The Malacañang Palace Museum reopened yesterday for the first time since President Arroyo took office, sans what used to be the main attraction.
Now housed at the Kalayaan Building, the museum no longer exhibits the 1,500 pairs of shoes of former First Lady Imelda Marcos, which were seen as a testament to the extravagant lifestyle of deposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos’ widow.
The Marcoses were the last tenants of the Palace before it was turned into a museum. But since Mrs. Arroyo restored the tradition of presidents living in Malacañang, the museum had remained closed after she and her family moved in late last January.
It was only a "soft reopening" yesterday, but coming after a long All Saints’ Day break, it was a virtual ghost town — hardly anyone was present to see the new exhibits save for a few reporters and employees of the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS).
The new Palace Museum exhibit consists mainly of old photographs of the old Manila and the past 13 presidents of the Republic, from Emilio Aguinaldo to Joseph Estrada’s oath-taking and inaugural address in Luneta with his then Vice President, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Perhaps the only worthy attraction is a 1898 Juan Luna painting restored by the Spanish Embassy.
Entry to the museum will cost the public P20, be they children or adults. It will have full exhibitions open for general public viewing in January 2002.
The Palace Museum now occupies the whole second floor of the Kalayaan Building which used to house various offices of the OPS.
Kalayaan, an annex, is connected to the Palace proper through secret doors.
The OPS offices have been moved out of Kalayaan and transferred to the Arlegui residence outside the Palace gates. Arlegui used to be the official residence of former Presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos during their respective tenures.
The Malacañang Heritage Foundation, chaired by Cesar Sarino, is operating the Palace Museum.