Palace invites public to visit Malacañang’s Facebook page

MANILA, Philippines—The Aquino government is hoping to spark social media interest in the country’s seat of power at 1000 Jose P. Laurel Street, San Miguel, Manila, ahead of its 150th anniversary in 2013.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda was hopeful that netizens would “like” the official Facebook page of Malacañan Palace by the Presidential Museum and Library and share their personal experience or photos inside the country’s seat of power.

In a statement he read during Monday’s press conference, Lacierda said: “Citizens online can contribute their own pictures and memories of the Palace thereby harnessing the Internet as a space for remembering. This way, Malacañan Palace is opened to the public through inclusive and people-centric social media.”

At present, trips to the Malacañan museum are strictly regulated with appointments required to be submitted a week before the desired date.

The Malacanan Facebook page showcases “a rich heritage from its beginnings as a riverside rest house owned by the Rocha family to its establishment as the seat of power where Spanish and American Governors-General held office, and as the official residence of the presidents of the Philippines,” according to Lacierda.

Lacierda said that this social media project was part of the duty of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO) as the official custodian of the institutional memory of the Office of the President.