By Perla Lena (PNA)
ILOILO CITY – The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) is eyeing to establish an ecclesiastical museum in Iloilo in the town of Sta. Barbara.
NHCP Executive Director Ludovico Badoy, in an interview on Monday on the sidelines of the commemoration of the centennial death anniversary of Gen. Martin Teofilo Delgado, said the museum will house the garbs of priests, books and other materials on the history of churches in the area, among others.
“One of the oldest here is the Sta. Barbara Church and this was used by General Martin Delgado as headquarters,” he said.
The Sta. Barbara Church and Convent was declared as a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Institute on Nov. 17, 2012.
Badoy said they used to have funds for the conversion of the place into an ecclesiastical museum, but the former parish priest was not favor of the plan. At present, they still must ask Congress and President Rodrigo Duterte to provide the needed funds.
Meanwhile, Badoy also expressed optimism for the opening of the Visayas Economic Museum at the old building of the Commission on Audit (COA) near Plaza Libertad here.
He cited that the museum is important because the “first sugar industry was here”.
“We are hoping that it will be opened before the year ends. We are now doing the curatorial work, the structural is completed,” he said.
“I hope everyone can avail and enjoy our museum,” he added as he cited that there is already a lot of museums in Iloilo.
