Lancelotte Travels

A Documentation of Traveling in the National Museum of

Natural History

Neil Lancelotte A. Mondia

May 28, 2019

Science, Technology, and Society

Understand the Self

 Background and Rationale

The National Musuem of Natural History is the fourth national museum to open among the

four national museums found in Manila, the others namely as Anthropology, Fine Arts, and

Planetarium. It was officially opened to the public last May 18 2018 during the International

Museum Day. It is found within the Rizal Park. Initially, it was called as the Agriculture and

Commerce Building when it was completed during the 1940s and was used as a headquarters of

the Department of Tourism of the Philippines until 2015 (Alavarez, 2018) (Lopa,, 2018). The

museum is open every Tuesday to Sundays, 10:00am – 5:00pm and is free for all Filipino and

tourists to visit.

According to Asta Alvarez of The Poor Traveler (2018), the museums boasts six floors

with the “Tree of Life” as it centerpiece, with each having different sections found within it.

Namely, these are:

 First Floor: Tree of Life foyer (Introduction to the Museum), Lower Entrance Hall, Lower

Courtyard, Education and Function Halls, Visitor Services

 Second Floor: Gallery XI (Our Natural Inheritance), Gallery XII (Temporary Exhibitions),

Upper Entrance Hall, Upper Courtyard, Reception Hall

 Third Floor: Gallery IX (Mangroves, Beaches and Intertidal Zones), Gallery X (The Marine

Realm)

 Fourth Floor: Gallery V (Mossy, Montane and Pine Forests), Gallery VI (Lowland Evergreen

Rainforests), Gallery VII (Ultramafic and Limestone Karst Forests – UNDER

CONSTRUCTION), Gallery VIII (Freshwater Wetlands)

 Fifth Floor (UNDER CONSTRUCTION): Gallery I (Philippine Biodiversity), Gallery II (The

Geology of the Philippines), Gallery III (Minerals and Energy Resources), Gallery IV (Life

Through Time)

 Sixth Floor: Roof Garden, Function Halls, National Museum Conference Center

Within it, the museum showcases materials, both new and old materials that have not been

displayed since the early 1990s (Logo, 2018). These include Lolong’s skin and skeleton, which is

the record-breaking crocodile, said to be the largest crocodile in captivity. It is also home to various

taxidermized specimens of local Philippine animals. Other than this, botanical illustrations and

paintings are also displayed which are exhibits on the pioneer naturalists of the Philippines which

includes the painting of the Philippine orchids by Tomas Bernando.

Amanda Logo of Rappler further said that you can also see the Earth’s biosphere and the

factors that can affect it. These factors that can be seen include the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in

1991, the El Niño phenomenon in 1997, and the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004. Additionally,

there were also the beautifully recreation of mini-mangrove forest and beaches which shows the

natural ordinary life of nature itself. Other than the land life, marine life was also exhibited which

focuses on the exploration of life under the seas and ocean.

Due to this spectacle, the Filipino youths have once again been reminded about the culture

and history of the Philippines and as said by historian Fr. Rene Javellana, SJ, a member of the

National Museum Board of Trustees, “For you to fall in love, you have to know [about it].”

(Soliman, 2018). With this, to further expand the horizon of the youths, the proponent have made

this project as he believes that museums serves a big role in reminding its citizens the importance

their country’s culture, history, and environment, which makes up the entirety of one’s national

identity.
 Objectives

In line with the objectives of National Museum of the Philippines (2016), this project opts

to serve as:

 a reminder to the growing people of the Philippines of this current generation, may

it be the children, youth, or the adults.

 a medium to promote the rich culture, history, and environment of the Philippines—

letting the public know its importance.

 an exploration to educational, scientific, and cultural wonder of the National

Museums of the Philippines, particularly the Natural History.

Target Audience

The proponent targets particularly the Filipino children and youth of age 5 to 20 years old

which he believes will be the people that will inherit the Filipino legacy and pass it onto the next

generation.

The Advocacy / Topic

One problem that younger generations of each country tends to have is losing their national

identity due to globalization and adapting to other cultures (Libri, 2017). But through this project,

the Filipino youth will be reminded of the Philippines’ rich culture and history which will help

them once again to learn and love their country.

 Time Frame

The video campaign lasts for fivr minutes with the first four minutes showcasing the

exhibits one can visit within the National Museum of Natural History. The remaining time shows

the bloopers of the trip.

