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The Presidential Museum and Library (PML) has unveiled new exhibitions on Google Arts & Culture at g.co/pmlmalacanang that give anyone with an internet connection the opportunity to visit and virtually walk through PML, home to 120 years of Philippine leadership.
Viewers can read about the history of the Palace, and find curated exhibits consisting of furniture, artwork, memorabilia, and items from the collections of PML as well as private institutions and individuals. The two exhibits are entitled “Malacañang as Prize, Pulpit, and Stage” and “Relics of Power: remembering the Philippine Presidents”.
Viewers can also walk through PML’s two floors, including architecturally significant rooms of Kalayaan Hall, the oldest original part of the Palace. Google used a specially designed Street View ‘trolley’ to collect 360-degree views of the interior of the building. The gallery interiors can also be explored directly from within Street View in Google Maps.
To explore the collection, visit Google Arts & Culture on any desktop or download the mobile app (available on Android and iOS), and search for ‘Malacañang Presidential Museum and Library’.
The Palace of the People
The Presidential Museum and Library, located in Kalayaan Hall, was originally built in 1921 during the American colonial era as the Executive Building and today a wing of Malacañan Palace, the historic and official seat and residence of the President of the Philippines.
The building itself, designed by Ralph Harrington Doane in elegant neo-Renaissance style, is one of the finest examples of American colonial public architecture in the country and one of the best-preserved today.
Bringing PML online on Google Arts & Culture is in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s mandate to make Malacañang accessible to the people. The PML can also be accessed by ordinary citizens free of charge simply by emailing their reservation on the address found on the website.
PML Director Edgar Ryan S. Faustino explained: “For hundreds of years we have safeguarded our history and heritage, and perhaps with the shift in technology and how it has shaped people’s lives and realities, it’s about time we use these advances to share our rich culture to the world.”
“In this way we preserve these invaluable artifacts and structures for our progeny while letting those who are separated by oceans and thousands of miles share the experience of the PML while also getting to know Philippine history,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar said, “It is President Duterte’s hope that by opening our doors not only to Filipinos but to citizens of the world we are able encourage people to understand the Philippines better in the context of its political, social and economic history.”
He added, “These items are part of our identity and form the rich tapestry that connects our past with our future.”
“It has been a wonderful experience working with Google and all the passionate people we have encountered in fulfilling this project. These online exhibits on Google Arts & Culture just show the world that the private and public sector can create meaningful work together,” Andanar stated.
