Category Archives: Metropolitan Manila

Bamboo Organ (Las Pinas City, Metro Manila)

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The Bamboo Oran

The centerpiece of the Church of St. Joseph in Las Pinas City is the famous Bamboo Organ and it is with this obra maestra (masterpiece) that  Augustinian Recollect Fr. Diego Cera de la Virgen del Carmen, resident  Catholic parish priest (its first) in Las Piñas from 1795 to 1830, was to gain undying fame as an organ builder.  A native of Spain, this organist and organ builder was a gifted man, a natural scientist, chemist, architect and community leader.

Check out “Church of St. Joseph“

Church of St. Joseph

So unique is this church organ made with bamboo, the tallest grass in the world (only the trumpet stops are made of metal), that it was even mentioned by Robert L. Ripley (of Ripley’s Believe It or Not fame) in his book on “Great and Strange Works of Man.”  The choice of Bambusa sp. (Gramineane), identified to be indigenous to Batangas and the Luzon area, was probably both practical and aesthetic as bamboo was abundant and used for hundreds of items of both a practical and an artistic nature. The Bamboo Organ is described, by many international organ masters, as one of the finest old organs in the world and its construction, with bamboo, is noted as being one of the major factors that gives it a truly unique and lively sound. 

Fr. Diego Cera

Of the three built, one was intended as a gift for the Queen of Spain.  It never arrived for unascertainable reasons. However, some good came out of it as the Queen donated a church bell, now displayed at the old church convent.  The second was installed in the Capuchin Church of San Nicholas in Intramuros.  One of the 33 stops of this organ was made of bamboo.  The organ was, however, heavily damaged in 1898 and completely destroyed by fire during the American liberation in 1945.

The third and only existing one left was started in 1816 (while the church was still under construction) and completed in 1824.   With the help of the Las Piñas community, Fr. Cera started cutting the bamboo in 1816, selecting 950 pieces of different sizes and volumes.  These he buried in beach sand from six months to a year, curing them with salt water, thereby protecting them from wood-boring termites.  In 1817, Fr. Cera unearthed the bamboo pieces.

Together with the natives (whom he trained prior to the gathering of materials), he proceeded with the construction of the organ. At first, he attempted to use bamboo for 122 pipes but this experiment failed and, eventually, the bamboo pipes were used as ornamental pipes located at the rear side. Secretly working with Swiss chemist Jacques E. Brandenberger (who was employed by Blanchisserie et Teinturerie de Thaonbut, the cellophane inventor for the air bags to be used in the construction but without the trumpet stops), the organ was already playable in 1821. After Fr. Cera decided to make the trumpets using metal (musical characteristics of which he could not replicate with bamboo), the organ was finally completed in 1824.

The old keyboard, metal and bamboo pipes of the Bamboo Organ, now on display at the Bamboo Organ Museum

The finished product was 6.7 m. high, 4.17 m. wide, 1.45 m. deep and weighed 3.5 tons.  From its 1,031 pipes emanate dulcet tones.  There are 902 pipes made of bamboo consisting of 747 “speaking” pipes, 36 “blind” flue pipes and 119 “blind” reed pipes. The 129 metal trumpets, horizontally placed reeds of soft metal imported from Mexico, are composed of 112 metal pipes, 10 “speaking” reed pipes and 7 others for the “bird” stop.   The five-octave keyboard has 23 stops arranged in vertical rows and a full pedalboard.

Despite its single manual and small pedals, the organ has an unusually high tonal range.  Its special birdstop tube (pajarito) was, to quote, “designed to imitate the song of birds when a small quantity of water was poured therein.”  The tambor tube, on the other hand, gives out the boom of a kettle drum.  The organ was originally powered by a windmill.  However, an electric blower, installed in 1932 (the centennial of Fr. Cera’s death) by Fr. Paul Hubaux, is now used.

The old manually-operated bellows of the Bamboo Organ (now at the Bamboo Organ Museum)

Over the years, natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods took their toll on the Bamboo Organ. Major repairs were undertaken in 1863, 1867 and 1872. The July 14, 18 and 20 earthquake of 1880 and the October 1882 typhoon  destroyed the galvanized roofing of the church, causing rain and stones to fall on the then disassembled organ, rendering it unplayable for several years.

In February 1883, through the combined contributions of the government, town residents and the Archbishop, repairs on the organ, costing a total of 270 pesos were carried out.  In 1888, Fr. Saturio Albeniz headed the project of improving the organ.  However, it was not fully completed, further degrading the condition of the organ. In 1891, the organ was repaired once again but, during the Philippine Revolution, the pipes were then dismantled and kept in the old sacristy.

The author (left) with son Jandy and cousin Vicky beside the Bamboo Organ

Around 1909, there was an attempt to sell the organ and replace it with a harmonium.  It was aborted when a certain Kapitan Pedro opposed this and offered to pay the expenses of the organ.  Unfortunately, only two stops were repaired.  In 1911, the organ was rediscovered by tourists and reassembled.  Several concerted efforts were also made to save the organ.  In 1917, the organ was in such a bad state that only two stops were working.

Fr. Victor Faniel (term: 1915–1920), of the C.I.C.M. (Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary) or Belgian Fathers, attempted to restore the organ but could not repair the bellows.   In order to solicit voluntary contributions for the repair of the organ, Fr. Faniel authored and published Historical Facts, a pamphlet featuring substantial historical data about the bamboo organ.

The bellows currently used by the Bamboo Organ

In 1917, the organ was reassembled by the Las Piñeros but the repair works were not conducted in an expert manner. In April 1932, Fr. Paul Hubaux, C.I.C.M., saw the difficulty of pumping air and physically manipulating the bellows  so he installed a one-horse power Wagner electric motor in order for the bamboo organ “to be heard again in full and sufficient volume.”

In 1943, during the Japanese Occupation, it was partially repaired and overhauled by two technicians, Carmelo and Jose Loinaz.  However, the lack of expertise did little to improve its condition.  Some of the repairs that were intended to preserve, actually almost destroyed it.

In 1960, German Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Friedrich von Fürstenberg, offered a donation worth 150,000 DM. However, the restoration work needed be done in Germany. The restoration project was temporarily shelved because of the risks of transporting the organ from Manila to Germany and back.  However, by 1962, the organ was in such a bad state that only one-fifth was working as there were many leakages in the air supply.  All horizontal trumpets were disconnected and the same was true for all the base pipes.  Only three stops out of the 23 were working and some disconnected pipes were piled inside the organ.

The organ’s cornet

In 1962, the Historical Conservation Society offered its services to restore the organ, in anticipation of the second centennial anniversary of Las Piñas. A total of Php 4,975.00 was donated for the instrument alone. However, insufficient funds only allowed partial repair works by Mr. Jose Loinaz. An organ builder, Fr. Hermann Schablitzki, S.V.D., also attempted to conduct repair works to the bamboo organ. The condition of the bamboo organ reached its “terminal stage” – disconnected horizontal trumpets and bass pipes, three functional stops out of twenty-three, leakage of air from the chest, and piling of disconnected pipes inside the bamboo organ. Only 1/3 of the Bamboo Organ was functioning during that time.

In the early 1970s, Belgian Rev. Fr. Mark Lesage (C.I.C.M. parish priest in June 1969) and assistant parish priest Fr. Leo Renier (who happened to be a musician and organist) set out consulting with several authorities on the bamboo organ. Mr. Jose Loinaz and Fr. Schablitzki strongly suggested a total repair. On the other hand, Fr. John van der Steen, C.I.C.M., echoed the need for total restoration. Lesage and Ranier, as well as the townspeople, decided on the total rehabilitation of the dying organ and the implementation of the restoration work was firmed up.

On December 2, 1972, during the inauguration of the Las Piñas Church, Mr. Johannes Klais the expert organ restorer scion of the organ builder firm of Johannes Klais Orgelbau, visited, personally inspected and assessed the Bamboo Organ which he had heard about when he was still a child. With a rich and extensive experience in the restoration of Spanish organs, he expressed his desire to help.  He remarked that the organ could still be repaired, but only in the Klais factory in Bonn, Germany. The crucial and sensitive work was awarded to the firm.

In March 1973, two technicians of the Klais firm, Joseph Tramnitz and Joseph Pick, arrived at Las Piñas and dismantled the bamboo organ. Due to concerns about shrinkage in the cold German climate, the repair of the bamboo pipes was done in Japan under Mr. Tsuda, also trained by Mr. Klais himself. The other parts of the organ were crated and shipped to Germany. On September 1973, upon its repair, the bamboo pipes were also shipped to Germany and installed in the “Klimakammer,” a special room built in the factory with the same Philippine humidity and temperature to prevent shrinkage of the bamboo.

On February 1974, actual repairs were started.  Klais enlarged the original plan of Fr. Cera and the old bellows of the organ were replaced. At present, the new bellows were located at one side of the choir loft and beside the belfry.  Parts that could not be used anymore were replaced with very durable wood.  Only the best materials were used.  Mr. Klais also trained Mr. Marciano Jacela, a Filipino scholar of the Carl Duisberg Foundation, on how to take care of the organ in the future in case any repair was needed.  Mr. Jacela also actively participated in the difficult and complicated restoration work.

During all that time, the 200,000 German Deutchmarks (PhP460,000 at that time) needed (excluding transportation, tickets for technicians and other expenses) for the organ repair was  raised from various sources. In the true bayanihan spirit, money for the organ repair, as well as church renovation, came in with the help of the Las Piñas community and the neighboring area, coming in the form of donations from businessmen as well as coins from schoolchildren.

