MANILA, Philippines – Ever wanted to get a crash course on the Philippine's most historic events? If you have a day to spare, you can do that at the Ayala Museum in Makati while listening to an audio guide via an iPod Touch.
Call it an upgrade as visitors of the Ayala Museum can now enjoy the second floor diorama display as tales of the Bataan Death March and Lapu-Lapu's victory over Magellan among others are narrated in English and in Filipino by Mari Kaimo and Cesar Montano, respectively.
Gone are the outdated analog audio players as Power Mac Center donated 50 units of iPod Touch to make Ayala Museum the first in the country to integrate the device for educational purposes. The iPod Touch units also provide an on-screen script of the audio guides.
The audio guides are available for a P75 fee for both students and adults.
“Our partnership with Power Mac Center is in line with the museum’s efforts to spread awareness and appreciation of Philippine heritage,†said Ayala Museum Senior Director Mariles Gustilo.
Gustilo added that soon, the audio guide system will be integrated into the other exhibits as well. Furthermore, there are plans to turn the iPod Touch into a device that will make the tours into a full-blown multimedia experience.
“We are happy that we are able to partner with Ayala Museum in making history relevant and engaging especially among today’s millennials and museum goers," said Power Mac Center Marketing Director Joey Alvarez.
Power Mac Center chief executive officer Lawrence Sison and Gustilo signed the memorandum of agreement for the bequeathed Apple products during a media briefing held at the Ayala Museum.
“History is an important resource to nation building, while multimedia-enhanced art provides an excellent way to educate people on lessons from the past. We at Power Mac Center thank Ayala Museum for giving us the opportunity to make history and art easier to understand and appreciate through the use of technology,†Sison said.
Conceptualized by National Artist for Historical Literature Carlos Quirino, Ayala Museum’s permanent collection of 60 handcrafted dioramas collectively dubbed “The Diorama Experience†chronicle important milestones in the country’s past. They likewise showcase the artisanship and creativity of the woodcarvers of Paete, Laguna, who produced the dioramas.