LOOK: Juan Luna’s Una Bulaqueña is finally on a Beep card
To honor Juan Luna and his work, the National Museum of the Philippines is releasing a special-edition Beep card featuring one of his beloved paintings.
Starting Aug. 25, National Heroes Day, the premium Beep card bearing Juan Luna’s Una Bulaqueña will be available at the National Museum of Fine Arts shop.
Luna’s masterpiece has been expanding its audience base since June of this year. It’s currently on display at Louvre Abu Dhabi, on loan from the National Museum of the Philippines until 2026. This is the first time Una Bulaqueña—sometimes also referred to as La Bulaquña—has traveled outside the Philippines.
As a National Cultural Treasure, declared so in 2008, the 130-year-old painting is “deemed highly significant and important to the country’s identity and heritage,” writes the National Museum of the Philippines on its website. It is under the official protection of the government through the National Museum of the Philippines, which also maintains its preservation.
A Beep card is a reloadable smart card that can be used to pay fares electronically, mainly for the LRT (Light Rail Transit), MRT (Metro Rail Transit), and some bus lines. It can be reloaded on the Beep app, at LRT and MRT stations, on digital banking apps, and online payment platforms, such as GCash and Maya.
Like other Beep cards, the Una Bulaqueña Beep card will be valid for four years, with the option of having its validity extended for another year. When it expires, it would be a good idea to keep it. It’s not every day that you can have the work of one of the most important Filipino artists in your pocket.