On February 17, 1975, the Bamboo Organ, now with 89 completely new pipes (35 were trumpet pipes and 53 were bamboo pipes) was presented to guests invited by Mr. Mauro Calingo, the Philippine ambassador, at a one-hour concert held at the Philippine Embassy at Bonn, Germany, with world-renowned organist Wolfgang Oehms (organist of the Trier Cathedral in Germany) playing the Bamboo Organ. After that historic event, the launching of the first long-playing album of the bamboo organ was released.

On March 16, accompanied by Mr. Marciano Jacela (responsible for reassembling the bamboo organ), Robert Coyuito (then President of the Pioneer Insurance Companies who donated the insurance premium for the bamboo organ) and German technician Ulrich Bisacker, a dozen crates containing all the parts of the restored Bamboo Organ were finally returned, via Sabena Airlines,  to a joyous welcome here after an absence of almost two years.   A joint motorcade and foot parade was held the next day.  The organ was finally reassembled on March 17.  A month later, Klais arrived in Manila to a hero’s welcome.

For around thirty years, minor repairs and improvements were performed on the instrument under the general restoration conducted by Klais Orgelbau.  In 1990, Helmut Allgaeuer Orgelbau replaced the bone plates of the keyboard and, in 1993, Helmut’s apprentices Cealwyn Tagle and the late Edgar Montiano, both members of the Las Piñas Boys Choir turned organ builders and trained in Grunbach, Austria,  took over the maintenance of the instrument, doing minor jobs on broken trackers, hairline cracks, and keyboard adjustments.

On November 24, 2003, the Bamboo Organ was declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines. In 2004, the Las Pinas-based company, Diego Cera Organ Builders Inc. (considered as the first Filipino pipe organ building company, it was founded by Tagle and Montiano In March 1994), carried out a general overhaul of the Bamboo Organ, replacing some leather parts and making improvements in the wind system, particularly the re-installation of a multi-fold parallel bellows which was patterned after the bellows of the Baclayon (Bohol) pipe organ, which is believed to be constructed by Fr. Diego Cera.

Through this organ-building priest’s genius, plus the dedication of Klais and the untiring efforts of the Las Piñas community, then and now, the legacy of this centuries-old National Treasure has been preserved, continually bringing unique angelic music from the earthly bamboo. Today, the famous organ, as well as the church museum at the old convent house, is a popular tourist destination for Filipinos and foreign visitors alike in Las Piñas.

Check out “Bamboo Organ Museum”

The organ is now the cornerstone of the International Bamboo Organ music festival.  First held from March 6 – 11, 1976, the inaugural concert featured Wolfgang Oehms complemented by the Las Piñas Boys’ Choir, the Cultural Center of the Philippines Orchestra (under the baton of Maestro Luis C. Valencia) and the Maharlika Rondalla. Oehms played standard European compositions and two Filipino works – excerpts from Misang Pilipino by former dean of Philippine Women’s University College of Music, Lucrecia R. Kasilag (who later became a National Artist for Music in 1989) and commissioned Parangal by organ, rondalla, brass, woodwind and percussion conducted by Prof. Alfredo S. Buenaventura, the composer himself.

Now the longest-running annual international music festival held in the country, the festival is a series of cultural performances centered on the unique Bamboo Organ.  The  classical music compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 to 1750), Giovanni Gabrielli (1557 to 1612), Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 to 1809), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 to 1791), Antonio Vivaldi (1675 to 1741) and other famous composers are performed by local and international artists, orchestras and choirs (notably the Las Pinas Boy’s Choir) with the accompaniment of this famous organ. Since 1992, Prof. Armando Salarza has been the titular organist of the Bamboo Organ as well as the Artistic Director of the International Bamboo Organ Festival

Bamboo Organ: St. Joseph Church, Diego Cera Ave., Brgy. Daniel Fajardo, Poblacion,  Las Piñas City. Tel: (02) 8825-7190 and (02) 8820-0795. Email: bambooorganfoundation@gmail.com. Website:  bambooorgan.org/museum.

How to Get There: From the Star Mall in Alabang (formerly Metropolis), board a jeepney bound for Zapota Bayan and ask the driver to drop you off at the ‘Bamboo Organ.’ From Alabang, the church is on your left side.

National Shrine of St. Michael and the Archangels (Manila)

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National Shrine of St. Michael and the Archangels

The century-old National Shrine of St. Michael and the Archangels, also known as San Miguel Church or Malacañang Church (as it adjoins the Malacañang Palace complex, the official residence of the President of the Republic of the Philippines), is located on the former site of La Fábrica de Cerveza de San Miguel (now San Miguel Brewery).

The church’s Neo-Classical facade

This Catholic church of the Latin Rite is dedicated to the seven archangels who fought against the Lucifer, the fallen angel who rebelled against God – Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel, Saint Raphael, Saint Uriel, Saint Selatiel, Saint Jhudiel, and Saint Barachiel.

An archangel is supposedly assigned to a person depending on the day he is born – St. Gabriel for Monday, St. Raphael for Tuesday, St. Uriel for Wednesday, St. Sealtiel for Thursday, St. Jhudiel for Friday, St. Barachiel for Saturday and St. Michael for Sunday.

Historical plaque

Here are some interesting trivia regarding this church:

  • It is the only shrine in the whole world dedicated to the aforementioned seven archangels
  • As it almost next door to the most important address in the country, a number of presidents have heard Mass at the shrine – Carlos P. García, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (usually accompanied by her husband Mike Arroyo) and Fidel V. Ramos (who is not even Catholic but Protestant). Then-Ilocos Norte Representative (and later President) Ferdinand E. Marcos also married then-beauty queen Imelda Romuáldez in the shrine (at that time a pro-cathedral) on May 1, 1954. Their wedding, tagged as the “Wedding of the Year,” followed almost two weeks of courtship.  President Ramon Magsaysay stood as Principal Sponsor.
  • Unlike most Catholic churches in the country that are usually overflowing with parishioners on Sundays, the prominent location of this church seems not to entice parishioners to hear Mass here. St. Michael only has about 1,500 parishioners, some of whom are descended from old-rich families (who were the benefactors of the church) in San Miguel District (most of these families, however, left this district during Marcos’ time).  One reason churchgoers might be staying away is the abundance of checkpoints all over the Malacañang Complex.
  • It only holds three Masses on Sundays – two in the morning and only one in the evening.
  • The national shrine is also, notably, the only Catholic church in the country where priests (instead of bishops) are canonically permitted to administer the sacrament of Confirmation twice a week (on Thursdays and Sundays).
  • A few blocks away is the National Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of desperate cases
  • Among those buried in San Miguel are Don Enrique M. Barreto (founder of San Miguel Brewery) and Don Domingo Roxas (patriarch of the Zóbel-de Ayala-Roxas-Soriano clans). Archbishop Gabriel M. Reyes, the Archdiocese of Manila’s first Filipino ordinary (served from 1949 to 1952), was initially buried in the shrine before his remains were transferred to the crypt of Manila Cathedral.

The church has a Neo-Classical façade with a semicircular arched main entrance and windows, a rose window at the second level and flanking, symmetrical bell towers with melon-shaped domes topped by turrets.

The church’s interior

Here is the historical timeline of the church:

  • In 1637, San Miguel Church was first built in stone by the Jesuits, along the left bank of the Pasig river (where the Tabacalera,  Mirador Hotel and the old PCSO office are now located) in Paco, Manila (formerly known as Dilao).
  • During the 1645 Luzon earthquake, the church was damaged.
  • In 1779, a provisional church, along the north bank of the Pasig River, was started by Fr. Malo de Molina.
  • In 1783, it was transferred to its present site and placed under the jurisdiction of the Quiapo Parish.
  • In 1835, the first church on this site was built by Franciscan Fr. Esteban Mena
  • In 1852, after an earthquake, Fr. Francisco Febres repaired the church and rebuilt the destroyed bell tower.
  • During the July 19, 1880 earthquake, the church was destroyed.
  • In 1886, the church and its bell towers were repaired by Fr. Emilio Gago.
  • In 1913, the church was rebuilt by Fr. Hipolito Arce (parish priest from 1900 – 1940), through the generous assistance of Doña Margarita Róxas de Ayala, on its present site and inaugurated on September 29, 1913.
  • From 1946 till December 8, 1958, following the city’s destruction in World War II, the church was designated as the pro-cathedral of the Archdiocese of Manila by Monsigñor Michael O’Doherty while Manila Cathedral was being rebuilt.
  • On February 22, 1986, the church was elevated to the rank of National Shrine by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), with Ricardo Cardinal Vidal of the Archdiocese of Cebu and Papal Nuncio Bruno Torgigliani in attendance.  The CBCP made the decision via de jure, citing the church’s rich history.

Its main altar, built with fine wood and stately marble and designed by Fr. Ramon Dodero, an Opus Dei priest, in 1985, is a replica of the old altar built in 1800.  It has a statue of St. Michael crushing the enemy, in the center, with the other six archangels flanking him.

In front of the church is the beautiful 12-ft. high bronze statue of St. Michael in his traditional pose, triumphantly looming over a dragon (Satan). Done by renowned Filipino sculptor Florante “Boy” Caedo, it was blessed in September 29, 1984 by Papal Nuncio Bruno Torpigliani with His Eminence Jaime Cardinal L. Sin, D.D. and Col. Antonio Cabangon Chuas as unveilers.

Bronze statue of St. Michael the Archangel

National Shrine of St. Michael and the Archangels: 1000 Jose Laurel St. cor. General Solano St., San Miguel district, Manila, Metro Manila.  Tel: (632) 735-1611 and 734-1271.  Fax: (632) 736-1105.

