In celebration of the Museums and Galleries Month this October, I am featuring here all the 27 history museums of the National Historical Museum of the Philippines (NHCP). I have been fortunate to be working with the awesome team of the NHCP’s Historic Sites and Education Division led by its passionate division chief, Ms. Gina Batuhan, and the division’s tireless museum curators and guides, whose task is to maintain and develop these museums for the education and enjoyment of the wider public.
History museums, by definition, are different from other types of museums. Art museums showcase art pieces, and at times, put on panel texts dedicated to the artists’ life and legacy. Usually, the explanation of the art piece is left to the visitor as part of their museum experience. Anthropological (archaeological) museums showcase excavated artifacts from before recorded history, and also the material culture (past and present), with special emphasis on the indigenous cultures. The galleries explain the process upon which these artifacts have been excavated, the cultural value of the displays, and the cultural practices of the people that produced the artifacts. Others are multi-sensory museums, showcasing fabricated tactile displays that could be touched, smelled or listened to. These museums are highly interactive and are customized towards a specific demographic they cater to, such as children, or towards a specific theme.
History museums by contrast are different.
G. Ellis Burcaw, in his book, Introduction to Museum Work (1983), explains:
“The history museum must not be an institutionalized representation of fads, hobbies, and myths. What concerns the private collector and the entertainment-seeking public should not necessarily occupy the attention of the historian, except as he observes and records the passing scene. The museum must be devoted to the serious occupation of discovering, preserving, and interpreting the forces that created human behavior and the concrete results of that behavior. It must tell all the story and do it in proportion; that is, each part of the story must be told in relation to the other parts.”
What makes history museums different is the narrative it creates for the visitors, a chronologically-ordered, proportionally-laden, representative-conscious, and critical view of history, upon which the set narrative are laid out by historians that aid museum visitors to interpret for themselves the “forces” that made things as they are through a linear or multi-linear timeline.
As of 2019, the NHCP has 27 history museums scattered all over the country, all different in their emphasis of Philippine history, but united in the pursuit of advocating historical thinking among Filipinos. Some are categorized by the type of history they feature, some are biographical, and some emphasize even the local history on which the museum is situated. The seemingly disordered categorization of NHCP museums is due to the fact that some of these museums are housed in heritage structures that have been donated and subsequently restored and maintained via adaptive reuse by the NHCP through the years.
Back when the National Museum of the Philippines announced that their main museum and other regional branches have waved their free entrance fees in 2017, NHCP museums have long been offering free entrance to visitors.
Admittedly, some of these museums are still far off from that museum ideal, given the limitations of budget, lack of durability in some displays, and even a fragmented narrative presentation. Museology, as part of the field of Public History, is ALWAYS done by careful negotiation, especially when in the context of government funding, competing interests of stakeholders, and the preference of the community where the museum is situated. While it is good to set our sights on this ideal, it almost always isn’t the case.
The very well-known Enola Gay Controversy that made it to world news in 1995 due to the planned Smithsonian exhibition of the plane that dropped the atomic bomb in 1945 should be a lesson for all museums. Politics is a contending factor, given that some museums are unavoidably political. With this tedious set-up, there could be slight distortions, some of which lay persistent even after re-modernization. Also keep in mind that these museums are maintained by the State, and since the State’s view of history changes (and at times would often be contradictory in some cases), so also would some of these exhibits presumably change. For good or for ill, changes on physical structures like museums are slow, but academic integrity is still maintained by our team. To balance off potential biases, our team in the NHCP have made sure we’ve consulted various historians from different history departments in the academe to provide our visitors with the most updated and impartial historical findings. Also, while many of our displays and panel text remain static, our curators and guides update their historical interpretation and supplement their take w/ the most recent scholarship for the benefit of the visitors to further enhance their tour experience. There are also occasional travelling / changing exhibits that you could check out when you visit.
We take your constructive criticism very seriously, especially when it comes to corrections. We are all but human, and we are in the pursuit of a truly representative, national, justice-driven, and inclusive historical narrative that reflects the depths & complexities of our shared histories and cultures as a nation of many peoples.
