Spent an hour inside: Marcos in awe of new museum

CEBU, Philippines —  If the president were to describe the newly unveiled National Museum of the Philippines (NMP-Cebu, he said it was “fascinating” and that everyone is in for a “very special treat.”

During yesterday’s event, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. spent around an hour inside the museum and later said that, if not for the First Lady pulling him out, he could have spent the rest of the day going around inside the museum.

The way the exhibits had been installed, the curation of artifacts, were done in a splendid fashion, he said.

Marcos even had to apologize for all the guests waiting for him outside, while saying that he enjoyed it so much.

He led the ribbon cutting ang unveiling of the National Museum of the Philippines-Cebu marker, together with First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, National Museum Chairman Andoni Aboitiz, Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and her daughter Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco.

He added the opening of the NMP-Cebu, the biggest among all regional museums, is in line with the national agenda to promote tourism and to nurture the country’s national identity.

“The opening of the museum brings to the fore natural, cultural, and artistic treasures. Museums are considered valuable assets to the nation. As they build a sense of community, document history and inspire creativity. Promote tourism and unite people through a shared heritage,” Marcos said.

He emphasized the importance of museums that every Filipino should take time out to visit and have a better “glimpse of the past, understand the present and illuminate the way to the future.”

“The inauguration is a true testament that when we pursue a united approach to any task, we can accomplish projects that will benefit the Filipinos,” added Marcos while saying that museums give one a sense of identity and what it means to be a Filipino.

Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama was also very emotional seeing the old Aduana Building from being the Malacañan sa Sugbo and now as a national museum.

Rama said anyone that values heritage is very welcome in the City of Cebu.

The museum, which will be formally opened to the public on August 1, features a rich artistic, cultural and natural heritage here.

There are five galleries in the museum highlighting Cebu’s unique geological features and publicly unfamiliar plant and animal species endemic to the place; significant archaeological finds about the Cebuanos and Filipinos’ history and prehistory; and, sustained ethnographic traditions inculcated in maritime history and industry.

Originally established as the Cebu Customs House in 1910 to facilitate trade between Cebu Island and other neighboring communities, the building was converted into the Malacañan sa Sugbo in 2004 by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to bring the presidency closer to the Visayas.

In October 2013, it was affected by the 7.1-magnitude earthquake and had to be closed.

Last December 2019, the Cebu Port Authority and National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) signed a usufruct agreement giving the latter the right to use the Old Customs House and former Malacañan sa Sugbo as NMP Cebu for 25 years.

From 2020 to 2023, the building was restored and adapted to museum purposes through funding support from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA). –/GAN