P1-B Museum of Natural History up by 2015 to house PH’S richly diverse flora, fauna
WHEN Filipinos hear the words “national museum,” the image that comes to mind is invariably that of an old, decrepit building where dusty and poorly maintained exhibits are kept.
That is going to change very soon.
A renewed commitment from the Aquino administration and the private sector to highlight the country’s rich history and culture ensures that Filipinos will have a world-class museum experience in the near future.
The National Museum is set to begin work on its third major branch, a Museum of Natural History that will showcase the Philippines’ diverse flora and
fauna that has been touted as one of the most eco diverse in the world.
“What we will do is convert the Department of Tourism (DOT) building into a natural history museum,” said National Museum Chair Ramon del Rosario Jr.
“This is probably the most exciting project that’s going to come our way,” Del Rosario said.
Trio of neoclassical buildings
The Department of Tourism (the old Department of Agriculture) building on T.M. Kalaw St., with its neartwin, the former Department of Finance building, and the old Congress building (originally the Executive House) form a trio of grand neoclassical buildings on the eastern side of Rizal Park built during the early American colonial period.
They were the only three structures to be constructed of a U-shaped composition of buildings in a proposed American government center that the American architect and city planner Daniel Burnham envisioned and designed in 1902.
The three buildings will now form the National Museum complex com- posed of the National Gallery of Art (the old Congress building/Executive House), the Museum of the Filipino People (the old Department of Finance Building) and now the Museum of Natural History (the DOT building).
Tree of Life concept
The DOT building has a large inner courtyard, which will be converted into a canopied display area.
“The concept is called the Tree of Life, and it will be a steel structure covered by a glass dome,” said Del Rosario, who is also known for his philanthropic work as president and CEO of the Phinma business group.
“And it will have an elevator in the middle. Really spectacular,” he said.
The museum’s galleries will be located around the central courtyard in what are now occupied by DOT offices.
The government has allocated P500 million for the restoration of the building, originally designed by architect Antonio Toledo in the 1930s, and another P500 million will likely be set aside from the 2014 national budget, which was submitted last week to Congress, for the exhibits that will be housed in the new museum.
“It’s [the budget] a total of P1 bil- lion, and we will have something really world-class,” said Del Rosario.
He said the structure will house exhibits of flora and fauna endemic to the Philippines, as well as dioramas and high-tech light and sound displays depicting the country’s rich natural resources.
In conceptualizing it, the museum’s board of directors invited the five leading architectural firms in the country to propose a design. And the results have surprised everyone.
“Of the five, we chose probably the least renowned compared to the other four,” Del Rosario said, referring to architect Dominic Galicia who was responsible for the design of the new St. Alphonsus Mary de Ligouri Church just outside Magallanes Village in Makati.
“It’s a boutique firm, and [Galicia] is a restoration architect,” he said.
And while the government has given the project a very significant budget, the museum’s board felt that more could be gained with the support of the private sector, especially the business community.
P400 million in pledges
According to National Museum Director Jeremy Barns, private companies and businessmen have already committed “over P400 million in pledges” to support the new project after the plans were presented to them.
“Almost everyone we’ve made the presentation to has responded enthusiastically, and wants to support it,” said Del Rosario.
“This highlights the fact that the private sector is willing to support an undertaking when they trust the people on the board. There is a huge amount of goodwill here,” he said.
Apec 2015 goal
According to Barns, if work goes according to schedule, the Museum of Natural History will be completed in time for the country’s hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in 2015, which will bring together the heads of state and government of 21 Pacific Rim countries.
“We’re hoping to host an event for the likes of US President [Barack] Obama there,” Barns said.
The DOT is moving to a building on Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. in Makati as the neoclassical structure that it has occupied for decades has to be turned over to the National Museum as provided by law.