Establishing and curating museums is hard work, and I stand in awe of our staff in all these museums, whose work cannot be quantified, but only through the smiling faces and twinkling eyes of visitors after their visit.
Museo ni Juan at Antonio Luna (Badoc, Ilocos Norte)
*Photos courtesy of the NHCP.
Located in the hometown of the Luna brothers, the museum is housed in a middle-class bahay na tisa which was the actual family house of the Lunas. It was acquired by the government in 1954 and restored by the former National Historical Institute (now NHCP) & Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in 1977. The museum has six galleries that talks about the life and careers of the two brothers. It also features a recreated Juan Luna studio as it would have looked like in Paris.
Museo ng Kasaysayang Panlipunan ng Pilipinas (Angeles City, Pampanga)
The museum is housed in another ancestral house, the Pamintuan Mansion, which was constructed by Mariano Pamintuan and Valentina Torres for their son in 1890. It was purchased by Bangko Sentral but via an agreement, ownership was transferred to NHCP in 2010. The NHCP transformed the house into this museum in 2015, dedicated towards Philippine social history, which boasts nine galleries.
Museo at Aklatan ni Pangulong Diosdado Macapagal (Lubao, Pampanga)
*Photo from Wikimedia Commons.
The museum features the replica of the nipa hut that the “poor boy from Lubao” used to live in, reconstructed in 1990. It also has a small library composed of books from the late president’s personal study.
Museo ni Ramon Magsaysay (Castillejos, Zambales)
The museum is located on the same house where the parents of the beloved charismatic president used to live in. With three galleries showing the entire breadth of his life until his untimely death in a plane crash, the museum surprisingly moves the visitor toward grief and admiration. Unflinching also was the narrative, not removing the fact that Magsaysay was closely tied to the CIA’s Edward Landsdale.
Museo ng Kasaysayang Pampulitikal ng Pilipinas (Casa Real, Malolos, Bulacan)
*Snapshots of some exhibits of this museum. Took this photo on 30 May 2017.
The museum used to be located within the NHCP Central Office building along Kalaw Street, Ermita Manila. It has since been moved to the historic Casa Real, in Malolos, a structure that dates back to 1767 and restored in 1982. The museum offers interactive LCD displays, highlights on the West Philippine Sea issue, and touches on the evolution of Philippine politics and civic engagement.
Museo ng Republika ng 1899 (Barasoain Church Historical Landmark, Malolos, Bulacan)
*The front facade of the Barasoain Church. I took this photo on 30 May 2017.
*This is the museum’s life-sized diorama feature of the signing of the Malolos Constitution at the Barasoain Church. Took this photo on 30 May 2017.
The museum features a lights-and-sounds style presentation, housed in the historic Barasoain Church in Malolos where the Malolos constitution was drafted and where the senior leadership of the First Philippine Republic performed their duties.
Museo ni Marcelo H. Del Pilar (Bulakan, Bulacan)
*Photos of the monument and gravesite of Del Pilar, and a life-sized diorama in the museum, on 30 May 2017.
Re-modernized in March 2016, the museum is right on the site of the town where the great editor of La Solidaridad was born. Del Pilar’s remains are also reinterred there in 1984 making the site a national shrine.
Museo ni Mariano Ponce (Baliuag, Bulacan)
*Photos taken at the opening day of the museum by NHCP photographer Jovan Soriano.
This is NHCP’s newest museum to date, opened last 23 May 2019, on the occasion of Ponce’s 101st death anniversary. The museum stands on the site of the burnt-down Ponce house. The museum interestingly tackles the link of the First Philippine Republic with Japan and the Pan-Asianism movement. Ponce was friend and ally of Sun Yat-sen, the first president of the Republic of China, and other Asian leaders. He also campaigned for the republic’s recognition among Asian neighbors.
Museo ni Jose Rizal, Fort Santiago (Intramuros, Manila)
*Photo of the museum from the central plaza of Fort Santiago, Intramuros, courtesy of NHCP.
