MARAGONDON, Cavite — The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) vows a “history and culturally-enriched” year as it bares its 2018 activities for “Museo ng Paglilitis ni Aguinaldo” also known as Bonifacio Trial House (BTH).
Melanio Guevara, curator of BTH told PNA on Wednesday that for this year’s activities, the museum would embark on both traditional and a number of out of the box initiatives such as art workshops, lectures, exhibits, digital arts and commemorative activities for the focused museum publics.
Guevara said the museum had slated on February 14 its “Aba! Abaniko,” an art workshop for elementary students in celebration of National Arts Month, a departure from the usual Valentine’s Day offering.
“The event aims to teach the children the value of hard work and creativity as a means of earning a living and to provide an outlet where children can freely express their nationalism and value for freedom through arts and crafts,” said Guevara.
Guevara further adds that during this activity, the students will be asked to make bamboo paper fans and create an artwork out of it, offering a glimpse of Andres Bonifacio’s younger years when along with his siblings, he made fans to earn a living.
“Rebolusyong Filipina: A Special Exhibit” will be the museum’s featured “Women’s Month” offering in March with a month-long exhibit at the Gregoria de Jesus Gallery about the Women’s Chapter of the Katipunan and its members, starting March 1.
The museum is also set to highlight on April 10 a lecture-talk by Xiao Chua of De La Salle University Manila to high school and college students on the lives of Andres Bonifacio’s siblings and their contributions to Philippine history.
A special talk with a descendant of Espiridiona Bonifacio, Leticia Distrito-Morales, will discuss about family life and stories, which were passed on from their “Lola Nonay” about Andres Bonifacio and Katipunan.
This event is not just to commemorate Siblings Day in April, but to let the young generation gain further information about the lives and contributions of Bonifacio’s siblings, as well as understand more of the ‘Supremo’s’ thoughts, personalities and principles, from the family’s insights and “inside stories”.
For May, the 121st Death Commemoration of Katipunan’s Supremo is the main activity of BTH, with wreath-laying and commemorative rites followed by a lecture on “Bitay: Kasaysayan ng Parusang Kamatayan sa Pilipinas” on May 10.
An exhibit on “Consejo de Guerra: After the Trial” focusing on the lives and careers of people in the court martial and execution of the Bonifacio brothers will also be mounted from May 4-18, to provide understanding of the aftermath of the trial and execution of Bonifacio, especially among significant people involved in the historical episode.
To celebrate Philippine Independence Day, a special exhibit entitled “Sagisag: The True Symbols of our Nation” will happen from June 15-30.
The exhibit will present the officially declared and accepted symbols of our country and debunks so-called symbols, as popularized in schools in the past years.
BTH partners with Museo ng Katipunan (MNK) for its history month offering, entitled “Supremo ng Milenyo,” a digital art contest and traveling exhibit event using digital arts in promoting Philippine history to captivate the interest among millennial generation.
Through this art form, the two museums intend to show the greatness of the “Supremo” through digital poster making contest among senior high school and college students.
Entries will be showcased in both museums thereafter as the project will be officially launched in August 28 for the National Heroes’ Month observance.
Great heroes of Maragondon lectures and an outdoor memorial wall will be featured for the museum’s September and November activities.
Rhonnel Soberano, author of Great Sons of Matagumpay of the Cavite Historical Society will lecture on September 7 on the contributions of the town’s heroes during the Philippine Revolution, while “Lux Aeterna: Remembering the Philippine Revolutionist “ event will create a memorial wall similar to the “Bantayog ng mga Bayani.”
The public may offer flowers and light candles to honor and pray for the departed revolutionaries during the Spanish colonization, including local heroes and famous Katipuneros at the memorial wall.
The memorial wall will be mounted from last week of October to first week of November.
By November 30, the museum will highlight the 155th birth anniversary of Andres Bonifacio with the appropriate wreath-laying rites and other commemorative activities.
The modernized Bonifacio museum, one of the Cavite museums run by National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), contains various interactive displays on the events that led to the trial and execution of the Katipunan’s Supremo Andres Bonifacio, and the special bond he shared with his young wife Gregoria de Jesus.
This NHCP managed museum, the third in Cavite, is located at Col. C. Riel Street of this town, and is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Gladys Pino/PNA)
