National Museum is now open daily with free admission

THE National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) has a good news for museumgoers, as Filipinos welcome the new year.

On New Year’s Day, January 1, the museum announced on Facebook that the NMP Central Complex and its regional component museums nationwide will now be open to the public from Mondays to Sundays with free admission.

“Universal access has always been our priority,” it said. 

“By opening our museums every day and maintaining free admission, we aim to make our programs and services even more accessible to everybody,” it continued.

The museum’s operating hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Previously, the NMP Complex—which houses the National Museum of Fine Arts, National Museum of Anthropology, and National Museum of Natural History—was open only from Tuesdays to Sundays, except religious holidays.

Meanwhile, the NMP’s regional, area and site museums can be found in Uyugan, Batanes; Kabayan, Benguet; Vigan City and Magsingal, Ilocos Sur; Kaingan, Ifugao; Peñablanca, Cagayan; Angono and Binangonan, Rizal; Boac, Marinduque; Quezon, Palawan; Daraga, Albay; Cebu City, Cebu; Tagbilaran City, Bohol; Iloilo City, Iloilo; Dumaguete City, Nagros Oriental;  Butuan City, Agusan del Norte; Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur; and Jolo, Sulu. 

Visitor guidelines

Visitors are encouraged to arrive at the museum at least 30 minutes before closing time, according to the NMP’s visitor guidelines.

Walk-in visitors are accepted, but groups of 20 persons and above should make an advanced booking at the NMP’s website at least five days before the planned visit. Same-day bookings will not be entertained.

They should also take note of the prohibited items that will be deposited at the baggage counters upon entry:

• Big bags, luggage, and other bulky items larger than 33 x 43 cm (13 x 17 in)
• Backpacks bigger than 27.94 x 22 cm (11 x 9 in) (except for infant backpack carrier carried in front of the body)
• Food and beverage
• Disposable water bottles
• Hats, caps, and sunglasses,
• Umbrellas
• Video cameras, selfie sticks, and tripods
• Art materials and toys
• Plants, flowers, and organic materials
• Wrapped packages and gifts
• Pets

Taking pictures is allowed in the museum, but the use of camera flash is strictly prohibited. Meanwhile, a permit is required for commercial photography, photoshoot, and media coverage.

Touching of exhibition items like paintings, sculptures, artifacts, specimens, and other objects in display is not allowed.

About National Museum

The NMP is one of the historical landmarks located in Manila, within the grounds of Rizal Park.

The museum is home to “works of art, specimens, and cultural and historical artifacts representative of the unique cultural heritage of the Filipino people and the natural history of the Philippines.”

The NMP’s history can be traced back to the establishment of the Museo-Biblioteca de Filipinas on August 12, 1887, during the Spanish colonial period in the country.

Through the National Museum Act of 1998, the Complex became the permanent and exclusive site of the museum. The first stage of the National Museum Complex was realized in 1998, with the formal inauguration of the Museum of the Filipino People in the Old Finance Building.