Contrary to what the movies tell us, sharks are not terrifying giants out to get us underwater. The #SharkAwarenessDay is created to bust myths about this group of fishes and regard them in a new light.

A majority of sharks found in Philippine waters are harmless and feed on smaller organisms like fishes, crustaceans, and octopus, among many other species. According to LAMAVEph (Large Marine Vertebrates Project), the country hosts approximately 200 shark and ray species, with resident and migratory populations.

The presence of sharks and rays are good indicators of healthy marine life. As top predators, seeing them means there is plenty of food in the sea, from which they prey on the weaker and most abundant ones. Unfortunately, many of our known sharks and rays are threatened due to targeted hunting, finning, by-catch, and habitat degradation. Their numbers plummeted by 90% in the last half-century.

There are groups and government offices who appeal to establish science-based policies in the management and creation of more Marine Protected Areas, and corridors to connect these networks, for the protection of resident species and safe passage of migratory ones.

Sharks were here first. They’ve been in our oceans for millions of years and swam our oceans even before dinosaurs existed. Awareness is the first step to understanding and eventually caring and advocating for this often-misjudged marine species. Let us treat each living creature with kindness and respect, whether they look enchanting or unsightly. After all, we only have this only one planet to share.

Today, the #NationalMuseumPH joins our Muslim brothers and sisters in celebrating the Feast of Sacrifice or Eid al-Adha which is considered the most important feast for Islam. This occasion celebrates the completion of the pilgrimage to Mecca during the last month of the Islamic lunar calendar and commemorates Prophet Ibrahim’s faith in his willingness to sacrifice his only son, Ishmael, a manifestation of his complete submission to the will of Allah. Prophet Ibrahim and Ishmael’s willingness to obey Allah’s command was rewarded by sparing Ishmael’s life and the birth of a second son, Is-haag.

Like other Muslim feasting and fasting traditions, Eid al-Adha also involves communal prayers, recitation of selected passages from the Koran, consumption, and sharing of local delicacies and beverages, adornment of feasting spaces, and use of highly decorated prestige items and utilitarian goods. It is also a time for Muslims to wear their finest clothes as they visit other households and gather for a feast.

Available on our website is a 360° virtual tour of “Faith, Tradition, and Place: Bangsamoro Art from the National Ethnographic Collection” exhibition at the National Museum of Anthropology in Manila. You may visit it at: https://tinyurl.com/BangsamoroArt360. 

The material culture displayed in this gallery shows the vitality of interactions among these groups, particularly in the region’s varied religious, artistic, and feasting traditions. The gallery also includes a small prayer room for NMP personnel and visitors that they can freely use to practice their faith. Through this self-guided tour, you can explore and learn more about the culture of Muslim ethnolinguistic groups in the Southern Philippines without leaving the comforts of your home. 

We are open this Eid al-Adha from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM! Admission is FREE and walk-in visitors are accepted. Come and visit our galleries and learn more about our rich culture and traditions! 

Eid Mubarak!

#FeastOfSacrifice #EidalAdha #YourNatMuseumPH

Text by the NMP Ethnology Division

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines 

The #NationalMuseumPH is one with the nation in the observance of a month-long National Disaster Consciousness Month (NDCM) this July. 

This year’s theme “Sambayanang Pilipino, Nagkakaisa tungo sa Katatagan at Maunlad na Kinabukasan” advocates for unity towards resilience and sustainable development. For today’s #DignayanBiyernes feature, let us talk about a landform that can have devastating consequences when triggered for collapsed – sinkholes.

Sinkholes are cavities in the ground that are common in areas underlain by limestone and other rocks that can naturally be dissolved by percolating groundwater. When rainfall interacts with the atmosphere, and as well as when it seeps through the soil, it absorbs carbon dioxide creating slightly acidic water. This acidic water moves through the voids and cracks underground, slowly dissolving the limestone and creating a network of cavities. Over thousands of years, these cavities become larger forming cave systems.

Sinkholes are formed when the land above collapses or sinks into these cavities or when the surface materials are carried down into the cavities. Many natural sinkholes cannot be prevented. The land usually stays intact for a while until the cavities get too big. If there is not enough support for the overlying land, then a sudden collapse usually happens.

The October 2013, 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Bohol triggered the collapse of close to 100 sinkholes on the island. Following this event, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) expanded its geohazard assessment mapping to include subsidence susceptibility assessment due to sinkhole collapse in areas underlain by limestone.

Sinkhole collapse is unpredictable and rarely happens, but when it does, may lead to damages to infrastructure, cause high economic losses, evacuation, and displacement of residents, and loss of lives.

Text and image by the NMP Geology and Paleontology Division

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

Establishment of permanent communities has been the legacy of Spanish colonization in the country. To connect these towns, roads and bridges were constructed. Currently, there are several stone bridges that still exist and for our #BuiltTraditionThursday of the #MuseumFromHome series, we feature the existing Spanish-Era Colonial Bridges of Tayabas City in the Province of Quezon.

The City of Tayabas has several Spanish-era colonial bridges including the well-preserved Puente de Malagonlong. But Malagonlong Bridge isn’t the only surviving Spanish old infrastructure in the province, there are ten other which were collectively declared as National Cultural Treasure (NCT) by the National Museum of the Philippines in 2011. These are Puente de Lakawan, Puente de Mate, Puente de Don Francisco de Asis, Puente de Gibanga, Puente de la Ese, Puente de la Princesa, Puente de Alitao, Puente de Isabel II, Puente de las Despedidas, and Puente de Tumuloy o Bai. The bridges were built adopting the arched construction with materials such as adobe stone, limestone, and molasses. Arch bridges are among the oldest types of bridges dating back to ancient Rome. The simplest shape of an arch bridge is a semicircular design with abutments on each end distributing the load from the deck to the sides. This kind of bridges do not need additional supports of reinforced steel and considered among the strongest in the world. Evidently seen on the bridges of Tayabas which have the same design and structure.

