National Museum of the Philippines - Ilocos — Attraction in Vigan

I was really looking forward to visiting the National Museum of the Philippines in Vigan, located in the ancestral house of Padre Burgos of GomBurZa fame. Since it carries the “National Museum” name, I had high expectations—but it turned out to be a letdown.

The house is spacious, yet the displays feel almost empty. For example, there’s a printing press on display, so I asked the guide if it was connected to the Burgos family. She wasn’t sure—just said it was probably one of their businesses. That lack of context made the display feel random, without real historical significance tied to the family.

Even more surprising was the lack of personal history. Aside from two portraits of Padre Burgos, I didn’t see family photos or artifacts that would give visitors a meaningful connection to his life. Overall, it felt like only 5% of what a national museum should showcase.

During my Vigan tour, someone from another museum shared an interesting perspective: they chose to remain self-managed because, if they were under an outside body, control would be taken away and important pieces might end up removed and sold elsewhere. That explanation made me think—perhaps this is why the Burgos House feels so empty now, with mostly replicas and very few original items left.

It’s a real shame, because this space has the potential to be a powerful tribute to Padre Burgos and his role in history, but instead it feels like a missed...

A space dedicated to some important people and events in Vigan and Filipino history.

Father Burgos - his house is here so you get a glimpse of his life. It also commemorates his execution and honors what he and 2 others were executed for, "gomburza." The house is nice, in a classic style appropo for Vigan. President Quirino - The 6th president of the Philippines. You also get a peak into his life and lifestyle. He has quite the taste in clothes and collection of fine things from around the world. He has a thing for wing tips, hats, canes, and nice barong Tagalog ☺️🙏🏽 Basi and the Basi revolt - Ilokano history of a revolt towards the Spanish by Ilokanos. There are 14 paintings depicting this that you'll want to see. Lastly, Basi, the Ilokano alcohol, and other artifacts of Ilokano culture.

It's free, it's beautiful, it's educational, a great place to...

one of the highlights of my vigan trip! you should not miss this when in vigan!

i really loved my time walking around here. you can easily spend an hour touring around and not notice it has been that long.

you have like 3 different buildings you can visit. each with various different pieces with very informative descriptions. i loved how the arts and historic things were preserved here. you can really feel like you have gone back in time just by wandering around.

all buildings are air-conditioned (except for the provincial jail) so you would not feel very hot inside the museums. the people manning the place are very friendly and accommodating and would even offer to take pictures even if not asked 😅

overall, rlly loved the place! gave me goosebumps the moment i stepped foot inside. would rlly recommend to people...