On 08 October 2025, the National Museum of the Philippines received yet another generous donation from longtime partner LG P—21 units of 𝐋𝐆 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬.
In a simple turnover ceremony, LGEPH Managing Director Nakhyun Seong and Product Director for EcoSolutions Changsoo Jang delivered the units to NMP Chairman Andoni Aboitiz and Director-General Jeremy Barns.
The donated LG PuriCare Dehumidifiers will be placed in select galleries of the National Museum of Fine Arts, where they will help maintain optimal climate conditions—ensuring the long-term protection of the nation’s priceless cultural treasures.
Moreover, this donation is an affirmation of LG Philippines’ enduring and shared commitment to preserving Philippine heritage.
We at the NMP once again extend our deepest gratitude to LG Philippines for yet another important donation for the benefit of the Filipino people.
The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), with the support of the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP), opened the 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 (𝐓𝐀𝐀) 𝐞𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 last Monday, 6 October 2025, at the National Museum of Fine Arts.
Curated by Mervy C. Pueblo, this exhibition showcases the works of last year’s TAA recipients, who were formally conferred the award the same evening in recognition of their significant contributions to the country’s artistic and cultural landscape.
The 2024 awardees featured in the exhibition are Catalina Africa, Denver Garza, Russ Ligtas, Ella Mendoza, Henrielle Baltazar Pagkaliwangan, Issay Rodriguez, Luis Antonio Santos, Joshua Serafin, Jel Suarez, Tekla Tamoria, Derek Tumala, Vien Valencia, and Liv Vinluan.
This marks the first time that a TAA exhibition is being held outside of the CCP, reflecting the NMP’s shared commitment to recognizing and nurturing exceptional talent within the Philippine art community.
In support of the exhibition, the NMP and the CCP have also organized a series of public programs, which you may view and register for through bit.ly/TAA2024PublicPrograms
It was a status symbol, then and now. But for others, the pearl was a bounty of the sea, a blessing from Allah, merely an accidental find, or an ultimate emblem of a community’s way of life.
Following the recent conclusion of Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA Mo), let us continue to appreciate the significance of this marine biodiversity that permeates community life in the southern islands of the Philippines and showcases the dynamics between nature and humankind.
Pearls are produced when mollusks secrete nacre to form layers around an irritant. These natural gems are abundant in the Philippine seas, earning their moniker “home of the South Sea Pearl.” Known for its luster and texture, South Sea Pearls are produced by 𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘥𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘢, a species of pearl oyster. Other marine animals from which pearls are sourced include the 𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘥𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘢, the genus 𝘗𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢, and the families Haliotidae, Trochidae, or Turbinidae.
Before the advent of mechanical diving technology, the Sama Bajau group from the Islands of Tawi-Tawi in southern Philippines was already known for their unique ability to hold their breath for a longer period than normal and navigate the sea waters more than a hundred feet or so to collect pearl-producing oysters manually. They became known as “naked” or traditional pearl divers without any gear or equipment. Later on, the pearl divers started using air compressors for pearl diving.
In the Municipality of Sapa-Sapa, Tawi-Tawi, the remnants of this life are seen through equipment and boats in their sheds, and yet remain alive in the collective memory of former compressor pearl divers who participated in a practice that has since evolved into a contemporary pearl culturing industry.
From the 1970s until the early 1990s, former compressor pearl divers in Sapa-Sapa conducted pearl diving expeditions in the waters of the Sulu Sea as well as the boundary between Tawi-Tawi and Malaysian waters. Most usually started during their early teen years, and their experience was marked by the long days spent on boats and the coldness of the water to collect the pearl oysters. A 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴𝘢 (fishing vessel) tug at least 20 pump boats in each diving leg, carrying four pearl divers each to their dive site.
Run by a fuel-powered motor and connected to a tank and hose, the air compressor was the lifeline of the compressor pearl divers at sea. Without modern regulators, the diver would hold the hose’s one end in his mouth and loop the rest around his waist. The other end of the hose would be attached to the tank, which was connected to the air compressor and transmitted the air to the diver underneath.
Although used by compressor pearl divers as a supposed aid to breathe, air compressors have put many lives at risk and permanently ended livelihoods in the pearling industry for some. With every dive into the sea, pearl divers faced the danger of oxygen loss. As air compressors were used without modern timers and gauges to indicate oxygen levels, divers were left to estimate the time they could stay underwater. When the air supply becomes depleted, headaches and numbness of the limbs creep upon the body. Nabada (Sinama term for ‘paralyzed’) is what the pearl divers call someone who has suffered permanent paralysis due to oxygen loss during diving.
The decline of traditional and compressor pearl diving during the mid-1990s has been attributed to changes in demand and the policies enacted by the government at the local and national levels to protect the dwindling maritime resources, including pearl oysters. Aside from the growing emphasis on environmental protection, the market-driven demand for pearls led to the development of a pearl-culturing industry. As a result, most of the former pearl divers in Tawi-Tawi shifted to fishing for their livelihood, with many relocating to southern Palawan as the fish were more abundant in its waters.
The story of the Sama Bajau’s pearl diving tradition and its evolution into the current pearl-culturing industry manifests how nature can shape community practices and traditions and, consequently, how these have affected the natural environment.
Sa palatuntunan kahapon, 29 Agosto, opisyal ng binuksan ang ANI: Our Assets, Natural Heritage, and Cultural Identity. Pinasinayaan ito nina Deputy Director-General for Administration Atty. Ma. Rosenne M. Flores-Avila, Acting Deputy Director-General for Museums Arvin Manuel Villalon at dating patnugot ng Pambansang Museo, Bb. Gemma Cruz Araneta.
