Last July 27, 2019 an educational tour was facilitated by the Kabataang Pag-Asa ng Bayan KPB-PIQC Club with their club moderator, Mr. Mark Christian L. Fidelino, and Mr. Mark Allen Genegani, an Araling Panlipunan teacher, with the following objectives:
- To provide an effective out of school classroom venue for learning
- To give opportunities for them to interact and mingle with one another, and
- To appreciate the importance and application of the principles and theories learned in school especially about our culture and heritage.
The trip was composed of three destinations namely the Fort Santiago, National Museum of Natural History, and the National Museum of Fine Arts. We have learned a lot of things that made us appreciate our history, art and Science. To name a few, first, when we went inside Fort Santiago, we learned a lot from the life of our national hero, Dr. José Rizal. We were specifically amazed to see actual objects used during his time, this helps us to appreciate them more unlike when they were just being shown to us through pictures in class. One particular object that caught our attention was one of Dr. Jose Rizal’s literary work, “Mi Ultimo Adios,” because of size of just 15cm by length and 9.5cm by width in size. (Andrade, Retrieved from https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/218103/rizals-alcohol-lamp-was-actually-a-stove/). Next, is when we were at the National Museum of Natural History. I can say that this is a place for Science lovers since the displays are related to it such as the different kinds of birds, woods, stones, plants, marine animals, and more. We were, particularly in awe when we were shown a presentation of the fossils of the largest crocodile “Lolong”. Aside from this, there were also activities provided in the museum like tracing of different types of leaves and identifying animals to name a few. Last, but not the least, is when we got a glimpse of the different collections of paintings and drawings made by our Filipino artists at the National Museum of Fine Arts. Here, we do not only get to appreciate the works of art but we also get to understand the meaning behind them. To be honest, some of the paintings do not appeal to our taste, But the visit to the museum was able to open our eyes to the stories underlying each work of art.
As a reflection, well, there’s a common misconception that learning about the history is boring, obviously, our experience has proven otherwise. Learning history is actually interesting and at the same time an eye opener because it is not just a recording of events that happened in the past, it’s actually our guide and inspiration to what is happening at present and what we can do in the future. Furthermore, the trip has made us apply the school’s vision and mission as it touched on helping us develop into holistic individuals through the acquisition of facts and in knowing more about ourselves as Filipinos who should not only look into being a good and productive citizen of our country, but, as Filipinos who should also appreciate our rich history and culture.
by: Aaron Miguel E. Ng
Grade 11 STEM, Public Relations Officer KPB-PIQC
Photos by Ysabel Calderon, Jessica Phi, and Mr. Fidelino