New USPF Rizaliana Museum Opens Tonight

CEBU, Philippines — After its two-year closure, University of Southern Philippines Foundation’s (USPF) Rizaliana Museum is reopening its doors to the public in its Mabini campus. It had its soft opening last Tuesday, May 22, and will have its grand opening tonight, on “Gabii sa Kabilin.”

“Gabii sa Kabilin,” Cebu’s summer heritage event, opens the doors of 27 participating museums and sites from 6 p.m. to 12 midnight to visitors with the P150 ticket.

Focusing more on Dr. Jose Rizal’s life in Europe, the new and improved Rizaliana museum will highlight this time the Philippine national hero as a student, the people he met and the circumstances that led to the writing of his first novel, “Noli Me Tangere.”

Now with five new galleries, the USPF Rizaliana Museum aims to connect more with the younger generation, especially the students, with its guided tours.

The first gallery showcases the history of USPF and how it acquired its collection; the second is a bedroom scene of what it would have been like to be in Dr. Jose Rizal’s bedroom in Europe; the third features Rizal’s travels all over Europe with a setup of a train scene; the fourth displays a collection of photos of the people and friends that Dr. Rizal met and shared his time with in Europe; and the last gallery contains one of Rizal’s eye instrument for ophthalmology.

Another interesting area in the improved museum is “Rizal’s coffee shop” in the museum entrance. The hero-martyr was fond of cafes while in Europe and stayed in coffee shops to earn money by sketching people who went in.

In an interview, Dr. Lourdes Jereza, who spearheaded the project, said most of the museums dedicated to the national hero focuses on his death and his execution, and what the new Rizaliana Museum offers is a look back on his life in Europe and what triggered him to write the “Noli.”

After May 25, entrance to the USPF Rizaliana Museum will be at the regular rate of P100, with discounts for students.

The new museum’s was designed by Architects Loloy and Fatima Castro of CJ Architects, with graphics for the exhibits and galleries by Joel Olivares, and Dr. Jocelyn Gerra curating.

“Gabii sa Kabilin” is spearheaded by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI).