THE father of former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. had a dream of constructing a library in his home village in Colawin, in the southern Cebu town of Argao.
In a letter dated Sept. 9, 1991, Hilario Sr. and his wife Josefa wrote to their grandchildren, asking them to help fund the patriarch’s library dream.
Twenty-eight years later, the Hilario and Josefa Memorial Library and Museum opened its doors in Barangay Colawin on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020, fulfilling the dream of the late Hilario Sr., an educator who along with his wife had a shared passion for faith, knowledge and keeping family history.
Religious and educational materials, including news clippings, and books acquired by the Davide couple throughout the years are stored in the museum-library building.
The new building is a replica of the old Davide house on Waling-Waling St. in Barangay Capitol Site, Cebu City. Some saved materials from the old house were used in the museum-library.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma officiated the inaugural Mass.
The PLDT-Smart Foundation, Smart Communications and the people from the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway management helped complete the museum-library building by providing the furniture.
Aside from the Davides, also present in the event were Smart Communications Visayas-Mindanao public affairs head Maria Jane Paredes, supervisors and principals of the Department of Education Argao, faculty members of Colawin learning institutions and Colawin barangay officials.