Plaza Independencia, Cebu City
July 28, 2023

“Museums are considered valuable cultural assets to a nation as they build a sense of community, document history, inspire creativity, promote tourism and unite people through a shared heritage. Indeed, through the art and that artifacts they showcase, museums enable visitors to get a glimpse of the past, understand the present and illuminate the way to the future,” President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said as he led the inauguration of the National Museum of the Philippines – Cebu (NM Cebu) at the Plaza Independencia in Cebu City.

The President led the ribbon cutting and unveiling of marker upon his arrival before touring the museum galleries that capture the Cebuano spirit and heritage, including the Island’s rich and diverse biodiversity, geology, archaeological treasures, art, and ethnographic and maritime traditions.

Also known as the National Museum – Central Visayas Regional Museum, NM Cebu is the biggest regional museum in the Visayas. It boasts a lobby and reception hall featuring additional art by Cebuanos, local culture and history, a terrace, courtyard and the NM’s first-ever regional museum shop.

“The inauguration is a true testament that when we pursue a united approach to any task, we can accomplish projects that will benefit generations of Filipinos,” the President said as he congratulated both the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) and the local governments of Cebu Province and Cebu City.

He urged Cebuanos to persuade local and foreign visitors alike to include the NM Cebu in their itinerary when visiting the Province, as well as called on the NMP to ensure that the nation’s cultural institutions and establishments will be made accessible to all Filipinos.

The NM Cebu building was originally established as the Customs (Aduana) Building or Old Customs House in 1910 to facilitate trade between Cebu Island and neighboring communities for 94 years before being converted into the Malacañan sa Sugbo in 2004 to bring the national government closer to the Visayas.

It was damaged by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake in 2013 that prompted its closure. In 2019, the building was declared a National Cultural Treasure; in December of the same year, the National Museum of the Philippines was given the right to convert the building into the NM Cebu. From 2020 to 2023, the building was restored and adaptively converted to museum purposes.

NM Cebu will be partially opened to the public from Tuesdays to Sundays (9 AM to 5 PM) beginning 1 August 2023. Admission to the museum is free.

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