The US embassy is helping the National Museum restore the four murals of National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco in the lobby of the Philippine General Hospital. “They were very weak, very deteriorated. If nobody noticed it, they will collapse sooner or later,” said Willie Estonato, a painting conservator from the National Museum. The priceless oil paintings by Botong, a popular muralist from Angono, Rizal, depicted the different periods in the history of Philippine Medicine — from the pre-colonial period, all throughout the Spanish and American invasions to the modern era.

They are currently undergoing their third restoration through a $38,631 (P1.73M) grant from US Ambassador Kristie Kenney’s fund for cultural preservation. Kenney said the embassy chose to fund the project because the paintings represented a “great partnership” between the two countries.

“This one’s particularly special — a national artist, a historic building ... one that provides great service to the people,” said Kenney. One of the murals, referred to as “No. 3,” features foreign doctors vaccinating ailing Filipinos to show how the measure saved lives during the American colonial period. Around $300,000 has been spent by the US government in the Philippines for its cultural projects over the last five years, she said. Kenney also said that the embassy would soon finance conservation efforts on the tourist-famous Banawe rice terraces.