By The Manila Times Staff | June 18, 2026

HISTORY and art merge in “Pasts Revisited,” an exhibit that recalls the love story of Renato Constantino and Letizia Roxas Constantino, two Filipinos who wrote together as a couple to decolonize the nation, ongoing until July 11 at Y Space at the Yuchengco Museum in Makati.

Mounted by the Constantino Foundation, the exhibit features letters, never-before-seen book manuscripts, rare artifacts, and artworks given to the couple by Vicente Manansala, Malang, and Araceli Dans, along with photos of the Constantino couple with good friends Claro M. Recto and Lorenzo Tañada, plus handwritten notes from William Henry Scott, Doreen Fernandez, and Edilberto Alegre.

The exhibit likewise showcases fascinating new art — contemporary expressions of a “usable history,” the concept advanced by the Constantino couple to encourage Filipinos to regard lessons from the past to shape their present and realize a sustainable and fair future.

Opening day on June 11 was a happy blast.

If the stories and artifacts generate new insights, provide interesting perspectives, and make visitors remember, then the exhibit has succeeded in what it has intended to do: Encourage activism, love of country, love of history, and serving the Filipino people.

“Pasts Revisited” is in partnership with the Yuchengco Museum, created to house the art collection of Ambassador Alfonso T. Yuchengco and highlight his career as a businessman, diplomat, collector, philanthropist, patron of the arts, and advocate for education in the Philippines and beyond. The Constantino Foundation works closely with the advocacy group 350 Pilipinas, whose volunteers created new art for the exhibit. Museum admission fees will be charged, though substantial discounts can be availed of by students, PWDs, and senior citizens. RCBC Plaza has a bike parking area at Basement Level 1. For car parking needs, wheelchair access, and other details, visit https://yuchengcomuseum.org/visit/visitor-information/