LUBAO, Pampanga — The municipal hall in Barangay San Nicolas is is eyed to be converted into a museum to preserve the rich cultural heritage of this town.
Municipal Administrator Elizalde Bernal on Monday said Mayor Mylyn Pineda-Cayabyab has sought technical assistance from the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) for the plan to turn the town hall into a museum.
This, as the local government will transfer its operations to the new municipal building being constructed along Jose Abad Santos Avenue in Barangay Santa Catalina.
The transfer of municipal hall operations is expected to be undertaken in the second semester of 2018.
Bernal said the proposed museum will serve as a reminder to the present and future generations of Lubeños about the rich cultural heritage of the town.
Bernal said he, together with Councilor John Susi and municipal tourism officer Ricky Pablo, have talked to Peter Natividad, member of NCCA sub-committee for national museums, and Kier Franco, project coordinator of the commission’s technical assistance program.
They discussed the possible cooperation between the local government unit and NCCA in the design and concept of the proposed museum and funding for the building’s conversion.
The municipal hall, which was declared Important Cultural Property (ICP) by the National Museum in 2015, needs to be thoroughly assessed before any modification can be undertaken.
Although the building was erected just about 50 years ago, the ICP declaration was anchored not on the actual structure but the story that goes with it since Lubao was among the earliest seats of the Spanish government in the country. PNA
