UP Visayas Iloilo Campus’ Main Building

To celebrate the start of Philippine school year and my resurrection from my blogging  and “life as a freelance writer ” hiatus ( I gave birth 🙂 ), I have decided to feature something that is related to school and academics. There are some landmarks and historical structures that are left unrecognized by most people and one of these is the neoclassical-art deco building inside the UP Visayas Iloilo campus.

The campus’ main building is quite striking with two larger-than-life statues sitting on its side and the figures on its facade. Currently the main building of the campus, this historical building is actually the old city hall of Iloilo City. Built more than a decade before the Second World War, this building served the city of Iloilo as its city hall from 1936 till the 50s. The city government donated the building to the university and is still used up to this day.

When World War II erupted, the city hall was then used as the Japanese’s headquarters. My late history mentor, Dr. Henry Funtecha, once shared that many skeletons were discovered when the city government donated the building to the university. Now that’s eerie isn’t it? Likewise, this building designed and built by Juan Arellano also has a court house and it has a cell or dungeon.

At present, the building houses many important parts of the campus. Inside this building is the library, the UPV Art Gallery, the Center for West Visayan Studies and many more. Behind its walls are narrow stairs leading to small rooms used as offices for various research works; reminds me of those secret chambers.

Law and Order

Ask any student who these two statues sitting at the entrance and they would say, they are Plato and Socrates. Well, they are wrong and I was wrong. And as a freelance writer, I think it is my duty to provide accurate information.

Blame to it to the fact that the building is part of a university hence most of us assume they were the great philosophers.

But these statues sculpted by famed Italian sculptor, Francesco Riccardo Monti are actually symbols for Law and Order. After all, this edifice was a government office. But which one is Law and which one is Order, that I don’t know. Does anyone know? Enlighten me please..

Update: Check Little Red’s comment below to know who is Order and who is Law. thanks for the input!