Megaworld unveils Arco de Emperador
Megaworld unveiled on Tuesday night the Arco de Emperador, now considered the tallest monument in the country that is dedicated to the self-made man at the center of Arcovia City, its latest township development in Pasig.
The Arco de Emperador is not like other arches in Europe, said Spanish sculptor Gines Serran Pagan, who designed and built the monument.
Instead of commemorating a particular hero, or emperor in the case of ancient Roman arches, the Arco de Emperador is a testament to how anyone, with enough passion, hard work, and perseverance can be an “emperor.”
Gines added that the Arco is the only arch in the world that has a quadriga with only three horses.
The quadriga, Latin for a four-horse chariot, usually adorns the top of triumphal arches built to honor a victorious Roman emperor. Instead of putting four horses, Gines had to do with three since he was told by Dr. Andrew Tan that four is an inauspicious number in Chinese feng shui.
To balance the sculpture, Gines added two lions and two angels on both sides of the quadriga. The angels, he explains, are plated with two layers of 24 karat gold.
Gines modeled the central figure of the quadriga after the Roman emperor Trajan, dressed in Roman military garb but adorned with a face that’s very Filipino, which the sculptor patterned after famous local heroes – including Jose Rizal and Martin Delgado.
Measuring 23 meters tall, the Arco de Emperador is now the tallest monument in the country.