THE Museo Dabawenyo Event Center officially opened its doors with an exhibit featuring 50 objects that reflect Davao City’s rich cultural identity, heritage, and history.
Titled “A History of Davao City in 50 Objects,” the exhibit was first staged before the COVID-19 pandemic. Museum curator Prof. Pamela Castrillo said the exhibit was re-staged for the opening of the event center, as the artifacts highlight the city’s first peoples, early settlers, and foreign nationals who worked together to shape Davao’s development.
She added that descriptions for each object are written in both English and Bisaya.
The inauguration on May 9 was attended by Deputy Mayors of the Bagobo Klata and Bangsa Iranun tribes, City Administrator Francis Mark Layog, Councilors Pilar Braga and Al Ryan Alejandre, and other city officials.
Councilor Pilar Braga, chair of the City Council’s Committee on Education, Health, Technology, Arts and Culture, said the opening of the events center fulfills a promise to preserve, promote, and pass on Davao’s diverse heritage to future generations.
The Museo Dabawenyo Event Center, located in Barangay 10-A on Mabini Street behind Davao City National High School, is open Monday to Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free.
Braga said the event center now serves as the Museo Dabawenyo’s permanent location, although a five-story building is set to rise soon beside the center to further expand the museum’s facilities.
Mayor Sebastian Duterte, in a message read by Layog, expressed gratitude to the Philippine Women’s College for housing Museo Dabawenyo at the Mindanao Folk Arts Museum for six years prior to the move.
He said the inauguration marks another milestone in the city’s efforts to preserve its cultures, traditions, and beliefs while promoting cultural understanding and harmony.
“Museo Dabawenyo has stood as one of the symbols of the rich history and diverse cultural heritage of Davao City, shaped by the collective identity and human experiences that bind us as Dabawenyos,” Duterte said.
The Museo remains a treasure trove of the city’s cultural tapestry, telling the story of its 11 ethnolinguistic groups and settlers who contributed to its growth and progress.
The City Government of Davao envisions the Museo Dabawenyo as not just a repository of arts and artifacts, but also a space for creative expression, learning, and community engagement.
“Through this facility, we hope to encourage more Dabawenyos, especially the youth, to value our multicultural identity and take pride in our shared history,” Duterte added.
Students and residents are encouraged to visit Museo Dabawenyo to better understand Davao City’s past and its journey toward a progressive future. CIO