Summer is almost over! What are your plans? Why not end your Summer Season with Gabii Sa Kabilin? On May 27, Friday The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) Culture and Heritage Unit and its partner organizations will hold the 10th run of the Gabii sa Kabilin from 6 p.m. to midnight. This year, the heritage event features 41 destinations in the cities of Cebu, Talisay, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu. The event's official hashtag is #GabiiSaKabilin2016
 

Parian Monument photo by dimetravel.org

Gabii Sa Kabilin 2016 official poster

Cebu City

Fo Guang Shan Chu Un Temple | by Paolo Marco

1.    Anthill Gallery
2.    Archdiocesan Museum of Cebu
3.    Casa Gorordo Museum
4.    Cebu City Museum
5.    Don Sergio Osmena Sr. Memorabila and CAP Art Gallery
6.    Fo Guang Shan Chu Un Temple
7.    Fort San Pedro
8.    Iglesia Filipina Independiente- Cathedral of the Holy Child Jesus
9.    Jose R. Gullas Halad Museum
10.    Magellan’s Cross
11.    Museo Parian – 1730 Jesuit House
12.    Museo Sugbo
13.    Plaza Parian
14.    San Nicholas de Tolentino Parish Church
15.    St. Theresa’s College – Folk life Museum

Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House By Needs and Solutions

16.    The Freeman
17.    United Church of Christ in the Philippines – Bradford Memorial Chapel
18.    University of the Philippines Foundation – Rizaliana Museum
19.    University of the Philippines
20.    University of the Visayas
21.    Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House
22.    Cebu Palm Grass Hotel
23.    Museum of Naïve Art (West Gorordo Hotel)
24.    Golden Prince Hotel
25.    Oriente Theater
26.    Archdiocesan Shrine of the Sacred Heart Parish
27.    Basilica Minore del Santo Nino
28.    Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod
29.    Redemptorist Church

Mandaue City

Bantayan sa Hari by Rafi.org.ph

1.    National Shrine of St. Joseph
2.    Mandaue Central School (Gabaldon Building)
3.    Bantayan sa Hari

Lapu – Lapu City

Mactan Shrine by rondoesthings.com

1.    Mactan Shrine
2.    Mactan Cebu International Airport/ GMR Megawide

Talisay City

Plaza De Talisay by lifeofindai.blogspot.com

1.    Talisay City College
2.    Museo de Talisay
3.    National Historic Shrine Liberation Monument
4.    Archdiocesan Shrine of Sta. Teresa de Avila Parish
5.    New Talisay City Hall
6.    Aliño Brothers Monument
7.    World War II Pillbox

During the Gabii sa Kabilin, participants will be treated to cultural performances, culinary experience, art fairs, and special exhibits, among others, during this one extraordinary night.  Select participating sites also offer children activities.

Where to purchase Gabii Sa Kabilin Ticket?
   
To join the Gabii sa Kabilin, guests must purchase a Gabii sa Kabilin ticket, which serves as an admission ticket for all destinations, one tartanilla (horse-drawn carriage) trip within the city’s old district, and unlimited rides of the Gabii sa Kabilin-designated buses.

Tickets will be available at the Gabii sa Kabilin 2016 participating museums and cultural sites.

The ticket price is Php150. Admission is free for children aged seven and below. The tickets can be purchased and reserved in advance at any of the participating destinations.

Casa Gorordo Museum at Night by Elroy Robin

The e-form of the Gabii sa Kabilin Guide Booklet, which provides detailed information about the destinations and their program and the maps of the tour routes, can be downloaded at www.rafi.org.ph or www.facebook.com/rafi.org.ph.

For more information about Gabii sa Kabilin and other programs of the RAFI Culture and Heritage Unit, please call 411-1700/3431700 local 24537, and look for May Sanchez, or visit www.rafi.org.ph or www.facebook.com/rafi.org.ph

Cebu is famous on it's culture, treasures, people's hospitality and most of all, the white sand of it's beaches. But lately, a Social Media post captured everybody's attention when a boy threw some trashes to the sea of Basdaku Beach Resort, a famous public beach in Moalboal, southern part of Cebu. Alex Banaag and his team (friends) came to Moalboal for a get together but that awesome weekend was polluted. Based on the his Facebook post, the boy stopped throwing his second basket full of garbages ( biodegradable and plastics ) when a lady approached him but what surprised them was when the Kid's "boss" took over and dumped those garbages to the sea.

Look at this kid with a basket of stuff, heading to the sea. What are inside that basket?

And there! Trashes in the sea!! What a shame!!!

Taking a look at what he had done. Maybe he has conscience and will pick them back to his basket?

