Fort San Pedro artifacts to be moved to museum

CEBU, Philippines - Vintage photographs of Cebu, archaeological exhibits and works of art during the Spanish colonial period displayed in Fort San Pedro will soon be transferred to the Museo Sugbo.

This after the Provincial Board approved the Memorandum of Agreement between Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and director Corazon Alvina of the National Museum providing for the transfer of the items to the museum.

The agreement cited a need to transfer the items from Fort San Pedro to a place that will more “justifiably and fittingly showcase the rich cultural heritage of the Province”.

Under the agreement, the province will provide a suitable site for the museum, which will be accessible to the public and with provisions for amenities, with an area that is more than enough to contain exhibits and artifacts of the province.

P2 million will be allocated for the transfer.

The province’s museum is located along M.J. Cuenco Ave., barangay Tejero, and already has four galleries, each showcasing a period in the province’s political history.

These include Vietnamese copies of chinaware that were common in Cebu in the pre-Spanish era, a Christmas card from the late president Manuel L. Quezon written in Cebuano, a copy of the first Cebuano Newspaper “Ang Suga,” and a small spy camera called “The Brownie” used in World War II.

Fort San Pedro was allegedly built by Jesuit Antonio Campioni in 1630, though the gate of the fort bears the date 1738 together with the arms of Castille and Leon.

The fort underwent major renovations in the late 1800s as part of a building program to improve Cebu City. The fort also became a garrison during World War II and was once used as a zoo.

It was once the office of the Department of Tourism in Cebu but the office has already been transferred to a nearby site. – Garry B. Lao/BRP (THE FREEMAN)