For safety, one museum requires online pre-booking.
Following the approval of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) and the Department of Tourism (DOT), visitors can finally go to select museums again.
Along with the reopening is the implementation of safety protocols: limited capacity with only people from ages 15 to 65 allowed, contact tracing via StaySafe.PH, wearing of face masks and face shields, social distancing, and temperature checks.
Here’s a list of museums that have recently opened their doors again to visitors.
Intramuros Museums
The Walled City of Intramuros is filled with museums that educate the public about life in the Philippines during the Spanish regime, many of which are now ready to accommodate visitors.
Casa Manila Museum, which recently got a makeover, showcases the domestic lifestyle of Filipino principalia or noble class under the Spanish rule. It’s open from Tuesdays through Sundays from 8 AM to 5 PM and only allows 15 visitors at a time. Entrance fee is at P75 for adults, P50 for students and PWDs.
San Agustin Museum and Cultural Complex, located right beside the UNESCO World Heritage Site church of the same name, has seven galleries and hallways filled with religious art. It’s open from Wednesday to Sunday, from 8 AM to 12 PM and from 1 PM to 6 PM. Entrance fee is at P200 for adults, P160 for students, PWDs, seniors, and frontliners.
While inside Intramuros, visitors can also head to Fort Santiago and Baluarte de San Diego as these sites have been reopened to the public, too.
National Museums
The central museums stationed within the National Museum complex in Rizal Park are now open to visitors, too. This includes the National Museums of Fine Arts, Anthropology, and Natural History.
Visitors are required to pre-book a visit slot online as only 100 at a time will be allowed inside. Walk-in guests will not be accommodated.
Most recently, the National Planetarium has also reopened, just in time for the National Culture Consciousness Week, which is observed from July 1 to 7.
“While our theater remains closed due to health protocols, our exhibition featuring the ethno-astronomy of indigenous Filipinos is available for walk-in visitors,” the National Museum shares in a Facebook post.
Only 20 visitors will be allowed per session. Senior citizens and PWDs are also allowed to enter upon presentation of their vaccination card.
Just like the rest of the museums in the complex, The National Planetarium is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 9 AM to 4 PM with a noon break to sanitize the premises.
Museum of Contemporary Art and Design
The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s museum has also resumed exhibitions. Their latest show features Filipino creatives from various fields.
“Through the works of cartoonist Manix Abrera, poet and musician Lourd de Veyra, chef and restaurateur Miko Calo, filmmaker Manny Montelibano, dancer Madge Reyes, artists Mark Salvatus, MM Yu and Br. Edmundo L. Fernandez, and chef and teacher Margarita Marty, experience their interpretation of ‘scores’ or artist instructions shared by Jérôme Bel, Cao Fei, Liam Gillick, Etel Adnan, Rivane Neuenschwander, Hannah Weinberger, Robert Ashley, Július Koller, and others,” the museum shares in a Facebook post.
In compliance with health and safety protocols, visitors are required to book their visit ahead of time via the MCAD website or email at [email protected] to limit the crowd inside the premises.
Banner Photo by REY MELVIN CARAAN on Unsplash
