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Heavy rains threatened to spoil Cebu’s favorite summer heritage event last May 25, 2018. But as if on cue, it stopped when Gabii sa Kabilin started at 6 p.m., allowing patrons to enjoy the presentations held in 29 participating museums and heritage sites.

This year, Gabii sa Kabilin or ‘Night of Heritage’ invited patrons to rediscover the pre-colonial roots of Visayan culture through its theme, “Balangay.”

The theme for 2018 and the next three years are aimed to heighten the Cebuano public’s awareness of the quincentenial celebration of the arrival of Magellan’s fleet in the Philippines. The themes for Gabii sa Kabilin from 2019 to 2021 will be inspired by the historic voyage of the explorer that changed the world forever. Cebu is expected to be one of the focal points of this global celebration in 2021 as this is where Magellan met his death.

Activities

Casa Gorordo Museum (CGM) engaged audiences with dances and theatrical performances that highlighted pre-colonial Visayan community life. It produced a play narrating a day in the life of a family during that period, children’s stories and a wedding ceremony that showcased pre-Hispanic social norms as well as beliefs on beauty and fashion, the afterlife and the supernatural.

Museo Sugbo depicted a pre-colonial Visayan village while Museo Parian sa Sugbo, the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the Fo Guang Shan Chu Un Temple brought attention to the presence of Chinese culture in Cebu before European contact.

There were also special activities that drew in young audiences. The Dolores Aboitiz Children’s Fund of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI-DACF) organized child-friendly activities in front of the Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center, just in front of the Casa Gorordo Museum. (See related story)

The second run of the Gabii sa Kabilin Heritage Hunt tested the determination and wit of seven teams of millennials, who had to hurdle nine challenges, five of which they had to finish in three hours.

Several special activities were also conducted like the blogging/vlogging contest and the Gabii sa Kabilin phone-o-graphy contest, which featured the bangka as the photo contest subject.

First-timers

Senior high school students from Abellana National High School were among the thousand spectators who enjoyed Gabii sa Kabilin 2018.

The group of Daniel Arquiola, 19; Xavieur Jamar, 15; Icyrie Sevilla, 16; and Harry James Bayron said they had the chance to know more about Cebu through the event. Except for Jamar, the three were Gabii sa Kabilin first-timers.

“I went last year with my family. But I was not able to enjoy it because we only visited one site,” Jamar said.

This time, Jamar said he really enjoyed Gabii sa Kabilin.

“Sulit na sulit ang Php 150,” (The P150 ticket price was worth it),” he added.

Gabii sa Kabilin is held every last Friday of May in celebration of Heritage Month. It is initiated by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) and implemented in partnership with the Province of Cebu and the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, and Talisay. To know more about RAFI’s programs in its Culture & Heritage focus area, please contact us through email at rafi.chu@rafi.org.ph and landline at (+63) (32) 411-1767.

The Culture & Heritage Unit of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI-CHU) through its three flagship programs — Casa Gorordo Museum, Research & Publications, and Gabii sa Kabilin — aims to develop a strong sense of cultural identity among local communities by promoting awareness of their heritage and enabling them to articulate their story.