You have probably have heard in the past two weeks about the newly opened National Museum of Natural History in the City of Manila. The museum is one of the four structures that comprises the National Museum complex located just inside the vicinity of Rizal Park (the other three being National Museum of Fine Arts, National Museum of Anthropology and National Planetarium).
The National Museum of Natural History has officially opened its doors to the public on May 18, 2018, with the opening coinciding with the celebration of the International Museum Day celebration in which museums across the metro offered a day-long free entrance pass.
The museum boasts a neoclassical construction clad in white paint embellished with wooden-colored and timber-colored accents. This look is very common among old buildings in Manila. The museum is divided into five (or six?) floors, navigated by foot through the elevated walkways and an elevator at the center of the “Tree of Life”.
Each floor houses different preserved and/or replica of natural flora and fauna as well as wildlife in the Philippines. Preserved rocks, marine animals, and creatures, paintings and framed wild species of plants ornamented the hallways and main display halls of the museum.
The main piece of the museum, which welcomes guests on the ground floor is “a vertical steel structure inspired by human DNA”,called Tree of Life.
Aside from all these, the museum offers so much more about Philippine biodiversity, wildlife, marine and Philippine natural medicine. Some areas are still restricted from public access, but we look forward to seeing the contents of those areas pretty soon.
Preserved and taxidermied species of wild Philippine animals are also on display. For one, the preserved bones and taxidermied body of once the world’s largest saltwater crocodile, which was found in Agusan del Sur, “Lolong” is featured in one of the halls of the museum together with other pieces of evidence of life in the Philippines some 700(,000?) years ago.
The museum, just like the National Museum of Fine Arts and National Museum of Anthropology is open to the public from Monday to Saturday. You also do not need to worry about any fees or charges, as you can enter the museum for free.
How to get there:
1. The museum is just inside Rizal Park. So whether you are from the north or the south of Manila, the best landmark to look for is the Lapu-Lapu monument. The museum is on the left if you are standing behind the statue (while the Anthropology museum is on the right)2. Take the T. M. Kalaw entrance. Although an entryway on this side is exclusive for elders and kids, you can walk around this entrance to reach the main entrance that is facing the Lapu-Lapu monument.
Photo Credits: Roxanne Rasco/Jacqueline Tabora
