The Philippines is stepping up its game in terms of museums with the recent opening of the National Museum of Natural History. While it is a long way from the extensive collections of other noted Natural History Museums in the likes of London, New York, it is a pretty good start.
Walking up the steps towards the building’s facade gives you that excitement and wonder of what it has to offer. The architecture is of the neoclassical style and i love the long corinthian(?) columns. Such majesty!. The patterns on the ceilings and the walls as well were nicely done.
Worth ogling over:
(1) The facade and the interiors.
-
DNA-inspired ” The tree of Life ” by Dominic Galicia at the Courtyard
(2) Lolong.
Lolong ( or at least its skeleton ), the Guinness certified world’s largest crocodile in captivity at 6.17 m or (20 ft 3 in) is displayed in the Ayala function room at the 2nd floor.
(3) Naturalists and other Exhibits.
The museum had varied collections under Botany, Zoology and Geology. The exhibits showed how varied the flora and fauna in the Philippine islands is.
-
the long gone Philippine rhino
-
A fossilized ammonite mollusk.
-
mounted plants for the botany enthusiasts.
(4) An interactive area for kids
This was a pleasant surprise and something Filipinos wouldn’t expect to be installed in public buildings. This entire area was a good way to show how our actions affect the animal’s ecosystem. There was also a replica of a whale shark to give perspective on how small we are against these giant creatures yet how we can impact their way of life.
There were a number of surprises during the visit which included:
- going through the different floors using the ramps instead of stairs. so PWD friendly!
- the interactive floor / area.
- the view from the facade looking out was equally awesome
The museum entrance is free and since it was a Sunday, there were understandably a lot of people most with their kids in tow. It would have been a better experience overall if not for some kids who treated the place like a playground. Also, a number mostly took pictures of themselves with the exhibits at the background, not even caring to read up on the details. Hopefully, a number will keep on returning and start really understanding
If you are ever around in Manila and have a few hours to spare, go ahead and check it out yourself.
The museum is located at the Agrifina Circle in Rizal Park, Manila. Click the link for directions to the The National Museum of Natural History
my take 