In 1996 the Ortigas family established a foundation to advance community and cultural projects, reflecting a growing trend toward corporate social responsibility in the Philippines.
The foundation’s first initiatives included a photographic documentation of Spanish‑era churches and a commemorative exhibit for the 1998 centennial of the Philippine Revolution.
Planning soon turned to a permanent Filipiniana library and museum at the company headquarters, with the second floor of the Ortigas Building in Pasig dedicated to the venture.
Two major acquisitions formed the core of the collection: the estate of book dealer Morton Netzorg, which contained rare items such as a copy of the Treaty of Paris and a 1905 proof edition of “Insurgent Records,” and the library of historian Gregorio M. Zaide, featuring volumes on the American colonial period and 1946 war‑crime trials.
In 2005 a consultant with museum and book‑dealing expertise began cataloging and preserving the holdings, establishing a temperature‑controlled rare‑book room and applying the Dewey Decimal System for organization.
The library opened to the public in February 2006, welcoming nearly 20,000 books and showcasing a rare‑book exhibition alongside 19th‑century photographs of Manila.
Two years later, a large family collection from Wack‑Wack Village was transferred, adding botanical prints and expanding the total holdings to more than 35,000 books, periodicals, photographs, and maps.
A professional paper‑conservation laboratory was later created, staffed by trained conservators who now serve external institutions and provide workshops in restoration and binding.
The library also runs a distribution program that sends donated books to schools and libraries from Mindanao to Northern Luzon, and it curates exhibitions for public display at shopping centers and educational institutions.
In 2012 a new director with museum experience joined, expanding the library’s lecture series, book launches, and art exhibits, and attracting prominent writers and scholars to speak at events.
The facility relocated to a new building within a shopping mall, increasing access for visitors and providing expanded reading rooms, conservation labs, and exhibition space on the ground floor.
The integration of the library with the mall’s amenities—parking, dining, and retail—has broadened its appeal to casual shoppers and researchers alike.
Annual auctions and exhibits of ephemera, antiques, coins, and stamps draw a younger generation of collectors to the library’s grounds.
Through its extensive collections and public programs, the library preserves essential aspects of Philippine heritage, making reference materials available free of charge while safeguarding them for future generations.
The support of families and corporations has been vital in sustaining this cultural institution and ensuring the continued preservation of the nation’s intellectual and historical treasures.
