Where to Go: Diosdado Macapagal Museums— Reliving the Life of the "Great and Humble Man from Lubao"

"The Common Man" with Diosdado Macapagal's signature found at the UST Miguel de Benavides Library

By Janna Alessandra Lagman

Mr. Gil Angelo B. Manalili, a Historic Sites Development Officer I of the National Historical Commision of the Philippines, explained their role in managing historic sites that feature heroes and illustrious Filipinos, including the 9th President of the Philippines, Diosdado Macapagal. 

“Our division's main mandate, the Historic Sites and Education Division, is the site management, so we are the one responsible for managing the twenty-nine museums under the National Historical Commission of the Philippines,” he said. 

As Manalili introduced the twenty-nine museums that is divided into six clusters (North Luzon Cluster  or the Pampanga-Zambales Cluster) the Bulacan Cluster, the Metro Manila Cluster, the Cavite Cluster, the Laguna-Batangas Cluster, and the Inter-Regional Cluster), he focused on the museum that he is currently managing, which is The Museo at Aklatan ni Diosdado Macapagal in San Nicolas 1st, Lubao, Pampanga. 

“We call our them historical-interactive museums. We incorporated modern technology to invite more visitors like the millennials, the Generation and the Generation Alpha,” he added. 

Manalili presented the two-storey Main Museum building of The Museo at Aklatan ni Diosdado Macapagal that has galleries with works and information highlighting his family life, showcasing memorabilias (portraits, paintings, awards and recognition), library (speeches, poems, and published books which are also available in UST), presidential office (narratives of his presidency), and the repositories of the original works of the Macapagal family. 

“Diosdado Macapagal is a known poet in Pampanga and is awarded as Poet Laureate. His title was awarded by the Kapampangan Poetry Community (in Pampanga ), and it is the highest award or title given to an individual,” he stated as he emphasized the brilliance of Macapagal in poetry. 

Towards the end of his talk, he invited everyone to visit their museum and announced that they accept visitors, conduct educational tour trips, seminars, workshops, lectures and exhibitions regarding Diosdado Macapagal’s life, works, and history of Pampanga, and also organize commemorations of his birth and death anniversaries.