The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) is marking the start of Simbang Gabi by transforming its main building—now covered in scaffolding and wrapped in ongoing reconstruction—into a luminous Christmas landmark that puts the renovation itself at the center of the story.

The façade lighting installation, titled “Gabay,” opens on December 16 and runs nightly from 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. until January 6, 2026. Designed as a guiding light for churchgoers attending dawn masses at the CCP Annex, the display uses a large Lubenas parol from Pampanga and a glowing belen logo to evoke the star that traditionally led Filipinos to Simbang Gabi.

For lighting director and CCP trustee Felix “Monino” Duque, the unfinished building is not a challenge to conceal but a character to reveal. The structure’s raw form—exposed walls, scaffolding, and renovation debris—is deliberately illuminated rather than masked.

“We light the building the way it is now, and not the way we thought it was,” Duque said. “We light it with all the elements of the construction. So, we don’t just use the building as a surface to project on—we highlight the building.”

The approach redefines CCP’s annual tradition of façade lighting, which continues uninterrupted despite the main building’s temporary closure in January 2023. Instead of familiar visuals, the shimmering red and orange hues draw focus to the dramatic shift in CCP’s physical identity—a brutalist landmark by National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin reimagined mid-transformation.

“What I want for people to see is the CCP from a different point of view, with elements that are not supposed to be there,” Duque said. “I believe that that may never happen again, at least in my lifetime.”

Designed with culture and arts officer Jericho Pagana, the installation anchors the giant parol with a belen emblem at its core, symbolizing the heart of the display.

“I wanted to have one clear element, which is the logo of the belen. It serves as the heart of that big parol,” Pagana said. “Lit in warm colors of red and orange, the CCP main building lights the way for our churchgoers to the CCP Annex where we hold our Simbang Gabi.”

Pagana said the project is also a reminder that activity never stopped at the institution even while its flagship venue is under repair.

“Kahit under renovation pa rin ang CCP, hindi nagkulang ang institution sa pagpapatuloy ng mga projects, productions, at outreach programs,” he said. “In essence, the CCP logo truly continues to shine despite everything. Behind every metal, every scaffold, every debris falling from the CCP main building due to renovations—it highlights that we’re still here, we’re still standing, and we’re still shining.”

The color palette draws from “Genesis” by National Artist for Visual Arts Hernando Ocampo, the iconic stage tapestry of the CCP main theater. The CCP logo is incorporated into the scaffolding frame, reinforcing the message that the institution remains visible, active, and rooted in its mission.

Technical execution was led by the CCP tech team with supervision from CCP artistic director Dennis Marasigan and production design and technical services division head Ricardo Eric Cruz.

More than a festive spectacle, the installation positions CCP’s renovation—long a subject of concern and curiosity—as a point of pride. The building under repair becomes a metaphor for resilience, heritage, and continuity, illuminated at a moment when Filipinos head to church before dawn in search of light, faith, and renewal.

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