Blast from the past, peek into the future

MANILA, Philippines - One minute you’re in the crazy traffic of Roxas Blvd. and the next minute you’re whirled into a rich historical journey of the country’s past at the Museum of the Filipino People in Luneta, an edifice that is deceiving in its outward simplicity but actually houses remnants of the Old Manila with its charming grandeur and magnificent opulence.

There is nothing wildly spectacular as you enter the museum but wait till you are led to its exhibits. Museum tours are not for everyone. But on this particular day, the fact that multimedia maven and TV sweetheart Bianca Gonzalez was serving as the museum guide somehow gave the guests an idea that this is no ordinary trip to the past.

The Museum of the Filipino People houses the anthropological and archeological collections of the National Museum.

The Wreck Site of the San Diego Exhibit gives the guests a glimpse on the history of this Spanish battleship that clashed with the Dutch ship Mauritius on Dec. 14, 1600 just off Manila Bay, bringing down with it countless artifacts. On display are recovered ceramics, coins, potteries, jewelry, armaments and other objects that give you an imagery of that fateful part in history.

Here you find the ancient navigational instrument and the book, Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas written by Antonio de Morga, the commander of the ill-fated ship.

Full-sized cannons and helmets used by the Spanish soldiers 400 years ago greet you at the gangway, while on the platform, you’ll see rows of armaments recovered from the wreck site.

The museum tour shows interesting bits of history like huge Spanish and Siamese jars that contained preserved fruits, sardines, wine, drinking water and cured meat for the passengers of the ship.

Gold objects recovered from the ship are displayed among collections that include a gold belt, a necklace chain and a rosary made with ivory beads.

And then you are led to the Marble Hall, which wafts of old affluence with its stained glass windows, exquisite ceilings, grand staircases and intricate grill designs. The warm light from the lovely chandeliers paints the picture of how Old Manila looked like.

Still in awe at the delightful historical adventure, sumptuous lunch was served inside the luxurious Marble Hall and in a pleasant contrast, guests were given a peek into the future courtesy of Tattoo, the country’s most preferred broadband brand known for its cutting-edge and fast-forward product imagery.

Tattoo hosted this interestingly unique museum tour to share its milestones for the past year and where it’s headed to as well in terms of innovative offerings for its subscribers.  

True enough, there’s a whole lot of reason for Tattoo to celebrate: Consistent growth in revenues and number of subscribers in 2012, series of awards from reputable award-giving bodies such as international firm Frost & Sullivan and Mansmith & Fielders, giving the broadband brand its reputation as the country’s most preferred and most reliable broadband service.

Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu together with top Tattoo heads — Nikko Acosta, Dong Ronquillo, Jurist Gamban and Cindy Salaya — also revealed that for 2013, Tattoo morphs from being a lifestyle broadband brand into a more socially-relevant brand by fuelling the passions of the youth, empowering them to influence people, spark conversations and rally the nation towards progress via social media.

There could not have been any other moment when the past so pleasantly blended with the future. Only Tattoo could pull off something as magical as this one.