Gabii sa Kabilin 11

CEBU, Philippines -  You read it right! It's not about the number of stagings. It's counting how many museums and heritage sites will be toured, this year, for the annual "Gabii sa Kabilin" event – now, on its fourth year.

In celebration of National Heritage Month and International Museum Day, the Gabii sa Kabilin on May 27 will take history buffs to seven participating museums and four heritage sites in Metro Cebu. These are:

• University of Southern Philippines Foundation-Rizaliana Museum. It features a rich collection of memorabilia owned by the Philippine national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal

• Sacred Heart Parish Alternative Gallery. The parish was founded in 1952. It houses a gallery designed for local artists to display their works.

• Cebu Normal University Museum. Established in 1902, CNU was once called the Cebu Normal School. The university has a museum which houses World War II memorabilia and old photos of the school.

• Cebu City Museum. The museum gives a clear glimpse of the history of Cebu from pre-Hispanic times to the Contemporary period.

• Mandaue City Plaza. Mandaue was founded in 1599 and became a city in 1969. Fronting the city hall is a wide plaza where the post office, among others, is located.

• Plaza Independencia. Considered to be the largest park of Cebu City, it has statues of some of the prominent figures in Philippine history.

• Casa Gorordo Museum. A Cebuano lifestyle museum which is formerly the 19th century residence of the first Cebuano Bishop Juan Garces Gorordo.

• Cathedral Museum of Cebu. The former rectory of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral now houses some of the treasures of the Archdiocese of Cebu.

• Fort San Pedro. It is a fort built at the start of Spanish colonization to protect Cebu from Moro sea raids.

• Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House. Built during the late 18th century, this house turned lifestyle museum is originally owned by a Chinese merchant named Juan Yap and his wife Maria Florido.

• Museo Sugbo. It is the Cebu Provincial Museum. Built in 1871, it was formerly the old Carcel de Cebu during the Spanish, American, and Japanese Occupation up to 2004.

• Museo Parian sa Sugbo (1730 Jesuit House). Built in 1730, it was formerly the residence of the Jesuit Superior in Cebu.

• Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. It is the ecclesiastical seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cebu.

• Basilica del Sto. Niño. This church was later constructed on the purported site of the discovery of the Sto. Niño image/icon in 1565. Today, it is an important historical and religious landmark in Cebu.

• Sacred Heart Church. The church was originally dedicated to the Our Lady Queen of China and was finished in 1960 in time to celebrate its first Mass on Christmas Eve.

• Heritage of Cebu Monument. Located on the original Plaza Parian, it showcases significant and symbolic events in the history of Cebu.

• Plaza Hamabar. It features the statue of King Humabon, the king of Cebu when Magellan came to the islands and believed to be the first Christianized Filipino.

• Plaza Sugbo. Used to be called Rizal Plaza, it opened in 2008. The famous Magellan's Cross is located inside the plaza.

Patterned after the Lange Nacht der Museum (Long Night of Museum) in Germany and other European countries, the Gabii sa Kabilin (Cebuano for Night of Heritage) is designed to draw foreign and local tourists - most especially Cebuanos - to visit the museums.

"It aims to reinforce the belief that local museums are venues for the understanding and appreciation of Cebuano history and culture," the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. which spearheads this event said in an official statement.

"But beyond that, it also discounts the stereotype of museums as mere repositories of 'dead objects'; rather, as venues for live cultural activities," RAFI added.

Gabii sa Kabilin is the only cultural event of its kind in the Philippines, as well as in Asia. It opens the doors of participating museums and heritage sites beyond regular hours (or from 6 p.m. to midnight) on the last Friday of the Philippine National Heritage Month of May. It also serves as a culminating event to the observance of an International Museum Day.

This award-winning program is an initiative of RAFI in its culture and heritage focus area, in partnership with the abovementioned museums, Shangri-La's Mactan Island Resort and Spa, and AboitizLand.

This year's activity carries the theme: "Museums and Memories (Touring Memory Lane)." For ticket inquiries, call (6332) 418-7234 loc. 703. (FREEMAN)