Tags: Historical Places, Museums
By Lawrence Casiraya
MANILA CITY, METRO MANILA – Jess Arella would be a source of envy for art lovers. He gets to see masterpieces by Juan Luna, Fernando Amorsolo and other great Filipino artists almost everyday.
Jess, whose real name is Jesuzito, works as a tour guide at the National Museum. A native of Gumaca, Quezon, he interned at the museum for about a year before becoming a full-time guide in August last year.
He is one of six regular guides that conduct tours at the National Gallery, which houses the Lunas and Amorsolos and located inside the main building (the old Congress), and the Museum of the Filipino People located at the former Finance building.
Jess often handles booked tours, mostly school tours (the National Museum is a popular destination for elementary and high school field trips). Now that it’s summer, Jess expects to have more time accomodating smaller groups or even walk-ins.
Unlike other museums, by the way, you do not need to pay extra for a tour guide. A bonus really since you need to pay only 100 pesos to enter the Museum of the Filipino People, which houses historical artifacts. Entrance to the National Gallery is free.
I would assume having a pleasing personality is an unofficial requirement to becoming a museum guide. And Jess certainly has loads of it. He answered our queries with zeal and always has nuggets of information to volunteer.
“He always keeps candies beside him while painting so his grandkids won’t keep bothering him,” he tells us, referring to Fernando Amorsolo, while we browse through an unfinished canvas by the country’s first National Artist.
He’s got some charm alright and his passion for the arts shows in the glimmer in his eyes. He spent his teen years at the Philippine High School for the Arts before earning an Education degree in a local college in Quezon.
“I never get tired of looking at all these paintings. Everyday I always discover something new about them,” he says. And he agrees with me when I tell him staring at Luna’s mastepiece Spoliarium alone can move one to tears.
Like his fellow guides, Jess went through formal guiding seminars. Beyond that, it’s all self-taught, poring over historical information while studying these artworks closely. Like I said, an art lover’s dream job.
It’s no secret that not too many people visit the National Museum these days. It’s a pity considering all these great works of art are available for public viewing. Entrance fees are waived on Sunday, an effort by the museum to entice families who would rather spend time in malls.
I asked Jess why should Filipinos visit the National Museum more often. This time, he paused and gave himself some time to think before coming up with an answer.
“It gives you an idea of the identity as a Filipino. You get to know your origins. I myself did not know how rich our culture really is. The more Filipinos get to know about this, the more they will rediscover themselves.”
Get more information about the National Museum of the Philippines
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