Revisiting the Past at the National Museum of the

The Philippines is known for its hospitable and warm-hearted people. Its culture and traditions are already a mix of Spanish, Mexican, Chinese, American, Arab and Malay influence. To better understand and appreciate the Filipino culture, you will find more of its history when you visit its National Museum.

The National Museum of the Republic of the Philippines was established in 1901. The building where it is currently housed was designed by Daniel Burnham, an American architect, in 1918. The main building, more popularly known as the Old Congress Building, is where the arts, natural sciences, and other divisions are seen while the former Finance Building, called the National Museum of the Filipino People, has the Anthropology and Archaeology sections.

In the Anthropology and Archaeology sections you will find that the Filipinos’ "regionalistic" mentality, a consciousness of associating behaviors and attitudes based from one’s regional roots or upbringing, only evolved lately. Original Filipinos are more divided into those living near bodies of water, those living in the mountains and those living in the valleys or plain.

During the Second World War, about 90% of the museum was destroyed. The rehabilitation took a long process and was only taken seriously in 1996. Various sectors worked together in restoring the museum and further the preservation of the Filipino culture.

Around the Museum compound is the Rizal Park, the Quirino Grand Stand and the National Library. It is near the walled city of Intramuros which used to be a citadel of the Spaniards in the past. It is found in P. Burgos St., Manila, Philippines. For inquiries, you may email nmuseum@i-next.net or contact the National Museum at telephone no. +63 2 527 12 15 or fax no. +63 2 527 03 06.

Quick Tips:

Entrance to the National Museum is only PHP100 for adults of about US; PHP30 or less than US for students with ID. Admission is free on Thursdays. The National Museum has a compound: the old Senate Building, and the old Finance Building at the Agrifina Circle. The main building, which used to be the old Senate office, is under renovation, so better if you proceed to the Finance Building, called the Museum of the Filipino People, where they offer a tour of the various treasures of Philippines’ Past. It is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm from Tuesday to Sunday.

On Sundays, the museum is open to the public, however, it is crowded with many families especially those who go to Rizal Park for a picnic or recreation. You can appreciate the museum better when you go there after lunch on weekdays except Mondays. Cameras are allowed in the museum but just make sure it’s not bothering other visitors.

Best Way To Get Around:

To get to the National Museum, you can take a jeepney ride or a cab going to Agrifina Circle. It’s near Rizal Park and Intramuros and can be easily identified. If you are going there by a private car, just be aware of the U-turns and left turns as this part of Manila is heavily congested and the layout of the road in front of the Museum is somewhat confusing. However, guards and traffic enforcers are kind and are willing to assist you for directions.

Inside the building, there are guided tours that will take you from one gallery to another. Cameras are allowed in the building and there are rest rooms in different levels and wings which are easily accessible.

The National Museum Consultant who toured us was telling us how the museum grounds look on weekends when they open it to the public. Kids who are in the building would all stick their faces on the window panes overlooking the museum grounds and their expressions show how amazed they are to see a very neat garden.

The Museum boasts of their grounds, with a small nipa hut in one side and plants and grasses all over. No single candy wrapper or paper can be found in the Museum grounds as they try to maintain it as clean as possible. And indeed, when we looked down the green and lush grounds, we couldn’t help but marvel at the natural beauty of such tidy environment.

The ground has been a venue of various activities, like national holidays and celebrations, to intimate ones. One particular guy rented the place and set up a dinner table at the middle of the garden where he proposed to his girlfriend under the beautiful starry night. The Museum ground is available for rent for various occasions but the rate depends on the nature of the event and the company or institution that will use it. Non-profit organizations get a discounted fee.

The Anthropology Gallery of the Philippines’ National Museum is interesting. The exhibits were divided, not by the regional boundaries of the country, but through communities of the ancient Filipino people. The artifacts were classified to those living near the seas or rivers, those living in mountains and hills, and those in the plains or valleys.

Near the entrance of the room is a large Philippine map with the tribes and languages per area. Then bamboo floors mark the beginning of the exhibit. The tools and the gadgets used in every community – fishing nets, hunting equipment, and farming tools were displayed. In the part of the mountain people, there was one wall which displays the anitos or gods and demi-gods of mountain tribes. The guide told us that these anitos sometimes act up and weird things happen in this part of the gallery. He has to call up a shaman to perform rituals to appease the anitos caged in glass windows.

Other than the Filipino beliefs, the Uniquely Filipino Room indicates the roots and the origin of the people living in this archipelago who have later imbibed the culture and practices of Western colonizers. With this exhibit, the public are oriented how Filipinos were ingenious in dealing with difficulties despite the limited resources they had.

In my childhood, I had always wanted to take up unique careers – astronaut, pilot, and what have you, including being an archaeologist. A magazine on the Mt. Vesuvius eruption caught my interest on this. So, when I entered the Archaeology gallery of the National Museum of the Philippines, it was like stepping into my dreams.

The first thing that welcomed me at the gallery was dinosaur bones that were displayed on the wall. At the far end of the room is a small stage-like area that depicted pre-historic Philippines. There were columns covered with different kinds of tiny, dainty shells. At the next room is the remnants of the balangay or the boats used by Chinese and Malays who came to the Philippines. A globe stands at the center of the room beneath a starry-decorated ceiling. On the globe are the different trade routes of Chinese, Arabian, Malay and Mexican traders who bring and buy their goods to the country.

On our way out of the gallery, our guide showed us the tools used in archaeology and the different methods employed to preserve the artifacts. Though I have gone a different career path now, I would still entertain thoughts of someday digging evidence of the past.

The tour guide told us a story wherein two Filipinos bagged the first and second prize at a Madrid painting competition. Giving a toast for the winners, the national hero, Jose Rizal, said that if Filipinos can win over its colonizers through arts, then they can definitely do the same in politics. Such statement was so controversial it sparked the Filipino movement in the 19th century that led to a revolt that gave birth to the Philippine Republic.

The paintings and sculptures of Filipino National Artists gave life to the simple living of its natives as well as the struggles and sufferings it endured under foreign rule. The room that housed the Filipino paintings and sculptures is well-lighted and provides a majestic view of the Rizal Park. Through the window, Filipino hero Lapu-Lapu stands tall and proud in the center of the park. The Tourism building looms from behind. If you visit the National Museum of the Filipino People, never miss out on this section because the colorful stuffs are found here.

Some of the Filipino clothing that are on exhibit are still used in a few remaining tribes in the country. Intricate capiz shells are woven in wonderful designs. The clothes are uniquely Asian and somehow resemble the dresses of Indonesian and Thai culture.

With the decline on the use of Filipino dresses, one particular tribe sent their youth to the National Museum. The teens asked the curator if they could touch and feel the clothes. They sketched copies of the dresses and studied them for almost a day. They said that their elders wanted them to revisit their traditional clothes so they can bring them back and never lose the heritage forever.

It was a heartwarming story. And by just standing there staring at the dresses, it gives me a feeling of pride of the great skills and abilities demonstrated by our ancestors.