*Photo of the gallery last 18 March 2019, featuring “The Martyrdom of Rizal” by National Artist Carlos Botong Francisco. The painting is supplemented by its tactile depiction on a reader rail for the appreciation of the blind.
Located at the site where Rizal was held before his execution on 30 December 1896, this museum is one of the most popular museums of the 27 NHCP museums. It showcases a narrative of Rizal’s life and achievements, and even displays some of his actual possessions. Famous award-winning paintings depicting Rizal’s life decorate the galleries.
Museo El Deposito (San Juan City)
*Photo by Ed Geronia of Spot.Ph
*Photo of the museum’s scale model of the entire Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine, with a glimpse of the old water reservoir underneath, 15 February 2019.
Perhaps the first historic waterworks museum in the country, this museum is at the site of the El Deposito de Agua, the water reservoir that was connected to Intramuros and nearby arrabales. The museum also showcases objects that were excavated underneath the reservoir, depicting specific historic periods that go beyond the Spanish period.
Museo ng Katipunan, Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine (San Juan City)
*Photo of the museum last 12 January 2017.
Photo of the museum’s interior, courtesy of NHCP.
Located just beside the Museo El Deposito, this museum highlights the history of the Katipunan, the exploits of Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, Gregoria de Jesus and others who led the underground revolutionary movement against Spain.
Museo ni Manuel Quezon (Quezon City)
*Photo of the Quezon Memorial Shrine, 7 October 2019.
Housed in the iconic tall spire designed by Federico Ilustre, known as the Quezon Memorial Shrine, the museum was re-modernized on Quezon Day 2015 and reopened to the public. It highlights personal items of the late president of the Philippine Commonwealth and his family, and is composed of five galleries that tell of his life and enduring legacy. Manuel Quezon’s and First Lady Aurora Quezon’s remains are interred here.
Museo ng Pampangulong Sasakyan (Quezon City)
The museum is perhaps the most sought-after museum among the 27, based on the number of visits per month. The museum features the cars that have once transported the most powerful leader of the land on the road, and other vehicles of historic significance that have been turned over to the NHCP. It features the technology behind the cars, and the protection and comfort accorded them by the people.
*Photo of the museum interior, 18 August 2018
Museo ni Apolinario Mabini, Polytechnic University of the Philippines (Santa Mesa, Manila)
The museum is located at the PUP campus. The highlight is the Mabini bamboo-and-nipa hut which was the very place where Apolinario Mabini in 1903 died due to cholera. The hut has been moved around finally settling on campus. The museum, just beside the hut, contains a summary of his life and legacy, and even a recreated hammock upon which Mabini used to be transported.
Museo ni Emilio Aguinaldo (Kawit, Cavite)
The museum is housed in the historic Aguinaldo Mansion (w/ art noveau & art deco detailing) where the independence of the Philippines was proclaimed from its balcony window on 12 June 1898. The museum houses the Aguinaldo collection, with four galleries that highlight his life and legacy as the revolutionary leader and president of the First Philippine Republic.
Museo ni Baldomero Aguinaldo (Kawit, Cavite)
Dedicated to the first cousin of President Emilio Aguinaldo, the museum features Baldomero’s achievements as revolutionary general, and after the Philippine-American War, as leader of the Asociacion de los Veteranos de la Revolucion Filipina. The museum is housed in the Baldomero Aguinaldo house built in 1906.
Museo ng Paglilitis ni Andres Bonifacio (Maragondon, Cavite)
*Photo from the museum’s facebook page.
The house where the museum is laid witness to the trial proceedings of the military tribunal on the Bonifacio brothers who were accused of treason in 1897 after the Tejeros Convention. Sentenced to death, the brothers were executed at Mt. Nagpatong, in Maragondon, Cavite. The museum, composed of five galleries give a well-rounded narrative of the controversial trial and its historical context.
Museo ni Jose Rizal (Calamba, Laguna)
*Photo taken on 11 June 2017.
Housed in a rebuilt bahay-na-bato where the original site of the Rizal house was (this was also where he was born), the museum features six galleries that show the life of Rizal, from his childhood and his family life, to his travels and studies abroad, up to his return to Manila in 1892. The museum boasts unique Rizaliana memorabilia.
