Manila: The official launching of the 'Lakbay Museo ng Paghilom,' the first-ever mobile museum in the country dedicated to the stories of victims of extrajudicial killings (EJKs), was hosted on Tuesday by the House of Representatives at its South Wing Annex Lobby.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Paghilom Mobile Museum, founded by Fr. Flaviano Villanueva, a 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, is mounted in observance of the National Human Rights Consciousness Week. The exhibit was supported by Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre and Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno.
The museum features curated artifacts, images, and narratives drawn from families of EJK victims, including personal items such as the shirt of three-year-old Myca Ulpina, who was killed during a police operation in Rizal. At the center of the installation is a life-sized reproduction of the oil painting 'Paghilom' mounted on a collapsible fabric tension wall which serves as the visual and emotional anchor of the exhibit.
The exhibit is designed as an immersive three-part experience that guides visitors through loss, lived realities, and resistance through memory. 'To remember the victims by name, by story, by the fullness of their humanity - is to declare that the victims were not statistics, not collateral damage, not disposable. Because memory protects truth when lies become louder. Memory preserves humanity when history begins to harden. Memory keeps us from building a future on erasure,' Villanueva said during the launch, underscoring the role of memory in safeguarding truth and dignity.
In his message, Acidre emphasized that the museum is rooted in human truth and collective responsibility. 'This museum is not about politics. It is about people. People whose stories deserve to be told. People whose pain deserves to be acknowledged. People whose lives - and deaths - must teach us to never again allow fear to be weaponized against the poor,' he said.
The museum forms part of Project Paghilom, a healing and truth-telling initiative that accompanies families of EJK victims through community-based support, memorialization, and sustained dialogue. It aims to foster empathy, counter disinformation, and strengthen national reflection through storytelling rather than statistics.
As part of continued support for families affected by extrajudicial killings, Tingog Partylist, through the Office of Rep. Acidre, also distributed 100 backpacks to members of the Paghilom Youth last Dec. 6. The beneficiaries are children and families of EJK victims under Project Paghilom.
The Lakbay Museo ng Paghilom is open until Dec. 11.
