Despite living in a county with a rich culture and a long history, not many Filipinos have enough time to visit museums to learn about our heritage. It’s not really our fault; we’re too busy trying to put food on the table. Still, it’s important to pay more attention to our history. After all, it’s our country.
Through new exhibitions on Google Arts & Culture through g.co/pmlmalacanang, anyone with an internet connection has the chance to virtually visit and walk through the Presidential Museum and Library (PML) where 120 years of Philippine leadership are carefully safeguarded.
Located in the Kalayaan Hall, the Presidential Museum and Library was originally built in 1921 during the American colonial era as the Executive Building and today, a wing of Malacañang Palace.
Using a specially designed Street View ‘trolley’ to collect 360-degree views of the building’s interior, Google enables users to walk through PML’s two floors, including the architecturally significant rooms of Kalayaan Hall, the oldest original part of the Palace. The gallery interiors can also be explored directly from within Google Maps’ Street View.
To find more history and background on the Palace, the two exhibits “Malacañang as Prize, Pulpit, and Stage” and “Relics of Power: Remembering the Philippine Presidents” are exhibits where one can educate themselves about the Palace’s history and find curated exhibits consisting of furniture, artwork, memorabilia, and items from the collections of PML as well as private institutions and individuals.
“For hundreds of years we have safeguarded our history and heritage, and perhaps with the shift in technology and how it has shaped people’s lives and realities, it’s about time we use these advances to share our rich culture to the world,” PML Director Edgar Ryan S. Faustino explained.
“In this way we preserve these invaluable artifacts and structures for our progeny while letting those who are separated by oceans and thousands of miles share the experience of the PML while also getting to know Philippine history,” he concluded.
Keeping President Rodrigo Duterte’s mandate to make Malacañang accessible to the people, citizens can also access the PML free of charge by simply emailing their reservation on the address found on the website.
Meanwhile, PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar said, “It is President Duterte’s hope that by opening our doors not only to Filipinos but to citizens of the world we are able encourage people to understand the Philippines better in the context of its political, social and economic history.”
He added, “These items are part of our identity and form the rich tapestry that connects our past with our future.”
“It has been a wonderful experience working with Google and all the passionate people we have encountered in fulfilling this project,” Andanar stated. “These online exhibits on Google Arts & Culture just show the world that the private and public sector can create meaningful work together.”
