English: THE ROMAN R. SANTOS BUILDING

Construction of this building was first conceived in 1884 by the Council of Administration of the Monte de Piedad y Casa de Anorros that, by a decree issued by Governor General Domingo Moriones Marquis of Oroquieta, had on February 3, 1880, been created as a bank of the poor. Laying of cornerstone took place on July 24, 1887, birthday of Her Spanish Majesty, Queen Maria Cristina.

The site, formerly that that of the residence of the Corregidor of Tondo and Jail of the Corregimiento, had been coded to the Monte de Piedad by the City Council of Manila upon petition of the then Metropolitan Archbishop of Manila Don Fr. Pedro Payo. The plans were prepared by Architect Don Jose Hervas, and the foundations were laid under the supervision of a commission composed by City Councilors Don Eugenio Netter, Don Jose Zaragosa, and Don Manuel Marzano. Construction was undertaken by Don Demetrio Caro.

Initial construction funds were furnished by the aforementioned Metropolitan Archbishop of Manila which funds were later augmented by subscriptions from private individuals and by loans from the Banco Español Filipino.

The building was finished and inaugurated on July 20, 1894. A special session of the Council of Administration of the Monte de Piedad y Casa de Anorros was held for the first time that day in this building. That session was presided over by Archbishop of Manila Don Fr Bernardino Nozaleda, with the Commander of the Naval Station, the City Governor of Manila, the General of Artillery, the Reverend Rector of the University of Santo Tomas, Don Jose Garcia Lara, Don Silvino Lopez Tuñon, Don Eugenio del Saz Orozco, Don Gonzalo Tuazon, Don Rafael Perez Samanillo and Don Jose Zaragoza, attending.

In 1937 ownership of the building passed into the Consolidated Investment Corporation. The old one storey building was reconstructed into a nine-storey structure, now called the Consolidated Investments Building on plans prepared by the architect, Don Andrés Luna de San Pedro, with engineer Don Jose Cortez taking charge of the construction.

The outbreak of the war on December 8, 1941 halted the construction work at the fourth storey, upon the occupation of the City of Manila by the Japanese Forces. The latter converted this building into a warehouse. In 1944 the property passed under the control of the Magdalena Estate. Upon liberation the American Red Cross converted the building into a hospital and it remained a such until 1947.

On July 2, 1952, the Prudential Bank and Trust Company, Don Roman R. Santos, Chairman-Founder and President, took possession of the building and converted its ground floor into the head office for the bank. On January 3, 1955 the property was sold by the Magdalena Estate to Don Roman R. Santos and the Prudential Bank and Trust Company. The building was renamed the Roman R. Santos Building.

The Roman R. Santos Building administration, Don Augusto A. Santos, President, was organized to administer the property. The unfinished construction was resumed immediately, and Don Andrés Luna de San Pedro having died, architectural supervision was entrusted to Don Enrique J.J. Ruiz. The nine storey remodelling and reconstruction were completed in 1957.

On July 19, 1959, Don Roman R. Santos died and Don Augusto A. Santos was elected Chairman of the Board of the Prudential Bank and Trust Company in his stead.

In 1961, the remodelling of the basement, ground and mezzanine floors was started by an authority of the Prudential Bank Board of Directors, Don Augusto A. Santos, Chairman, Mr. George Litton Sr., Vice Chairman, Don Pio Pedrosa, President, and Don Francisco D. Garcia, Don Federico A. Santos, Don Francisco C. Delgado and Ex-Supreme Court Justic Alex Reyes, Members, to house the expanded offices of the bank. Architectural plans were prepared by the firm of Messrs. Gabriel Formoso and Associates. Construction work was entrusted to engineer Don David M. Consunji.

This marker fabricated by the Talleres de Maximo Vicente, was set up upon the fourteenth anniversary of the foundation of the Prudential Bank and Trust Company, and the seventh of the death of its founder, Don Roman R. Santos.