Lakbay Museo (Pasay City, Metro Manila)

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Lakbay Museo entrance emulating Mayon Volcano’s silhouette and perfect cone

For those who want to travel and experience 11 regions of the Philippines without having to leave Manila, then you should visit the IG-worthy Lakbay Museo.  Prior to its official opening to the public on July 12, we were allowed a sneak preview of this unique and new destination in the Metro. Describing itself as the “first PH interactive millennial museum,” it is sort of a Nayong Pilipino for the Instagram generation.

A project of The Millennial Concept Factory Inc., headed by President Lawrence Li Tan, Lakbay Museo offers, in one massive space, a chance for young Filipino millennials to travel across the Philippines, within 2 hours inside the museum, discovering and revisiting many of the Philippines’s best vacation spots, and know more of the country’s unique history, food, music, arts and culture by immersing themselves its festivals, fashion and food, all without having to spend days of traveling and a lot of money to Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

At the entrance, we were welcomed by staff wearing traditional Filipino attire. Before we entered the museum, we were dressed up, in original Pinoy fashion, with authentic handwoven fabrics with colorful designs.  A display on the museum lobby asks “Paano ka maglalakbay?”

L-R: the author, Ms. Maria “Nini” Ravanilla (former Regional Director of DOT Bicol Region), Mr. Lawrence Li Tan (President of Millenial Concept Factory, Inc.) and Ms. Karla Del Castillo (Lakbay Museo Manager). Behind is the jeepney and at right is the stairs leading up to the airplane and its slide.

To enter the museum, we were given the choice of entering via a vinta, hopping on a distinctly Filipino jeepney (with all its vibrant colors, airbrushed designs and all sorts of décor), or climbing a unique airplane display (where you slide down to enter the gallery), a reminder of the many options for traveling around the Philippines —by land, water or air.

The iconic, distinctly Filipino and colorful jeepney

The museum, boasting 1,000 square meters, is filled with interesting portals, displays and interactive stations which you can explore and experience through different senses.

Magellan’s Shrine, Sinulog mannequins and Cebu’s famous lechon at the Central Visayas Exhibit

They are adorned with eye-catching installations and shining in vibrant lights that draw attention across the floor, highlighting the best destinations in the Philippines (Mayon Volcano in Albay, Magellan’s Cross in Cebu, etc.), all worthy of the very 21st-century practice called Instagram.

A miniature Barasoain Church facade at the Central Luzon Exhibit

Stage with Sto. Nino Shrine backdrop at Eastern Visayas Exhibit.  Check out the suman-shaped seating

The well-trained guides, found all over the museum, are always ready to talk to and entertain you as you go around, offering a myriad of interesting facts about the country.

Ilocos Region Exhibit

The museum is divided into 11 areas – Ilocos Region (Region I), Cagayan Valley (Region II), Central Luzon (Region III), National Capital Region, Southern Tagalog (CALABARZON and MIMAROPA), Bicol Region (Region V), Western Visayas (Region VI), Central Visayas (Region VII), Eastern Visayas (Region VIII), Cordillera Administrative Region, and the whole island of Mindanao.

Bicol Region Exhibit

Lakbay Museo also offers 14 unique experiences including balancing a stack of rubber palayoks on top of your head or swimming in a giant rice bowl; plus 10 freebies for tasting experiences such as sampling native delicacies and tasting lambanog and fruit wine (for adults only).

Free lambanog tasting

At the Luzon Exhibit, you’ll find Luzon’s gorgeous traditional houses (Batanes’ Ivatan house, the Ifugao bale made with zero nails, etc.) and festivals.

Strawberries inside an Ifugao bale house

The life-size display of the gorgeous Pahiyas Festival, a colorful celebration in Quezon Province of the region’s bountiful harvest, features kiping (colorful decorations made from dried rice paste) used for decorating the houses alongside various fruits, vegetables and flowers.

The gorgeous Pahiyas Festival

The miniature display of a replica of Mayon Volcano, beside the equally famous miniature of the Cagsawa Ruins, is one of the highlights in the museum.   A small tunnel, under the volcano, is filled with mirrors and lights you can play with, perfect for photo experiments and extraordinary shots (including doing an iconic “lava walk”).

Mayon Voolcano and Cagsawa Ruins

The Visayas region, known for its beaches and seas brimming with life (we’re in the Coral Triangle, the world’s epicenter of marine biodiversity), showcases the Philippines’ one-of-a-kind underwater world.

Coral Triangle

Hovering above this coral wonderland are strands of plastic waste

Looking like it came out of Wonderland, a display of plastic waste, right above the underwater station, shows us that if we continue to pollute our waters, this natural wonder may soon be gone.

Colorfully attired guides at Mindanao Exhibit

The amazingly vibrant and colorful Mindanao Exhibit display depicts the island’s dances, traditional instruments and local cuisines.

The author at Mindanao Exhibit

A section of Lakbay Museo is dedicated to a fabric collection of traditional textiles and original tapestries that comes with local stories and whose textures you can touch.

Colorful fabrics you can touch to appreciate

An array of banig (woven mats) and carpets

Created by actual ethnic and indigenous groups from all over the Philippines, it presents an artistic take on the colorful fabric of our country which includes the t’nalak from Lake Sebu and inabel from Northern Luzon.  There are also over 120 synthetic mannequins wearing authentic Filipino fashion.

The Arraquio of Penaranda, Nueva Ecija (Central Luzon Exhibit)

A full-blown production, the museum holds cultural performances, hourly all throughout the day, of traditional dances from Luzon to Mindanao, with dance troupes performing on the big stage (with a Sto. Nino Shrine backdrop) at the Eastern Visayas area.

They entertained us with familiar and unusual moves from many Filipino fiestas and celebrations with a live performance of the Pandanggo sa Ilaw, Tinikling, Cariñosa, Sayaw sa Bangko, Ifugao Kaloob dance and Maguindanao’s Sagayan.

The Lakbay Museo staff also surprised us as they randomly burst into dance.  A puppet show also educates children on Philippine heritage.

Learning about Philippine culture is, of course, not complete without learning about the variety of dishes in the country, tasting the sour, sweet, salty, spicy, bitter and its other flavors by taking your taste buds on a journey with different Pinoy food and drinks.

Lakbay Museo, housing a large collection of Philippine staples has, literally on exhibit, over 600 known Filipino dishes in the collection.

Taboan Public Market

A replica of Cebu’s famous Taboan Public Market displays an array of local fruits and dried fishes (palad from Samar, bisugo from Ilocos, labahita from Batangas, etc.). However, since what they have on display are just life-like replicas, you won’t end up smelling like tinapa.

An array of dried fish

For the full experience, you can smell the real deal inside sealed jars on shelves.  They include different kinds of local vinegar with different strength levels (sukang Iloco, sukang paombong,etc.); delicious bagoong or shrimp paste (bagoong alamang, bagoong sisi, etc.); coffee beans and roasts (kapeng barako, kapeng alamid, etc.) and rice grain varieties (from the Ifugao’s Minaangan to the Mountain Province’s Ominio).

Bottles of bagoong, coffee and rice grain varieties on shelves

While most of the displays are replicas, you can also try some snacks using the 12 tokens that come free with the admission fee. Goodies normally cost from 1 -4 tokens each.

A sari-sari store

These, you can use to buy full meals (chicken adobo, arroz caldo, pancit lucban, sinigang, tinola, ginataang mais, etc.) and Pinoy street food (fish balls, quek quek, kakanin, sago gulaman, halo-halo, etc.) from the carinderia and chips, candies (Orange Swits, Stay Fresh, Haw Haw, Tarzan bubble gum, etc.), native treats and more from the sari-sari store. As Filipinos love sawsawan, you can try the local vinegar with their fish crackers.

Maskara Festival of Negros Occidental

Museo Lakbay, built on the foundation of environment conservation, aims to raise environmental awareness.  Most of its displays were made from recycled materials such as 4,560 old and used rubber slippers, 328 old tires, 453 old car mats, plastic bottles, and a variety of other recyclable waste products and scrap materials.

Gaily decorated carabao of Panagbenga Festival (Cordillera Administrative Region Exhibit)

The museum also provides job opportunities to the  marginalized sectors of the society – out-of-school youth, non-professionals, disabled persons (PWDs) and senior citizens.

Moriones Festival of Marinduque costumes

Local artists also lovingly handcrafted the thousands of realistic, life-size and perfectly flatlayed replicas of various market produce, multitude of fish species and a variety of vegetables and fruits on display. The quirky props, seemingly designed to appeal to social media users, include cute chairs around the stage that look like puto with cheese as well as benches that look like suman sa lehiya.

Museum shop

We ended our tour and exited the museum at the museum shop which sells local products and unique souvenir items (traditional toys, well-designed t-shirts, totes, etc.), in partnership with 189 micro, small and medium scale enterprises in the country.

Ati-Atihan costumed mannequins (Western Visayas Exhibit)

Lakbay Museo, a perfect place to rediscover our Filipino identity in a fun learning environment, is unlike most museums (where you can’t touch anything) and lots of fun.

Water from a coconut husk pouring into a palayok

Here, we can climb up and play in the exhibits and there were lots of photogenic spots and areas, standing across many of the prominent tourist spots in the Philippines for photo ops.

It presents a showcase of unique experiences, from walking through replicas of iconic landmarks, tasting samples of regional cuisine, touching handwoven textiles, and taking part in traditional folk dances as you visit various portals and IG-ready stalls and learn about our roots and appreciate the richness and diversity of Philippine culture.

Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) Exhibit

Lakbay Museo: Level 1, S Maison, Marina Way, Conrad Manila, Mall of Asia Complex, 1300 Pasay City.   Open daily, 10 AM -10 PM (9 PM last tour).  Admission: Php 799 (You get a P100 discount if you book online).  Some sites (like MetroDeal) offer discounted rates. E-mail: mabuhay@lakbaymuseo.ph.  Website: www.lakbaymuseo.ph.  Facebook: Lakbay Museo PH. Instagram: @LakbayMuseoPH.  S Maison is connected, via a covered walkway, to Mall of Asia. Tour starts every 15 minutes.

