Pamintuan Mansion reopens as Museum of Phl Social History

• Source: http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/561440425863/pamintuan-mansion-reopens-as-museum-of-phl-social-history
• Monday, August 24, 2015

By Carlo Lorenzo J. Datu (CLJD-PIA 3)

ANGELES CITY, August 24 (PIA) -- The highly urbanized city’s iconic Pamintuan Mansion reopened today as the Museo ng Kasaysayang Panlipunan ng Pilipinas, offering a panorama of past and present life and culture of ordinary Filipinos.

“Social history is the study of everyday life. Hence one would see here the belief systems, houses and belongings, clothing, food and utensils, and art forms and leisure of Filipinos and how these have changed, remained, or disappeared,” Museum curator Bettina Arriola said.

The museum has nine galleries focusing on the history of the mansion from its construction in 1890; various Philippine textiles, accessories, and weaving tools; and Filipino clothing styles.

Gallery 4 shows architectural styles across the archipelago using scale models of traditional Filipino houses while Gallery 5 features bedroom furniture of 19th century bahay na bato and Gallery 6 contains classic and modern Filipino songs with visitors given listening devices.

Gallery 7, on the other hand, features traditional Filipino games such as dama, sungka, mahjong, and bingo and Gallery 8 depicts Philippine mythological creatures namely the tikbalang, aswang, and dwende.

And lastly Gallery 9 exhibits a typical Filipino kitchen complete with utensils and food.

Apart from galleries, other facilities include an audio-visual room, lecture room, e-learning room for online lessons on the history of the Philippines, and electronic tablets that contain information on Filipino houses, furniture, and music.

“The conversion of the Pamintuan Mansion into a museum is good news for the city as we could expect around 500 visitors daily. We are now working at improving our Museo ning Angeles which was formerly the municipal hall so that we could transform this area into a heritage district along with the Holy Rosary Parish Church,” Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan said.

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines allotted PhP22 million for the restoration and curatorial work of the museum which was the site of the first and only public Independence Day celebration under the administration of former President Emilio Aguinaldo on June 12, 1899 and served as a former branch of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

“It is free. Everyone can visit the museum. We are open daily from 8:00 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoon,” Arriola added.

For inquiries and guided tours, please contact (045) 304-4042 or email mpshnhcp@gmail.com.