Melo Villareal
National Museum Admission Now Permanently Free
Are you a fond of visiting museums? Then, here is great news: starting July 1, 2016 the admission to the Philippine National Museum will be free of charge, permanently. This free entrance policy will also be applied to all other museums under it across the nation.
The National Museum’s board of trustees decided to waive the entrance fee to be able to build a significant boost in terms of viewership, especially among the younger generations. As you may recall, the general admission in the museum is free during February’s National Arts Month, May’s National Heritage Month and October’s National Museum and Galleries Month. A charge of P50 for students, P120 for seniors, and P150 for regular adults are implemented before the announcement.
“Enhacing universal access by all Filipinos to what we proudly exhibit as our national patrimony and heritage has always been a primary concern,” reads the statement posted by the National Museum on its Facebook page.
It also added that with this new policy, it is hoping to reach and encourage more people to visit museums within the country and share the National Museum’s programs and resources to an array of communities.
The National Museum board of trustees also hope to achieve their “goals of serving as a a true national museum institution” that is dedicated to benefit the Filipino people and the entire world.
Indeed, change has arrived. In the said announcement, the National Museum also took the chance to congratulate President Rodrigo Duterte in his inauguration held on June 30.
It also hopes that its relationship with with the president will continue to progress even further. For the uninitiated, the Republic Act 8492, also known as the National Museum Act of 1998, says that the president is the official Patron of the National Museum and the Honorary Chairman of its Board of Trustees.
Under the present administration, it also wishes to further strengthen its work plus its contributions “as a preeminent institution of education, science, and culture of the national government.” It also hopes to offer benefits to the Filipino people by providing an enhanced appreciation of patrimony, heritage and legacy.
You can visit the National Museum of the Philippines in Manila. It has 14 more branches and flagship museums which include the National Art Gallery, National Planetarium and Museum of the Filipino People.