Bahay Tsinoy: Museum of Chinese in Philippine Life (Intramuros, Manila)

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Kaisa Angelo King Heritage Center

After attending the opening day exhibit “Kuwentong Kutsero” of my Don Bosco Makati batchmate Gerardo “Ged” Merino at the St. Ignatius Church with in the Walled City of Intramuros, Jandy and I still had some time to kill so we proceeded to the Bahay Tsinoy (literally Chinese-Filipino House), a museum, within the Kaisa-Angelo King Heritage Center, I have been wanting to visit for a very long time.

Check out “Ged Merino: Turning Thread and Fabric into an Art Form“

I consider myself as Tsinoy, being a member of the Locsin clan which had its beginnings sometime in the middle part of the 18th century, between the years 1747 and 1750, when an adventurous young man named “Wo Sing Lok” or “Sin Lok” from Amoy (old name for Xiamen), arrived in the Philippines. He permanently settled at “Parian,” now Molo in Iloilo City. In 1780, Sing Lok was christened as Agustin Locsin when he married Cecilia Sayson, a mestiza daughter of an Ilongga and a sangley (local Chinaman) who were both devout Catholics.

Check out “9th Locsin Reunion”

Replica of Terra Cotta Warrior

Jose Rizal

Designed in the American Colonial style by Eva Penamora in collaboration with my late U.P. College of Architecture professor Arch. Honrado Fernandez, the Kaisa-Angelo King Heritage Center was started in 1996 and completed and inaugurated in 1999.

Shoreline Tableau

After the acclaimed bi-lingual children’s educational television program Pinpin in the early 1990s, this museum project was envisioned by  the Kaisa Para sa Kaunlaran, Inc., a non-profit organization co-founded by Teresita Ang-See, to provide another venue for advocating patriotism to the Philippines and promoting cultural identity and understanding between the local Chinese and Filipino communities.

A Chinese goldsmith at work

A Chinese Cobbler and a Public Reader

Funding for the land and building structure, initially advanced by Angelo King Foundation, was eventually raised through generous contributions from different levels of Filipino-Chinese community, from tai-pans to average wage-earners.

Carpenters

The Galleon Trade

As we entered the center, we were welcomed by a replica of a terracotta warrior. Upon payment of admission fee, we entered the museum and first encountered a large ship introducing a brief history of the early contacts between the Chinese and the Filipinos prior to the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan.

Barber

Food Peddler

As we made our way further into the hall, we were greeted by an impressive and permanent heritage exhibit of a presentation of dioramas of almost life-size wax figurines tracing the history of the Philippine Chinese or sangley (meaning “itinerant merchant” in the Hokkien dialect), from Pre-Hispanic times to the Colonial Period.

Embroidery at  the Replica of a Whole Household

The Illustrado

A detailed impression of Chinese and mestizo (mixed Spanish Filipino) life in the parian (Chinese ghetto) in the 1800s is depicted via a replica of a whole household complete with Chinese-influenced furniture such as chairs and beds.

The Ah Tay Bed

There are also copies of marriage certificates contracted between Chinese husbands and Filipina or Chinese mestiza wives during the 18th and 19th century as well as their children’s baptismal records.

Colonial Culture – Shared Hands – Painting of Nuestra Senora de Pronto Socorro and Tombstones

Gallery of Rare Prints and Photographs

We also examined rare prints; a collection of excellent photographs; an interesting collection of rare porcelain unearthed in the country; old coins; religious artifacts reflecting Chinese influence; an exhibit of magazines, books, and even TV shows which promote the Chinese culture; and an exhibit of lives and contributions of famous Filipino-Chinese in the Philippine life and history.

Rare Philippine Shell Collection

In Defense of Freedom – Shared Cause

Ching Ban Lee Ceramics Gallery

At the third floor, we capped our tour at a dark section of the hall where we sat down and watched a hologram of a Tsinoy talking about how the early Chinese integrated themselves to the Philippine society.

Betty Go-Belmonte

Washington SyCip

The fully air-conditioned museum is divided into the following sections:

  • Early Contacts
  • The Parian
  • Colonial Culture
  • Emergence of the Chinese Community
  • In Defense of Freedom
  • Life in the 1800s
  • National Leaders of Chinese Descent
  • Gallery of Rare Prints and Photographs – scenes depicting old Chinese occupations, streets of Binondo, prints on turn of the century Chinese life.
  • Martyr’s Hall – dedicated for Filipino heroes who have Chinese ancestry and have made a significant impact in Philippine history.
  • Ching Ban Lee Ceramics Gallery – displays Chinese ceramics dating from 10th to 17th century that were unearthed in the Philippine,s tangible artifacts testament to centuries of trade between our two countries
  • Rare Philippine Shell Collection
  • Tsinoys in Nation-Building (Jimmy Ongking Hall) – inaugurated in 2004, it points out the influence of modern-day Tsinoys in business, politics, art, science, religious and social life. Some of the most important personalities, of (partly) Chinese origin, in Philippine history include national hero Jose Rizal, Pres. Corazon Aquino and Cardinal Jaime Sin.

Jaime Cardinal Sin

Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee and Pres. Corazon Aquino

The center is also home to the following:

  • Chinben See Memorial Library – named in honor of Prof. Chinben See, the late anthropologist and renowned scholar on overseas Chinese, this library holds 8,000 books, documents, magazines, dissertations, and other articles particularly on the Chinese in the Philippines and other parts of the world; an extensive Filipiniana collection of books on Philippine society, economy, culture and politics; rare books (some almost 200 years old) that have mention and photographs of the Chinese in the Philippines. Open Mondays to Saturdays, 9 AM to 5 PM.
  • Office of Kaisa Para sa Kaunlaran
  • Benito Cu Uy Gam Hall – available for parties & other events
  • Pao Shi Tian Seminar Room
  • Madame Teh Siu Yong Limpe Seminar Room
  • Research and Data Bank Center – contains a collection of current research materials, clippings, microfilmed archival materials, old Chinese newspapers, data base from Chinese tombstones all over the country, etc. The center plans to output policy papers that will help government. Open Mondays to Saturdays, 8 AM to 5 PM.
  • Awat Keng Auditorium – named in honor of Dr. Angelo King’s late younger brother, the auditorium seats 380 people and is used for seminars, conferences, theater productions.

Office of Kaisa Para sa Kaunlaran

Chinben See Memorial Library

Bahay Tsinoy: 2/F Kaisa-Angelo King Heritage Center, 32 Anda cor. Cabildo St., Intramuros 1002, Manila. Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 1 to 5 PM.  Tel: (632) 527-6083 and 526-6796 and 98.  Fax: (632) 527-6085. Mobile number: (0922) 890-1357. E-mail: info@bahaytsinoy.org. Website: www.bahaytsinoy.org. Admission: PhP100 for adults and PhP60 for children and students.

How to Get There: Take the LRT-1 (yellow line) and get off at Carriedo Station.  In front of Santa Cruz Church, ride a Pier-bound jeepney and get off at BahayTsinoy.

Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden (Manila)

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Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden

The 5.5-hectare (14-acre) Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden, fondly called as the Manila Zoo, was opened on July 25, 1959 (the oldest zoo in the Philippines and in Asia). It was the brainchild of the late Manila Mayor Arsenio Lacson.

One of the educational centers in the country, here the viewing public can observe, discover and learn interesting facts about the beauty of Philippine fauna and flora.

The now 60 year old zoo, maintained by Public Recreation Bureau, is home to 832 animals (as of 2007) and many plant collections from the botanically rich and diverse Philippine Islands and South Pacific region.

There are 106 species (up from 90 species in April 2015), among which are 30 different kinds of mammals, 63 reptile species and 13 types of birds. It also houses 600 plant species.

Ostrich

In addition to popular zoo occupants such as an elephant, Bengal tigers, ostriches and lions, Manila Zoo also houses Malayan civet, monitor lizard and several endemic and indigenous species of animals like the Palawan bearcat (binturong), Philippine long-tailed macaques, Philippine deer and Philippine crocodiles. Many of the zoo’s animals were born in captivity with three month-old juveniles recently born in April 2015. 

Philippine Deer

Worth checking out is a “hebra,” half-zebra and half-horse, the only one in the country, born on August 11, 2010 to  a female zebra and a male horse. Though shaped more like a horse than a zebra, it has boldly striped body, legs and neck.

Hebra

The Bengal tigers and lions, being great jumpers, can only be viewed from an elevated vantage point.

A pair of Belgian tigers

Lion

The reptile house, inside a stone structure, was inaugurated on July 25, 2009 during the term of Mayor Alfredo Lim.  A favorite of kids, it houses pythons, grass snakes, Philippine common cobra (Naja naja philippinensis), Saifin Water Lizard (Hydrosaurus pustulatus), turtles and large Estuarine Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus).

Philippine Crocodile

Malaysian box turtles

The fish pond houses arapaimas, red belly pacu, red tail catfish, alligator gar, Pangasius catfish, etc.

Fish Pond

The zoo also houses domesticated animals (goats, pigs, Guinea pig, hamsters, sheep, rabbits, etc.), a goose cage and a lagoon.

Lagoon

There are also two aviaries housing exotic birds (Philippine hawk eagle, White-bellied sea eagle, Black-crowned night herons, Purple herons, Rufous night herons, Indian blue peafowls, Banded rail, Leucistic Indian peafowls, Blue-naped parrot, egrets, Turtle dove, Spotted dove, Purple swamphen, Double wattled cassowary, etc.).