Kalahok sa tampok na ito ang mga artistang kasapi ng Philippine Botanical Art Society, sa pamumuno ni Gng. Bing Famoso Tac-an, gayundin si Bb. Jhaydee Ann Pascual at buong Botany and National Herbarium Division. Ang eksibisyong ito ang naglalayong bigyang buhay sa pamamagitan ng sining ang mga ani na makikita sa Pilipinas.
Tuklasin ang kamangha-manghang kuwento ng ating mga pagkaing halaman, mula sa ating pinakamamahal na mga pananim hanggang sa mga ligaw na halaman na lubos na nakaugat sa ating kultura.
Bukás ang ANI: Our Assets, Natural Heritage, and Cultural Identity sa Gallery XII ng National Museum of Natural History mula Lunes hanggang Linggo, 9:00 ng umaga hanggang 6:00 ng gabi.
Noong 14 Agosto 2025, inilunsad ng Pambansang Museo ng Pilipinas (NMP) at ng Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) ang bago nitong magkatuwang na eksibisyon na 𝐊𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚. 𝐊𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥. 𝐊𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐤𝐮𝐲𝐚𝐧: 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐤𝐨 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
Tampok dito ang mga kontemporaryong likhang-sining mula sa koleksyon ng BSP, mula sa mga artista gaya nina Pambansang Alagad ng Sining Benedicto Cabrera, Onib Olmedo, Brenda Fajardo, Antipas Delotavo, and Edgar Talusan Fernandez. Lalong naging espesyal ang pagtitipon dahil sa presensya ng ilan sa mga artistang tampok sa eksibisyon tulad nina Charlie Co, Junyee, Imelda Cajipe-Endaya, Demi Padua, Joey Cobcobo, Leonard Aguinaldo, Gerardo Tan, Melvin Culaba, at ng mga kinatawan nina Renato Habulan (ang kanyang anak na si Mayumi) at Emmanuel Garibay (ang kanyang anak na si Jeudi).
Dumalo sa paglulunsad sina BSP Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr., mga kasapi ng Monetary Board, at iba pang mga opisyal ng Bangko Sentral. Naroon din sina dating BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr., ang maybahay ng yumaong BSP Governor Nestor A. Espenilla, Jr., na si Bb. Tess Espenilla, at si dating Central Bank Governor Jaime C. Laya, na nagbigay ng isang maikling lektura ukol sa BSP art collection. Sinaksihan din ng mga opisyal ng NMP ang paglulunsad kabilang na sina Board of Trustees Chairman Andoni Aboitiz, Director-General Jeremy Barns at mga kasapi ng Board of Trustees na sina NCCA Chairman Victorino Mapa Manalo, G. Carlo Ebeo at G. Jose Carlos Garcia-Campos. Marami ring mga pinuno ng iba’t ibang sangay ng pamahalaan ang dumalo sa programa.
Pinasalamatan naman ni Chairman Aboitiz ang BSP sa muling pakikipagtulungan nito sa Pambansang Museo at pinuri ang bagong bukas na eksibisyon bilang patunay sa patuloy na pakikiisa ng BSP sa hangarin ng NMP na ilapit at ipakilala ang ating kultura at sining biswal sa mas nakararaming Pilipino.
Nauna nang nagsagawa ng espesyal na media preview noong 5 Agosto para sa nasabing eksibisyon, na pinangunahan ni BSP Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat at NMP Director-General Jeremy Barns. Ang 𝐊𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚. 𝐊𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥. 𝐊𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐤𝐮𝐲𝐚𝐧ay bukas sa publiko hanggang Nobyembre 2027, at matatagpuan sa Gallery XVIII at XIX, 3/F, National Museum of Fine Arts. Bukas ito araw-araw, mula 9:00 ng hapon, hanggang 6:00 ng gabi. LIBRE ang pagpasok!
Inilunsad ng Pambansang Museo ng Pilipinas (NMP) at ng Asian Cultural Council Philippines, katuwang ang DF Art Agency, ang panibagong eksibisyon ni Demi Padua na pinamagatang “𝐋𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬.” nitong 12 Agosto.
Tampok dito ang 14 na likhang sining na gumagamit ng 𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒆 𝒍’𝒐𝒆𝒊𝒍 technique, kung saan ito ay tila nagiging makatotohanan dahil sa paggamit ng mga ilaw, anino, at optical illusions.
Ang paglulunsad at ribbon-cutting ng eksibisyon ay pinangunahan nina Unang Ginang Liza Araneta Marcos, NMP Board of Trustees Chairman Andoni Aboitiz, NMP Director-General Jeremy Barns, ACC Philippines Foundation Chairman Ernest de Leon Escaler, ACC Global Chairperson Josie Cruz Natori, at Demi Padua.
Bukod sa pagiging selebrasyon ng ika-25 taong anibersaryo ng ACC Philippines Foundation, ang eksibisyong ito ay fundraiser rin para sa ACC Philippines Fellowship Program, na sumusuporta sa mga Pilipinong manlilikha sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng mga oportunidad para sa pag-unlad at pandaigdigang kolaborasyon.
Bukas sa publiko ang 𝐋𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 mula 𝟏𝟑 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝟐𝟔 𝐀𝐠𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐨 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 sa President Sergio Osmeña Hall, 2/F, National Museum of Fine Arts. Bukas ito araw-araw, mula 9:00 ng umaga hanggang 6:00 ng gabi. LIBRE ang pagpasok!
