Manila bids goodbye to the National Planetarium building to make way for the development of a new contemporary world in the National Museum Complex.
FOR countless Metro Manila residents, a part of their childhood memories will surely include a visit to the Planetarium where they were introduced and treated to a spectacle of heavenly bodies.
However, the beloved institution will soon close its doors to the public after the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) announced its temporary closure as well as the decommissioning of its 46-year old building.
In a Facebook post, NMP stated that the retirement of the building will give way to the development plans of the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC).
“There are times in the life of a beloved institution where a long chapter has to be brought to a close in order to start a new one, for a new contemporary world and a new set of generations of Filipinos,” wrote NMP.
According to the National Museum, they share the public’s sadness to see the iconic building go but welcomes the future “with anticipation and excitement”.
The NPDC, an attached agency of the Department of Tourism, will be developing the central and western sections of Rizal Park as well as development plans for the National Museum Complex as mandated by the Republic Act No. 113333 or the “National Museum Act of 1998”.
“Stand by for the announcement of our plans, currently in the development stage, for a new National Planetarium truly worthy of the name in our present time,” NMP added.
Signed in 2019, RA 11333 allowed the National Museum to focus on “developing itself as the premier museum and repository of the National Government” as well as become more responsive to the 21st century.
The National Planetarium was established in 1975 through Presidential Decree No. 804-A, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos with funding from the Japanese Reparation Program.
The acquisition of the GM-15 star projector and auxiliary projectors from Japan’s GOTO Inc., a newly innovated planetarium projector at that time, was also funded by the Japan Reparation Program.
The building has since undergone several renovations, the latest being in 2019 for the newly renovated ethno-astronomy exhibition.
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