Words and Photo by: Cedrix Perez
Finally, presidential cars arrived to its rightful destination at the country’s first Presidential Car Museum at Quezon City Memorial Circle.
Mr. Ryan Tan, currator of the museum, said that this is the time to exhibit the silent witnesses of the daily lives of the president of the country and to showcase the importance of it in our culture and history.
Through the initiative of National Historical Commissiom of the Philippines and the help the city government of Quezon City to lend a land for the museum , presidential cars from the descendants of the former presidents of the country gave back the legacy of these prominent leaders to the people. From President Aguinaldo’s car until President Arroyo’s presidential car, peole can now look back to history with these cars silently driving them going to our past and bizzare history.
Besides presidential cars, the Karwaheng Apacible, a carriage used by Leon Apacible whom one of the writers and signatories of the 1899 Malolos Constituion, settles at the museum.
Also, one of the highlights of the car museum is the iconic 1960 Rolls Royce Phantom V of the former firstlady Imelda Marcos, which then a gift of Former President Marcos to her. According to Tan, there are only 516 Phantom V cars ever produced in the history of automobile and the firstlady was a lucky owner of it, likewise Queen Elizabeth II and musician John Lennon.
“Hindi lang ito basta sa sasakyan, at least malaman mo kung ano yung nakaraan. Yung going back to your roots. Kase diba ang bilis ng panahon ngayon, fast-paced tayo ngayon lahat sila nasa technology. Atleast yung mga bata magiging aware sila sa nakaraan sa pamamagitan ng kotse. ” said Miradel De Leon, a public school teacher, visiting the museum with his seven year old son.
Also, the museum is open to public for free on Tuesday to Sunday from 8am til 5pm.
Young ECHO 
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