In celebration of International Museum Day (May 18), Senator Loren Legarda encouraged everyone to make frequent visits to museums to enrich understanding of our culture and history.
“Art and culture are food for the soul. It enriches our understanding of our tradition and history and promotes better understanding especially among Filipinos whose culture is very diverse,” said Legarda.
“Our National Museum organizes lectures and workshops that help us better understand and appreciate our heritage as well as the culture of our neighbor countries. The National Museum now offers free entrance and has branches in different parts of the country, which makes it accessible to more Filipinos,” the veteran legislator added.
The lady lawmaker has been working with the National Museum to organize a series of lectures and demonstrations, particularly on weaving, at the Hibla ng Lahing Filipino, the country’s first permanent textile gallery.
The prolific senator is the patron of the Hibla gallery, as well as the Baybayin: Ancient and Traditional Scripts of the Philippines gallery, and the Rice, Biodiversity and Climate Change exhibit–all of which are her projects with the National Museum.
“We have a very rich heritage, so rich that we have a lot to learn and understand about the practices, traditions, and way of living of our ancestors; we have to embrace the culture that is unique to us so we can have a better understanding of our roots and of who we are. Our museums will help us learn about these things,” she stressed.
Legarda has also proposed the creation of regional museums to serve as venues in ensuring the conservation and preservation of the country’s traditional folk arts.