CEBU CITY— Four young architects from Cebu are
advocating for “Pulido Arkitekto” to build better, efficient, resilient and
affordable homes for all Filipinos, especially those belonging to the low and
mid-range income groups.
“We observe that families in barangays and in
many small communities in the country are building homes without the advice or
planning from an architect. We see tiny homes sprouting along riverbanks, in
hilly lands overnight and we know that these are not resilient homes,”
Architect Ana Karmela Po, former president of the United Architects of the
Philippines (UAP)-Cebu Chapter told this writer.
Po with Architects Edmund Samson, Robert Malayao and Nhheil Crisostomo observed that people believe that getting a license
architect to design and plan their homes is very expensive and people at the
countryside and even at the urban centers would rather personally design and
build their homes with local pandays (carpenters)
and other builders in the area without an architect’s design and plan.
These four architects, who are members of the UAP-Cebu
Chapter realized that the advocacy to build better homes especially for low and
mid-range income groups must begin from conversations and listening to
architects talking about how crucial home designs and plans are for long
lasting homes.
It was a light bulb moment for these four
architects to come up with a one-hour advocacy program on radio with them as
hosts, talking on anything and everything about building resilient but
affordable houses, from designing to planning to buying construction materials
and all other nitty-gritty in building that dream house.
The birth
of “Pulido Arkitekto, Tambagi Ko”
“Pulido Arkitekto, Tambagi Ko” was born. A weekly radio program aired at 8:00-9:00 a.m
every Saturday over a local DYLA-AM 909 kHZ station located at the 2nd
Floor, JSU-PSU Mariner’s Court-Cebu, ALU-VIMCONTU Welfare Center, Pier 1, Cebu
City.
According to the architects the radio program,
“Pulido Arkitekto” was conceptualized after typhoon Odette that hit Central
Visayas in 2021 with massive destructions of houses among the low and mid-range
income family groups in Cebu and in other provinces in Central Visayas.
“We were then inspired to advocate for “Pulido
Arkitekto” (solid or polished architecture) for homes that can withstand heavy
rains and typhoons because the Philippines is often visited with more than 20
typhoons a year, according to our local weather bureau,” the architects said.
Arch. Edmund said that the “Pulido Arkitekto”
radio program was designed to provide assistance to the public as they rebuild
after the typhoon. It was packed with a wide range of topics from building
materials, construction methods, up to financing options, in an easy-going like
conversations and advises with the hosts and listeners.
According to Arch. Robert that Season 1 of
“Pulido Arkitekto…” seemed to just flew by as the program gained some good
grounds in listenership from the Visayas and Mindanao areas evidenced by the
letters and calls they received from its listeners.
Season 2 followed after to cover more issues
revolving around building maintenance and troubleshooting to construction tips
and sustainable building options. Applying vernacular principles to improve
user comfort.
One of the notable strengths of the program is providing
access to professional assistance that is free of charge on a radio platform.
Experts from the building industry were pooled into the program as co-anchors
and aired from April to September 2024. As the year ends, the program continued to
push for more collaborations with people, organizations and communities that
have similar advocacies as these architects have.
“The most fulfilling aspect of the “Pulido
Arkitekto” radio program for me is the direct impact I have on listeners
through problem-solving and providing practical advice. This sense of
fulfillment likely comes from seeing my guidance effectively address listeners
questions and improve their situations,” Arch. Edmund Samson shared.
The program resonates with the audience because
it offers valuable, actionable insights and solutions tailored to their needs. Engaging content, practical advice and
personal touch make the program relevant and relatable fostering a strong
connection with the listeners, Samson added.
Architect Robert Malayao on the other hand,
bared that “Pulido Arkitekto” has grown to not just a regular radio program but
a chance for the architects to showcase that their knowledge is not only
limited to the production of design but also extends to the construction
methods and other methodologies.
“It feels great to be able to slowly educate
the Filipinos of the services of the architects and the other professionals in
the built environment, and the importance of hiring them for the specific job
that they need to perform,” Arch. Robert said.
He feels that the efforts planted at Seasons 1
and 2 of “Pulido Arkitekto” are slowly bearing fruits as the architects are
already receiving massive positive feedbacks from its listeners and how the
advises have helped them in their renovation and repairs, both planned and
current.
“Pulido Arkitekto, Tambagi Ko” is the first and
only radio program in the Philippines that gives advises regarding construction
related issues to the general public. This radio program won the ‘Best Radio
Educational Program’ at the 20th Cebu Archdiocesan Mass Media Awards (CAMMA).
