Visiting the PNP Museum with Kids (Manila, Philippines)

Did you guys know there’s such a place as The PNP Museum? When Mor and I found out, we made sure to set a date for a field trip with Luke!

We went one Friday morning with other homeschooling friends and learned a little bit more about our very own Philippine National Police. Here are some photos and information about the place and our visit. Details on how to schedule your own FREE tour at the PNP Museum found at the end of the article!

The PNP Museum

The PNP Museum is located inside Camp Crame.

There are two floors in the building. It showcases various PNP memorabilia and other artifacts they’ve collected through the years. If you’re looking to learn more about The Philippine National Police and its history, this is the place for you.

Audio Visual Presentation + Q&A with Police Officers

Our tour began at 10am. We were greeted by police officers who took us on a quick background about the PNP through an audio-visual presentation.

After that, they opened the floor for questions. Thankfully, our officers were very patient because oh boy, did the kids have plenty to say! 😀 Some of the kids told the police officers that they didn’t wanna become policemen because they were afraid to die! Haha. This definitely led to a funny and interesting discussion!

Touring the PNP Museum

At the first level, there were different items on display such as guns, artillery and other war memorabilia. Take note that the place isn’t big so if you’re going with a big group, it can get a little crowded.

There were also old official uniforms on display.

Police officers explaining to the kids what the items on display were.

I was pretty impressed with how the officers were so helpful in answering all of our questions! Actually, they were all pretty enthusiastic about sharing their experiences, stories and knowledge about the different things in the museum. (And yes, it wasn’t just the kids asking too, but also us, parents!)

Gun Displays

Their latest room, as we were told, was this small space that showcases various replicas of weapons from movies and pop-culture. Something I definitely didn’t expect this inside the PNP Museum! Haha.

Again, there’s not much walking space in this room so if you’re going with a big group, it might be better to go in batches.

At the 2nd Level

The highlight at the 2nd level is the area dedicated to police officers who received the Medal of Valor or Medalya ng Kagitingan, which is the highest honor that can be given to an officer. The Colonel touring us mentioned that it was actually sad and ironic because usually (but not always,) the awards were received by people after they have died in battle or in an encounter.

The kids with the Colonel. Look at Luke’s silly salute. He did that on purpose. Haha.

Uniforms, badges, medals and awards given to the Philippine National Police.

Generals’ Section

That’s not really what this wing was called (hehe) but I remember it as such because the section features different generals and officers throughout the years together with their uniforms and other items.

And this is Luke doing another silly pose. I asked him to do a serious face and this is what he did. Haay, boys.

Helicopters, Tanks and More!

And they saved the best for last. I think the police officers in charge knew that the kids would go crazy and take their time at this section, and they sure did! When Luke and his friend Brice saw the wide open space with all the vehicles displayed, they screamed and ran without looking back at us! Haha! They were so happy and I heard Luke say “I’m free!!!!” 😀

They explored all the different tanks, trucks, and jeeps.

Make sure you allot enough time in this area if you’re with little kids (especially active little boys haha!) They will have a blast.

The area reminded me of the War Remnant’s Museum that we visited in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. It’s not as big as that one (if you’ve been there, you’ll know) but how I wish our PNP Museum had more budget to make this just as great! It’s really a nice place with great potential, to be honest!

Overall:

We started at 10 and left around 12:30. The PNP Museum is small and easily doable in half a day or in just a few hours. Don’t expect anything spectacular. It’s a simple, humble museum that’s perfect for touring if you wanna do something out of the ordinary, for a change.

It’s a shame not many people know about this place because it’s a pretty interesting place to visit

How to get into the PNP Museum

The PNP Museum is open to the public and entrance is FREE! But before you get excited, wait! It’s not that simple! Camp Crame is a secured area so you MUST obtain permission. Here’s how we did it:

• Submit a letter of intent for your visit.
  1. Address the letter to the Director of Police Community Relations Group and the Chief of Historical and Museum Management Division. At the time of this article’s publication, these were Police Chief Supt. Rhodel O. Sermonia and Col. Godfrey A. Convento, respectively. Best to call their office to confirm.
  2. Include details such as the date of your visit (provide 2 dates,) purpose of your visit and the names of everyone in your party.
  3. Don’t forget to include your name and contact details
  4. Send it via email at pnp.museum@yahoo.com
• Confirm with them by calling (+632) 723-0401
• Coordinate with the police officers regarding details of your visit: How many vehicles are you coming in with, where to park, where to meet and with whom plus the designated gate for entering. Make sure you give them your mobile number in case of any sudden changes.

It’s not hard, but it was a little tedious. As much as I don’t want to say anything negative about our experience (because it really was pretty pleasant overall,) organizing this was stressful for me. Haha!

Little Setbacks:

There’s no point in hiding the fact that there is so much room for improvement in the way things are done in the country.

Some of the problems I encountered:

• I had to call the museum multiple times just to confirm our slot. Sometimes I couldn’t get through the line. When I could, I was asked to speak with different people who told me different things. Huhu.
• One time, one of them told me we were all good for the date we booked. I decided to confirm again a few days before our supposed date of visit (just to be sure,) and was so surprised to find out that this time, the date was no longer available because they accepted a booking for a movie shooting on that day! We wouldn’t have known our booking was cancelled if I hadn’t called again!
• So we had to reschedule and resubmit our letter and I had to keep calling them to make sure our new date was finalized. Sometimes, I would get a reply, sometimes I won’t.
• I ended up asking for the police officer’s mobile number and coordinated with her via text.

In the end, everything worked out by God’s grace, and I’m very grateful! But I really wish everything was more organized and that the response time to book and secure slots was faster.

I wish our Philippine National Police all the best and pray they can secure more funding from the government to maintain and improve the museum! I really believe that having more historical spaces and attractions in this country would be great, not just for the kids, but for everyone; both tourists and citizens alike.

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Looking for places to visit in Manila? Check out more articles here!

(NOTE: THIS POST IS ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCE LAST AUGUST 2018.)