Interior of aviary

The zoo has already lost many of its original inhabitants.  It was once home to the 2.5-ton Bertha – believed to be the world’s oldest hippopotamus – until her death at age 65 in July 2017 from multiple organ failure. She arrived at the zoo, as a 7 year old, the year the zoo opened in 1959.  Her mate, who died sometime in the 1980s, failed to produce any offspring.

There used to be 3  giraffes in the zoo but all have died due to natural causes.  They are now all part of Manila Zoo’s history.  Today, we can only see a replica or effigy of a giraffe which hardly satisfied our curiosity. 

My son Jandy admiring a giraffe during a school field trip to Manila Zoo in the 1990s

If you want to see giraffes (albeit short neck ones), go to Calauit Safari Park in Palawan. Kangaroos can be found in Baluarte Zoo in Vigan (Ilocos Sur).  

Check out “Calauit Safari Park” and “Baluarte Zoo“

The tree-dwelling 38 year old Sisi, the lone female orangutan housed in the zoo since 1981, died on June 21, 2009 of multiple organ failure due to metastasized tumors.

Domestic goats

By law, the Manila Zoo must operate in accordance to Republic Act 8485 (also known as the Animal Welfare Act of 1998) whose purpose is to ensure that all terrestrial, aquatic and marine animals in the Philippines have their physical and psychological needs met in ways that promote well-being.

Its Wildlife Rescue Center, subject of public scrutiny in regard to their animal welfare standards, serves as temporary shelter and repository for confiscated, donated, retrieved, sick, injured and abandoned wildlife species.

Its most popular resident is the 43 year old Asian elephant Maali (short for Vishwamaali), the only elephant in the zoo and the only captive elephant in the Philippines.   He arrived at the zoo in 1977 as 3 year old orphaned calf transported from Sri Lanka, after being poached from the wild. She was just walking around in circles.

Maali the African elephant

Sadly, he is known as the world’s loneliest elephant and she is the subject of a campaign from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA), an animal rights organization which issued a report pointing out the numerous issues regarding Mali being kept in captivity.

Rooster

Seemingly stressed and miserable, she was subject of a campaign to free her, alleging animal cruelty, and has drawn support from Philippine bishops, global pop stars, and Nobel Laureate John Maxwell Coetzee.

Domestic sheep

The zoo has been criticized due to its inadequate animal care and dirty surroundings but efforts have been made to make the animal habitats as comfortable and natural as possible, such as by adding trees and vegetation, and expanding the enclosures.

Hamster

Due to over congestion in the zoo, management plans to transfer many of its animals to a separate breeding area or sanctuary outside Metro Manila. The current zoo will just be an exhibit area.

NOTE:

On January 23, 2019, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada has ordered the indefinite closure of Manila Zoo after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) identified it as a major pollutant of Manila Bay as it had been draining untreated sewage into Estero de San Antonio Abad leading to Manila Bay.  During its closure, the city government will work on the installation of water treatment facilities or sewerage treatment plants for Manila Zoo.

Manila Zoo also has canteens, souvenir shops, boating rentals at the lagoon and several playgrounds that cater to children and tourists.

Administration Office

Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden: M. Adriatico St. cor. Quirino Ave., Malate, Manila 1004, Philippines. Tel: (632) 525-8157 and 400-1884. Open daily (including holidays), 8AM to 6PM. Entrance Fee: non-resident adult (Php100), non-resident child;  above 4 ft. (Php100); non-resident child, below 4ft. (Php60); Manila resident, adult (Php50); Manila resident, child, above 4ft. (Php50); Manila resident, child, below 4ft. (Php30). Manila residents need to present ID with picture (TIN ID, Voter’s ID, Driver’s license, Barangay ID, UM ID).  For Manila students only, present School ID.

Allegedly Haunted Places in the Philippines

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Haunted locations are part of Philippine ghostlore which is a form of folklore.  One is located in La Union (Pindangan Church Ruins), four in Baguio City (Hyatt Terraces Hotel, SM City Baguio, Diplomat Hotel and Laperal White House) in Benguet, one in Pampanga (Clark Air Base), one in Mountain Province (Sagada), one off Cavite (Corregidor Island) and the rest in Metro Manila. Though I haven’t really experienced any paranormal activity in these sites, probably because I don’t have a third eye, many others have.

My wife Grace and I stayed in the 12-storey, 303 -room HYATT TERRACES HOTEL for three days in April 1986.   Located on a pine tree-clad hill along South Drive, near Camp John Hay, the Hyatt Terraces Hotel was said to be the grandest hotel outside Metro Manila. At 4:26 PM, on July 16, 1990, a little over 4 years after our stay, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Luzon, killing 1,621 people.  Again, I happened to be in the city, with my family and some relatives, on the day of the devastating 1990 Luzon Earthquake but were lucky enough to have left the city before lunch. In Baguio City, 28 buildings collapsed during the earthquake.  One of the most prominent buildings destroyed was the Hyatt Terraces Hotel when the central wing’s terraced front collapsed, like an accordion, onto the hotel lobby, killing 98 employees and guests. In the aftermath of that tragic earthquake, many of those listed as “missing” were never found and many say that there are still bodies in the debris of the hotel site and the spirits of these victims have never moved on. Its tragic history has surely contributed to its terrifying reputation.

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Hyatt Terraces Hotel circa 1986 

Today, its old fountain and a gated fence are all that remains of the still undeveloped site of the Hyatt Terraces. Now said to be haunted, strange lights and ghostly apparitions are said to have been seen around the empty lot.  There was once a bus stop in front of the gate and motorists, driving along South Drive, have told stories of strange apparitions of the spirits of dead employees there. Some passersby in the area at night have also heard cries for help and seen figures against the spotlight that illuminates the area. In fact, for those driving along South Drive, the directed procedure is to honk your horn when passing beside the former Hyatt location, lest they run over a spirit crossing the street. Aromatic smells, coming out of nowhere, are also consistently reported.

SM CITY BAGUIO (a favorite shopping venue of mine while in the city), opened in 2003, was erected on the site where the former 4-storey, wood-framed, 423-room Pines Hotel used to overlook Session Road. On October 23, 1984, at about 11:30 PM, a 6-hour blaze gutted this government-owned hotel. To escape the thick smoke and flames, most of the dead (17 were killed, including 4 Americans) and 46 injured leaped from windows of this American Colonial-style, hillside hotel while others were seen slipping from rescue ropes.

Check out “SM City Baguio“

SM City Baguio

Today, mall visitors have reportedly seen faces in bathroom mirrors that would not be there a second later. One patron, in the ladies’ room, gave a photographic description of a bloodied fireman (The Baguio City Fire Department lost four firefighters in the blaze).

The MANILA FILM CENTER had its beginnings in 1981 when then First Lady Imelda R. Marcos started the Manila International Film Festival (MIFF). Slated to start on January 18, 1982, 4,000 laborers working, round the clock, in 3 shifts in the rush to complete the project  in time for the MIFF. Tragedy struck, on November 17, 1981, shortly before 3 AM, when scaffolding and wooden support for part of the second basement collapsed, causing at least 169 graveyard shift workers to fall to the orchestra below and be buried or trapped under wet, quick-drying cement.

Check out “The Urban Legend That is the Manila Film Center“

Manila Film Center

Rather than halt construction to rescue survivors and retrieve the bodies of dead workmen, cement ordered to be poured into the orchestra, entombing the fallen workmen, some of them still alive. The MIFF was to last another year but, instead of quality films, pornographic films were shown in an effort to gain a larger audience and, perhaps, to make up for the first festival’s financial losses. Later, in 1984, I would watch the premiere of Tikoy Aguiluz’ startling, controversial but highly-acclaimed first full-length film “Boatman” (Ang Bangkero), in its uncut version, at this very venue. Today, it is the venue of the Amazing Show, a Las Vegas-like song and dance extravaganza  where all the performers are transgenders.

The place, said to be haunted as well as cursed, is incredibly spooky. Various ghostly manifestations were reported within the building on the site, including poltergeist activity, apparitions; mysterious hearing of cries and moans; bleeding walls; and hands sticking out from under doors. The ghosts of those who died are said to roam the area, looking for live bodies to possess and take over as their own.

The UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES Diliman Campus , where my wife  and I graduated (with a degree of B.S. Architecture) has had a long history of alleged haunting, with a lot of paranormal hot spots. The Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater, at the second floor of Palma Hall, is the residence of a  ghost named “Marisa,”  said to be a famous star of the university’s theater productions back in the 1970s who was eventually overshadowed by younger, more talented newcomers. Overwhelmed by grief and jealousy, she killed herself, in the most dramatic way possible, by hanging herself onstage, in costume. She’s known for making her presence felt by haunting the stage, the rest room and her old dressing room, joining the chorus during performances and, sometimes, showing up onstage.

Benitez Hall

Benitez Hall, home to the College of Education and one of the oldest buildings on campus and, naturally, has gained the reputation as one of the most haunted. A ghost, with blood red eyes, is said to wanders the halls. Kalayaan Hall, a residence hall exclusively for freshmen, has a ghost of a woman who supposedly shows up in the mirror facing the stairs to the second floor of the girls’ wing.  Abelardo Hall, home of the College of Music, is said to be haunted by the ghost of a girl vocalizing, or playing the piano or the gamelan in the middle of the night.

Melchor Hall

The lights on the top floor of Melchor Hall, the College of Engineering Building, where our college was then housed (the college now has its own building), was, for some reason, never turned off, the reason being that, sometimes, the lights there inexplicably turn to red. Many of my classmates have also seen a “Lady in White” come in and out of the corridor walls

The PINDANGAN CHURCH RUINS, the picturesque, roofless remains of a small vine-covered brick and coral church (the first in City of San Fernando, La Union) which I visited way back in 2004, is located 500 m. off the National Highway, near Camp Oscar Florendo. The nuns of the Carmelite Monastery of the Holy Family are the caretakers of these church ruins.

