INTRODUCTION
Nagpapasalamat ako na dahil sa inyong magandang paanyaya — na inyong hinatid sa akin sa pamamagitan ng inyong mahal na kababayan, ang magiting na Senador Neptali A. Gonzales — ay nagkaroon ako ng pagkakataong makabahagi sa inyong masaya at makasaysayang pasinaya ng “Kaban ng Hiyas ng Lungsod ng Mandaluyong.

Lubos akong nasisiyahan na itinayo ninyo ang gusaling ito upang maging tahanan ng inyong museo, aklatan, at tanghalan. Dito malalagak ang inyong mana mula sa mayaman nating kasaysayan at kalinangan. Dito rin ninyo ilalagak ang inyong pamana sa susunod na saling-lahi upang lumago at lumawak ang kanilang isipan, sining at diwa.

It has been my privilege to have signed into law the charter that converted what was even then a highly-urbanized Mandaluyong into a city. Indeed, Mandaluyong has all the physical elements of a progressive and dynamic city — shopping malls and commercial centers, many industrial and financial establishments, fine restaurants and deluxe hotels, and a large law-abiding residential community, all of whom are served by good transportation and communication networks.
A CITY MUST HAVE A SOUL
But a city is more than all of these things. It must have a face, a soul and an identity.

It must draw sustenance and grow vigorously from the nutrients of its heritage — its arts, culture and history. And the significant aspects of this heritage are lovingly displayed and preserved in your “Kaban ng Hiyas” for all the people of Mandaluyong and visitors to share and cherish.

With this inauguration of your “Kaban ng Hiyas”, Mandaluyong City announces it is well on its way to becoming a center of renaissance in the arts and culture. Your “Kaban” will undoubtedly become a rich fount that will greatly help launch a literary, artistic and cultural revival — a treasure trove where one can examine one’s own heritage and be reawakened to his identity.

The construction of this building, a combination library-museum with an auditorium, is but a contemporary interpretation of the classical origin of the Greek mouseion, meaning “seat of the muses”, or the roman museum, where philosophical discussions used to be held.

The Roman museum later on evolved into a house for scholars, complete with library and a repository of the curios of Roman heritage –paintings, sculpture, archeological finds, products of science and technology, or even war materials. It became a place for pondering the meaning of life.

Today is a good time for us to be reminded that all the great cities of the world established grand museums in proud homage to their peoples’ history and progress: the British Museum in London; the Louvre in Paris; the Capitoline and the Palazzo dei Conservatori in Rome; the more contemporary Hermitage in St. Petersburg; the Smithsonian and the National Museum in Washington, DC; the Metropolitan Museum and the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.

All of these museums have common purposes: the preservation of a nation’s heritage and the education of their people. Mandaluyong’s “Kaban” is of course modest in comparison, but its concept embodies their grand vision.
A CULTURAL CENTER
But more than a museum, I find that the “Kaban ng Hiyas” is also a library for the benefit of the reading public. In the words of an author, it is in the library where a community of creative thinkers shelter its efforts “to shape the meaning of culture and civilization.” with the information explosion, there is still no better relaxation than poring through a well-crafted book or a favorite classic. I would expect that in one section of the library would be an original “Filipiniana” collection.

Your auditorium will complement your museum and library. It can be a forum for intellectual discourses, and a venue for worthy seminars and conferences. It can also sponsor, and serve as theater for, the performing arts.

The “Kaban ng Hiyas ng Lungsod ng Mandaluyong” is a vision fulfilled. Dedicated to the good people of Mandaluyong, this library-museum will undoubtedly enrich the mind, the culture and the soul of those who will find time to savor the art collections and masterpieces found within its walls.

This “Kaban ng Hiyas” I hope, will also conduct a year-round program of activities covering dance and music, performances of visiting artists and workshops. It is also my expectation that this institution shall become a model for every city and municipality of metro manila where local museums-libraries, or similar institutions, will be built.

It is time for other Metro Manila local government units to wake up from their “cultural amnesia” and artistic backwardness. Let Mandaluyong City lead the way.