AFTER being closed for nearly two years, the Museo Sugbo which tells the history of Cebu Province will reopen its doors to the public on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025.
Jose Eleazar Bersales, a heritage consultant for the Cebu Provincial Capitol and a member of the advisory board of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), said the museum will be open from Monday to Friday.
A minimal fee will be charged to help cover operational costs.
“The province does not have that much resources, and it’s quite expensive to maintain a museum, that is why we have to charge,” Bersales said.
General admission will be P50, while students, children, and senior citizens will be charged P25.
Bersales explained that the National Museum offers free admission because it operates with a national budget from the General Appropriations Act.
Meanwhile, the province’s resources are more limited, which necessitates charging an entrance fee.
Rehabilitation
Although the museum is considered “safe,” certain areas will remain closed pending rehabilitation from the 2013 earthquake damage. Repairs will be funded in next year’s budget.
The museum is currently undergoing a Conservation Management Plan (CMP), a legal requirement for government buildings over 50 years old before any repairs or rehabilitation can begin.
Bersales estimates the cost of the full rehabilitation to be between P5 million and P10 million.
“We’ll work with a small budget because this can be done slowly,” Bersales said.
“If you really want to know the history of the province up to World War II, there is no other place except Museo Sugbo,” he added.
Museo Sugbo is located along MJ Cuenco Avenue, Cebu City in a building that used to be the Cebu provincial jail. / CDF