Oh, he just left them! What a shame!!!

Now, here's your beautiful Basdaku Beach Resort!!!!

Garbages everywhere! Tsk2x!!!

Oh, wait, Is he coming back? Another basket of garbages?

Oh my, lookie! What happen to this kid? I think he was just asked to do it but wait, he should not, right?

Look at this!

Here's the full script of the Facebook post/status.

" Bas Dako Garbage Disposal.. What was supposedly a perfect weekend getaway was spoiled by this scenario. We were swimming near the shore when this kid threw garbage a few feet from where we were. After seeing the wastes dumped into the beach line, we immediately ran away to avoid getting "contaminated".
A lady seated a few meters from us approached the boy when he was about to throw a 2nd basket full of trash and whatever she said to him prompted him to stop. He went back and told his boss about it and his boss surprisingly took over and dumped 2 more. The kid followed and dumped even more!!!
Calling all government officials... Please put a stop to this. Jail the culprits!"

Beautiful and white sand of Basdaku Beach Resort in Moalboal Cebu. Photo by dms27.com

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Now, do we need to wait for our Seas and Beaches go dirty and ugly? Aside from these natural wonders give Locals opportunities and jobs, they are also signs of how wonderful and beautiful our place is. And we know that our government will just wait for this social media post to trend and be showed on Television before taking actions, we, the locals and concerned Citizens should do something in stopping this. Yes, We agree to Alex's post, "please put a stop to this, jail the culprits!"

Photo Credit by Alex Banaag.

As the cradle of Christianity, Cebu has been a tourist destination and a center of Spanish Culture here in the Philippines. On this Holy Week, everybody is gearing up to join the yearly activity called Visita Iglesia or Seven Churches Visitation . Visita Iglesia is a pious Roman Catholic Lenten tradition by attempting to visit seven churches or religious sites. Traditionally observed on Maundy Thursday, it is commonly practised during any day of the Holy Week.(wikipedia)

Visita Iglesia in Basilica Sto Niño, Credit: HabagatCentral.com

Now, here is the list of amazing and top Churches in Cebu (Cities Only, Provinces are not included) which are recommended to be included for your Visita Iglesia for Holy Week 2014.

7. National Shrine of Saint Joseph in Mandaue City .


The church is greatly renovated. Removed were four large pillars that supported the cupola. These pillars appear in old photographs of the church interior. A statue of St. Joseph and the Child Jesus beside him is in the style of 18th century ivories and may be from Jesuit times. [wikipedia]

photo credit: pinoychurches.wordpress.com


6. The National Shrine of Nuestra Sra. Virgen dela Regla Parish in Lapu-Lapu City (Birhen Sa Regla)


The original church was built during the Spanish times between the years 1735-1744 and was made of Mactan (coral) stone cut in square blocks and was only slightly damaged during the WW II. Unfortunately, the Dutch priests later assigned to the parish bypassed 200 years of history. Instead of repairing the damages, they had the church bulldozed in 1960 and built a totally new one made of plaster and concrete. The walls of the old (Mactan) coral stone church were so solid that, during the architectural massacre, the Dutch priest who ordered to have it demolished was said to have regretted the cultural carnage.

However, there is still a remainder of the old church, as proof of its solidity - the still existing convent built in 1855. It is a beautiful example of the Spanish colonial mission complex and is spacious and solid.

photo and captions credit: colloidfarl.blogspot.com

5. Our Lady of Mt Carmel Chapel/ Carmelite Monastery Chapel (Cebu City)


photo credit: pinoychurches.wordpress.com

4. Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Church in Guadalupe,Cebu City


photo credit: pinoychurches.wordpress.com

3. The Redemptorist - Our Mother of Perpetual Help Church


photo credit: cssrredemptoristi.com

2. Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral in Cebu City



The Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral is the ecclesiastical seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cebu in Cebu, Philippines. Cebu was established as a diocese on August 14, 1595. It was elevated as a metropolitan archdiocese on April 28, 1934 with the dioceses of Dumaguete, Maasin, Tagbilaran, and Talibon as suffragans. [wikipedia]

photo credit: wanhengkei.blogspot.com

1. Minor Basilica of Sto. Niño de Cebu



The Minor Basilica of the Holy Child, commonly known as Basilica del Santo Niño, is a minor basilica in Cebu City in the Philippines that was founded in the 16th century. It is the oldest Roman Catholic church established in the country, purportedly built on the spot where the image of the Santo Niño de Cebú, a statue depicting the Holy Child Jesus was found in 1565 by Spanish explorers led by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. The image is the same statue given by Ferdinand Magellan to the wife of Rajah Humabon as a gift over forty years after Humabon's baptism to Christianity on April 14, 1521 [Wikipedia]

