Lights and Sounds Museum: A Walking Tour To Philippine History

Lapu-Lapu is regarded as the first Filipino hero.

When I first heard of the Lights and Sounds Museum, I thought I was just going to watch an ordinary show about the making of Intramuros. But when I entered a big room, standing, and with lights all turned off, I felt I was up for something more exciting that day. The Lights and Sounds Museum wasn't just a museum, it was an experience center!

A diorama of one of the battles fought between the Filipinos and the Spaniards.

The museum was divided into different rooms. Each one of them is depicting some of the highlights of the Philippine history. It has dioramas- moving replicas of people and objects placed in scenes that tell the remarkable stories of the Philippines' past.

Statues of the different Filipino heroes were placed inside the Lights and Sounds Museum.

Each scene is to be "experienced" one by one. It is dramatically narrated by a voice over with some background music. The lights are also in place to direct the attention of the audience to the main characters. A tour facilitator is also present to lead the audience from one room to another.

We were brought to Europe inside the Lights and Sounds Museum and experienced the life of Jose Rizal and his fellow Filipinos when they were there.

The life of Jose Rizal was one of the highlights in the Lights and Sound Museum. It was an instant trip to Europe when we were brought by the tour facilitator to Jose Rizal's life in Spain and Germany.

The publishing of La Solidaridad.

We were able to "experience" the national hero's life through the images being depicted in the dioramas.  The dioramas were not anymore at their best conditions today but I still enjoyed the entire show, nonetheless.

The different characters from Noli Me Tangere.

There was even a room showcasing the characters of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. It was nice to go back once again to the novels written by Jose Rizal. This time, with life-size dioramas and dramatic narrations.

The friars warned the Filipinos about reading Rizal's novels.

The Lights and Sounds Museum was a project of the former Tourism Secretary, Richard Gordon. The aim of the museum is to retell the history of the Philippines to local and foreign visitors in an interactive and fun setting.

The building of Intramuros.

Another highlight of the show is the story of how Intramuros, the Walled City, was built. This topic wasn't discussed that much during my classes in history in high school and college.

The Filipinos weren't allowed to enter inside Intramuros- except the slaves.

Because of the Lights and Sounds Museum, I have learned that ordinary Filipinos- except the special guests and the slaves- weren't allowed to enter the walls of Intramuros back then. It was exclusive to the Spaniards- the government officials, the friars and their guests. It was also said that the Spaniards made it a very happy place. Spaniards held feasts inside it every now and then,  leaving the Filipinos outside hungry and oppressed.

A diorama of Jose Rizal when he was imprisoned in Fort Santiago.

Lights and Sounds Museum is located at Sta. Lucia cor. Victoria Sts. The tour requires a minimum fee of PhP 1,000 per tour. The first show starts at 10:00 AM and the last show at 6:00 PM. For reservations or inquiries, you may contact (02) 524 2827.

Blogger's Note: These pictures were taken at the museum with permission the Intramuros Administration.

Manila Cathedral: A Timeline of Strength

The beautiful facade of the Manila Cathedral.

Timeline of Events:

• 1571. The first church was built out of nipa and bamboo.
• 1583. The cathedral was destroyed by fire.
• 1591. The second cathedral was built of stone and mortar.

In the facade is a Latin statement which may be translated as "Thy heart we entrust to you, immaculate and consecrated." 

• 1599. The cathedral was destroyed by earthquake.
• 1600. The cathedral was partially destroyed by earthquake.
• 1614. The third cathedral was built.

A picture in the interiors of the Manila Cathdral.

• 1621. The cathedral was destroyed by an earthquake.
• 1645. The cathedral was destroyed by an earthquake.
• 1654 - 1681. The fourth cathedral was magnificently built by Archbishop Miguel Poblete.

The facade up close.

• 1751. The cathedral was demolished.
• 1760. The fifth cathedral was inaugurated. 
• 1850. The cathedral was renovated.

The angel at the Narthex that holds the holy water.

• 1852. The cathedral was destroyed by an earthquake.
• 1854 - 1858. The sixth cathedral was constructed.
• June 3, 1863. The cathedral was destroyed by an earthquake.

The altar of the Manila Cathedral with an image of the Immaculate Conception.

• 1879. The seventh cathedral was inaugurated in 1879. 
• 1880. The cathedral was severely damaged by an earthquake when the belltower collapsed.
• 1945. The cathedral was totally destroyed during the Battle of Manila.

One of the authorized replicas of  Pieta sculpted by Michelangelo Buonarroti.

• 1953 - 1958. The present  and the eighth cathedral was built. 
• 1981. The cathedral was elevated to the rank of Minor Basilica by Pope John Paul II  and officially named Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

Facing the cathedral, in Plaza Roma, is the statue of King Charles IV of Spain. This was built in gratitude for the king for his support of the Balmis Expedition during the 1800s. His royal doctor, Dr. Francisco Javier de Balmis, led the mission of giving out smallpox vaccines to the Filipinos. The king's daughter, Maria Luisa, said to have suffered the same illness.

To know more about the Manila Cathedral, please visit their website at http://www.manilacathedral.org/.


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Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_Cathedral,           http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balmis_Expedition

Rizaliana Furniture Exhibit: A Photoblog Tour

Jose Rizal's bust upon entering the Rizalian Furniture Exhibit. 

Some years ago, the Baluarte de Santa Barbara was just a curious and derelict room inside Fort Santiago. Today, it is now the site of the Rizaliana Furniture Exhibit. The exhibit showcases some of the interesting properties of the Rizal family from their ancestral house in Calamba. The entrance to the exhibit costs ten pesos and, to my delight, taking of pictures is allowed.

Jose Rizal's thick clothes he used during his stay in Europe.

When I saw Rizal's thick clothes that he wore in Europe, I can't believe that he was a just small guy. I mean, I know that he was just around 4'11" when he died. But I never thought that he was really that small- considering the number of things that he had accomplished not only for himself but also for the whole nation. When I saw how small his clothes were, my respect for him rose only higher.

A furniture set taken from the Rizal family residence in Calamba, Laguna.

The furniture exhibited are all awe-inspiring, being a fan of old Filipino style myself. Not only that they looked elegant in my eyes. There all still looked sturdy and highly usable, considering how old they already are.

The dining table and the cabinet were all from the Rizal family residence in Calamba , Laguna.

Did you see that blue translucent vase on the table-top? It glows with sunshine! But this picture was nothing compared with how I exactly saw it inside the exhibit. It was a beauty.

Each member of the Rizal family member was made a genealogy chart. This one is of Jose Rizal's sister, Olympia. 

The area that I stayed the most in the exhibit was in front of the clan's genealogy charts. I found it very delightful looking at the names of the ancestors as well as the children of each of the Rizal family member. Somehow, I mused to myself, "Could it be that we were a distant relative of the Rizals? We came from Binan, Laguna." Hahaha. Wishful thinking.

One of the copies of El Filibusterismo is kept inside the Rizaliana Furniture Exhibit.

Rizal's novels were all works of love. He wrote his manuscripts using his hands. No typewriters. No printers. No iPads. Just his mighty pen!

This is the writing chest Jose Rizal used.

This was Rizal's "iPad" during his time. This was his writing chest. I have also read from somewhere that Rizal actually used a wooden pen with a metal nib- not a quill. This is contrary to what most of the paintings and illustrations of him told us.

I enjoyed my quick visit to the Rizaliana Furniture Exhibit. It was very telling of how rich the Rizal family was- judging from the characteristics of the properties that they had. My ten pesos went a long way!

Top 10 Reasons to Visit (and Revisit) Fort Santiago

The imposing gate of Fort Santiago.

1. The Gate. The imposing gate of Fort Santiago was decorated with the image of St. James, Slayer of Moors. St. James is the patron saint of Spain. According to the legend, he appeared as a warrior on his white horse with white banner to help the armies of King Ramiro I in his battle against the moors. St. James was known in Spain as Santiago Matamoros. The name of the fortress came from him.

The Martyrdom of Rizal by Carlos "Botong" Francisco.

2. The Painting on the Wall. The Martyrdom of Rizal was created by Botong Francisco, a National Artist of the Philippines for Visual Arts. Personally, I believe that Botong Francisco is one of the best Filipino painters who ever lived- alongside Fernando Amorsolo and Paeng Pacheco. Among his unforgettable works are The Blood Compact, First Mass at Limasawa, Bayanihan, Magpupukot, Fiesta, Bayanihan sa Bukid, Sandugo, Portrait of Purita, The Invasion of Limahong, Serenade and Muslim Betrothal.

Jose Rizal's prison cell. 

3. The Cell. From November 3 to December 29, 1896, Jose Rizal was detained as a prisoner in this very cell. He was falsely charged with rebellion, sedition and formation of illegal societies. His death was announced at 6:00am of December 29 and then was kept in an improvised chapel until his execution at 7:03am of December 30 at Bagumbayan, outside Intramuros. In the walls outside his actual prison cell, his words were carved in metal plates and were lit from the inside. One if it says, "To foretell the destiny of a nation, it is necessary to open the book that tells of her past."

The original copies of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo are exhibited in the Chamber of Text in Fort Santiago.

4. The Chamber of Text. The Rizal Shrine in Fort Santiago was divided into different parts with different interesting names such as Silid ng Pagninilay or Contemplation Room, Ang Piitan or The Cell, Silid ng Nalalabi or The Reliquary Room, Ang Tulaang Walang-Hanggan or The Valedictory Poem and Bulwagan ng Panulat or Chamber of Text. Among the divisions, the one that stood out the most for me is the Chamber of Text. In this chamber lie the various objects I only have read about from my books on Philippine history and Jose Rizal during high school and college! Among the objects that I saw were Jose Rizal's pictures, sculptured works, medical tools, the animal species he discovered and named after him, calling cards and most importantly, the original copies of his novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

Jose Rizal's bone in an urn.

