Book Museum cum Ethnology Center

How do you capture the essence of your travels? My privilege of visiting the Book Museum cum Ethnology Center this week gave me an answer.

Founded in 2013, the museum features a wide array of personal collections from Atty. Dominador Buhain, president of the Rex Group of Companies. The museum consists of four major galleries: a gallery showcasing artworks and curios, the Book Museum, and two Ethnology Centers.

The first gallery features a variety of items and trinkets, such as Philippine mythological creatures, paper bills, hats, early Pinoy media, anting-anting, and stones from Gigantes Island.

In the Book Museum, I explored a collection of rare books and printed materials from around the world, including a first edition of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, a miniature Shakespeare collection, and the what was once hailed as the smallest book in the Philippines. Book lovers will surely be amazed by this curated treasure trove.

Meanwhile, the Ethnology Center showcases well-preserved artifacts from the Cordilleras and Mindanao, such as weapons, hunting tools, and clothing. However, what stood out to me were the wooden coffin from the Mountain Province and a miniature of the Torogan.

It is safe to say that this visit gave me a new perspective on capturing the essence of travel—by curating an exhibit through the stories and treasures that history has preserved for us. For now, I’ll simply share these treasured photos from the trip to hold onto the memories.