WHO says working in a museum is boring? For the Lopez Museum team, it’s anything but. They share why—and other insights on working in one of Asia’s best museums:

Cris Reyes, Consultant on digitization
Cris came to Lopez Museum after stints in teaching and farming, and putting in more than 20 years at the Ayala Museum and the Filipinas Heritage Library. She says that with the Lopez Museum’s digitization program, users will be able to access some two million photos more easily while conserving the collection by minimizing direct contact with the materials. She sees the project as the crown of her career, adding: “I’d like to do it for the rest of my life because working in a library is really a learning experience. If you have to work in a library, why not work for the best library?”

Iday Marpa, Administrative support assistant
Iday first joined Lopez Museum in 1999 as a part-timer whose main task was updating the Lopez family tree. As a regular employee a year later, she took on collections management and administrative duties aside from being an occasional docent and researcher. Aside from the financial stability, Iday appreciates the unique perspective on art that direct contact and interaction with artists has given her. “The mere fact that you get to meet artists face to face, ask them questions or to explain their work, di lahat ng tao nakakasalamuha ang artists. And when you know you’re in the company of Luna’s and Hidalgo’s works…privileged ang feeling pag ganun,” she smiles.

Talvie Darnayla, Facilities and maintenance technician
Talvie, a 10-year museum employee, used to work for a services bureau which had Lopez Museum as one of its clients. “Then nag-hire sila ng tao para sa position ng microfilm operator and napili ako nila,” he says. Now, the bulk of his duties involves handling technical matters, overseeing everything AVP-related and acting as a museum guide. “Sabi nila boring daw ang trabaho sa museum, pero sa totoo lang marami kang matutunan, especially Philippine history. Kasi ang naging pananaw ko sa buhay, kung walang museum, di natin malalaman ang history ng Pilipinas.” In any case, he adds, “Pag alam mo yung trabaho mo, mag-e-enjoy ka.”

Edgardo Montalban, Conservation technician
Edgar is in charge of making a photographic record of the museum’s collections, activities and exhibit installations. From time to time, he also assists in conservation projects. In his 13- year tenure at the museum, he has received training in photography, condition reporting, exhibit installation and basic museology. Aside from witnessing the development of the museum and the conservation lab and being acknowledged for his photographic works, he relishes his stint at the museum shop in Rockwell Center, where he got to interact with artists like John Pettyjohn and Alfredo Aquilizan.

Gerardo Marquez, Facilities and maintenance assistant
Gerry, then in his late teens, was one of the construction workers assigned to help move the museum’s collections from their old home in Pasay. He was then taken in as a casual employee before becoming regularized in 1986; at the same time, he attended evening classes in order to complete his education. Now with the museum for 24 years, he is in charge of environmental monitoring, maintaining the facilities and ensuring that all equipment is functioning properly; he has also gone abroad on a museum visit. “Masaya kami rito,” he says of the group. “Maraming benepisyo at lahat maayos.”

Rodrigo Enano, Conservation assistant
Rod, a former janitor-messenger, admits he was initially not interested in art, but this changed with when he became more exposed to the museum’s collections and started interacting with in-house consultants. The 20-year museum veteran shares that his favorite memory was when the first director of the museum entrusted him with microfilming, which led to trainings in paper conservation and papermaking, and eventual promotion to conservation work.

Mark Cel Manalili, Conservation assistant
Mark was an on-the-job trainee who was offered a place in the institution right after finishing his library and information science course at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in 2005. Aside from his regular duties, he takes on extra jobs like photocopying documents for researchers and acting as occasional museum guide. The learning in the museum never stops, Mark says, pointing out that they receive trainings in librarianship, conservation and docenting: “Ilalagay ka sa marami kang natututunan.” The youngest member of the Lopez Museum family adds that he especially derives satisfaction from being able to help famous researchers.

Also part of the LMM team are Eric Ambata, Romeo Jalandoni, Grace de Leon, Domingo Magaling, Mary Jane Pagkalinawan, Garry Perez and Margarita Villanueva.