Event Geek

More than 2,500 participants attended the fifth annual Gabii sa Kabilin last May 27. This is a significant increase from the 1,800 participants last year. At the same time, the Gabii sa Kabilin featured 11 museums and seven heritage sites, which are more than the nine museums and heritage sites opened in 2010.

This year’s participating museums include the Casa Gorordo Museum, Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Fort San Pedro, Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, Museo Sugbo, University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF)-Rizal Museum, Museuo Parian sa Sugbo (1730 Jesuit House), Sacred Heart Alternative Gallery, Cebu Normal University (CNU) Museum, Cebu City Museum, and Mandaue City Central Plaza. The heritage sites include Plaza Independencia, Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño, Sacred Heart Church, Heritage of Cebu Monument (Plaza Parian), Plaza Hamabar, and Plaza Sugbo.


The Cebu City Police, in cooperation with tanods from eight barangays—Sto. Niño, San Roque, Tejero, T. Padilla, Cogon Ramos, Parian, Zapatera, and Day-as—in Cebu City, secured the routes that night. Barangays Santo Nio, San Roque, Tejero, T. Padilla, Cogon Ramos, Pari-an, Zapatera, and Day-as also provided volunteers to run information booths and drive buses back and forth selected sites.

Gabii sa Kabilin 2011 seeks to promote local museums as venues for the understanding and appreciation of Cebuano history and culture. It also aims to abolish the stereotype of museums being merely vaults for “dead objects” and instead introduce them as venues for live cultural activities.


The only one of its kind in the Philippines and even Asia, the event is also organized every year to celebrate the National Heritage Month and International Museum Day in May.

AboitizLand and Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa partnered with RAFI for this event.
That night, the activities and attractions ranged from the traditional to the contemporary. The Asian Troubadors performed at Cathedral Museum of Cebu; an arnis demonstration was performed at Fort San Pedro; a presentation on budbud kabog delicacy of Catmon was seen at the Museo Sugbo; Sandiego dancers showcased a Santacruzan cultural show in the Plaza Parian; Spanish dances by the Cebu City Children Performing Arts were shown at the Cebu City Museum; a concert by Izarzuri Vidal happened at the Casa Gorordo Museum; a Quiz Night took place at the Cathedral Museum of Cebu; fire dances were performed in Plaza Independencia; and performing arts presentation by Russ Ligtas was featured at the Sacred Heart Parish Alternative Gallery.

Gabii sa Kabilin is a program under Culture & Heritage, which is one of the five focus areas of RAFI’s comprehensive approach to elevating lives and communities, believing that a confident community begins with a strong sense of identity. The other four focus areas are Integrated Development, Micro-finance & Entrepreneurship, Leadership & Citizenship, and Education.

On its fifth consecutive year, the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) will once again hold Gabii sa Kabilin (Night of Heritage) on May 27, 2011.

From nine museums last year, 11 museums and seven heritage sites will open its doors to the public from 6 p.m. to midnight for this once-in-a-year unique nighttime heritage tour in Cebu. Gabii sa Kabilin, the only one of its kind in the Philippines and in Asia, 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.

This award-winning event is also organized in celebration of the National Heritage Month and International Museum Day in May.

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 (USPF) - Rizal Museum, Museo Parian sa Sugbo (1730 Jesuit House), Sacred Heart Alternative Gallery, Cebu Normal University (CNU) Museum, Cebu City Museum, and Mandaue City Central Plaza, while the heritage sites include Plaza Independencia, Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Basilica del Sto. Niño, Sacred Heart Church, Heritage of Cebu Monument (Plaza Parian), Plaza Hamabar, and Plaza Sugbo.

The participating museums will feature different cultural attractions during the Gabii sa Kabilin, such as performances by Izarzuri Vidal and Children’s Orchestra Marigondon Public School at Casa Gorordo Museum; storytelling at Cathedral Museum of Cebu; tribal band at Fort San Pedro; Santacruzan sa Parian procession at Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House; Cebuano dances at Museo Sugbo; nigh market of Colon Street vendors outside USPF Rizal Museum; Cebuano songs and harpist performances at the Museo Parian sa Sugbo; art fair at Sacred Heart Alternative Gallery; World War II memorabilia collections at CNU Museum; paintings at Cebu City Museum; and cooking demonstration of native delicacies of Mandaue at the Mandaue City Central Plaza.

The upcoming Gabii sa Kabilin will also feature a walking tour of the participating plazas in Cebu City to be conducted by Ka Bino Guerrero.

For a Php 150 ticket, a visitor can already enter all the participating museums and heritage sites and avail of bus and tartanilla (horse-drawn carriage) rides. Visitors can choose where to start first.

The routes will be secured by the Cebu City Police Office as well as tanods from the nine barangays in Cebu City—Santo Niño, Tinago, San Roque, Tejero, T. Padilla, Cogon Ramos, Pari-an, Zapatera, and Day-as. The barangays will also provide volunteers to man information desks and drive designated buses back and forth selected venues.

Parking spaces are available at Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Fort San Pedro and Sacred Heart Parish.

For ticket inquiries, please call Casa Gorordo Museum at 418-7234 loc. 703 and look for May, or contact any of the participating museums. Visit also www.rafi.org.ph for more information.