On May 28, 2018 the Administrative Offices of the National Archives of the Philippines (NAP) in Binondo, Manila was hit by a fire which began two buildings away. All staff members are safe. The principal document collections of NAP including the Spanish Colonial documents are intact as are the microfilms. These are stored in other sites around Manila in keeping with archival practice.

The Office escaped the fire but sustained water damage. Computers and records which were being digitized were brought to safety due to the hard work of NAP staff and security personnel. A number of records are now being conserved with a team working through the night. Some air conditioning units and laboratory equipment were destroyed by heat and water. Monitoring is ongoing to fully assess the extent of the damage.

We thank everyone for their support during this challenging time. We also thank the firefighters for their courage and efficiency. We would like especially to thank Sr. Supt. Jonas Silvano, Captain Reden Alumno and Major Eugene Briones for their assistance. We are grateful as well to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines for the loan of their vehicles. We enjoin all agencies to continue with effective records management including disaster preparedness, the keeping of back-up files, and the updating of the office inventory of records.

Ang malasakit sa mga talaan ay malasakit sa Bayan.

by

VICTORINO MAPA MANALO, CESE
Executive Director
National Archives of the Philippines