The National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) has just unveiled an array of commemorative and souvenir items in celebration of the 140th anniversary of the creation of arguably the most famous painting in the Philippines, Juan Luna’s Spoliarium, as well as its winning the gold medal at Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes in Madrid in 1884.

An initiative of the National Museum Employees’ Multi-Purpose Cooperative (NMEMPC), the merch are sold in a pop-up store, which runs for a month and is housed at the President Sergio Osmeña Function Hall of the National Museum of Fine Arts, just behind the iconic painting.

Inaugurated on 20 May, the NMEMPC Mobile Museum Shop offers t-shirts, tote bags, wristlets, candies, wristlets, ref magnets, keychains, button pins, gift bags, gift boxes, candies, bull caps, postcards, jigsaw puzzles, art prints, coasters, mugs, mouse pads, sticker packs, foldable round fans, and commemorative medals. There is even a plushie in Juan Luna cartoon. More expensive items include Wagas ukelele, gold and leather watch, and flask and cutlery set. But the most popular item is the limited-edition commemorative Beep Card, the smart card that is used for payment in Metro Manila’s rapid transit system, some buses and even several stores.

Only 1,500 Spoliarium CXL Beed Cards were produced and were completely sold-out on third day of opening. The NMEMPC is planning to produce another batch. The card is produced in partnership with AF Payments Inc., which started the Beep Card in 2015.

During the store’s opening, Sharon Fong, chief commercial officer of AF Payments Inc., reminisced her encounter with Spoliarium as a Humanities student and highlighted the advantages of using the cards, particularly in commuting to the museum.

On the other hand, NMP director-general Jeremy Barns said that the occasion is an opportunity to take another look at the painting and what it means to the Filipino people.