We are here today in this historical edifice to celebrate a historic undertaking, where our people’s story can be accessible to the rest of the world through this magnificent technology.

It was the great national artist Nick Joaquin who said, “we are being shaped by the tools we shape; and culture is the way of life being impressed on a community by its technics.”

He continued, “history then would properly be the study of those epochs that are new tools or novelties in media, or advances in technique, because such epochs, by altering the culture, alter the course of the community with vivid effects on its politics, economies and arts.”

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s government thrives in using innovative and connective technology, from utilizing social media as way to disseminate information to all corners of the country and the world. Today, we partner with Google to share invaluable exhibits, artifacts and architecture that will be preserved for our progeny.

At the same time, we share Philippine heritage and history to people who are oceans and miles apart. Every person on the planet, whether they are in Africa or Antarctica, as long as they have the tools, will be able to walk around the Malacañang Presidential Museum and Library. And they will be able to use the collection as if it were their own and explore the history of the Filipino nation through our digital museum.

Presidents are elected, they work in the Malacañan Palace, they leave office, their legacy left to be studied by historians and political scientists. What we see in this is a that museum goes beyond personalities, although their imprint can be examined in the landscapes and buildings, manifested in symbols, paintings, sculptures, and documents left behind.

But this is not just one president’s story. It is rather the story of our people. It is the story of the people who have fought, who have hoped, who have dedicated their lives to lay a strong foundation for the children of our country. These items are part of our identity and form the rich tapestry that connects our past with our future.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte said this is the Palace of the People. He started opening the doors of the Presidential Museum and Library, at no cost. All one needs is to schedule an appointment, an appointment with Director Edgar. This collaboration with Google takes it one step further. Viewers will be able to go room by room to see how each item and each structure reflects and fits into a particular period in our history and growth as a nation.

They will see Malacañan Palace not just as a venue of frivolity and authority but as the repository of a collective story about a nation of individuals who struggled and fought for a better life with each leader and government; a nation that has never lost hope in their country.

I congratulate the presidential library and museum, my team at the Presidential Communications Operations Office, and Google for this momentous partnership.

The Presidential Museum and Library just showed the world that the private and public sector can create meaningful work that will have a lasting impact on our lives, if we work together.

Maraming salamat po!

–END-