ELJ Communications Center | |
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![]() The center as viewed from Eugenio Lopez Street. | |
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General information | |
Status | Completed |
Type | PEZA special economic zone, offices, soundstage |
Architectural style | Modern |
Location | ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center,[1] Eugenio Lopez Drive, Brgy. South Triangle, Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines |
Coordinates | 14°38′22.18″N 121°02′07.79″E / 14.6394944°N 121.0354972°E |
Construction started | 1995 |
Opening | January 1, 2000 |
Renovated | 2010 |
Cost | ₱6 billion[2] (US$148.5 million) |
Owner | ABS-CBN Corporation |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 15 above ground, 3 below ground |
Floor area | 101,608.32 m2 (1,093,702.85 sq ft.) |
Lifts/elevators | 13 |
Grounds | 14,000 m2 (150,694.75 sq ft.) |
Design and construction | |
Architecture firm | Gensler GF & Partners, Architects, Co. |
Other designers | Leandro V. Locsin Partners (interior design) |
Main contractor | Datem, Inc. |
The Eugenio Lopez Jr. Communications Center (also called 9501, ELJ Communications Center, or simply ELJ Center) is the corporate and soon-to-be the main headquarters of the Filipino media and entertainment company ABS-CBN Corporation located in Eugenio Lopez Drive, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines.[1] It occupies fourteen thousand (14,000) square meters of land area and houses the company’s offices, television studios, a three-level basement parking, a roof deck helipad, film archives, and a garden.[3] The building has a gross floor area of 101,608.32 square meters; almost seventy thousand (70,000) square meters of office space and over thirty thousand (30,000) square meters of parking space. The construction of the building, which cost 6 billion pesos, began in 1995, but was delayed due to the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997. It was opened in 2000, and was occupied gradually by the network in the following years, expanding the area of its business operations. It is a PEZA Special Economic Zone, designated as an IT center.[4] It is named in honor of Eugenio Lopez Jr., the chairman emeritus of ABS-CBN. The dedication of the building was held on November 4, 2010, in a ceremony that was attended by then-Philippine President Benigno Aquino III.[5]
Structures
[edit]Offices
[edit]
The offices of ELJ Communications Center are composed of two interconnecting building structures. These are the three thousand square meter (3,000), fifteen-storey and the two thousand square meter (2,000), twelve-storey buildings joint together by steel and glass structures.[6]
The ground floor level is a mixed-use commercial area called The Loop, which is home to several retail shops, dining outlets, and a studio called The Loop Studio which was used by the now defunct morning news and talk show Umagang Kay Ganda. A studio gallery, an executive lobby, and the main reception area are also located on its ground floor. Located on its second floor are the offices of Star Cinema and ABS-CBN's human resources division, dressing and rehearsal rooms, and the hallway leading to its studios and technical rooms. Its corporate offices are on the third to twelfth floors, with several floors being used by other subsidiaries. ABS-CBN Post Production unit, iPost, is on the third floor, while its legal department, corporate communications, licensing, and media asset management (Big Dipper) are located on the fourth floor. ABS-CBN Sports, tax accounting, and human resources could be visited at the fifth floor. Sky Cable is on the sixth floor. The eighth floor is home to their Information Technology division, Creative Programs, and ABS-CBN Publishing, while ABS-CBN Global and Digital Media Division could be found on the ninth floor. The thirteenth floor houses the conference rooms, while Restaurant 9501, the executive dining restaurant of ABS-CBN is located on the fourteenth floor of the building. Meanwhile, executive offices are located on the building's fifteenth floor. ABS-CBN Film Archives, which holds the largest film collection in the country occupies one of the floors of the building’s three level basement which also serves as the building’s parking area. In 2013, the whole center became one of the first 4G LTE zone in the country after Globe and Sun Cellular upgraded their respective transmitters inside the complex.
ABS-CBN's wholly owned subsidiary, The Big Dipper Digital Content & Design, Inc. (Big Dipper), with offices located on the center's fourth floor, is an approved economic zone enterprise of PEZA, making the company eligible for tax holiday and other incentives.[7] In 2010, the company has availed an income tax holiday incentives of 472 million pesos. In 2011 and 2012, the company has availed 188 million and 204 million pesos respectively.[8] In 2014, PEZA approved the application of Big Dipper for the entitlement of the Pioneer Status.
On February 27, 2025, ABS-CBN announced in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange that it would retain the ELJ Communications Center along with another facility in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan following a sale of most the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center's property to Ayala Land.[9][10] On August 20, 2025, ABS-CBN and Ayala Land have signed the deeds of absolute sale for the purchase of the sold properties.[11]
Studios
[edit]Studios in the ELJ building are housed in a four storey high, 3,000 square meter structure and being part of the ABS-CBN Studios. It is connected with the rest of the center and is further divided into three studios. Studio 10, the largest studio of ABS-CBN, is used by the musical variety show ASAP and selected ABS-CBN’s shows for final show since 2020 due to franchise denial of ABS-CBN on July 10, 2020. Studio 9, is used by the morning talk show, Magandang Buhay and Studio 8 is a temporary studio set-up, where the props and set decorations are dismantled after the show. An elephant door is located in the studios that leads to the other parts of the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center.
The west wing of the center
[edit]-
The west wing of the center overseeing the Millennium Transmitter.
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ELJ Communications Center in 2019.
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ELJ Communications Center in 2010.
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The ABS-CBN Studio Annex.
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The ELJCC "Tower Entrance."
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The ABS-CBN Foundation Building (now renamed Gina Lopez Building since 2020).[12]
The east wing of the center
[edit]-
The glass structure connecting the superstructure and substructure.
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The glass structure connecting the superstructure and Studio Annex.
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The ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center as viewed from the rooftop of the main building of ABS-CBN. ELJ Communications Center (left) and Millennium Transmitter (right).
References
[edit]- ^ a b "ABS-CBN 17-A 2011 | PDF | Television Network | Risk Management | Report". Scribd. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ Dela Pena, Zinnia (July 8, 2003). "ABS-CBN building gets IT zone status". Philippine Star.
- ^ Maligro, Tatiana (June 27, 2025). "Ayala Land to assume control of ABS-CBN property by 2026". Rappler.
- ^ "Philippine Inquirer: Inside the Kapamilya film vaults". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on January 7, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
- ^ "PNoy leads ABS-CBN dedication ceremony of ELJCC building". Philippine Entertainment Portal. November 5, 2010. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
- ^ Eugenio Lopez Jr. Communication, Manilaofficespace.org, archived from the original on October 27, 2019, retrieved March 19, 2012
- ^ Villanueva, Paul Michael (December 31, 2011), ABS-CBN 17-A 2011, Scribd.com, p. 150, retrieved August 8, 2012
- ^ Villanueva, Paul Michael (March 27, 2013). "ABS-CBN Corporation 2012 SEC Form 17-A" (PDF) (Press release). Philippine Stock Exchange. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 8, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
- ^ "ABS-CBN to sell portion of its Quezon City property to Ayala Land". ABS-CBN. February 27, 2025.
- ^ "ABS-CBN sells part of HQ to Ayala Land for P6 billion". Philstar. February 28, 2025.
- ^ "ABS-CBN Corp, Ayala Land sign Deeds of Sale for acquisition of QC property". ABS-CBN. August 20, 2025.
- ^ "ABS-CBN Foundation Building renamed after Gina Lopez". February 5, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.