RAFI adds more sites for "Gabii sa Kabilin"

CEBU, Philippines - Following last year’s successful staging of the “Gabii sa Kabilin” or Night of Heritage which showcases the rich cultural heritage of Cebu, the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. has added more venues for the event this year.

Jocelyn Gerra, the executive director for Cultural and Heritage Unit of Rafi, said that from the original four participating museums and heritage sites when it started in 2007, the number has now grown to 18.

“The event is designed to draw foreign and local tourists, but most especially Cebuanos, to visit the museums,” Gerra said.

Gerra said the “Gabii sa Kabilin,” which is now on its fifth year, aims to reinforce the belief that local museums are venues for understanding and appreciations of Cebuano history and culture.

The activity on May 27 will start with a mass at 4:00 p.m. at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral and ends as late as 11:00 p.m. at the Plaza Independencia. The opening program will be at the Cebu Normal University.

After a year, the Cebu Normal University Museum, the Cebu City Museum, the Sacred Heart Alternative Gallery and the Mandaue City Central Plaza joined the list of the historic sites featured for the Kabilin.

Gerra said that they are targeting 5,000 Cebuanos and tourists to join the activity.

Participants will be brought by a horse-drawn carriage locally known as “tartanilla” to the different participating museums like the Casa Gorordo Museum, Sto. Niño Museum, Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral Museum, Fort San Pedro and the National Museum of the Philippines.

The tartanilla will be used as a medium of transportation for the participants to emphasize the rich Cebuano culture.

The Gabii sa Kabilin, according to Gerra, is patterned after the cultural event in Berlin, Germany called Lange Nacht der Museum or long night in the museums where museums and cultural institutions remain open at night. (FREEMAN)