MANILA, Philippines — At the height of its operation, the Sorsogon Provincial Jail once housed 500 inmates.
These days, the throngs of people that fill up its old cells are curious visitors who either want to know about the history of the province or want to see how the former jailhouse was turned into a museum.
The old provincial jail was built in 1916, and it operated as one until 2018. Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero, who also served as provincial governor from 2019 to 2022, saw the opportunity to adaptively reuse the once penal colony into a museum that houses Sorsogon's historical and cultural artifacts.
It is considered an important cultural property under Republic Act 10066. It was restored by the Department of Public Works and Highways and its conversion was undertaken by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP). Its newly refurbished museum was turned over by the NHCP to the local government of Sorsogon on March 12, 2021.
The two-storey neocolonial building is washed in white, while the cells were refurbished to look more appealing as permanent galleries.
It features original artworks from its previous occupants. These include a painting of the Lady of Justice on the second floor as well as works of art by the notorious gang Sputnik, which include a painting of Che Guevara, the famous Cuban revolutionary.
Its former courtyard was converted into an open-air ampitheater where a six-tier seating was built and a cafe was put in place.
One of its museum conservator/technician told Philstar.com that during the peak of the pandemic, the museum saw 6,000 guests in three months.
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