Click Photo to Enlarge

“Gabii sa Kabilin” is Cebuano for Night of Heritage, and patterned after the long night of museums in Germany and other European countries. The event is designed to daw foreign and local tourists, but most especially Cebuanos, to visit the museums. It aims to reinforce the belief that local museums are venues for the understanding and appreciation of Cebuano history and culture. But beyond that it also discounts the stereotype of museums as mere repositories of “dead objects”; rather, as venues for live cultural activities.

The award-winning Gabii sa Kabilin is a program of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. in partnership with the Visayas Association of Museums and Galleries Inc. It is also supported by the local government and private sectors. This year, the participating museums are Casa Gorordo Museum, Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Fort San Pedro, Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, Museo Sugbo, University of Southern Philippines Foundation Rizal Museum, Museo Parian sa Sugbo (Jesuit House), Sacred Heart Alternative Gallery, Cebu Normal University Museum, Cebu City Museum, and Mandaue City Central Plaza, and featuring heritage sites—Plaza Independencia, Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Basilica del Sto. Niño, Sacred Heart Church, Heritage of Cebu Monument, Plaza Hamabar, and Plaza Sugbo.

The only cultural event of its kind in the Philippines and Asia, the Gabii sa Kabilin opens the doors of participating museums beyond regular hours up to midnight on the last Friday of the Philippine National Heritage Month of May and culminating the International Museum Day.

Click Photo to Enlarge

Gabii sa Kabilin Highlights

Time	Activity
4 p.m.	Mass the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral
5 p.m.	Blessing of tartanillas and buses Yap Sandiego Ancestral House: Santacruzan sa Parian Procession start
5:30 p.m.	Opening Program at the Cebu Normal University Opening by Dr. Marcelo Lopez, president of Cebu Normal University Message by Cebu City Councilor Margarita Osmena, chairman of the Committee on Tourism Message by Agnes Magpale, Cebu Provincial board member
6 p.m.	All museums open. Museu Sugbo: Cebuano Sayaw Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House: Dinner for a Cause Plaza Independencia Fiesta Band
7 p.m.	Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House: Cultural show of folk dances Jesuit House: Harpist performances Fort San Pedro: Movie on Cebu History
7:30 p.m.	Casa Gorordo Museum: Youth and Music (featuring the Children’s Orchestra Marigondon Public School)
8 p.m.	For San Pedro: Cultural Dances
8:30 p.m.	Plaza Parian: Awarding of AboitizLand Photo Exhibit
9 p.m.	Casa Gororod Museum: Performance by Izarzuri Vidal Fort San Pedro: Tribal Band Cathedral Museum of Cebu: Storytelling Plaza Parian: Haran and Baile by Barangay Parian
10 p.m.	Jesuit House: Cebuano songs Plaza Independencia: Trivia Night Casa Gorordo Museum: Panagtagbo Festival Launch by Barangay Tejero
11 p.m.	Plaza Independencia: Fire Dance Sacred Heart Alternative Gallery: Performance Art by Russ Ligtas

Feature programs and other attractions of the participating museums

Casa Gorordo Museum

Featured Program: Youth and Music, featuring Children’s Orchestra Marigondon Public School

Other attractions: Izarzuri Vidal

Cathedral Museum of Cebu

Featured Program: Storytelling

Other attractions: Performances by the youth

Fort San Pedro

Featured program: Tribal Band

Other attractions: Movie on Cebu history; cultural dances

Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House

Attractions: Santacruzan sa Parian Procession, Dinner for a Cause, cultural show of folk dances

Museo Sugbo

Featured program: Cebuano sayaw

Other attractions: Cooking demo for budbud kabog; weaving demo for hablon

University of Southern Philippines Foundation Rizal Museum

Feature program: Night Market of Colon Street vendors

Other attractions: Book fair of Cebuano magazines and books; performances by the USPF Orchestral Band

Museo Parian sa Sugbo (Jesuit House)

Featured Program: Cebuano songs

Other attractions: Harpist performances

Sacred Heart Alternative Gallery

Featured program: Art fair (including pieces by Cebu Artists Inc., Tente Pusod, Tuslob Buwa, Cebu Art Association, Academy Artists, Nueves Artists, Pintal Group. The gallery also features the other side of architects and photography and art pieces by independent artists.

Other attractions: Performance art by Russ Ligtas; portrait session for Php 500 per sketch

Cebu Normal University Museum

Featured Program: World War II memorabilia

Cebu City Museum

Featured program: Paintings depicting the rich history of Cebu from pre-Hispanic period to contemporary times. The paintings are masterpieces of Cebu’s finest and best artists such as the works of Celso Pepito, Jesus Rona, and Mariano Vidal.

Other attractions: cultural dance performances, lecture on the Batthe of Tres de Abril by Cebuano historian Dionisio Sy

Mandaue City Central Plaza

Featured program: Demo of delicacies of Mandaue (at Rizal-Bonifacio stage)

Other attractions: Presentation from Mandaue School for the Arts

Attractions in the participating heritage sites

Plaza Independencia

Featured program: Fire dance

Other attractions: Fiesta Band, Trivia Night

Plaza Parian

Featured Program: Food Fair

Other attractions: Photo Exhibit