The Tayabas bridges span the rivers, streams, and creeks connecting the former town to the neighboring municipalities of Pagbilao, Sariaya, and Lucban as well as to the community within. The infrastructures are locally called puente and puentecito. The puentes usually stands above one-storey high with some having more than one arch. An example of this is Puente de Alitao, which was originally constructed in 1823 with four arches. Only two arches still exist today together with the parapet, spandrel, pier, and abutments. The bridge was built over Alitao River connecting the old town to the población and is still passable to vehicles. Another bridge with more than one arch is Puente de Isabel II in Barangay Baguio. Built with two arches along Tayabas-Sariaya road over Iyam River. The bridge was finished in 1853 and named after Queen Isabel II of Spain. The bridge is still intact and passable but restricted to light weight vehicles. Only one arch can be accessed by the public since the other arch is inside a private resort.

Other bridges such as Puente de Bai and Puente de las Despedidas have only one arch. Puente de Bai, also known as Puente de Tumuloy in Barangay Dapdap was part of an old road going to Palola, Lucban. The one arch stone bridge crosses the Bai Creek and served as the boundary of Tayabas and Lucban. It stands 7-meters high and 7-meters wide. Concrete road was built along the carriageway and is still passable to pedestrians and light weight vehicles. The lands on the vicinity of the bridge are privately owned. Puente de las Despedidas known as the “Farewell Bridge”, was the end road of Tayabas and the old route going to Manila or Laguna. It was built with one arch over Bigger Ibia River in Barangay Lalo. Only the spandrel wall, arch barrel, and abutments still exist. Concrete bridge was later constructed above the spandrel and is passable to all type of vehicles. Both sides of the vicinity of the bridge are maintained as open spaces and can be accessed by the public. Another one arch bridge is Puente de la Princesa, named after the Princess of Asturias of Northern Spain. Unfortunately, the bridge was bombed during World War II and only the stone abutments remains. A deck made of reinforced concrete was built over the ruins.

These arch bridges are easy to be missed. Concrete roads were built over the pavements covering the old carriageway while some have been widened with reinforced concrete constructions as part of a new parallel bridge structure. Most of the bridges have retained their width as defined by the existing stone masonry parapets and can be viewed from the riverbanks. The deterioration of these heritage properties is mainly caused by negligence, lack of awareness, and undesirable man-made interventions. It’s a good thing that the Local Government Unit of Tayabas City is actively preserving their Spanish-Era Colonial Bridges with the annual removal and treatment of vegetation as well as the masonry cleaning of these bridges.

The initiative of the LGU and the community of Tayabas to familiarize themselves and protect these heritage properties is very commendable and should be an inspiration for the public. These bridges are evidences of the ingenious engineering and construction styles that was used by our ancestors. Preserving them is keeping our rich history, culture, and identity. Tayabas isn’t the only place with existing Spanish-Era Colonial bridges on our country, if you visit an old town, you might see some. If you do, share it with us!

Text by Ar. K. Sepidoza Daysa

Illustrations and Photos by NMP Architectural Arts and Built Heritage Division

The #NationalMuseumPH celebrates the 100^th birth anniversary of Filipina painter-sculptor Virginia Ty-Navarro born #OnThisDay in 1922, by featuring her oil painting entitled “The Fishermen.”

This artwork, on display at the National Museum of Fine Arts (NMFA), along the GSIS Northwest Hallway Gallery of The Senate Floor (Third Floor) was completed in 1983 and became part of the National Fine Arts Collection the following year.  

Virginia Ty-Navarro was born in Manila on July 5, 1922. Showing interest in art, her father provided her with private lessons under a Chinese artist. This was further honed under the supervision of a German nun while studying at St. Scholastica College in Vito Cruz. In 1949, she graduated with high honors from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) with a degree in fine arts. She served as part of the faculty of the fine arts department of UST right after her graduation until 1960 and from 1964-1969, as faculty of the College of the Holy Spirit.

She pioneered “incision painting,” which according to Leonidas V. Benesa, is “a combination of carving, painting, and sculpture.” She produced several paintings but also experimented with sculptures. Her husband, painter, sculptor, printmaker, and 1999 National Artist for Visual Arts, Jeremias Elizalde-Navarro, may be one of the influences on why she pursued and experimented with sculpture, having shared a studio with him.

In 1960, despite the demands of family life, she was able to launch her first solo exhibition featuring her paintings and sculptures at the Philippine Art Gallery. In 1966, she represented the country at the international art congress in Tokyo, Japan. She joined group shows organized by the Art Association of the Philippines and Society of Philippine Sculptors where she also sat as one of the board members. 

Her best-known work is the statue of Our Lady, Queen of Peace at the EDSA Shrine. This monumental sculpture, in size and significance, was sculpted in bronze and can be found at the intersection of EDSA and Ortigas in Mandaluyong City. The artist passed away in Manila on January 28, 1996. 

The National Museum of Fine Arts (NMFA) is reopening after a month-long temporary closure. You may view two other works of Virginia Ty-Navarro from the National Fine Arts Collection, namely: Taurus (1975, bronze and brass, Gallery XXIX) and Abstraction (Undated, oil on canvas, 3F South Hallway Gallery). 

#VirginiaTyNavarro

SAGAYAN FESTIVAL