The Museo-Biblioteca de Filipinas

Today in Philippine History (Philatelic Edition Series 3):

AUGUST 12, 1887

The Museo-Biblioteca de Filipinas (Museum-Library of the Philippines) was established through a Royal Decree made by Maria Cristina, Queen Regent of Spain on August 12, 1887. It opened on October 24, 1891 at the Intendencia in Intramuros with Julian Romero as its director while Benito Perdiguero was archivist-librarian. After Romero's resignation in 1893, Tomas Torres of the Escuela de Artes y Ofícios in Bacolor, Pampanga (now the Don Honorio Ventura Technological State University) was in charge. Not long after, Pedro A. Paterno became its new director on March 31, 1894. He published the first issue of the Boletin del Museo-Biblioteca de Filipinas (Bulletin of the Museum-Library of the Philippines) on January 15, 1895. The library has accumulated around 1,000 volumes with around 25 to 30 daily visitors. In 1900, the American military government abolished it, so Paterno shouldered the cost for the transfer of the entire collection to his private library. A portion of this collection would later on form a part the Filipiniana collection of the present day library. Through donations made by the American Circulating Library Association, and formalized through Public Act No. 96 passed on March 5, 1901, the library was revived. After several changes in names through the years, it came to be known as the National Library in 1964. At present, it is known as the National Library of the Philippines (NLP) pursuant to Republic Act No. 10087 enacted on May 13, 2010. The NLP,  located at T.M. Kalaw Street, Manila is under the jurisdiction of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). The Museo-Biblioteca de Filipinas is considered as the forerunner of the National Museum and the National Library of the Philippines.

(Design, concept, stamps and research: Richard Allan B. Uy) All rights reserved

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