The office of the Presidential Museum was established during the Macapagal administration to collect, identify, and display relics accumulated during the respective incumbencies of the presidents of the Philippines. Such items reflect the important contributions of those presidents to the national development of the country. It was also tasked to acquire through donation or loan such relics which have something to do with the various presidents, their First Ladies and their families.
Furthermore, the office was responsible for compiling a thorough and accurate record of the history of Malacañang, and for the training of the personnel of the Presidential Guards Battalion as tour guides. Tours to the Palace were discontinued in the 1970s due to concerns about the President and his family’s security; however, the Presidential Museum continued to function as the custodian of the Office of the President’s art collection. The tasks assigned to the Presidential Museum were transferred, by virtue of Memorandum Order No. 37, issued on September 10, 1986, to the Museo ng Malacañang Foundation, a private institution, and the Palace was once again opened for tours to show visitors the opulence and extravagance of the Marcos regime. The Malacañang Heritage Foundation replaced the Museo ng Malacañang Foundation during the Ramos administration, and arranged the Palace as a museum, with collections from former presidents as its main feature. During the Estrada administration, Palace tours were discontinued, and the Museum once again became just a repository of artworks. The Museum was resuscitated during the Arroyo administration, and Kalayaan Hall, a building adjacent to the Palace, was used as its display area and office. It was during President Arroyo’s term that the Museum was merged with the Malacañang Library to create the Malacañang Museum, which was renamed the Presidential Museum and Library during the term of President Benigno S. Aquino III.