“It is a privilege to be able to make a
difference, to help the community and to make an impact in educating and
bringing forward the Architectural profession. It fills our heart with so much
gratitude that the knowledge we shared and the efforts that we did, made a
positive mark,” Arch. Ana Karmela said.
What some
listeners say about “Pulido Arkitekto”
Atomz
Ybañez, a listener from Tubigon, Bohol: “From
Pulido, I learned that building an affordable house is possible. I started
tuning in to the Pulido radio program because I have always been a listener of
the radio station (DYLA). I was
encouraged with the tips provided because I also wanted to build a small but
durable house. I have a sibling who is a seaman who had a big house but it got
easily destroyed by a typhoon, and I do not want that to happen to me.”
An SMS
message from Luis Verana from Cebu: “What I
can’t forget from the program is the advice the expert gave me for my home,
such as how many windows I should have and what roof design I should use. I
also learned more about choosing the right materials for your house, how to
build a firewall, how to set up proper distances inside your property for your
home, and even about solar-powered homes and how they can be built.
Luis said he is now finalizing the plan for his
house and inquired on the materials he needs to be able to calculate how much he
needs to spend. Luis is now saving so
have enough budget for the construction.
“What I can’t forget about the Pulido
program is the episode that talked about roofing, and how the standard
thickness of the roof is important when choosing the right materials. Before, I
used 0.24mm for my galvanized iron roofing sheets because they were cheaper,
but when typhoon Odette hit us, it tore my roofing sheets to shreds as if they
were just made of paper. Now, it does not matter anymore if the
roofing sheets I buy are more expensive as long as they follow the standard
thickness so that my roof is built right and will not get easily damaged. Thank
you, Pulido,” Luis added.
From Fely
Rosales, who asked advice (on-air) from the architect hosts of PULIDO Season 2
and called back to thank them: “I
called back here to thank the architects because in the earlier episode (July
20), I called to ask for help on how I can repair my floor tiles so they won’t
continue to get cracked. I followed your advice on using liquid nails and
choosing the tiles you recommended. That is why I wanted to thank you now
because I am no longer having any problems with my tiles anymore after I
applied your recommendation.”
“Pulido
Arkitekto” collabs with organizations, business establishments, others
The success of “Pulido Arkitekto, Tambagi Ko”
has reached the ears of the Cebu Home and Builders Centre (CHBC), a business establishment
that sells all kind of construction materials, lights and bathroom fixtures,
and more that led to the collaboration of both parties.
According to Arch. Ana Karmela that the
collaboration with CHBC was initiated to provide off-season engagement with the
program patrons/listeners while preparing for Season 3 of the program and in
time with CHBC’s annual year-end sale. The off-season program was held at
CHBC’s main branch in Banilad and in its newest branch in Toledo City.
Here, the radio program is aired live at the CHBC
outlets with invited clients and program listeners to participate in an animated
conversations and live Q & A from both the live audience and the listeners.
“Indeed, people are really hungry for information like these,” said one of the
live audiences.
Another collaboration was when other programs,
especially national TV programs such as IHeartPh, a showed at GMA 7 were
enticed to provide a portion of its program solely for the purpose of educating
the Filipinos on the importance of building better to make their houses safer
and more resilient from typhoons.
Another was in Business Matters of CNN Philippines where the efforts of the
architects for this program and their advocacy of capacitating the Filipinos,
were highlighted and emphasized.
A recent collaboration was with Solid Panday where the Pulido Anchors
took part in giving a seminar/lecture to more than 50 pandays. They talked about the best practices of construction most
especially to topics related to foundation, fire safety and waterproofing.
“Pulido Arkitekto, Tambagi Ko” and Habitat for
Humanity’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter (HFH-TCIS)
collaboration and partnership is focused on providing quality information about
proper home construction and repairs to low-income households who otherwise
might not have access to such information.
Arch. Ana Karmela bared that the collaboration
with the HFH-TCIS has helped not only the creation of the project but most
importantly, push and encourage the architects to go beyond the usual service
of the profession.
This has opened new doors for the
architect-anchors and the profession itself, on how they can bring their
services and technical know-how reach those economic groups that typically veer
away from hiring architects because of the stereo-types that they have what the
architect does and for whom the architect’s services are for, Arch. Karmela
concluded. (Photos: MBCNewman/Pulido Arkitekto FB)
