DoT upgrades PICC lighting ahead of ASEAN Summit
PICC personnel install MinebeaMitsumi’s SALIOT smart lighting system to illuminate Filipino artworks at the convention center ahead of the 49th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings.
Photograph courtesy of DOT
The Department of Tourism (DoT) has partnered with Japanese technology firm MinebeaMitsumi to install a smart lighting system at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) ahead of the 49th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings.
The installation features SALIOT (Smart Adjustable Light for the Internet of Things), a lighting system designed to enhance the illumination of the convention center’s historic spaces and Filipino artworks.
The system will illuminate four major artworks housed at the PICC: “Pagdiriwang” by Jose Joya, “The Grid” by Arturo Luz, “Dambana ng Pasko” by Napoleon Abueva, and “Balanghay” by Toym Imao.
According to the DOT, SALIOT allows lighting adjustments through remote controls, including changes in color temperature and beam angles, without requiring physical alterations to the building’s architectural features.
Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay said the installation combines the PICC’s architectural heritage with modern technology while highlighting the country’s cultural assets for international delegates.
“Seeing the PICC renovated to its full glory, paired with MinebeaMitsumi’s SALIOT system, bridges our rich architectural heritage with modern operational efficiency,” Angara-Mathay said.
“It allows us to cast the perfect light onto our finest National Cultural Treasures, ensuring our historic convention center delivers a visually stunning, world-class experience for international delegates as we host the 49th ASEAN Summit,” she added.
The installation was facilitated by the DoT-Philippines Japan Tourism Investments and Business Development.
MinebeaMitsumi chairman and chief executive officer Yoshihisa Kainuma said the system was designed to provide a lighting solution that protects and highlights the PICC’s architecture and artworks.
“By equipping the PICC with SALIOT, we are providing a smart, safe and highly sustainable infrastructure solution that respects, protects, and accentuates its magnificent, newly restored brutalist design and the irreplaceable art masterpieces within it,” Kainuma said.
The system uses Bluetooth Mesh technology, allowing personnel to adjust lighting through smartphones from the ground. This is expected to facilitate faster transitions between plenary sessions, bilateral meetings, and press conferences.
The DoT said the installation would also reduce the need for scaffolding and elevated work when adjusting lights near artworks, improving workplace safety for technical personnel.
The project forms part of efforts to modernize the PICC and strengthen the country’s readiness to host international meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) events.
Designed by National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin, the PICC was inaugurated in 1976 and is among the country’s landmark convention venues.