Philippine Folklife Museum Foundation Launches Its New Website, June 24, 2015

Philippine Folklife Museum Foundation Launches Its New Website, June 24, 2015

San Francisco was awash with month-long “Kalayaan” Day events throughout the city this June. Spearheaded by the Philippine Consulate General, the 117th anniversary of the Philippine declaration of independence from Spain on June 12, 1898, was commemorated by a gala event at the San Francisco City Hall.  The consular leadership clearly recognized the significance of this day as the public declaration of Filipino identity after years of colonization, by celebrating the Filipino identity in no other location than with the largest diaspora outside the Philippines—in San Francisco, California.

Sustaining this continuity of ties between homeland and diaspora is essential to the Filipino psyche and their memories of history. Quietly, on Wednesday, June 24, 2015, in no less celebratory manner, the Philippine Folklife Museum Foundation, a non-profit organization that has single-handedly assembled the only permanent museum of Philippine history in San Francisco since November 22, 2006, launched its virtual version of the museum.

In his welcome remarks about the website launch, Deputy Consul General Jaime Ramon T. Ascalon noted the significance of having material representations of great moments of Philippine history for Filipinos to see and touch, or hear.  Indeed, visitors to the museum, located in the Social Hall on the 5th Floor of the Philippine Center Building at 447 Sutter Street, San Francisco, will find reminders of these events – Dr. José Rizal’s lineage, Andrés Bonifacio’s Katipunan, the carved wooden panels depicting historical events.

Other artifacts like the finely embroidered dress of delicate piña fabric from about 1936, a gift from Mrs. Aurora Quezon, wife of Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon, to her friend Mrs. Ann Schinazi, provide evidence of quality Filipino craftwork. Nearby schools have discovered these treasures, but the museum’s uncommon location outside the city center limits its popularity. The website, therefore, with its interactivity, searchable content, and visually appealing layout, extends the museum beyond its limited space into a wider virtual world.

This much was what Lydia de la Cruz, the Director of Museum Operations and Development, hoped for as she guided the audience on a tour of the unique “something to talk about and talk with” website.  She highlighted five key points of the website:

Clarity: high-resolution images.

Functionality: content is dynamically driven for search engine placement.

Informative: the website’s educational highlights are a series of digital tours for those who cannot visit.

Interactive: the site’s dynamic features complement the cutting-edge curatorial and research work undertaken at the Philippine Folklife Museum while also encouraging more prolonged engagement from visitors both near and far, who can share stories on social media.

Responsive: suitable for various screen sizes from PC to laptop, from tablet to smartphone.

As Deputy Consul General Ascalon pointed out, their partnership with the Philippine Folklife Museum is in keeping with their mission to “connect these children and succeeding generations of Filipino-Americans to their heritage.” View the website at www.philippinefolklifemuseum.org

As is customary with events at the museum, kundiman guitar music played by Dr. Michael Gonzalez, professor of Philippine Studies at City College of San Francisco, and Filipino delicacies tastefully prepared by Chef Lydia de la Cruz capped the event. Together, the staff of the Philippine Consulate General and the Philippine Folklife Museum Foundation have clearly reached a milestone.

Photos from the event (Photo credits: Rafael Consing Lumanlan):