HERITAGE lovers spent their night visiting historical sites in four cities in Metro Cebu last Friday.
The ninth Gabii sa Kabilin (Night of Heritage) drew at least 5,000 people, keeping curators and heritage workers busy from 6 p.m. until midnight.
At least 37 heritage sites in the cities of Cebu, Talisay, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu took center stage as the local government units and the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (Rafi) indulged heritage lovers eager to explore old Cebu.
Dr. Jocelyn Gerra, executive director of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (Rafi), said she saw a lot of new participants this year.
“I met some people whom I know and never really joined before. Now I saw a lot of them,” Gerra told Sun.Star Cebu.
Gabii sa Kabilin brings people to different museums and heritage sites for one night.
On offer
It is held every last Friday of May to celebrate the Philippines’ National Heritage Month and International Museum Day, which falls on May 18.
Guests enjoyed cultural shows, exhibits, children’s activities, contests, food fairs and other activities.
To get to the sites, one walks or rides buses and tartanillas or horse-drawn carriages.
Around 9 p.m., Dr. Alvin Zamora was busy entertaining guests at the University of Southern Philippines Foundation Rizaliana Museum, where he is a curator.
“I wasn’t this busy around this time in the previous runs of the Gabii sa Kabilin. We expect more guests in the next hour,” he said.
The museum has participated in the tour for years. “We exert so much effort for this,” he said.
The tour drew teacher Katherine Celieto Zuñiga, who wanted to know more about Cebu’s heritage sites.
“I want to share what I’d learn from the tour to my students,” said Zuniga, who teaches at the Sage and Cambridge Cebu School in Lahug, Cebu City.
Francis Isidro, a 30-year-old performer, said he was happy to have been part of the Gabii sa Kabilin.
Adaptation
He is part of the Siddharta musical team, which performed at the Fo Guang Shan Chu Un Temple on V. Rama St., Cebu City.
The tour kicked off at the temple. “The experience is amazing,” he said.
The Gabii sa Kabilin advocates the preservation of Cebu’s historical, cultural and religious heritage in the modern age.
It is an adaptation of Germany’s Lange Nacht der Museen, or Long Night of the Museums, which has become an anticipated cultural event in more than 120 cities in Europe and South America.
Cebu launched the first Gabii sa Kabilin in 2007 and has remained the only metropolitan area in the Asia-Pacific region to hold such an event.
From three museums in its first run, Gabii sa Kabilin has expanded to more than 30 museums and heritage sites across four cities.
In 2012, the Cebu City Council passed an ordinance designating every last Friday of May as Gabii sa Kabilin.
Gerra said the event shows the “dynamics of cultural exchange Cebu has had through the years.”