Check out “Pindangan Church Ruins“

Pindangan Church Ruins

It is said to be the home of the sole ghost of a headless stabbed priest who prowls the night, either carrying his severed head or searching for his head. Some have also reported hearing his head calling out for his body to find it. The wind here is known to whisper strange malediction to those that disrespect the location.  My picture of the site was featured in an episode of “Ang Pinaka: Scary Places in the Philippines,” aired during the 6:30 PM GMA News TV last October 22, Sunday.

The University of Santo Tomas, where my daughter Cheska graduated (with a degree of B.S. Medical Technology), served as an internment camp during the World War II.  Many prisoners died here of starvation and illness, and is reported by believers to be haunted. An alleged mass grave is located near the UST Museum.  One of the restroom cubicles in the Main Building is also haunted by a female student who hung herself.

Main Building of the University of Sto. Tomas

Other paranormal hot spots are the UST Hospital (haunted by a ghost wearing a red tag, which only corpses in the morgue section wear), St. Raymund’s Building (the comfort rooms on the first floor are haunted by the ghost of a girl was said to have committed suicide because she was bullied for her physical appearance), the Albertus Magnus Building (the Conservatory of Music where the piano is heard playing by itself) and Benavides Park (a.k.a. Lover’s Lane) where, at past midnight, students are greeted by a man wearing a Dominican habit who would later disappear (Sometimes, unfortunate couples hanging out in the park’s benches at night, have also heard a disembodied voice singing mass songs).

  • CLARK AIR BASE, being an American military installation, experienced major bombing from the Japanese during World War II. There are a number of reminders of that bloody past that still exist today and these locations are some of the most haunted in the Philippines.

Clark Museum

The area around the abandoned Clark Air Base Hospital has been rendered off limits to everyone as inhabitants have witnessed apparitions of violent spirits and heard mysterious voices.

Clark Cemetery

Early morning joggers have also reported hearing party music and excited talk coming from inside the obviously empty Home Plate canteen.  At the Clark Museum, the ghost of a serviceman who committed suicide by hanging himself still haunts the place.

Check out “Clark Museum“

  • SAGADA, in Mountain Province, has an authentic culture dealing with death, free of Western influence. The caves of the town, in particular, are rumored to be site of ghostly mischief. According to the locals, whispery voices are heard and wayward shadows or apparitions are seen among the Hanging Coffins as well as graves up in the Echo Valley.

Hanging Coffins

The Igorots, however, generally say that if you show some respect and leave the coffins alone, you’ll make it out of the valley unscathed. At Sumaguing Cave, locals believe that the cave is haunted by the spirits of their ancestors.  I have explored this cave twice and, each time, I always felt an otherworldly feeling as I entered.

Check out “Back to Sumaging Cave“

Historic CORREGIOR ISLAND, an island of history and heroism at the entrance of Manila Bay, has played a major role during World War II. Many Filipino and American soldiers died in its defense. During the liberation, the Japanese defenders here committed suicide via harakiri, jumping into the sea or blowing themselves up instead of capture or surrender. The ghosts of Corregidor’s World War II dead were also joined by Muslim soldiers who, in 1968,  were training in Corregidor for a  planned invasion of Sabah in Malaysia but were exterminated during the infamous March 18, 1968 Jabidah Massacre.

Hospital Ruins

At the Hospital Ruins. tourists who passed by have heard footsteps, rumblings of normal hospital activities, and wails of people.

One of the laterals of Malinta Tunnel. Notice the orbs?

Around the bunker area inside the Malinta Tunnel, shouts of people grimacing in pain can also be heard. Witnesses have also reported hearing eerie sounds and seeing a spirit near by. Manifestations would also appear in photos and videos. 

 

Check out “Ghost Hunting in Corregidor“

In INTRAMUROS,  where the historical and the supernatural intersect, the possibility of ghost sightings in the oldest part of Manila is real. It attracts ghosts and ghost hunters in search of kapres, white ladies, demonic spirits, and other entities. In the dying days of World War II, Japanese soldiers reportedly massacred men, women and children in Baluarte de Dilao.

Baluarte de San Diego

Baluarte de San Diego, known as the break-up park for being the site where many a relationship met their demise, is where a crying White Lady often makes appearances.

Manila Cathedral

The Aduana (Customs House) Building, which housed several government offices, is the most haunted building in Intramuros. Many people believe its demonic entities takes lives.  At Plaza Mexico, there have been sightings of reapers, or hooded figures who chase after wandering spirits. Many of the retail and commercial spaces along the wall of Puerta de Sta. Isabel have now been abandoned, supposedly because of numerous reports of hauntings. An ordinary-looking tree, along Arzobispo Street, has earned the gruesome nickname the Suicide Tree after a student, supposedly from Mapua Institute of Technology, killed herself by hanging.  Headless priests supposedly make regular appearances at the Manila Cathedral.

Fort Santiago

Fort Santiago, where National Hero Jose Rizal was jailed, was used by the Japanese as a prison and torture chamber during World War II.  It is imprinted with the agony and sufferings of its many prisoners and is now also extremely haunted with ghosts of prisoners who drowned in its underground dungeons.

 

Check out “Revisiting Fort Santiago“

 

According to believers, the LAPERAL WHITE HOUSE, in Baguio City, in Beguet, is haunted, with stories of sightings of a little girl (said to be the three-and-a-half year old child of the owner who was killed while running, across the street, towards her nanny) standing motionless on the third step of the staircase fronting the house; a woman (said to be the nanny who killed herself in one of the bedrooms) looking out the third floor glass windows; and a white figure coming down, from the attic, down to the front entrance.

During World War II, the basement of the house was used by the Japanese as a garrison where, if stories are to believed, many were brutally tortured and executed, including members of the Laperal family.  Don Roberto survived the war but accidentally slipped, and fell to his death, from the stairs in front of the house.  He, as well as ghosts of family members, the torture and execution victims, as well as Japanese soldiers (seen in the upper bedrooms), still haunt the house.  These spirits are believed to violently push and scratch visitors to the place.

If ghosts, spirits and the paranormal tickle your fancy, then the so famously haunted, eerie, bleak and abandoned DIPLOMAT HOTEL, considered as one of the most haunted places in Baguio City and the Philippines, is definitely for you.  Even since this hotel was open, employees and guests would report hearing strange and eerie noises coming from the building and seeing headless ghosts, with their heads on a platter, constantly roaming the hallways. 

Check out “Laperal White House“

However, even after the hotel shut down, those sightings would continue.  The people living nearby were often disturbed at night by sounds coming from the Dominican Hill. They would hear banging of doors and windows, clattering of dishes, voices of screaming people who seem to be agonizing, as well as rattling and clanging sounds alternating with total silence.  Adding to the eerie atmosphere is the derelict condition of the hotel.

“Kaban ng Lahi: Archaeological Treasures” Gallery (Manila)

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“Kaban ng Lahi: Archaeological Treasures” Gallery

The “Kaban ng Lahi: Archaeological Treasures” Gallery, one of the long running exhibitions of the National Museum of Anthropology, was installed in 1998 in the then Museum of the Filipino People in celebration of the centennial of Philippine independence.

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Architecturally designed to simulate a cave setting, where most of the burial objects exhibited were discovered, the gallery portrays secondary burial  jar collections as well as samples of other utilitarian vessels unearthed from different cave sites across the Philippines. It also features the importance of burial practices associated with the death of early Filipinos in the southern Philippines and other parts of the country practiced by our ancestors.

One of these practices is the secondary burial of the dead person which involves treatment and re-burial of the bones after the corpse had decomposed. The process includes cleaning, painting or treating of the bones known as bone washing. The practice of secondary burial always involved a ritual ceremony.

Leta-Leta Presentation Cup

Highlights of this gallery are a number of objects declared as National Cultural Treasures (NCTs) by the National Museum of the Philippines and regarded for their uniqueness and outstanding historical, cultural, artistic and historical value discovered from different sites in the Philippines – the Manunggul Jar, Maitum Anthropomorphic Burial Jar 21 (depicted with male genitalia), and Likha.

Maitum Anthropomorphic Pottery

Other NCTs, noted for their distinct and elaborate forms, include the 10 cm. high and 6 cm. wide Leta-Leta Stem Cup, the 8 cm. high and 3.5 cm. wide Leta-Leta Footed Jarlet and the 8 cm. high and 20 cm. wide Leta-Leta Presentation Dish (has a pedestal featuring narrow triangular patterned cutouts), artifacts excavated in 1965 by Dr. Robert B. Fox in Leta-Leta Cave. Situated in a limestone cliff on the east coast of Lagen Island in El Nido, Northern Palawan, archaeological materials recovered in this burial site include human remains, a stone adze, modified shells as grave goods as well as other intact pieces of pottery.

Maitum Anthropomorphic Pottery

The 29 unique anthropomorphic burial jars made of earthenware with design and form of human figures recovered in Ayub Cave in Pinol, Maitum, Sarangani Province (formerly South Cotabato) in 1991 by the National Museum of the Philippines. It has been found to be of the Metal Age period that dates from 500 B.C. to 370 A.D. Here, the head-shaped covers are of three types consisting of plain; with perforations; and those with different facial expressions. Another secondary burial jar in this collection has a shape of a human male torso, measuring about 43.5 cm in height and 36 cm in diameter with arms extended forward. These types of burial jars are not found in other burial sites in the country nor in other Asian countries. A diorama that shows how the burial jars were found arranged inside the cave by archaeologists.

