MANILA - The Manila Metropolitan Theater, one of the oldest performance venues in the Philippine capital, may reopen in May after decades of decline, Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno said Monday.

"We are bringing back one of the lost jewels of Manila," said Moreno, who, in a text message, said that its "tentative" opening will be in four months' time.

The local chief executive, who was a movie actor before, did not disclose details on the kind of shows that will premier at the Met.

LOOK: Manila Metropolitan Theater set to reopen to the public in May 2020 (Photos from Manila PIO) pic.twitter.com/IhlpX2fCyl — Kat Domingo (@_katrinadomingo) January 27, 2020

Since opening its doors in 1931, the art deco theater has hosted concerts and plays. But for a time, it was also home to some illegal settlers.

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) bought the 88-year-old theater from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) in 2015, and proceeded to renovate it.

In September 2019, Moreno called on the renovators to give the Met back to the city government if it had no plans to reopen it to the public.

““Kung hindi niyo rin naman kayang ayusin, i-maintain, ibigay niyo na lang samin, ime-maintain namin,” the mayor had said.