5. The Urn. Felice P. Sta. Maria's words were etched on the glass case protecting the glass urn located at the heart of the Reliquary Room. It says:

"After the execution, the name Rizal was not to be spoken. He was referred to safely as El Difunto (The Dead One). He has been abandoned directly in the soil. After the Philippines declared itself independent on June 12, 1898, it honored Rizal officially. Narcisa retrieved her brother’s remains and placed them in an ivory urn. A bone with a bullet wound was enshrined separately in a glass urn and is now a secular relic at Fort Santiago."

Jose Rizal's clothes.

6. The Last Vest. Some of Jose Rizal's clothes can be found in Reliquary Room in Fort Santiago. Looking at the size of the clothes, it can be said that he wasn't a tall man. He may have died 4'11" but many people from around the world, not only Filipinos, look up to him.

The actual written piece of untitled poem hidden inside the alcohol stove, not an alcohol lamp.

7. The Untitled Poem. Did you know that Mi Ultimo Adios is not the actual title of the poem of Jose Rizal hid inside an alcohol stove (not alcohol lamp)? In fact the poem was untitled, unsigned and undated. A copy of the news story taken from The Inquirer dated December 30, 2002 says:

"On the afternoon of Dec. 29, 1896, a day before his execution, Dr. Jose Rizal was visited by his mother, Teodora Alonzo, sisters Lucia, Josefa, Trinidad, Maria and Narcisa, and two nephews. When they took their leave, Rizal told Trinidad in English that there was something in the small alcohol stove (cocinilla), not alcohol lamp (lamparilla). The stove was given to Narcisa by the guard when the party was about to board their carriage in the courtyard. At home, the Rizal ladies recovered from the stove a folded paper. On it was written an unsigned, untitled and undated poem of 14 five-line stanzas. The Rizals reproduced copies of the poem and sent them to Rizal's friends in the country and abroad. In 1897, Mariano Ponce in Hong Kong had the poem printed with the title "Mi Ultimo Pensamiento." Fr. Mariano Dacanay, who received a copy of the poem while a prisoner in Bilibid(jail), published it in the first issue of La Independencia on Sept. 25, 1898 with the title "Ultimo Adios."

The final resting place of approximately 600 Filipinos and Americans who were victims of atrocities during the last days of February 1945.

8. The Cross of Memories. Approximately 600 Filipinos and Americans were brutally killed inside Fort Santiago during World War II. Their bodies were found inside a nearby dungeon which had inner doors of massive iron bars and outer doors of iron plate on wood. It is said that the appearances of their bodies suggested starvation and possible suffocation.

The dungeons of the Baluarte de Santa Barbara used to give an eerie feeling to every visitor who passes by it.

9. The Dungeons.This can be the dungeon that the inscription below the cross was referring to. These dungeons used to be storage vaults of the Baluarte de Santa Barbara. Because of the dampness caused by the humid weather and its nearness to the Pasig River, the Spaniards built a new powder magazine on top of the baluarte in 1715. From then on, the dungeons were turned into prison cells.

Jose Rizal's last footsteps.

10. The Trail. These were Rizal's last trail of foot steps leading to Bagumbayan, his place of execution.

Ang Kayamanan ni Ka Paeng and the Intramuros Visual Artist's Group

[Photo Credits: http://mannydeguzmanartist.wetpaint.com/]

Ang Kayamanan ni Aling Cela. I saw this painting way back when I was still the small wide-eyed wonder kid who's fascinated with colors and illustrations. This painting started my fascination with the arts and I hoped that one day I will be able to see its creator- renowned hand painter from Rizal, Maestro Rafael "Ka Paeng" Pacheco.

Last November 25, 2011, my wish was granted. I saw Ka Paeng during the establishment of the Intramuros Visual Artist's Group (IVA) in one of the chambers in Intramuros Manila. Ka Paeng was not anymore at his best health but he still continues to paint very good pictures using his fingers. Take a look at this one.

Rafael Pacheco with his Koi painting

It's a beautiful painting of Koi fishes and this, along with the works of the other Lakeshore Artists from Rizal Province, was exhibited at Intramuros Manila last November 25. On that day too, the Intramuros Visual Artist's Group was created along with Ka Paeng's announcement of the establishment of his foundation, the Pacheco Art Foundation.

Rafel Pacheco with fellow artists and Intramuros Administration officers

The event was highlighted by the raffling off of the paintings of Maestro Pacheco himself and of the paintings of other Lakeshore Artists. I can only imagine how much these paintings are worth but Maestro Pacheco's heart is filled with so much gratefulness to the Lord, the source of all the beauty of the world, and gratefulness to all the people who supported his foundation- that he willingly raffled off his priced paintings.

Maestro Pacheco's speech was moving and I figured there might be a single element that all great artists are made of -- their hearts are filled with joy seeing the beauty of the world that they attempted to duplicate it through the works of their hands.

The last few words of his speech stayed in me. "Pasensiya na kayo... wala akong alam kundi iyan... ang gumawa po ng sining. Wala akong alam sa buhay kundi gumawa at kopyahin ang kagandahan at kadakilaan ng ating kapaligiran!"