Deed for museum to be signed today

CEBU, Philippines — A formal signing of the deed of usufruct between the Cebu Port Authority and the National Museum for the use of the Malacañang sa Sugbo as museum will be held at 10:30 this morning.

Officials of the National Museum led by Chairperson Luli Arroyo-Bernas will be here today for the historic signing.

The National Museum earlier requested the Office of the President and the Department of Finance to give it authority to rehabilitate and use the Malacañang sa Sugbo as a National Museum.

In her request, Bernas said she considered the absence of a National Museum in Cebu, which she described as the international gateway and educational, cultural, and tourism hub, to be incomprehensible. Bernas said she wants to rectify the “glaring deficiency” by making it her top priority.

The historic building used to house the offices of the Bureau of Customs. The building was converted by her mother, former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, into Malacañang sa Sugbo after the 2004 elections in gratitude to the Cebuanos for giving her a landslide victory. (FREEMAN)