A night in the museums: 4K turn up for Gabii sa Kabilin

ROUGHLY 4,000 persons visited the sites that stayed open until the last hour of Friday, May 25, the annual Gabii sa Kabilin or Heritage Night.

Aside from offering tokens and organizing interactive activities, the participating museums explored this year’s theme: what was life like in pre-colonial Cebu?

Gabii sa Kabilin 2018 focused on the theme Balangay to call attention to the upcoming celebration in 2021 of the 500th anniversary of Ferdinand Magellan’s arrival in Cebu.

A total of 30 heritage sites in Cebu City, Talisay City, and Mandaue City simultaneously opened their doors to the public at 6 p.m. Friday to share their exhibits and presentations of what Bisaya society was like before coming into contact with Europeans.

Bryle Ian Mendaros, corporate social responsibility officer of Aboitiz Land, said the 11th Gabii sa Kabilin theme was part of a progression that will lead to the 2021 celebrations. In 2019, the theme will probably focus on setting sail, while 2020 will highlight the idea of voyages, inspired by the voyage that brought Catholicism and other European influences to this part of the world.

Mendaros said it was a challenge for the organizing committee to collect data that would support the theme and help each participating museum with its artifacts and presentations.

Most of the participants were first-timers like Kim Petallo, a biology student, and Nicole Camille Babaw, a tourism student, who enjoyed plotting their itinerary for the night. Only one ticket was needed for all the sites.

They were hopeful that the annual event will continue and become a tradition more Cebuanos would look forward to. They suggested making the event last for two days or longer, so that participants can explore more of Cebu’s rich heritage sites.

Nissah Grace Cape, a history teacher and an avid fan of museums, said she enjoyed the evening with her siblings.

“There’s always something new to learn about history, something new to be discovered,” said Cape, whose subjects include the life and works of Dr. Jose Rizal.

Despite a heavy rain just before the event started, Gabii sa Kabilin pushed through with its activities and contests such as mobile photography, blogging/vlogging, and a heritage hunt. Each site sold refreshments and souvenirs for the participants, who had until midnight to enjoy the heritage sites. (Amale Nicole Juliano, CNU Intern)