The University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) signed a tri-partite agreement with the Iloilo City Government and the Lopez Group Foundation on May 20 for the co-development of exhibitions showcasing important works from the Lopez Museum and Library at the UPV Museum of Arts and Cultural Heritage (UPV MACH).
Chancellor Clement Camposano represented UPV during the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing, while Mayor Jerry Treñas and Ms. Mercedes Lopez-Vargas, President and Executive Director, represented the Iloilo City Government and the Lopez Group Foundation, Inc., respectively.
The collaboration aims to produce a series of exhibitions to be held at the UPV MACH in two cycles – the first from Nov. 2024 to April 2025 and the second from Nov. 2025 to April 2026 – with two exhibitions per cycle.
Located in Cainta town, Rizal, the Lopez Museum and Library is the oldest privately owned and managed museum and library specializing in Philippine material. It has over 500 works in its growing museum collection and over 30,000 titles in its expanding library catalog, according to its website.
Moreover, its ratio reaches back to books and maps of the sixteenth-century works by the first internationally acclaimed duo of Filipino painters, Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, plus priceless personal effects of Philippine national hero José Rizal.
In a Facebook post, Treñas thanked former Senator Franklin Drilon, who was present during the MOA signing, for pushing for the project since 2019. Prof. Martin Genodepa, Director of the UPV Office of Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA), was present at the signing as well.
For his part, Chancellor Camposano also thanked Senate President Pro Tempore, Loren Legarda who supported this initiative through a budgetary allocation in the current General Appropriations Act (GAA).
The collaboration is aligned with UPV’s vision to become a university that engages students, scholars, and the community in the experience and study of art, culture, and heritage, through its exhibitions and programs.
This is a philanthropic initiative of the Lopez Group Foundation, Inc. as part of its social development efforts in Iloilo. The initiative supports the group’s efforts to protect and safeguard the Philippine heritage while ensuring inclusive and equitable access to heritage through exhibitions of important works of art outside Metro Manila. (With reports from Iloilo City Government and Mayor Jerry Treñas FB page)