Manunggul Jar

The splendid Manunggul Jar, one of the most precious jar collections, is a secondary burial vessel excavated from a late Neolithic burial site in Manunggul Cave of Lipuun, Quezon, Palawan dating from 890-710 B.C. This painted, incised jar has impressed decoration on its lid, on the top handle of which is an unusually compelling finial of 2 small but prominent round-eyed human figures representing souls paddling to the afterworld on a death boat.

Finial of 2 small but prominent round-eyed human figures representing souls paddling to the afterworld on a death boat

The branched-curl designs at the upper portion of the jar had been dabbed with hematic. The jar was found along with other highly developed earthenware burial jars and relics including bone fossils of at least 3 other individuals, pebble flake tools from the Late Pleistocene and early post-Pleistocene Period, deer bones, Sung and Yuan Dynasty porcelain and stoneware, spoons and other utensils.

Banton Boat Coffin

Two of 17 small hollowed hardwood (molave) log coffins (dating from the 14th-15th centuries), are also permanent display here.  Generally shaped into a boat with triangular lid and usually carved with reptilian motifs of snake, lizard or crocodile, they were found at the Hanging Cemetery, a cliffside burial cave located a short distance from Banton town (Romblon). They indicate that early inhabitants practiced secondary burial.  Also found were artificially-deformed skulls, two burial jars and pieces of 13th-14th century Chinese and Siamese tradeware.

Kulaman Limestone Burial Urns

The Kulaman Limestone Burial Urns, distinct because they are constituted of limestone carved into various sizes, shapes, and decorations, and used as secondary burial containers, were discovered in the Caves of Kan-fenefe and Kan-nitong in the mountain range locally known as Menteng, located in the Kulaman Plateau (known to be inhabited by the Manobo and other ethnolinguistic groups) in Kalamansig,, Sultan Kudarat, Mindanao.

Kulaman Limestone Burial Urns

The jars are either round or square, with vertical fluting or geometric patterns on the side. On average, the jars are about 60 cm. tall and 25 cm. wide and their lids vary in decoration, from simple handles to elaborate gabled (roof-like) or conical forms, occasionally stylized with anthropomorphic (human form) or zoomorphic (animal form) elements.

Masuso Pots

One of the lesser known but perhaps one of the most mysterious artifacts in the Kaban ng Lahi collection are the Masuso Pots, breast-shaped ceramic objects the origin and cultural significance of which are still unknown, the result of looting and destruction of archaeological sites. There are two variations – one with four breasts and another one with breasts facing seven directions.

Masuso Pots

Interestingly, historical evidence suggests that these artifacts are somehow related to the breast pots unearthed in Peru and in the Lausitz region of Germany as well as with variations also discovered in Romania, Ukraine, and Nigeria.  All show evidence that the pots were most likely used as sacred water vessels or ritual pots, with the breast symbolizing the life-giving power of water.

“Kaban ng Lahi: Archaeological Treasures” Gallery: Northeast Wing Gallery, 3/F, National Museum of Anthropology, Agrifina Circle (or Teodoro  Valencia Circle, adjacent to the National Museum of Fine Arts building),Padre Burgos Drive, Rizal Park, Ermita, Manila. Tel: (02) 8528-4912 (02) 8527-1232 (Ethnology Division) and (02) 8527-0278. E-mail: nationalmuseumph@gmail.com and nationalmuseumph.anthropology@gmail.com.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 AM – 5 PM. Admission is free.

“Lumad: Mindanao” Exhibit (Manila)

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“Lumad: Mindanao” Exhibit

The “Lumad: Mindanao” Exhibit, a permanent exhibition at the National Museum of Anthropology, was inaugurated last December 12, 2015 in partnership with the Office of Senator Loren Legarda, now Deputy Speaker and Representative of Antique.  It features over 200 material from the National Ethnographic Collection.

Betel Chewing

The term lumad, a Visayan word meaning “born from the earth,” was first used to refer to them in 1986 at their first political assembly to discuss issues concerning their cultural determination within their respective ancestral land. Comprising about 14.38% of the population in the upland and lowland areas of the Agusan, Cotabato, Davao, Misamis, Surigao and Zamboanga Provinces, Bukidnon, Compostela Valley, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani, they distinguish themselves as belonging to the indigenous non-Muslim group from Mindanao.

Local Pottery

It includes a comprehensive ethnolinguistic map and language tree of both Lumad and Bangsamoro groups collated from different historic, ethnohistoric, ethnographic and linguistic sources; and historic and contemporary photographs from the archives of the National Museum of the Philippines, the Field Museum of Natural History, University of Michigan Digital Collections and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Southeast Asian Studies Image Collection.

Metalsmithing

They also feature their tangible and intangible cultural heritage and a narrative on the widely disputed history of the Tasaday. The Lumad Mindanao gallery also displays ethnographic, archaeological, herbaria, and zoological collections.

Lumad Weapons

The exhibit features “the material culture of 13 of the roughly 19 major Lumad groups (Ata, B’laan, Bagobo, Banwaon, Bukidnon, Dibabawon, Higaonon, Mamanwa, Mandaya, Manguwangan, Mansaka, Manobo, Matigsalug, Obo, T’boli, Tagakaolo, Talaandig, Tiruray and Subanon/Subanun) from the National Ethnographic Collection which aims to explore the significance of Mindanao natural reserves and resources to Lumad identity.”

Bagobo Basket Weavers (Isabelo Quiles, 1991)

It also presents “previous and recent historical and anthropological data, particularly on their experiences, encounters, and established linkages and ties with neighboring groups and foreigners throughout the years; and in the process attempt to give an insight into how perceptive the Lumad peoples are of their place and purpose.”

“Lumad: Mindanao” Exhibit: Manila Electric Company and Lopez Group of Companies Galleries, 3/F, National Museum of Anthropology, Agrifina Circle (or Teodoro  Valencia Circle, adjacent to the National Museum of Fine Arts building),Padre Burgos Drive, Rizal Park, Ermita, Manila. Tel: (02) 8528-4912 (02) 8527-1232 (Ethnology Division) and (02) 8527-0278. E-mail: nationalmuseumph@gmail.com and nationalmuseumph.anthropology@gmail.com.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 AM – 5 PM. Admission is free.

“Faith, Tradition and Place: Bangsamoro Art from the National Ethnographic Collection” Exhibit (Manila)

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The “Faith, Tradition and Place: Bangsamoro Art from the National Ethnographic Collection” Exhibit, opened last October 2014 in collaboration with the Magbassa Kita Foundation Inc., as part of the Eid’l Adha celebration, is a permanent exhibition on the rich material cultural heritage of the Islamic cultures in Mindanao, Southern Philippines.

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A feast for my eyes, this region known for their ornate decorations and embellishments that are not only manifested in objects regarded meaningful or significant within various social, economic, political, or ritual contexts, but are also remarkably evident in the mundane and utilitarian.

The museum’s fourth permanent exhibit, on view at this exhibit are 251 objects, from the museum’s National Ethnographic Collection, whose particular technological and artistic elements not only express indigenous traditions but also manifest cultural connections and influences among these ethnically diverse groups especially in relation to the Islamic and Southeast Asian cultural traditions.

The sarimanok is an example of the carving tradition called okir/ukkil, which refers to a particular curvilinear design pattern predominantly and distinctly used by the Muslim groups in southern Philippines. This pattern specifically consists of a combination of stylized scrolls, plant-like design such as leaves, vines and ferns, bird-like designs, naga (serpent/dragon) designs and various geometric shapes.

These objects are emphasized as part of feasts, playing valuable and varied roles among Bangsamoro culture, including creating and keeping social identities and memories, as well as developing, consolidating and negotiating political power.

Sundok (grave marker)

Through the visual exploration of the material culture of the region, this exhibition examines the cultural interactions of the Bangsamoro cultures which, though bound together by their common adherence to the Islamic faith, still maintain their distinct ethnic cultures and identities.

Panolong with naga motif

Exchange systems, such as gifts, barter and trade are, moreover, meant to be articulated by the exhibition. Also featured here are complex relationships accentuated by the festivals, accomplishing work, developing prestige technologies, fostering artistic traditions and providing connections to the supernatural as well as to the ancestral world.

The tabo (drum) is a signaling instrument horizontally suspended in front of mosques. A standard rhythm calls people to prayer on Fridays, while a more intricate tempo is played during Ramadan

The star of the exhibit is the Koran of Bayang, a copy of the Koran supposedly handwritten in the mid-19th century. Said to have been originally owned by the Bayang family of Lanao del Sur, it was was copied by Saidna, a hajj from Lake Lanao while on a respite in Palembang, Sumatra, after his pilgrimage to Mecca. In 1902, US soldiers allegedly seized the copy and brought it to America where it was turned over to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.

Koran of Bayang

The copy was stored in the Department of Archives until 1966. In 1979, it was returned to the Philippines and was supposed to be delivered to the Mindanao State University in Marawi City a year later, but a typhoon forced a change of plans. Meanwhile, then First Lady Imelda Marcos reportedly took an interest in the copy and it was transferred to Malacañang. The book was “feared lost” after the 1986 Edsa uprising but Barns said the Presidential Museum eventually “made it available for public display.”

Rarub-a-kulong (armor) and kulong sa ulo (helmet)

Also on display are a rarub-a-kulong (armor) and kulong sa ulo (helmet) of brass and carabao horn used by ancient Maranao warriors; a wall ornament depicting the heroic mythical character Prince Indarapatra; a wooden winged horse (on loan from the Henry W. Fernandez collection) which boasts of ornate and curvy engraved details; swords (kris) and a  kinupud, a canopy of silk and cotton used by Maranao royalty to cover their beds.

