MANILA, Philippines — A world-class museum showcasing the history and cultural heritage of religious organization Iglesia ni Cristo was formally inaugurated in Quezon City yesterday.

National and local government officials led by Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte led the inauguration of the INC Museum, which features a collection of memorabilia and other exhibits about the religious group.

“I am very happy that this museum is located in Quezon City,” Belmonte said after a tour of the museum. “This is one of the greatest assets that our city has today and we will definitely promote it to the general public.”

Describing it as a “gem” that the city has to preserve and promote, the mayor – an anthropologist by profession – said the museum will be part of the city’s tourism initiative.

“I already feel that we are so lucky that we have the INC headquarters here in Quezon City. It’s already a great asset for our city and this is another addition to that,” she said.

“I can say this is one of the gems of our city that we will have to preserve, promote and tell the whole world,” added the mayor.

Joining Belmonte were her father, former Quezon City mayor and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., Vice Mayor Gian Sotto and other members of the city council.

Among the national government officials who attended the inauguration were Sens. Sonny Angara, Cynthia Villar, Ramon Revilla Jr., Grace Poe, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Aquilino Pimentel III, Panfilo Lacson, Richard Gordon, Franklin Drilon, Risa Hontiveros, Ralph Recto, Joel Villanueva, Sherwin Gatchalian and several members of the House of Representatives.

Other local government officials present were Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, Malabon Mayor Antolin Oreta III, Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco and Makati Mayor Abigail Binay.

‘Engaging,immersive’

Located along Central Avenue near the INC central temple, the museum is a non-profit cultural and educational institution owned and operated by the Felix Y. Manalo Foundation, the socio-cultural and environmental arm of the religious organization.

It aims to provide members and non-members with information about the history and cultural heritage of INC through arts and visual presentations.

“We tapped experts from different fields in the development of the museum,” museum director True Santos-Matias told The STAR in Filipino. “It took us almost eight years, from the initial storyboard, to realize our vision.”

Matias said they studied other museums around the world to ensure that it features the latest innovations and trends, ensuring that the experience would be engaging and immersive.

For instance, she noted the interactive globe that allows visitors to explore different INC chapels and locales worldwide, as well as the children’s museum that will cater to younger visitors.

Jun Cortez, assistant director of the museum, said the institution is open to both members and non-members of the institution.

“It’s really to teach the next generation of the heritage that they have to understand about Iglesia ni Cristo and also to tell other people how the Iglesia started and what’s Iglesia today,” he said.

“You will be expecting many artifacts that we will show, you can expect an in depth study of the history and heritage of Iglesia ni Cristo,” he added.

State-of-the-art

The five-floor building, which has a total area of 46,098.54 sqm, features a children’s museum and timeline, historical and thematic exhibits.

Among the displays are mementos of INC founder Felix Manalo and his successors Eraño and Eduardo Manalo, as well as other information about the history and milestones of the religious organization.

Cladding the building façade are the initials INC 1914, representing the year of the religious organization’s foundation.

The building also features walkalators that enable visitors to easily explore the museum. Columns and hand railings are also covered with a special kind of rattan lamination called “Permacane,” wrapped manually strip-by-strip before being polished.

The state-of-the-art Building Management System controls the building’s cooling, ventilation, lighting, electrical, pumps and tanks, system architectures and door locks.

The INC Museum is open Tuesdays to Sundays, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ticket costs P350 for the full tour, which includes access to all exhibits, and P150 for limited access to the children’s museum.