leandro Locsin received the honour in 1990. Ildefonso Santos Jr followed in 2006, while Jose Maria Zaragoza received the title in 2014. Francisco Mañosa became the latest Architecture honouree before Formoso in 2018.
Formoso also joins many fellow Thomasian alumni in the wider National Artist roster.
The group includes writers Francisco Sionil Jose, Bienvenido Lumbera and Nick Joaquin. It also includes fellow architects Nakpil and Locsin.
Other UST alumni among the National Artists include Rolando Tinio in Theatre and Ang Kiukok in Visual Arts, according to the UST website.
Posthumous benefits
As a posthumous awardee, Formoso’s legal heirs will receive a PHP75,000 cash award after taxes, according to PhilSTAR.
The award also includes cultural commemorations and ceremonial events. These activities will honour Formoso’s contributions to Philippine art and architecture.
The firm he founded now operates as GFP Architects. According to the Manila Bulletin, the firm has remained on Building Design magazine’s list of the world’s top 100 architectural practices.
That continuing presence adds another chapter to Formoso’s architectural legacy, nearly three decades after his death.
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