The elaborately decorated kinupud are used for beds of members of royal families

A  boraq, a winged creature with hair and fur details made of abaca, was carved by Maranao craftsmen from Lanao del Sur.

A Maranao borak/buraq made of carved wood or a combination of wood and ivory, embellished with multi-colored paint, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, or decorated with brass plates/sheets, bells and hair. As told in the Islam miʿrāj or the ascension of the Prophet Muhammad into heaven, the winged borak, half-human and half-horse, carried him in his journey from the sacred place of worship Mecca to Jerusalem then to heaven which explains how he completed travelling between the cities in a single night. The borak is also described as a white animal, half-mule or half-donkey, with wings on its sides which replaced the ladder as Muhammad’s means of access into heaven. While there is no reference as to the sex and human qualities of the borak in hadith or record of traditions or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, the Maranao sometimes portrays it with a face of a woman.

A colorful, wood and metal Maranao kokora could be mistaken for a four-legged creature or a life-size action figure. Note that the creature looks up to a contraption attached to its head that is actually a coconut grater. Those who grate coconuts have to literally ride the kokora to do the job.

Maranao kokora

A sataran, a Maranao chess set of wood and silver, is bordered by an intricate design carved from mother-of-pearl, while an elaborately-carved, throne-like wooden korsi, where a kulintang (8 gongs laid horizontally on a stand) player sits while entertaining royalty, has a sarimanok at front and center. A tabo, a signaling instrument, is horizontally suspended in front of mosques.

Korsi

“Faith, Tradition and Place: Bangsamoro Art from the National Ethnographic Collection” Exhibit: 3/F, National Museum of Anthropology, Agrifina Circle (or Teodoro  Valencia Circle, adjacent to the National Museum of Fine Arts building),Padre Burgos Drive, Rizal Park, Ermita, Manila. Tel: (02) 8528-4912 (02) 8527-1232 (Ethnology Division) and (02) 8527-0278. E-mail: nationalmuseumph@gmail.com and nationalmuseumph.anthropology@gmail.com.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 AM – 5 PM. Admission is free.

“Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures)” Exhibit (Manila)

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Manlilikha ng Bayan Hall (National Living Treasure) Exhibit

The “Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures)” Exhibit, opened last June 1, 2016, features the work and lives of 13 people awarded, since 1993, the Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) or the National Living Treasures Award  (institutionalized through Republic Act No. 7355 in April 1992) in recognition of their contribution and preservation of culture.

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A Manlilikha ng Bayan is defined as a citizen engaged in any traditional art uniquely Filipino whose distinctive skills have reached such a high level of technical and artistic excellence and have been passed on to and widely practiced by the present generation in his/her community with the same degree of technical and artistic competence.

The 13 awardees are:

  • Ginaw Bilog (1993) – a Hanunuo Mangyan poet from Mansalay, Mindoro who took it upon himself to continually keep scores of ambahan (a poetic literary form composed of seven-syllable lines used to convey messages through metaphors and images) poetry recorded, not only on bamboo tubes but on old, dog-eared notebooks passed on to him by friends.
  • Masino Intaray (1993) – a gifted Pala’wan poet, musician and bard artist from Brookes Point, Palawan who is an outstanding master of the basal (a gong music ensemble), kulilal (a highly lyrical poem expressing passionate love) and bagit (a strictly instrumental music depicting the rhythms, movements and sounds of nature, birds, monkeys, snakes, chirping of insects, rustling of leaves, the elements and the like)
  • Samaon Sulaiman (1993) – a Maguindanao musician from Mama sa Pano, Maguindanao who achieved the highest level of excellence in the art of kutyapi (a two-stringed plucked lute) playing. His extensive repertoire of dinaladay, linapu, minuna, binalig, and other forms and styles, interpreted with refinement and sensitivity, fully demonstrate and creative and expressive possibilities of his instrument.
  • Lang Dulay (1998) – a traditional t’nalak textile weaver from T’boli, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, who knows a hundred designs, including the bulinglangit (clouds), the bankiring (hair bangs), and the kabangi (butterfly), each one special for the stories it tells. Using red and black dyes, she spins her stories with grace and her textiles reflect the wisdom and the visions of her people.
  • Salinta Monon(1998) – a Tagabawa Bagobo textile weaver from Bansalan, Davao del Sur, who built a solid reputation for the quality of her work and the intricacies of her designs. Of the many designs she weaves, her favorite is the binuwaya (crocodile), which is one of the hardest to make.
  • Alonzo Saclag (2000) – a Kalinga master of dance and the performing arts from Lubuagan, Kalinga, who has made it his mission to create and nurture a greater consciousness and appreciation of Kalinga culture, among the Kalinga themselves and beyond their borders. He has also endeavored to revive the dying craft of gangsa (Kalinga gong) making.
  • Federico Caballero (2000) – a Sulod-Bukidnon epic chanter from Calinog, Iloilo who ceaselessly work for the documentation of the oral literature, particularly the ten epics of his people, rendered in a language that, although related to Kiniray-a, is no longer spoken. Together with scholars, artists, and advocates of culture, he painstakingly pieces together the elements of this oral tradition nearly lost.
  • Uwang Ahadas (2000) – a Yakan musician from Lamitan City, Basilan skilled in playing the kwintangan kayu (an instrument consisting of five wooden logs hung horizontally, from the shortest to the longest, with the shortest being nearest the ground),  agung and gabbang (a bamboo xylophone).
  • Darhata Sawabi (2004) – a Tausug textile weaver from Parang, Sulu proficient in making the pis syabit, the traditional cloth tapestry worn as a head covering by the Tausug of Jolo, as well as used to adorn native attire, bags, and other accessories.
  • Eduardo Mutuc(2004) a Kapampangan metalsmith from Apalit, Pampanga who dedicated his life to creating religious and secular art in silver, bronze, and wood. His intricately detailed retablos, mirrors, altars, and carosas are in churches and private collections. A number of these works are quite large, some exceeding forty feet, while some are very small and feature very fine and delicate craftsmanship.
  • Haja Amina Appi (2004) a Sama mat weaver from Tandubas, Tawi-Tawi who is recognized as the master mat weaver among the Sama indigenous community of Ungos Matata. Her colorful mats with their complex geometric patterns exhibit her precise sense of design, proportion and symmetry and sensitivity to color. Her unique multi-colored mats are protected by a plain white outer mat that serves as the mat’s backing. Her functional and artistic creations take up to three months to make.
  • Magdalena Gamayo (2012) – an Ilocano textile weaver from Pinili, Ilocos Norte who exemplifies the best of Filipino abel weaving tradition in Ilocos. Magdalena prefers to work with linen because it is obedient to the master weaver’s touch. She uses a loom with a sturdy wooden frame with three-foot pedals with wide horizontal beams to support the warp and an even longer lengthwise frame to keep the threads in place.
  • Teofilo Garcia (2012) – also called Apu Pilo, this Ilocano from San Quintin, Abra makes tabungaw (gourd casque), a unique, functional and elegant, all-weather headpiece that shields one from the rain and the sun.  The native gourd is hollowed out, polished, and varnished to a bright orange sheen to improve its weather resistance. The inside is lined with finely woven rattan matting, and the brim sports a subtle bamboo weave for accent.

Kwintangan kayu of Uwang Ahadas

This exhibition has been made possible through a partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the highest policy-making and coordinating body for culture and the arts of the State tasked with the administration and implementation of the award, and the Office of the Senator Loren Legarda.

Eduardo Mutuc and his work

The NCCA, through the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Executive Council, conducts the search for the finest traditional artists of the land, adopts a program that will ensure the transfer of their skills to others, and undertakes measures to promote a genuine appreciation of and instill pride among our people about the genius of the Manlilikha ng Bayan.

Tnalak weave of Lang Dulay

On display are some of the finest examples of our traditional artistry such as mats, textiles, costumes, looms, ornaments and musical instruments made y some of the most skillful artists from local ethnic communities across the country as well photos and short biographies of the awardees.

Alonzo Saclag

NOTE: On May 28, 2021, the gallery was upgraded to include the weave masterpieces of three Manlilikha ng Bayan from Mindanao in 2016.  The three are:

  • Ambalang Ausalin (2016) – a Yakan textile weaver from Lamitan City, Basilan who is able to bring forth all designs and actualize all textile categories typical to the Yakan. Using the back strap tension loom, she can execute the suwah bekkat(cross-stitch-like embellishment) and suwah pendan (embroidery-like embellishment) techniques of the bunga sama
  • Estelita Bantilan (2016) – a B’laan mat weaver from Malapatan, Sarangani who weaves thin strips of the pandanus romblon into some of the biggest, most subtly beautiful mats to be seen anywhere in Southeast Asia today. Her devotion to the idea of mats as gifts, rather than as commodities for sale, is the same concept of making that allowed her to refine her art to a technical and aesthetic sophistication vested in remarkable visual restraint.
  • Yabing Masalon Dulo (2016) – a B’laan weaver from Polomolok, South Cotabato, she is an expertin the making of fine, colorful warp ikat textiles from lutáy (abaka to other Philippine peoples).

Pis syabit of Darhata Sawabi

“Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures)” Exhibit: 3/F, National Museum of Anthropology, Agrifina Circle (or Teodoro Valencia Circle, adjacent to the National Museum of Fine Arts building),Padre Burgos Drive, Rizal Park, Ermita, Manila. Tel: (02) 8528-4912 (02) 8527-1232 (Ethnology Division) and (02) 8527-0278. E-mail: nationalmuseumph@gmail.com and nationalmuseumph.anthropology@gmail.com. Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 AM – 5 PM. Admission is free.