
Manila opens Clock Tower Museum to concessionaires
THE Manila City Council passed a resolution, authorizing Mayor Maria Sheilah “Honey” Lacuna-Pangan to enter, through public bidding, into lease contracts with private entities over idle spaces at the Manila Clock Tower Museum.
Vice Mayor John Marvin “Yul Servo” Nieto, who presided during the regular session on June 8, said the resolution aimed to maximize the use of vacant space in the area, by adding attractions that will encourage more visitors to come,
Sponsored by 3rd District Councilor Ernesto “Jong” Isip, the Majority Floor Leader, the resolution cites the Local Government Code of 1991, which allows the mayor to enter into contracts on behalf of the local government, with prior authorization from the Sanggunian..
The Clock Tower Museum is the newest tourist attraction in Manila, a city widely considered an important cultural and industrial melting pot in Southeast Asia.
Located at the Manila City Hall, the museum has a total of seven floors, with 200 steps to climb, where masterpieces made by notable artists all over the country are showcased in moving exhibits that change every month. It also highlights the Battle of Manila that happened during the Second World War.
It was inaugurated by Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan last October 2022, and is currently managed by the Department of Tourism, Culture, and Arts of Manila (DTCAM) headed by Director Charlie Dungo. It is envisioned to have souvenir and coffee shops and other spaces where visitors can relax. It is also expected to feature language translations in the future, for the benefit of foreign guests.
The museum is open to the public for free, Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Although advance bookings are generally required, walk-ins are permitted for the whole month of June in observance of the Araw ng Maynila.