Museo ng Libingan sa Ilalim ng Lupa ng Nagcarlan (Nagcarlan, Laguna)
*The museum’s interior, from the NHCP Website.
Having been the only cemetery museum in the 27 museums of NHCP (and possessing the longest name as well), the museum is housed in a building fronting the historic octagonal-shaped cemetery that dates back to 1845 and features the only known underground crypt in the country. The museum talks about heritage conservation that was implemented on the site.
Museo ni Miguel Malvar (Santo Tomas, Batangas)
*Photo of a sculpture piece of General Miguel Malvar on horseback, displayed in the museum, 11 June 2017.
As one of the last Filipino generals to surrender to the Americans in the Philippine-American War, Miguel Malvar’s life highlights the role of a family man and leader at the time of revolution. The museum showcases three galleries that showcases his personal life as well as his memorabilia.
Museo ni Apolinario Mabini (Tanauan, Batangas)
*Photos of the exterior and interior of the museum, courtesy of ASEMUS.
In terms of its sheer size, it’s one of the largest museums among the 27. Fronting the museum is the actual resting place of Apolinario Mabini’s remains, replete with two spires designed by National Artist Juan F. Nakpil. The museum seven galleries that showcases his achievements as the great constitutionalist, thinker, and leader of the First Philippine Republic. If you want an overview of the Philippine-American War, this museum delivers it.
Museo nina Leon at Galicano Apacible (Taal, Batangas)
The museum is housed in the Leon Apacible house where it documents the Apacible brothers’ efforts in securing both international recognition, and internal cohesion for the First Philippine Republic. With five galleries exhibited, it features the life and times of the two and their lasting legacy.
Museo nina Marcela Mariño at Felipe Agoncillo (Taal, Batangas)
This is the only museum in the 27 that features the life and legacy of a married couple who did so much for the revolutionary movement and establishment of the First Philippine Republic. Marcela is known as the one who led the sewing of the Philippine flag, while her husband Felipe was the first diplomat of the country, appealing to the international community to recognize Philippine independence. The museum is quite text-heavy, having seven galleries all in all.
Museo ni Jesse Robredo (Naga City)
*Photo taken on 17 August 2019, before the museum grand opening.
Perhaps the most well-designed museum of the 27, the museum is dedicated to the exemplary leadership of former Naga City mayor, DILG Secretary, and Ramon Magsaysay awardee, Jesse Robredo, documenting his simple beginnings, his rise to leadership, and ending in his untimely death. The museum building is a green architecture building, equipped with an auditorium.
Visayas and Mindanao Museums
Museum of Philippine Economic History (Iloilo City)
*Exterior of the museum showing the Edificio de Ynchausti y Cia, from Good News Pilipinas website.
The old Ynchausti y Compañia Commercial House built in 1905 and restored by NHCP in 2018 was adaptively reused as a museum that opened early this year. True to the structure’s history, the museum is dedicated to documenting the ebb and flow of the Philippine economy in Philippine history and the aggregate efforts of people pushing towards progress. With thirteen galleries all in all, it is one of the largest museums among the 27.
*Photo taken on 10 February 2019 prior to the museum’s grand opening.
Museo ng Pamana at Kasaysayang Boholano (Loay, Bohol)
The lone NHCP museum that is focused on the local history of its community, the museum is housed in the historic Escuela de los Niños y Niñas Buildings beside the Loay Church and Casa Tribunal in Loay, all of which were destroyed in the 15 October 2013 earthquake, but was completely restored in 2017 by the NHCP.
Museo ni Jose Rizal (Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte)
*Photos from NHCP, dated 19 June 2016.
The only NHCP museum in Mindanao to date, the museum stands on the former 34-hectare farm land Rizal purchased from the money he won through lottery while exiled by the Spanish authorities to Dapitan. Rizal’s ingenuity is showcased through the four galleries that exhibited specimens he examined, tools he used, sketches and maps he drew, that developed the community there at the time.
Want to have a history museum challenge? How about visiting all of them in your lifetime? Make your museum experience historic!
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