photo credit: Allan Jay Quesada

Cebu, an island in central part of the Philippines known to be rich in natural resources, hospitable people and of course, highly industrialized environment and cities. The oldest city of the country, Cebu City, situated in this island which gave birth to Colon Street in the 16th century, the oldest street. Not known by other fellowmen, Cebu is proud to have the oldest defensive structures like Fort San Pedro in Cebu City, Liloan Lighthouse and the Bantayan sa Hari in Mandaue City. Flashing back our memory to our High School years through "Araling Panlipunan" subject, Cebu was hailed as Philippines's Capital City in 1565 by our invaders, the Spaniards. So much for these facts, Cebu owns the oldest remaining original stone Church, Boljoon Church which became the National Historical Landmark and National Cultural Treasure of our country and the oldest religious relic, The Santo Nino de Cebu. Indeed, Cebu is a true cradle of Culture and Heritage.


But do youngsters nowadays know or even aware what are those? where are they located and where are they from? Of course, they do and we do! This knowledge was brought back to our senses during the Gabii Sa Kabilin (GSK) last Friday night. This Cebu Heritage Tour brought to us by Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), is a Walking Tour to selected Museums and cultural sites in Cebu and its neighbor city, Mandaue. Also, participants had a chance in riding Cebu's treasured means of transportation, the Tartanilla Ride - another one of a kind.


THE EXPERIENCE 

It was a night of information overload but I was able to gain them slowly and surely ^_^ . Just like in Casa Gorordo Museum which is actually the residence of the first Filipino Bishop, Juan Gorordo, in Cebu. Various relics were displayed such as the traditional rice mill and other old kitchen stuff. Good thing that organizers had added features like Bugsay-making demonstration, storytelling with stage acts for children and other attractions. Some old Church documents were also shown to the public at Iglesia Filipina Independiente situated in Mabini, Cebu City. Meanwhile in Yap-Sandiego Ancestral house, it seemed everyone travelled to the past with all those Filipiniana and Barong Tagalog costumes worn by standbyers and some personnel in charge of the house. There was a traditional band in the street too, which guided the tourists with their folky yet lovely music.






Walking forward, in Museo Parian sa Sugbo, formerly known as Jesuit House, catered Cebuanos a wide range of exhibit via Sugbu Gallery. It showcased differnt kind of Galleon models, religious materials and around the house, you would notice the preserve tradition and culture that every "Bisaya" had. And for our National Hero, Jose Rizal, different keepsakes were maintained and saved inside the USPF Jose Rizal Museum.







Gabii Sa Kabilin is not only about Spaniards and Americans stories, it also featured Chinese memorabilia just like what Fo Guang Shan Chu Un Temple had offered. The temple gave the visitors an experience on their Master Hsing yun's One-Stroke Calligraphy, see below video for a teaser. In addition, their Zen Buddha Altars were prepared for GSK participants.




To end the tour, I was able to witness the beauty that Cebu Capitol building can offer to the public at night. What romance can it caused to lovers in the street. I love cebu!

SUGGESTION FOR BETTERMENT

Now, even if an event like Gabii Sa Kabilin has always been successfully done, there is always a point to ponder and improve. How about making it "Mga Gabii Sa Kabilin"? Maybe two to three nights of Heritage Tour? At least those 22 main attractions can be visited and experienced by participants without even rushing themselves from one museum to another - if this is the case, then the essence and the beauty of our Culture and Heritage here in Cebu will not be properly observed and appreciated.


Remember this famous saying? "A person, who does not know how to look where he came from, would not be able to reach his destination." This quote always prompts in my mind everytime I take part on GSK affair and when i see educational field trip buses. Why? Simply because we cannot attain our goal if we don't know what or who is the reason why we are aiming such objective in life - why we are alive and why we are here in this era! They are the reason, our ancestors are the reason. Nobody can take care of their important keepsakes from the past than us who live today. So learn from them and go for gold!

Indeed, It is more Fun in Cebu, Philippines and how to experience such fun? Join the yearly and much awaited cultural event, the Gabie Sa Kabilin 2012, the sixth installation and as tagged in the video of CNN, It's fun in Kalesa Ride in Downtown Cebu! The sixth run of Gabii Sa Kabilin is set to be held on May 25, 2012 Friday - from 6 PM to 12 midnight, and this time, GSK will showcase 22 museums and heritage sites!


 Here is the Press Release from Rafi, main organizer of the event: