CITY OF MATI, Davao Oriental -- Tourism Assistant Secretary Arturo Boncato on Wednesday saw the Subangan Museum here to take lead in the campaign to change the image of Mindanao.
Gracing the grand opening of the provincial museum, Boncato made the projection as he revealed plans of the Department of Tourism (DOT) to make use Mindanao museums to tap the optimum benefit of enticing visitors.
With the opening of the Subangan Museum as perhaps the 91st museum in Mindanao, DOT plans to create a network of museums that will be opened for guests "to see the real Mindanao."
"Let us not let the news to create the image of Mindanao," he said.
“Subangan” is a Cebuano term meaning “East” or where the sun rises.
Boncato also conveyed support of DOT for Davao Oriental declared as a tourism area and its intention to develop it as a third generation tourist destination with "no rooms for sins and mistakes of the past."
"It will be a perfect tourism in this part of the country," he said.
Boncato had seen a kind of relationship of museums with tourism, citing them as places for "convergence where people from all walks of life come together, where people appreciate culture and heritage."
He also cited museums as zones of peace where people experience meeting of minds “to discuss history in a friendly manner.”
He also cited museums as "savior" for its effort to preserve lives in nature.
"If not for the concept of the museum, the sperm whale could have drifted away, died and be forgotten without meaning," he said.
Boncato was referring to the 50-foot sperm whale which drifted along the coast of Governor Generoso sometime in 2011.
It's bones now becomes a major display at Subangan Davao Oriental Provincial Museum which also features cultural heritage, tourism destinations, agricultural production, natural resources, economic development and Typhoon Pablo experiences of Davao Oriental.
He appreciated not only the content and the concept of the museum but the efforts that the provincial government had exerted to put up the museum and to realize dreams of having a repository of artifacts and a place of preserving of cultural heritage.
"We have not seen any Provincial Government that puts its heart into this program. From a seed (of idea) in 2008, we are now seeing the edifice and content," he said.
Citing the Subangan Museum as complete in its construction and content, Provincial Gov. Corazon Malanyaon estimated the museum to be worth about P25 million.
Aside from coming up with the museum concept, the provincial government made the initial construction phase and shelled out a local share of about P8 million, Malanyaon said.
The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza) extended P10 million while the congressional offices of Davao Oriental also contributed funds for the edifice construction and completion of exhibits.
Malanyaon described the museum to portray in "colorful display a collection of treasured relics, photos, videos, interactive visuals, documents, fabrics and other products."
"Proofs and testament of the province’s culture and history. It allows one to experience the breath-taking beauty of its natural wonders - the glorious cascading waters of Aliwagwag falls, the amazing pygmy forest and biodiversity sanctuary of Mount Hamiguitan Range, varied crystal waterfalls, pristine white sand beaches, verdant green islands, mysterious caves, and, tranquil rivers and lakes," she said before formally opening the museum on Wednesday.