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Saturday, October 23, 2004
Museo Iloilo: The legacy of the Ilonggos
By Janice E. Esmane
MUSEO Iloilo is a community-owned socio-cultural and tourism establishment that is presently managed by the Iloilo Cultural Research Foundation, Inc or ICRFI by virtue of a MOA between DOT/PTA, owner of the Museo and the ICRFI. The Museo Iloilo is mandated to sustain the development of cultural education, research and tourism through the preservation and exhibition of Western Visayan indigenous culture and history.
The Museo Iloilo sits on a 2000 square meter property donated to the Board of Travel and Tourist Industry (BTTI), the forerunner of the Department of Tourism, by the Province of Iloilo, by virtue of Resolution No. 359, Series of 1969 signed by then Provincial Governor Conrado J. Norada on November 25, 1969. The provincial government of Iloilo donated this piece of land to the BTTI so that the latter could build a museum within it, which is now the Museo Iloilo.
Right after the donation was completed, the establishment of Museo Iloilo started at a sum of Php 160,000.00 for the building and Php 115,000.00 for the exhibits, display system and operating expenses allocated by the BTTI and implemented through then Tourism Field Coordinator Rodolfo Claparols and Commissioner Gregorio Araneta II. The beautiful edifice of Museo Iloilo was designed by renowned Ilonggo architect, Sergio Peñasales who also designed the unique embossed carving engraved on the right wall of the building that made Museo Iloilo distinct among other museums in the Philippines.
The initial operation of Museo Iloilo was conducted by the staff of BTTI Iloilo Office and the variety of the museum displays and artifacts were acquired by the same agency. Other relics and antique collections were donated and/or loaned by some civic-spirited Ilonggos who had great enthusiasm on the Ilonggo ancestry and history. Some of them were distinguished antique collectors per se. Finally, on May 28, 1971, the newly constructed Museo Iloilo was officially opened to public viewing.
It became a splendid landmark that reanimates the Western Visayas indigenous culture, creativity and heroism that highlight the significant role of the region in its struggle for economic and political development. It became a repository of Western Visayan culture that is indeed unique in its kind.
The contribution of the Museo Iloilo in the journey to cultural development of the region inspired the Board of Travel and Tourist Industry to encourage the private sector to participate actively in the development of tourism, particularly in the funding and management of the Museo. The BTTI leased the Museo to the Iloilo Cultural Research Foundation, Inc. which was formally signed by the late Mr. Carlos Jalandoni, president of the ICRFI and then Commissioner Gregorio Araneta II of the BTTI on October 5, 1972. The ICRFI agreed to pay a minimal amount of Php 1.00/year for the period of 25 years, subject to renewal for another 25 years at the option of both parties. The lease contract was renewed in 1988.
Since its establishment, the Museo Iloilo has become one of the prime tourist destinations in Western Visayas and a center of education and research. For many years now, Museo Iloilo has played a significant role in cultural development as it continues to serve its purpose in preserving the legacy of the Panayanon culture and traditions in the years to come.
For the first 18 years, the museum operation proved to be the real window of the past that in 1988 the Department of Tourism approved a budget of Php 800,000.00 for the repair, renovation and remounting of the Museo building and exhibits prior to the renewal of the MOA. The initiative was designed to prevent the further deterioration of the building and exhibit, to provide audio-visual facilities for educational activities, and to reassess the entire operation of the museum in terms of its documentation system, exhibit and educational programs, acquisition, research and conservation. The reconstruction corresponded to the mission of the ICRFI that "the Museo shall function as the Regional Museum of Western Visayan culture, history and arts; to undertake the collection, identification, and interpretation of the material and non-material elements of the culture of the four provinces of Western Visayas: Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan and Antique (Guimaras was still then a sub-province of Iloilo); and to pursue a three-dimensional goal covering the areas of preservation, education and research". In 1989, a major reconstruction funded by DOT took place and a more beautiful Museo Iloilo emerged to serve the objectives of the Museo and to preserve the inherent cultural wealth of the region.
Museo Iloilo has a vast collection of priceless cultural materials including the unique religious images and relics, silver pieces and church vessels that illustrate the Panayanon religious spirits, tradewares salvaged from the British shipwreck discovered off the Island of Guimaras, memorabilia of historical personages, a narration in text of the civilian and military resistance movements during World War II, a tableau depicting the Ati indigenous lifestyle, textile industry, an exhibit of selected Mondo weaponry and a photo mortgage of various historical places, people and events that marked the rich history of Western Visayas. Another interesting feature showcased in Museo Iloilo is the reconstruction of the human skeletal remains manifesting the early Visayan burial practice. The skeletons were excavated in Barrio Sto. Domingo, Oton, Iloilo together with potteries and goldleaf masks that cover the eyes and the nose of the dead.
However, what remains in the Museum is the imitation of the said ecofacts and artifacts. The original was brought to the National Museum in Manila for display. Museo Iloilo however, has, on its own, become the repository of Panay cultural heritage, history, authentic arts and folklore.
Museo Iloilo is the mirror of our past and the reflection of creativity and valor of our ancestors. It must, in this sense that Museo Iloilo be preserved and maintained. Proper management, membership expansions, research, collection, education and preservation are the key factors to the further enhancement and sustainability of Museo Iloilo to efficiently serve its purpose. It is not only the ICRFI that has the sole responsibility for the museum. The whole of Iloilo also has an enormous obligation to augment and preserve our natural and cultural richness and legacy by becoming involved in its membership, funding, research, acquisition of artifacts and education. The Museo belongs to the community of Iloilo and should always remain a legacy of and for the Ilonggos.
(October 23, 2004 issue)
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