This was shot last May 23 2018, around 2 in the afternoon

Budget

With the National Museum of Natural History having no admission fee, the whole trip only

included expenses for transportation and food (optional). Transportation from Quezon City costs

about 70 php for a roundtrip by riding a Utility Vehicle Express, while it only costs 8 php or 9 php

for one trip through a jeepney from Lyceum of the Philippines for students or adults, respectively.

The Message / Slogan

The main message of this project is the promotion of National Museum of Natural History

and its exhibits of cultural, historical, and environmental heritages of the Philippines to the Filipino

children and youth. This project has a slogan of “Cultivate Your Identity, Never Forget Your

Nationality, Learn Through Museums”, which simply signifies the strong emphasis on importance

museums in helping the youth in cultivating their identity and remembering their nationality

always as Filipinos.
 The Storyboard Script

Title: Lancelotte Travels: A Documentation of Traveling in the National Museum of Natural

History
Objective:
 A reminder to the growing people of the Philippines of this current generation, may it
be the children, youth, or the adults.
 A medium to promote the rich culture, history, and environment of the Philippines—
letting the public know its importance.
 An exploration to educational, scientific, and cultural wonder of the National Museums
of the Philippines, particularly the Natural History.
Target Audience: Filipino Children and Youth
Cast: Neil Lancelotte A. Mondia as the videographer, voice-over, and speaker.

Time AUDIO VIDEO

This includes how many second the Write what can be heard in Describe what can be
audio/video will run eg. 4 sec the video eh. Background seen in the video
music, sound effects, alongside with the
spoken lines audio.
Opening
0:00 – 0:30 *Background music The video is all about
(Sunrise by Gfriend the things you can see
orchestra version) inside the National
Introducing the National Museum Museum of Natural
0:31 – 1:30 Dialouges: History alongside with
1. “Welcome back to the audio tackling about
my vlog!” some information about
Showing the National museusm 2. “For today we are the museum and
1:30 - 2:30 at the National advocating the Filipino
Museum Complex Youth
to visit the National
Showing more about the museum Museum of Natural
2:30 - 4:20 History. Did you
know that there are
three museums in
Telling the advocacy the complex? The
4:20 - 4:50 National Museum
of Anthropology,
Fine Arts and
Closing National History .”
4:50 – 5:25 3. “But for today we
are going inside the
National Museum
of Natural History.
COME ON
VAMONOS
 EVERYBODY
LETS GO.”
4. “The building has 6
floors and is
divided into 3 parts.
Botany, Geology
and Zoology.”
5. “This video is not
only for
entertainment but
also to advocate the
Filipino youth into
visiting our
museums and
preserving the
Natural History in
the museums but
also the one in our
environment.”

Success Indicators and Plan of Action

The success indicator of this projects depends on how effective this campaign in

encouraging the Filipino youth to visit the National Museum of Natural History. This can be

measured or obtained in two ways:

 Number of Filipino youth visit in the National Museum of Natural History

 Number of interested Filipino youth in visiting the museum

For this, the proponent plans to do the following:

 A campaign video about the National Museum of Natural History

 Promotion of the museum through online platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and

Instagram by posting his photos, videos, and reviews about his experience in

visiting the museum.

Index

Neil with the museum’s interior as its background

 The exterior and interior of the National Museum of Natural History

References

 Alvarez. (201). NATIONA8L MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY in MANILA: Guide

for First-Timers. Retrieved from https://www.thepoortraveler.net/2018/11/national-

museum-of-natural-history-manila-entrance-fee-open-hours/Alvare.

 Libri, A. (2017). Are we losing our Culture due to Globalization? Retrieved from

https://www.skylineuniversity.ac.ae/blog/are-we-losing-our-culture-due-to-globalization

 Lago, A. T. (2018). What you can see at the newly-opened National Museum of Natural

History. Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/arts-and-culture/202831-

national-museum-of-natural-history-manila-opening-day-2018
 Lopa, T. C. (2018). Highlights From the National Museum of Natural History: What to See

When You Visit. Retrieved from https://www.spot.ph/arts-culture/the-latest-arts-

culture/73913/the-national-museum-of-natural-history-draft-a1906-20180531-lfrm2

 National Museum of The Philippines. (2016). About the National Museum. Retrieved from

https://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/nationalmuseumbeta/Mandate and Objectives.html

 Soliman, M. (2018). To love it you must know it: The educational role of the Nat'l Museum

of Natural History. Retrieved from https://www.bworldonline.com/to-love-it-you-must-

know-it-the-educational-role-of-the-natl-museum-of-natural-history/